I don't mind patina but its the horrible white powdery ali rot I don't fancy, waiting to hear from my paint man on the possibility of scotching it and them matt lacquering it.

I'm looking forward to seeing the updates from Ribble HQ.

It will be interesting to see the developments / improvements in the Navigator compared to the original Cordite.

Hope all goes well, Paul. :)

Progress is starting to pick up now, with the rolling chassis at Ribble HQ i got the chance to collect the engine from the engine builder yesterday, typical engine builder, had sprayed everything black....
30 minutes this morning sees the block in silver smoothrite which at least isnt black, once i get the rocker changed out for the alloy one it will start to look a bit better. Off to RHQ tomorrow to drop of the now mated engine and OD gearbox so we can drop it onto the chassis so Ribble have more idea about clearances etc.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s.../IMG_00469.jpg

Spec for those that are interested in such things, its a 1300 with new pistons and rings,
Compression is 9.85 to 1
Bradbury Engineerings own Fast road Cam
Stage 2 ported head which I picked up brand new of ebay for £80, its off a Triumph 1500 FWD so has larger valves than the 1300 allowing better breathing.
Complete bottom end has been dynamically blanced.
New sheels and bearing all round.
High flow oil pump
Uprated vlave springs
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C.../IMG_00471.jpg

Well went into RHQ this morning bright and early and with the assistance of Andy and Gaz we managed to drop the Engine and Box into place, also fitted the rear spax whilst i was there. Was going to fit my braided brake flexis whilst i was there but fitted the rear one and it was about 3" too short, it fitted but left no slack at all for movement so will be on the phone to Rimmers in the morning. On the up side managed to finally find someone with a rotten shell who will cut out the trans tiunel for me so that should be delivered to Andy sometime this week, he now has or will have this week all the parts required to get the frame etc underway

I wish RHQ would show us some pics of workshop in full flow...

Absolutely Gary,

We'll get it sorted. Looking very full now with 3 Heralds in Turnkey strip, Mac's Spitfire, Development Spitfire/Navigator (The Green one), Colani, Demo Pilot (Vanessa) and Demo Navigator about to rejoin after spray. Just as well we went for the big workshop :biggrin:

Photos will follow (Once I get Andyp85 to sweep up a bit!)

Well, start cracking that whip!

First update today from andy, work on the frame redesign is underway
http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7c7787fe.jpg

On another note does anyone have a spitfire 1300 or 1500 front pully to hand? i need the diameter of it just behind the v so i can order a trigger wheel to weld onto the back of it as i will be running a Nodiz electronic ignition system.

We've got a Spit 1500 in the workshop. I'll measure the pulley when I get in over the weekend.

Cheers mate, it's the diameter just behind the actual pulley I need ill try and do a sketch later
Mac

Oh and if anyone wants to go nodiz I'm on a forum that is currently getting 20% off, makes it much easier to get the best from your engine and very easy to install.
Www.nodiz.co.uk

Mac

This is the only image I have of the Workshop

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BHuOdchCAAEQGxg.jpg:large

So I'm sitting outside my hotel in the sunshine waiting for dinner, so what to do? Go gauge shopping that's what!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e...4_16_17_34.png
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n...4_16_17_34.png

Now I know that the "Ribble Navigator" on the quad gauge is out but the speed hut website isn't clever enough to deal with an apple device just yet but I know on the full browser version you can move the text so that's easily solved. The speedo is GPS driven which I'm fairly sure isn't "strictly" legal but apparently it's pretty accurate so I'm willing to take a punt, what do we think?

Ps should have mentioned that these are 4" gauges and the speedo also has signal left and right and a high beam light. All the gauges on the quad gauge are programmable. The pair customised and shipped will cost me $660 US plus whatever the customs man decides he is due so I'm reckoning about £520 at my door including all the sensors apart from the fuel level sensor.......

Very nice, I like those a lot!

I think they look nice and period, shame about the LCD on the speedo but you can't have everything, and for the money I haven't found anything close in the EU as good

Gaz, any chance of a pic of the Colina dash what a tape measure over the gauge area to see if they would fit?

No problem, I will get one tomorrow when Im back at the unit.

Thanks Gaz, don't know if you've spoken to Andy today but caught him earlier I between super cars and I'm coming up next Tuesday to have a look at progress and discuss time lines etc.

Viatron - Those gauges will really help keep your dash clutter free. :cool:

Can't wait to see the rest of your framework take shape.

Good luck, Paul. :)

That's the other thing I like about them Paul, as well as looking vintage to some degree they will make the layout a simple job. The other thing I like is that they would appear to be very easy to wire up so less work on the electrics, I'm now officially bored with complex electrics, the other project has a stand alone ecu, data logger, electronic dash and a 4 camera video system, the loom in places looks like an anaconda !

£520 for gauges? That's my entire build budget!

They do look very cool, will enhance the dash and be simpler to fit. Mr T can probably quote chapter on legalities of GPS Mph...

Oh yes I forgot, come on then Towed tell me how many regs I would be breaking if "theoretically" I was to be silly enough to fit a GPS speedo please?

If its not legal for the speedo then I:icon_arrow: :nono: suppose my two 38mm machine guns rocket launcher and revolving number plates will have to come off!!

None that I know of.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1...lation/35/made

No mention of it needing to be mechanical or electronic, it just has to work, and must indicate both mph and kph if the donor was registered after 1st April 1984.

It mustn't indicate more than 10% (+4kph) more than the actual speed of the vehicle and must never indicate less than the actual speed.

None of the above is checked on the MOT either, the speedo just has to be present and intact.

I've regularly conducted speed calibration checks on job cars over the last few years - If I've followed and prosecuted someone for speeding, if it's practicable, as soon as possible afterwards I do multiple passes down a quiet stretch of dual carriageway holding the speed at 10mph increments above and below the speed I believe they were doing, while a colleague checks my true speed with a calibrated gun.

So, if it is my opinion that they were going 70 in a 50 limit, I drive at an indicated 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90mph, while a colleague checks my actual speed. We then write statements that show the margin of error between the indicated and actual speeds which gives me an evidential argument as to how fast the motorist was really going (we have other methods too, btw).

The cars have a traditional speedo and a speed reading on the (Garmin) sat nav, and the sat nav has been spot on every time, while the built in speedo is often reading 10mph high at 100mph, showing 110mph on the clock and 100 on the gun. Don't take it as gospel, but I'd trust a gps speedo over a mechanical one any day.

The only drawback I can see with a GPS speedo is that it won't work when you go through tunnels. I'd suggest you get to know what speed you're doing at what revs and monitor your speed that way when it's not working.

Oh, and in eight years as a plod I've had a lot of people contest their speeding tickets but I've never lost a case. :mod:

Nice dials by the way, a tad expensive but very nice. :)

Ha Ha. Can't find anything in the construction and use reg's prohibiting the machine guns and rocket launcher, but the revolving plates would constitute 'going equipped' and get you nicked.

It should be an offence to have too many gauges..........Cobra owners.

RHQ had a very welcome visit from Mac yesterday which resulted in a lot of progress being made with the redesigned Navigator frame. We've just about sorted the rear end and floor supports:

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5e9e1fc6.jpg

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...ps86e820f5.jpg

Glad to say that all joints are at right angles where they need to be and holes line up with the chassis :biggrin: We'll be finishing off the rear today and moving on to the front end which has three main functions. Obviously supporting the body shell at the right height, providing a support for the master cylinders / pedals and also giving the steering column some good support.

More photos will follow soon. (And many thanks Mac)

More frame photos. The rear is starting to near completion. Just a couple more braces for the fuel tank support and a cross brace on the rear cockpit former and I'll be looking at the front next.

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...psefecb788.jpg

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...ps65eb15bf.jpg

http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2769f036.jpg

Some very nice neat metal work.

Will the corners of the frames be 'rounded off' to avoid any potential of damage to the body when fitted, or would you 'pad it' with rubber or builders foam?

Thanks Nike. Where possible, the corners should be rounded off but there will inevitably be the odd place that some extra padding will be required. Looking forward to fine tuning it with the new Navigator body :biggrin:

Nice to see progress, when do you reckon the steel floors will be in Andy?

I'd like to get the front frame finished and at least a test fit of the shell and pedals to gauge the clearance of the front floors. Also looking at an idea of putting in a vertical flange at the outside edge to bond the body on to.

Looks like the internal framework is coming together nicely. :cool:

Thought i would just post an update.
Well things are a bit in limbo at the moment with my build as i have been temporarily seconded to team Ribble to help out with the new Navigator buck, the combination of having a mate who runs a body shop and some free time led to me getting very hands on. Im glad to say that the new buck is now done and im sure Andy will be publishing the details when he sees fit.
This obviously means that i have no body as the the one that has become the new buck was in fact supposed to be mine. It also means that i have no frame as work on that has stopped until the first new body is pulled from the new mould so that exact fit can be assured. Although no massive redimensioning has taken place the efforts put into making the body as symmetrical as time and budget would allow means that any current frame is unlikely to fit well.

Luckily i have the race car to play with so am currently getting the engine and box package together but that means a few custom ally machining jobs for the gearbox to bellhousing adapter and the custome dry sump setup im putting together.
Did have a good day today though as my man cave buddy Dave and i commissioned out new ( to us) mega huge blasting cabinet, doors at both ends and it will take two wheels side by side, the seller threw in a new bag of garnet blasting media as well so we practised by doing a wheel and the water pump housing off the Navigator. Also got round to painting the block of the Navigators engine which came back from the engine builders all in black and needed some brightening up, luckily another side project is my Grayson lathe rebuild for which i bought some blue grey machine enamel, guess what colour the block is now....

Thats all for now

Mac

Mac - AndyP57 showed me some photos of the body work that was done on his phone at Stoneleigh.

It will be good to see bigger photos and a full explanation when the time is right.

One this is clear though, and that is that you will have a much nicer car at the end of all this. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

I really hope so Paul, 3 long days of white dust exiting every orrifice on my head must be worth something!

Well Mac, at least you will definitely be able to say you built the car yourself!!!

Paul has built his himself!! :mad2: