The first Cordite?
 

Like most of the people on this forum, I stumbled across the Sammio via ebay and was smitten straight away. Currently got a crowded garage as the TVR that was my last project is still here (offers anyone?).

After a bit of digging around on ebay, originally looking for Scmitar base i found an abondoned Spitfire 1300 base with an hour to go and I bid on it on impulse. So I was committed (or maybe I should be!).

Any way, phoned Gary last week and put the order in for what appears to be the first production Cordite. Can't wait!

Will post some photos as I go, but just wanted to say hi.

Simon

Hi Simon, great news, and welcome to the sammio-not-a-club :biggrin:

Let's have lots of photos of the donor stripdown and build, as I might have to do a Cordite after I have finished my Spyder!:eek:

Welcome to the fold and congratulations on being the first Cordite customer. Looking forward to seeing some progress pic's. :biggrin:

Wow, number 1... It's a lovely option look forward to seeing you start the build. And welcome, it's the best forum going. Garyh.

Welcome, I will look forward to reading about your build.

Have you gone down the more expensive and hopefully less hassle donor route or are you opting for a full rebuild?

Hi Simon, impulse buys eh...... you don't have to explain/justify them to anyone on here :)

Really looking fwd to seeing a Cordite build and as others have said, lots of pics please!

Good luck

Dave

OK, so here is a picture of the donor as it arrived at my house. Previous owner had started to make it a lightweight spitfire , hence the lack of a windscreen.
Good news was that he had almost completed the restoration of the chassis and running gear and had all the bits to complete. More pics to come of chassis later now it is stripped down.
Best news is I bought on ebay at £360, sold the body tub, bonnet, seats, roll bar etc and made £560! So £200 up on gthe build so far. It won't last.

Sorry, no idea how to attach photo using URL hence attachment. Help anyone?

Simon , welcome to our clubhouse....

Looking forward to watching your build develop ....hopefully speak soon...

Gary

Hers a production shot today of the plug .....the body mould is all done now and we started the bonnet changes this afternoon.

first pattern body could be out next week , I can use that to finish my frame development....bonnet to follow in a few weeks hopefully..

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...DSCF0251-3.jpg

THIS BODY PROBABLY WON'T BE USED AS ITS A COBBLE UP FOR MOULDING .....Might join the silver one hung up !!

Donny, just sent PM that helped me with pics. Thanks to Mr. T.

Thanks Gary, some pics of body being produced would be great, will keep the enthusiasm up.

donnysoutherner - Congratulations Simon on getting the first Cordite kit.
It also looks like you got a great deal on your donor if you are already in "profit".
Can I ask if you simply re-listed the parts you didn't want straight back on e-bay?
I'm a complete e-bay novice, would it be harder for me to sell parts without any seller history?
Good luck with your build and as others have said, the more photos the better.

lancelot link - Hi Gary, it looks like you are on track to have the Cordite ready for Stoneleigh.
I know you are still building this first one, but can I ask a question about future production.
Will the Cordite be available with the 'twin hump' option you currently offer on the Spyder?

Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing this in real life.

Cheers, Paul.

Paul, what I did when I first started is I bought lots of cheap bits off ebay to get my feedback score up, like phone chargers, nuts, bolts, cables, etc. That way i got things i needed anyway, but also got my score up with positive feedback. When I went on to sell stuff, it looked better.

So if you need anything, look on ebay first. As an example i have recently bought cable ties, doashboard lights, and number plate light, all low value, but gets your feedback up quickly and easily.

My view is give clear descriptions, and lots of photos and the big stuff, just put as buyer to collect. Do bear in mind ebay take about 10-15% and Paypal another 3-5% so although you may get more, you will have fees to pay!!

Good luck

I did relist items straight away, and had to list more than once in some cases. Feedback scores are important if the item is high value, so follow the advice above and also list some lower value stuff first. Don't be afraid to list things that are quite tatty, I was amazed what I got for some stuff, but be very honest with the descriptions.

Thanks for the ebay tips gentlemen. :cool:

I still find it amazing what some builders get for the donor parts they don't need.

Cheers, Paul.

I THINK SO .....Can't see any reason why not.

MIKE MADE FANTASTIC PROGRESS WITH THE BONNET TODAY - I complicated matters by changing the grille aperture from the original rendering slightly and pretty much taking him back to about square 2 !!

When it has moved forward a little more , I will add some pics ....

Gary you're such a tease... GIMME PHOTOS!

Welcome
 

Hi Simon, welcome to the clan!! all the best and remember if you ever need help you won't find better than on here. Keep up the good work.

Regards Simon

P.S. I'm not that far away in sunny Boston!!

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...al25022012.jpg

Yes!! worked out how to use photobucket! thanks John (or maybe gary???) for the PM. More to follow soon.

Pictures going on soon...promise !!

We have been silly busy this week , hence my absence from the forum for a few days ....literally home , eat , wash , bed....

Will need to take some time out after Stoneleigh ....I have missed 2 family holidays and no more than a day and a half off in a row for 2 years ....

The Cordite bonnet is finished ...very pleased with the results , shades of a long nose Maserati style top and a bit AC around the grille .....it blends into the original body perfectly and keeps its own identity....no replica's here !!

Mike has flanged and gel'd the bonnet , the mould will be laid up on Tuesday and hopefully cracked off on Wednesday afternoon....then we can get the car off the table onto some wheels and I can take some pictures....

I have roughed out the frames and will start showing some results next week as well....

Gary, I've been wondering: how has the 'Kendrick' special influenced the final shape of the Cordite? Would you say they are similar - and if not, where are they different?

Baz from Brussels

similar yet different !

The Cordite has a longer headrest ...full length and moved backwards , Andy's was shortened in position.
Andy's car has a longer feel to the front ahead of the wheels as he wanted the Lancia bonnet and this meant moving the entire front forward , headlights and grille to make it work...The Cordite has the headlights , wheel arches etc in the same position as before but the grille comes forward a bit more , it is balanced nicely due to the taller aperture and higher bonnet line generally to clear the Spit carbs.....Andy's bonnet has big valley's either side of the centre due to the increased length ....the Cordite has very shallow valleys and a flatter appearance ....still very curved but not as dramatic...

The addition of doors changes the side profile a lot as well.....

reading back , they are actually very different !!!

I will get the pictures up as fast as I can as they can tell the story a lot better than me !!

Sounds enticing - looking forward to seeing the final shape of the Cordite!

Baz from Brussels

Hi im andy kendrick owner of the sammio special i was intrested to see your questions about mine which all seems to be positive so far!! which is a big plus for gary and me as i want to become a agent for gary in building them at all levels, do you own one?

I am desperate to get the pics up on here and update the website as well....

Mike wants me to hold on until the buck is finished with and back on the ground , to show it in its best light....I have to respect that and agree as it will look better on the floor rather than jacked up on a bench....

Ready when you are, Gary!

Baz

Suggestion for the pictures when you get round to them: why not do some comparison shots between the 'Kendrick', the Spyder and the Cordite? Would be cool to spot the differences!

Baz from Brussels

and I'm going to do another variation soon as well !!

Will try to sort out some similar angle pics to show the differences for you...

Stoneleigh
 

Are you off to Stoneleigh? Definately going if I have to walk. See you there if you do,

The Rocker (Simon)

Sorry mate, can't make that one, a bit flat out at the moment because.......

The Shell Is Ready!!!!
 

Got a PM from Gary today to say that if I was ready I could have my Cordite shell next weekend. OMG!! Looks like I'm going to be a busy boy this week. But where are the pictures Gary???

He did that to me too! :) it does spur you on no end to get the prep done !

I did mine the opposite way round - bought the shell and frame from Gary, then started preparing my donor. This was due to suffering a 'false start' in 1991 when I bought and stripped a donor, a VW type 3 variant 'squareback', ready for a quick build into a Covin Porsche 356 speedster replica. Only trouble was, once I'd got my mechanical components ready to transplant I discovered Covin had gone out of business. :(

I then had to reassemble the squareback and sold it on at a loss. Of course, if I'd kept it it would be worth about five grand now. :(

So, this time round I decided to get all the necessary bits from the kit manufacturer up front, just in case he went bust. :icon_neutral:

I'm rather glad it didn't happnen this time and I'm pleased to see that Gary's still in business and doing a roaring trade. :)

Did it to me too. I think this is a sales technique that nobody else has thought of.

Bring on your Cordites chaps. Can't wait to soo how they look.:eusa_clap:

Len.

Spent a bit of time on the car over the weekend, given that I'll be getting the body from Stoneleigh. Put new brake pipes in, put engine back in, so pretty much finished on rolling chassis until I get the bulkhead to attach things to.

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...scompleted.jpg

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/...r/enginein.jpg

carbs have been stripped down and gone for sonic cleaning which I've not used before but I'm told is fantastic. I'll put some before and afters on when I get them back.

Had a bit of a change of heart on painting everything having followed some threads here. Painted so far to prevent rusting but stuff i put on now will be cleaned and go on 'as is' to preserve a bit of age.

Probably spent the most time making some new exhaust manifold studs out of old bolts. Just playing really.

No idea why my pictures come on here so small!

looking good donny, time spent now is rarely wasted, and will make things a lot easier in the future, so you can enjoy it rather than work on it!


Good stuff, I am really looking forward to seeing some completed Cordites in the the next few months...

I thought the Cordite had its own bulkhead?
Pops

It has, hence waiting for the body to arrive before I can attach to the bulkhead!

Gotcha i misunderstood what you meant. Looking forward to seeing your progress.
Pops