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Formosa 120 gr build
I have been asked to put one of our Formosa packages together for a customer.
I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the assembly of a Formosa on here .... Graham Alexander bought a 2.0 Vitesse as a donor and it has been delivered to Southern Triumph Services in Bournemouth and a deal has been done to do a few changes and renovate the running gear and chassis. The chassis has been fully repaired and outriggers boxed for strength etc. The suspension towers have been reversed and the engine moved backwards approx. 8'' An aftermarket manifold has been fitted also. Mark at STS is now prepping everything for paint (black) and then re-assembling it before it is delivered to me . I will then be doing the little mods required to the bulkhead , fitting the extra riggers ( bolt on ) and starting to fit a kit ... pictures of the fully welded chassis and a pattern engine in place whilst Grahams 6 cylinder is checked over and re-assembled ... http://i65.tinypic.com/24b6frp.jpg http://i65.tinypic.com/k3vji1.jpg |
Looks like an exceptionally good start, can't wait to see it progress.
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Not much to report as the chassis is still over at Southern Triumph Services being prepped ..I think its painted now and undergoing re-assembly ...
I tidied up the bulkhead whilst we are waiting , repaired the missing body mounts and floor sections underneath and painted the front face satin black ...the floorpans will need a small mod or two to go back on , so no work done on those until they are re-united with the chassis ... http://i66.tinypic.com/e7laao.jpg http://i65.tinypic.com/2ih04y1.jpg |
THE CHASSIS IS COMING BACK TOMORROW LATE MORNING ...Here's a couple of pictures that Mark at STS took today ...I will take some more when its back ...
http://i63.tinypic.com/15ud0g.jpg http://i65.tinypic.com/23i7c61.jpg |
Chassis has been with me for a couple of days now ...I went to STS to get the missing engine parts and collect the rest of the exhaust etc....so plenty to get on with now !!
I trial fitted the frame and my development body yesterday to make sure it all fitted ....I had to adjust the floorpans slightly as Mark made them such a snug fit , the slight differences across chassis meant that they were a bit too snug ...I had to nibble the rear corner of the passenger one to allow room for fuel and brake pipes to clear ....The development chassis was not plumbed .. I needed to move a central tube to clear the overdrive unit too ..an inch back from where it was ... So all new frames will be built taken these factors into account ... http://i66.tinypic.com/1679egn.jpg Today , I started to make the new outriggers that support the bulkhead in its new position ..these are not drilled yet but will be a bolt in rigger that you will need to drill two holes either side to fit ( Bolt in keeps us IVA exempt - should builders choose to weld them in at a later date , that's up to them , but bolted will be strong enough ) These two riggers will be supplied as standard with the full kit package , but obviously can be bought separately if required... http://i66.tinypic.com/242e5ax.jpg |
Gary - The rolling chassis looks like a first rate starting point for this build. :cool:
The fact that you are able to fine tune the set up at such an early stage of production can only be a good thing in the long run. It certainly looks like the body shell is a lovely snug fit straight out of the box. Which, as I've said all along, is the real key to a successful build. Good luck, Paul. :) |
Very nicely done!
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Hi everyone, my name is Graham Alexander (Alex) and this is my first post,I have wanted to do a car build project pretty much all my life but sadly following a very serious illness some years ago which has left me with limited mobility and other issues I am never going to be in a position to build a car myself.I have always been into cars and my first car was a mini then an Escort mk1 1300E a 1600 John Player Special Capri then a 3.0l S Capri (wish I had kept all those) since I was ill I have bought a year 2000 Jaguar XK8 Convertible in Carnival Red which is my summer / weekend car but I wanted to get something else as well so whilst looking for a classic car circa 1940`s / 1950`s which had to be a 2 seater sports I came accross the Sammio Spyder so got in touch with Gary (Lancelot Link) in January to look into the possibilities of Gary building one for me, as luck would have it Gary said he was developing a new model this year the Formosa GR120 so it was agreed that we would go for one knowing full well that this would be a development and a learning experience for both Gary and I . As you will see from Garys first post on this thread I sourced a doner Vitesse, the chassis is now fully refurbished along with the engine.New brakes / clutch / suspension etc etc have now been fitted by Mark at Southern Triumph Services to which I owe him much gratitude, Gary is now working on the body shell and internal framework so exciting times for both Gary and I ahead.
It has been really good being involved in the development of the Formosa and again huge thanks to Gary for all his work and effort. As soon as I saw his design I knew it was for me and didn`t hesitate ordering one from him plus having build no 1 really appealed to me.I have decided to go for the Ferrari Monza 850 look which I hope will look stunning when completed, it is not going to be a like for like replica but something close. I have really enjoyed sourcing all the parts required and really hope that I have chosen well on all the details ie seats / lights /mirrors / dash switches /bonnet and boot catches the list goes on and on.Gary has been a great help with his knowledge and what would suit the build best, I have chrome air filters / rocker cover and radiator even a chrome horn and chromed hand brake. The wheels were from a Morgan which I had chrome plated at Tudor Wheels in Southampton ( Highly recommended at £60.00 a wheel) they also sourced and fitted the tyres and inner tubes.I am so looking forward to the next few weeks when things will really start to take shape, Cheers Alex :icon_biggrin: |
Welcome Alex, sounds exciting!
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Alex - Welcome to the forum Graham. :cool:
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I wouldn't get too hung up about creating a 1:1 replica, as the car will still turn heads. By the sounds of it you are going to have some nice detail touches and you'd be surprised how well they go down. ( E.g. I get a lot of positive comments about my leather bonnet straps. ) Good luck with the build, I'm sure you will end up with a great car. Cheers, Paul. :) |
Managed to get a few more bits painted and back on the engine ...
http://i64.tinypic.com/mjv5p0.jpg Graham might be going with twin pancake filters yet ...and we are having a chrome rocker cover , I think ... When the car came back from STS , it had a new twin pipe exhaust system with it ...STS had fitted the manifold , but due to engine setback and shorter body at the rear , they didn't fit the rest of it ... I shortened the centre section about 20'' and made a tweak at the rear ... a piece of tube was fitted with bolt on ends and two exhaust hangers to support the twin silencers at the rear under the spare wheel cradle .. http://i64.tinypic.com/2iuup7l.jpg Not the clearest of pictures , as the silencer tips still have their protection on them ..but it gives you an idea of how the two pipes will sit in relation to the rear of the body ... http://i65.tinypic.com/103u8ec.jpg |
Made a start on fitting up the flip front ...I was hoping to use the car to develop the front framework for the kits ..but STS put a straight tube on instead of the cranked one and , as it wasn't a restoration , didn't worry too much about location , hence its about half an inch too far back than a standard one ..
The principal will be the same but I will need to do the standardized ones on a stock chassis ... Anyway ... here's the framework in place ..fully bolt on , bolts through the chassis rails at the bottom and clamps to the tube using modified benelli clamps .. http://i67.tinypic.com/sopyti.jpg The bonnet mounted hinge plates need bracing and tying together , but I will do that when it goes on the new body .. pivot pin is a 10mm bolt with some nylon washers between the metal plates to reduce friction .. |
Gary - It is all the little touches, like the tail pipe brackets, that will really help people building this kit. :cool:
Good luck, Paul. ) |
Will it be ready for the Tribute Owners Club BBQ?
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READY TO GO ?.. no ...
Ready to attend ....yes , on a trailer ..as an ongoing build .. |
Perfect. Your place is reserved. All welcome to come and gawp
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I have done a bit more this week ...... Managed to get the radiator and twin fans fitted as well as most of the plumbing ...still waiting for the remote inline filler cap to arrive and will need to make the bracketry for that , but have made a spaceframe style inner wing section to mount the radiator and tie the front together a bit better ......I will need to add a few bits as I go , but it's pretty much done .....
http://i68.tinypic.com/t80ldc.jpg new fuel pump and fuel lines have been run too ... http://i63.tinypic.com/5nvuat.jpg Inner wing tubework mounts to the bumper tube , front inner wing mount on the suspension turret , the original bulkhead mount and throught the bulkhead ... http://i63.tinypic.com/mljfj7.jpg I also got a chance to make a handbrake bracket ...original Triumph handbrake cables and bracketry have been used ...I made a new pivot bracket to mount the horseshoe bit ...the original caged nut is fitted to the floor of the original body , so no longer relevant ... Graham has opted to use a Morris Minor / early Mini style handbrake as recommended by my good self ...I've used them lots of times before and they have an early look and their simplicity keeps things , well , simple !! Its been mounted with a slight bias to the passenger side to avoid clashing with the gearstick travel ...I put a seat in , sat in it , both sides and its easily reached and doesn't interfere with pass. legroom ...so happy days ... http://i67.tinypic.com/10ojz90.jpg I started to map out the steering , Grahams choice of exhaust has complicated things slightly , but its get aroundable .....I know what to do ..hopefully ..just need to do it !! |
Looking really good Gary, great progress and really taking shape, I am very pleased with everything that you have achieved. Looking forward to each stage of the build and hopefully when complete its going to be a real head turner
Cheers Graham |
Good opportunity whilst you have such good access to swap the dynamo for a more modern alternator.
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The two new electric fans probably use more power than the whole of the original car. I found that my Kenlow on the Jag would get the charge light on the dash to light up when sitting in traffic. Fitted an alternator and it stopped happening, must be less than half the weight.
As it is a "new" engine that hasn't had any water in it I would be very tempted to go for the Evans waterless coolant, but expensive. It really is turning into an impressive build. |
Got a bit more done today .....made a start on the steering and nearly finished it ...I've about an hour left to do on it ...
I needed to change the angle of the steering due to engine setback and Grahams exhaust choice , a straight path wasn't easily achievable ... I could have gotten away with one u/j to change direction , but felt the column and wheel would be too upright , fine on a Hot Rod , but the cars of this style and era tended to have columns nearer the horizontal with slight inclines and not the 45 degrees that one u/j would have created ... So , with the help of a pair of TR6 u/j's and a spare inner column from a Herald , I first cut the upper column off , both inner and outer , added one u/j to the bottom of this using the spare inner to create an inner sleeve , the flat section was used so the cottle pin bolt could go in and it was bolted up tight and then fully welded ....then another piece of the inner was welded to the bottom of the u/j , an outer section sleeved over it and fully welded , but leaving the splines exposed .....the outer aluminium colum that had been shortened was fitted with an oil lite bearing at the base to replace the rubber bush that was cut off .. http://i66.tinypic.com/2akk5qs.jpg I then made the centre section using the second u/j , slipped a rose joint over the first part and clamped the lower part on using splines and pinch bolt ..this means the column can be split to remove it easily and the rose joint can be taken off if required .. http://i67.tinypic.com/2isch2v.jpg I mounted the column to the stock mount on the frame , the second bracket that normally bolts to the bulkhead was hung from a suspended steel plate , the rose joint has been bolted through a plate bolted up through the bulkhead just to the left of the pedal mounts ...see picture .. http://i63.tinypic.com/2r5tjc0.jpg Although its all working fine , there is a bit of twist on the rose joint bracket where it flexes through the thin bulkhead ...so I need to brace and re-inforce the bracket and its mounting plate , making it wider to spread the load a bit better .....also , although the lower shaft is straight and turns fine , it flexes a little due to its extra length and the fact they are generally pretty spindlely from the factory ...so I think I'm going to add an extra rose joint along its length mounted off a bracket attached to my inner wing framework , just to give it a bit of extra support ... I think the revised column angle is much better now ... |
GOT THE STEERING FINISHED TODAY ..... I made the bracket under the dashboard holding the first rosejoint twice as wide and triangulated it ..its bolted through the bulkhead with a matching spreadplate and 4 8mm bolts , so its not moving now !! I also stripped the lower shaft out , added a thin sleeve that my engineering buddy made for me that brought it up to the same width as the nearest rosejoint I could buy to the shaft size ..I slipped the second rosejoint over it , tack welded the sleeve in place and made a support bracket for the rosejoint out of 3mm and 5mm plate joined together with two short pieces of 12mm tube to match the framework it is bolted through ...it works a treat now , no flex and is all fully removable should you need to take it apart ...
http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/...30/steerrr.jpg I also finished off the top hose assembly with the inline filler and a bracket made fom an old coil clamp welded to a small box steel section to 'guide' the flexihose into the area of bonnet with clearance ... http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/2017/05/30/hose.jpg so , not much to report , but a few more jobs crossed off the list ......... |
BIT MORE DONE ... I have added some harness mounts to the framework and floor sections to take Graham's belts he has supplied ... bit tricky to see but they are welded plate with captive nuts welded to them mounted to the lower cross bar and some captive nuts fitted to the frame either side of the dropped pans ...
http://i63.tinypic.com/24vmvlg.jpg http://i67.tinypic.com/v7gi1y.jpg I am at a point where I think all the welded attachments are done , so opted to paint the frame and floorpans ...We decided to do the tubework satin silver to contrast the red body and I have done the floors black to tie them into the chassis visually ...so off with the frame it was .... http://i65.tinypic.com/2unwrxk.jpg whilst the frame was off I fitted the propshaft that I shortened just over 8'' The tubework is now silver and floors black .... http://i66.tinypic.com/2efn68j.jpg http://i68.tinypic.com/73j5o5.jpg next job is to patch and modify the front pans to fit the chassis after the 8'' shift backwards ... |
I have made a hardboard rear bulkhead pattern . The kit comes as standard with this flat bulkhead in 2 fibreglass sections with the central seam ...I just hadn't made the patterns yet !!
They are done now and Graham has opted for the bulkhead as standard ...so I will lay up some flat sheet and cut a pair out next week ... http://i63.tinypic.com/348sr4m.jpg I have also started to work out my grille insert ...the small section shown is what I am intending to do ...approx. 40mm x 40mm square sections in the traditional 'beer crate ' egg box styling ... about an inch deep and made from moulded resin ... http://i63.tinypic.com/2yn5end.jpg |
This is coming together very nicely. :cool:
I think the egg box grill will stand out much better than a 'traditional' mesh grill. ( In many photos, my mesh grill simply 'disappears'. :rolleyes: ) I'm sure you will get a positive reaction at the BBQ. Good luck, Paul. :) |
Looking good. Beer crate grill will suit it but at the moment looks too heavy, can you use thinner material?
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I was really hoping to make the BBQ , BUT a combination of child care duties , a customer visiting and really needing to layup some flat sheet for Monday , means I won't make it ...Saturday was always going to be the less convenient day for me .... |
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Of course , anything I use is only a suggestion ...these are blank canvas builds , not replicating anything , the same ethos as the S*mmio before it and left very much to the builder to put their own mark on the car, they are 'specials' not kit cars ..I much prefer that approach to them , they are similar enough to a mid 50's Ferrari or Maserati to go down either of those paths stylewise , but not forcing the builder to try and copy anything , which brings plenty of criticsm if they fall short in any dept.... There is nothing wrong with replica's ...don't get me wrong , I started this journey because I wanted a Kougar Monza when I saw them in a magazine whilst I was at school and starting to get into Hot Rods etc. and similarly , wanted a 550 around the same time too ..... so have nothing against them at all .....but I chose an ''inspired by'' route for my contribution to the classic Roadster market ..... |
Here's a picture of the squares taken straight on ... ...you can see the headlight rings fitted in this pic too ...there is a little 'drain' hole at the bottom which you can reach the screw to screw them in place through ....
http://i66.tinypic.com/33nwwpc.jpg And here's a picture with the grille painted black except for the front face ... I like this one ...being moulded resin , these will be slightly heavier than an aluminium one but not as heavy as the old steel ones that S*mmio's and , strangely , Miglia's had ... http://i68.tinypic.com/1zn4v29.jpg The grilles should workout to be about £45 ...... |
2 Flatsheet rear bulkhead pieces cut and a stepped edge created on the passenger side one ..these will be glassed in when the tank work has been done and then a hatch cut into the centre ...
http://i66.tinypic.com/289lt7q.jpg I have also started to fit a modified tunnel cover , the front half of a tunnel with the coin tray cut out ...this is going to be blended into the centre framework using some ally sheet that , hopefully is going on the inside to keep the frame detail exposed ... http://i66.tinypic.com/30cyds7.jpg I have also started to fit some bonnet bracing to the front ...starting with 2 inner arch sections that will be joined to a nose cone section both sides tomorrow to get some inner rigidity on the flip bonnet section.... http://i66.tinypic.com/1zwl0sp.jpg |
SOME FLOWCOATING DONE..not sure how it comes across on here but its bright red ..bit like a Mars or Rosso ..
http://i68.tinypic.com/2vb7pld.jpg |
Gary – I like the inner wheel arches built into the bonnet. :cool:
Unfortunately, if I added any more weight to my own bonnet, I don’t think I would be able to open it. :rolleyes: Good luck, Paul. :) |
This one is getting quite heavy too ...6 oz layup , longer and wider than a S *mmio , nearly half a sheet of 12mm ply bonded in as well ... It feels really solid when operated and no flexing about like it's cousins do ..I need to add a brace or chain to stop it opening too far , which will go from the front tube on the chassis to the inner wings ...
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Lots of little jobs being achieved and some larger ones too ...
fuel tank went back in , filler neck and new sender added and then Grahams fuel cap fitted using an adaptor ring that my engineering mate made to get it down to Spitfire tank size .....The large cap looks great ... http://i68.tinypic.com/aazxp4.jpg I've also panelled in the tunnel on the inside using aluminium and fitted a top section ...Right pig of a job to do after fitting the frame !! The rear bulkhead has had its hatch cut and some wooden baton fitted around the opening to brace it and create a stepped lip to fit the hatch lid to ...this has been fitted to the floorpans using an angled piece of steel pop rivetted in place , its fibreglassed and sikaflex'd to the body sides and sikaflex'd and rivetted at the top ... http://i63.tinypic.com/24e6zoo.jpg I've still got to dress the edges and put some detail in around handbrake etc...but it gives you an idea of where it's going .... The bulkhead panel has now been fully fitted to the front also , glued and rivetted around its perimeter and glued and rivetted to the bulkhead / body too ... http://i67.tinypic.com/2kr6mu.jpg I made a start on inner rear arches too ...I have made the outer section that braces the body and ties it to the frame both sides ...I will add a lower section at a later date and also tie them to the rear of the bulkhead with a removable panel to access the harnesses , if required .... the outer sections have been fully glassed in ... http://i63.tinypic.com/mktyt1.jpg Whilst the fibreglass was being thrown about - today was not a great day for glassing ! I made the 4 x tubes to accept the rear lights ...made in the traditional way of placing 4 x Pringle tube halves on an aluminium sheet , glassing around them and onto the sheet to give a top lip ..then cutting 4 discs from flatsheet and rivetting them to the lip to make a little pot ... ( Actually Lidls versions of Pringles - other stackable crisps are available ..) Tomorrow should see me making a start on fitting these into the rear of the body along with further progress ... http://i63.tinypic.com/2l9gn5k.jpg |
Great progress Gary, really taking shape
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Well , I thought yesterday was a bad day for fibreglassing ...well today wasn't any better !!
I was on a mission to get the rear light pods fitted today , and I very nearly did it ...they are in and fully glassed in place , sanded back but I didn't get a chance to blend them in with a bit of filler due to waiting for sikaflex to cure and I haven't trial fitted the units properly yet , just placed them in ...again due to curing times ...about an hour tomorrow should see those bits finished ... I needed to workout their location , which on a totally rounded car with curved rump , isn't straightforward ...you need a central measurement position to work from ...so I found the centre line and fitted a temporary number plate made from scalpeled masking tape to the correct dimensions of a real plate ...this gave me somewhere to start with the measurements and a focal reference for spacing the units ...... My initial plan to put the units in from behind half worked ....the outer ones went in perfect ...the inner ones wouldn't go in due to the internal frame being in the way ...so I cut the bases off , fitted the tubes from the front and then glassed the bases back on in position ...not too much of an issue but added some time to the job ... so , apart from a bit of blending and stuff ..we have some lighting detail ... http://i66.tinypic.com/24gsh2t.jpg Picture quality not great as workshop was very dusty today ...but hopefully shows the intention ... http://i68.tinypic.com/715kzb.jpg |
Just had confirmation that Graham is happy with the paint quote we just received ....so , in a few weeks time the car is heading over to HILLTOP AUTOMOTIVE for Jeffy Baby to perform his magic on her ...I'm very pleased about that ....
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Hi Jeff, thanks for looking at the car yesterday and quoting for the painting, as you know I am happy to go ahead as Gary has said you are the man for the job and I am really pleased that you are going to do it. As with Gary I am more than happy for you to post updates here. As I am not in a position to do much work myself I hope that by showing Gary`s and now your skills helps in a way for people out there to see the quality and skill of your work and hopefully its a good advert for any of your future business. Ultimately I am trying to achieve a superb looking car and having the experts working on it I know this is what we are going to achieve and it couldn't be in better hands
Cheers Graham (Alex) |
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