g46 progress
 

This is my first update this year and we are in April, Where have the last 3 months gone!
The G46 has it back to me in the car part and its not a happy bird.
Still only half a coat with a cat taken up residence.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7e37048c.jpg
Well it got above freezing this easter so I managed some progress.
The skuttle top had been separated from the rear body at he doors so i set about cutting away the dash to get it to fit,
using the pictures of Nike55 and GWA's threads on this forumn.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psecab65e8.jpg
The cut slowly and trial fitting is taking longer than i expected and creating a large pile of small red fibreglass pieces.
However i now have acess to the door hinges and the supporting metal work, which seems to have rusted considerable.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2c413246.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psdad4cccd.jpg
I had considered fastening Gary's metal frame work to these but the dimension were wrong and the frame to tight for my body
so i will stick with the reliant bulk head as Reliant deemed that no front metal frame was required.
However I am planning to retain the existing heater arrange ment so have sprayed the inlet yellow so i do not cut it out!
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4e5ef6d2.jpg
The skuttle is not forward enough for the old front bonnet channels so I have left them in place for now.
The good news is that the skuttle and rear body now match up so I have not screwed up! phew!
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3a434a1c.jpg
A trial fit of the bonnet revealed that the brake servo has to go.
So i an unsure to go tandem balance bar with no servo or single master and relocate the servo.
The dual masters has the advantage of reducing the efficency of the handbrake from 40% to 25% on the MOT
and the servo is not really needed as the brakes are very good on the scimitar.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5658ad7e.jpg
The inner wheel arches still need some cut away
and I have still resolved the headlight position as the bowls in the wheel arches and subject to all the road dirt.
I plan to bond the bonnet to the inner whel arches and cut an opening when the temperature get warm enough to mix some resin!
here hoping.

Oh and the seats are too wide to get the door on. Fun Fun Fun.

HM

I'd forgotten all about this build, its nice to see some good news about this model... its meant to be T-shirt weather in a couple of weeks! then RAIN...

that shot of the wiring loom has left me in a cold sweat!

HM

Great to see some posting for a G46 at last and looking good endless hours of fun fun as you say!

I think it been the same for most of us just to cold to go out there. Charlie and I have done some work in the last week and will try to get the last of the cutting done before he returns to work at the end of April.

Will get round to some photos and posts towards the end of next week

Other G46 ers where are you?

I'm still hibernating...

(a friend posted this reply)

Summer update
 

Well lots of time spent on the body with no visible progress.

I am now happy with the fit of the rear body on the old wheelarches.
The front valance is sitting on what remains of the front bulk head with a cutout for the old heater inlet which I plan to fit a grill over.

I have trimmed the bonnet so it is sitting well on the front bulk head and the headlight pods are resting on the old scimitar front bumper bar

My 356 screen fits but the angle is still too sevre for my liking as i can still see over the top.

below are a couple of shot of the screen in situ.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8eee286b.jpg

and another

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps122c76cd.jpg

It certainly changes the look of the car
More to follow

HM

nice screen where did it come from how much are they, are you going to use original screen frame. Questions questions

Screen
 

I blindly followed Gary's advice that the scuttle was the same as the 356 speedster.
I hunted around for a supplier, not many in the UK, but I contacted Chesil who make the porsche replica.
They supplied the screen surround and laminated windscreen for the hefty sum of £500.
I have to create a lip on the scuttle for the lower rubber to locate into but it will guarantee a water tight seal
and a little more protection from low flying pheasants than the perspex wind deflector.
It seems to set the car off.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psaaa03a62.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps08286667.jpg

I been wanting to move the car out of the garage to get a side on view now that all the red panels from the scimitar are covered over.
So I finally managed to get the engine started tonight and move it up the drive to take these shots.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps884db1d3.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4f584141.jpg

the body was covered in dust so I gave it wash down and ended up with a somewhat angry Nimo

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps48d48437.jpg

The guy in the car showed a passing interest.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps24c3acb9.jpg

There may be a few too many holes in the dash for some, but the scimitar does have some usefull dials.

For Chairman the purple one is still my daily drive

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps899d4f7d.jpg

Next weeks job.. Door hinges and locks.
I am hoping to fit a single scimitar door hinge with a beam through the door to brace it.

HM

Leaps & Bounds, all of the sudden it,s looking very good. The screen works and at that very low rake.

Do you avoid windscreen wipers

The purple one may have escape the chop but is probably quite jealous of the red ones new frock!

I've always loved the chopped down look of the speedster screen. Nice.

Interesting to see how different each G46 is.

Numbers of dials and whether to keep servo or not, and orig heater etc is just one part of the individual nature of the build.

The screen is out of my budget but it is an interesting shape.

Will watch developments with interest!

The original screen from my scimitar is in the back of my truck and due for the dump this weekend.

Free if Anyone wants to collect it from Southampton. Rear side glass and tailgate glass too.

August update
 

Guys,

I have swapped a holiday in Greece for a week at home on th G46.
Like mike I have had starter problems so it has been stripped and all the rust and corrosion removed and reassembled so it works on the bench.
I will fit it today, so hopefully can get the motor going and move it out into the sun.
However, I managed to get the bonnet to hinge on the headlight pods, but not sure if the gatehinge is strong enough quality.
I worry about a flutering bonnet at 70mph. Before I glass over it should I get a more robust item?
The final plan is a lift off bonnet with a pin through the headlight pod, but this will give me access and make moving the car a lots easier.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psff614356.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1bd2b021.jpg



I was not happy with the proved frame simple bolting to fibreglass with no actual contact to the main chasis.
So I have managed to weld the old roll over bars to the supplied frame.
I will do simiar with the A posts. I am also thinking of a race to the rear chasis. is think over kill?


http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps46bc2b69.jpg

I now need to think about seat belt mounts.

I do like the solution used by Mr Towed where the passenger and driver inertia belts are swapped and mounted centrally.
This stops them getting stuck in doors and requires only 1 strengthened point high up in the frame.
Do you have any photos or that area?

I have manged to make use of the old a frames and scimitar hinges.
However I need to find a way to mount the door to the hinge.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psf9844ac4.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps82872953.jpghttp://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ed29b73.jpg

Ideally I want a steel beam through the door to the door catch, similar to the TVR.
I hope to use the old scimitar door lock/catches.
However I believe special burst free catches are required on open top cars.
Aa a pot hole on a high speed corner could cause the door to open and the body twists.
Has anyone experience this?

Cheers HM

I made a small sub frame to hold my belts and mount them centrally. I wanted to make it IVA compliant, even though I didn't need one as I took my sons out in the car! Here's some pics of how I did it on a Spyder in case they can provide inspiration?

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ar/photo-3.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...0Car/photo.jpg

seatbelts
 

Dave,

Thank you very much a photo explains so much.

I like the way you have introduced stand off on the top bar to raise the hight of the shoulder straps.
It apears there is no need to trianglate the point where they attach in the middle.
I presume this is because the square frame has enough strength and that if the forces are strong enough
to bend the frame you internal organs would not survive anyway.

I was getting carried away with lots of cross braces compromising my luggage space.
when a couple of piece of flat bar from the floor to the anchor point will survice to mount the reel.

Cheers

HM

Glad to be of help, there is a bit more waffle about the weld-on mounting points on my old Spyder build thread. They are what the 7 and lo-cost types use and I mounted mine in the same way as they have to for the IVA. I can see where you were coming from with the cross bracing etc. as I'd originally started off thinking the same as you. But the strength of correct thickness steel box with those threaded mounted points welded on and the then forces being spread over the four points is more than adequate. As you say, more than that and its metal squishing time!

seat belt
 

Job done.
I have still added a brace bar to take the forward backward loads from the top sqare section frame.
There was about 1/2 of flex in the middle before I added the brace bar.
Totally solid now, although it would strengthen up when the top bar is bonded to body.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...pse623cee9.jpg

door hinges
 

Work to date has been fabricating the doot hinges for the passenger side, which is a full 2 inches different in position to the Drivers side.
I would have liked to have had the skill to produce something like this:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=34

However my skills and tooling are limited so I have only been able to produce this:

Passenger

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=39 http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=40

Drivers

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=35

The reinforcing plates for the door catch have now been welded in place.
I am planning to use the old scimitar catches, but it will remain to see if they are anti bust catches, when i finally get on the road and hit a few potholes on a sharp bend.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=41 http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=36

I have not yet figured out how I am going to fit a beam in the door and mount fasten it to the hinges, door and lock/catch.

HM

Thermostat
 

The expansion bottle from the standard scimitar needsto be higher than the thermostat housing, but the shape of the bonnet does not permit this easily.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=50

Having seen Mr towed arangement with the modern 2 stage pressure cap.
I considered an addition of a length of piping with a cap.

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps315c4b95.jpg

However, ford provided a more elegant solution in the form of a modified thermostat housing.
The expansion bottle can now be fitted low behind the front wheel arch.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...3&pictureid=49

onto the nex problem, relocating the battery.

HM

HouseMartin - Good to see some updates from your build, as it looks like you are making progress. :cool:

Good luck with the doors, as I know they are a real pain.

Take care, Paul. :)