As I said once before, those spacers I have put in there, are one of the reasons, I managed to get the body so low on the Spit chassis.

The body normally would have been bolted directly to the front cross member, and consequently been 3 inches or so higher up.

Doing this has caused all sorts of other problems, some of which
I have sorted, and others I will get round to, but that's another story............

Monday morning
 

When I did the micky-mouse plumbing, I attached it to the heater valve with the only bit of pipe I had at the time, which was only cold-water rated, and made of plastic.

I had intended to change it at a later date, today was that date, as it blew off while the engine was running , spewing hot coolant out.

Also, another little job was to fit two small brackets, one either side of the radiator frame, in order to support the bonnet edges, which flexed slightly if leaned on too much.

I did that, and now it is stiffer and better supported.

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc4f75ea2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd020f604.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2964ecb7.jpg[/IMG]

Scottie - Looks like you are working your way through the "odd jobs" list.

I know these all take time, but each one is bringing you a step closer. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

Tuesday
 

Thanks Paul, well I carried on with the "list" today.

I had other things to do in the morning, but during the afternoon,
managed to get the passengers wheel arch all sealed up and glassed in.

Did not enjoy the work, as I am right handed, and was working in a left handed
environment, so the drivers side aught to be more fun!

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc2898805.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps3458fb60.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7cdaa3b9.jpg[/IMG]

http://<a href="http://s928.photobuc...pse3bf0946.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse3bf0946.jpg[/IMG]

Today
 

Today I wanted to go to a classic car auction to see if my friend's MGB
would go under the hammer, ( I think he's asking too much).

But, I was determined to put in half a days work first.

Half a days work is the target I have set for myself each day now, and that is a minimum, sometimes I work longer.

So I started at 0800 hrs, and have just finished now.

Right now its shower time, and off to the auction, I will post a report and pics a bit later today, stay tuned................

Wednesday PM
 

Well I'm back from the auction and had the satisfaction of being right about
my friend asking too much for his car, he had a reserve of 7k on it and it fizzled out at 5.4k, well short of what he expected. At least I was there to give him the necessary support! He was of course - gutted.

So, this morning early I started on the drivers wheel arch bonding to body process.

I thought as ever, that it would be an easy job, easier than the other side which I did yesterday.

And, as ever I was wrong about that too!

The passengers side turned out to be easier because there is nothing under the bonnet that side which requires future access.

The drivers side is very different, things that may need future access are: the windscreen wiper motor, and both the clutch and brake master cylinders to name but a few.

Which is the main reason I went to so much trouble to cut an access panel out at the start of the build.

And I am so glad I did, as without it I think I would have been bollo*ed

so, unlike the passengers side, when I boxed the drivers side in, I had to think a lot about access, and leave as much space in that area as It would be possible to do.

I continued the top of the bulkhead laterally across to the body shell, in
order to give more spanner-room, if I ever needed to change any of the gubbins in that area.

Very awkward to work in such a confined space, (how many times have I used that sentence in this thread!!!)

Anyhow, it is done, and I think the results are as good as they can be, given the confines.

So that is the front bulkhead completely bonded to the XKSS body shell, I will still have to put in place some sort of inner wheel arch, as I do not want the same problem the Towed had with his battery box becoming flooded!

(Although mine still has a nice drain pipe on it)


The pictures tell the story

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbca439c9.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps90f21b02.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8ae3fedc.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps20739da3.jpg[/IMG]

Well after all the good intentions, today I have not been able to do any work at all on the car.

Normal life really got in the way, hedges to trim,

the roof to repair (have to do it in this weather before the thunderstorms hit!)

Shopping, laundry etc all boring stuff, but all has to be done.

I also managed the second road bike ride this week, only 10 or so miles, but The doctor gave me a six month lay-off, which is now past, so I am starting in a small way as per instructions.

Seeing as I have no car pictures, here is one of my best bike.
(The one I rode today)

It's a titanium framed Litespeed, complete with Dura ace gearset
and Ksyrium wheels, and is a joy to ride.


[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf18bdd83.jpg[/IMG]

Scottie - Looks like solid progress to me.

And I certainly know a song, or two, about domestic chores getting in the way of my build. :rolleyes:

Love the Litespeed, a very nice bike indeed. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

Liking the bike,must dig mine out the shed,stopped cycling3 months ago and piled on the pounds!

bending pipes
 

In the pursuit of pipe bending in order to make my own bumpers, I spent most of yesterday, either going round more engineering places in Hereford, or trying to bend pipes myself, both avenues ending in total failure!

I had a "pipe bender" lent to me for the job, but in all honesty, I cannot see absolutely any use for this machine at all, (the bloke that lent it to me agrees with me, and does not use it either!)

Bend pipes it does NOT, completely f*****g up pipes it really excels at.

But, on the positive side, I now know I need to find an engineer in my area that can do mandrel pipe bending. (Did not find any yesterday)

Also in order to make my own bumpers, I need 2 inch ss pipe, not 1.5 inch pipe.

So I have advanced a little bit.

Having seen perfect bends done on You tube by two cousins from over the water, by filling the pipe with sand first, I had a go.

It did not work for me, BUT I did not heat the pipe first in a furnace.

I have not given up though, I have two options open to me, build a furnace and do the job properly, or find someone who can do the mandrel bending with my pipe.

here are the pics of the miserable results:

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6c8001e5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps07185461.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps18909220.jpg[/IMG]

And this was the miserable result

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps72bbb439.jpg[/IMG]

can you not buy mandrel bent stinless tubing and slice that up..pricey i know but perfect bends can always be welded by tig and polished out .
i use this place
http://www.clampcouk.co.uk/exhaust-r...rel-bends.html as i get through quite a few modifying motorbike exhausts.

3 45 degree stainless items bought from these guys sitting here i could let go cheaper than they are selling it

and 4 stainless 90 degree bends from elsewhere

That may be another possiblity, redratbike, but I don't really want
a 45 degree bend, I want a continuous curve. I have looked at stuff like that here in Hereford and the bend is too acute and sharp, and would not look right.
I may be forced to accept some like that in the end though.

Those pipe benders work on red band steel tubing, much thicker walling. If you google up roll cage manufacturers you will find people with mandrel benders who will knock up your tubing.

I'll try that Landmannn, thanks!

I even thought of sneaking out at night with a hacksaw, looking at handrails, but none of them are stainless steel!!

or find someone local that makes stainless stair hand rails???? They are good at tube bending

Show me what you are trying to achieve and I'll see what I,can come up with

Sunday
 

Crimson rodent cycle, or redratbike as you prefer:-)

In answer to your question, what am I trying to achieve? I sometimes find myself asking the same bloody question, and at times I'm not even sure..........

Right, here are some pictures and drawings, which would not win prizes, but hopefully will explain what I'm trying to do, with these bent pipes in order to make a thousand quids worth of XKSS bumpers.

As I said once before, I am not keen on the original XKSS bumpers at all, and want mine to be the shape in my pics.

They are purely for asthetics, (a bit like the real ones then!)

Since I last posted, I have had another re-think, and have decided on pipes with a diameter of 1.5 inches, and not the 2 inch ones.


[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa3924353.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9ebcb18f.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4e63a95b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc448db15.jpg[/IMG]

On another note, I started work on assembling the doors today, which threw up even more complications, (a bit like Paul I guess!)

When I stuck the alloy plates on the inside of the door skins, it seemed to somehow flattern out the curve, so when I mate up the skin to the door, it takes quite a lot of pressure to bend the skin around the frame and hold it there.

So much pressure, in fact, that I am thinking that bonding alone may not hold it, as it wants to spring open all the time. I did not really want to use rivets, as it would not look right.

Then I came up with the idea of trying to re-bend the skin to the correct shape, and to that end, I have clamped the skin up, and will leave it that way for a day or so to see if it will reshape.

I will post the answer in due course........

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8b96b741.jpg[/IMG]

Monday
 

Today I put in a full day, I started at 0800hrs and have just finished now.
The time now is just gone 4pm.

I have achieved a lot, I have taken the door hinge off and cut, reshaped and welded it back, so now I have the correct hinge angle, or at least as good as its going to get for me.

I have trimmed the door and the skin,and made it fit well, and finally bonded them together using J B epoxy glue, which the company bills as the "strongest glue in the world"

I don't really care if it is, as long as my door stays stuck together!

I used the whole 2 ounces of the stuff, so we will see.

I have drilled two extra holes in the hinge, so it will be 4 bolt, not for strength, but so I can fine shim the angle, top and bottom, as I made need to for a perfect fit.

This is only the drivers side mind you! But I have learned from the mistakes I made, so the passengers side will be quicker and easier.

( Where have I heard that one before?)

At least I know the precise place to slice the other hinge now, and also how much to bend it,so won't be wasting time re-welding up my mistakes.

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps39700838.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps30c4c8cd.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd0bfeb37.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps63117a04.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6ac84406.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4bad382c.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4dec2082.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps093aac81.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5ad9f92b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps71e069b0.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd9065290.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7f1c8716.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9ca4e65a.jpg[/IMG]

Scottie - Great effort. :cool:

Although as I read your update I feel much happier about sealing my own doors shut. :icon_wink:

I know I keep saying it, but your car is going to be great when it is done.

Good luck, Paul. :)