Looking good so far MrT. Keep up the good work and progress thread.

It’s a bit quiet on here lately and your content worth coming back for.

Thanks for your positive comments, guys, it's nice to know you're interested in what I'm doing :)

It's all coming together slowly but surely, and I should have another update shortly after Christmas.

looking good

Mr T - A very belated 'Nice job on the doors'. :cool:

Any more progress to report?

Good luck, Paul. :)

Hi Paul, no more progress to report just yet as I've been busy with other things recently.

Will be getting on with it soon, though...

Hi Mr T.

Would you be kind to give more info on your spring choice for the Speedster please?

I have read that you have used 170lb springs (did you buy them at Rimmers? - I could only find higher rate springs on their website)?

I was researching a bit more about springs, and I think that I have read somewhere that you were intending to use 150lb springs for this build. Is that correct? If yes, what made you change your mind?

Also, did you have to cut down the springs you installed on the speedster, and if yes for how much please? The stance of the speedster looks great - I am curious what is the fitted length of the spring you ended up with?

I hope the build is going well, and that you also manage to find the time to go out and look for treasures with your metal detector.

Cheers, Deni.

Hi Deni, thanks for the positive comments they're always appreciated.

I've now sourced a pair of 150lb front springs from Moss Europe. I've gone with the softer rate as my car isn't going to be very heavy - the 180lb springs were perfect on my Spyder, which ran a straight 6, but the Speedster's only got a four pot - and a car with overly firm suspension is dangerous on the roads where I live.

The fen roads round here are very undulating as the ground they're built on is about as solid as blancmange, so stiff suspension on a car can make it impossible to drive safely at anything over 50mph. As an example, I attended a single vehicle RTC near Wisbech where a garage delivery driver had been driving a customer car, a Porsche Cayenne SUV on 20" alloys and 'uprated' suspension on a fen road. There was a particular straight where the road dips and rises twice in quick succession, and the Porsche was launched into space as it failed to damp the second rise after hitting the first dip way too hard - there were witness marks where the car had bottomed out. It struck a telegraph pole just under three metres above ground level almost twenty metres from where it took off, and ended up in the roadside ditch. The driver was fine, a bit shaken and probably in need of a new job, but the car was written off.

Anyway, back to the springs. Here's a list of what Triumph fitted and when:

http://auskellian.com/paul/links_files/springs.htm

And here's where you can buy the 150lb springs from:

https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/front...111-spitfire-2

I also use Gaz ride & height adjustable shocks on their softest setting and almost fully extended to get the stance just right.

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GSA366GAZAS

Not cheap but excellent quality and infinitely preferable to cutting the springs down.

Anyway, got to go as I'm on holiday and wifey wants me to get ready for dinner :)

Hi Mr.T,

Oh dear, It's amazing how far and high this guy was "catapulted" in the air :surprised::shocked:. Poor guy, but I admit I had to laugh as well...I loooove your stories Mr.T, so thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much, your advice is so helpful, as always.

I have GAZ adjustable shocks. I have decided to part-exchange my spring seats for springs with 2,75" ID, and replace them with the ones for the springs with 2,5" ID. I need to lower my car significantly, so I reckon I need shorter springs, and there is so much choice if are buying 2,5" ID springs.

Your speedster looks great, and it will probably be a bit lighter than my car, as I have added some weight to the subframe modifying it to make it a bit more sturdier and safer, as it was quite basic.

So, I have now ordered 9" long, 170lb springs, and we shall see how they work. I know this is trial and error process, but at least I have a starting point. I tried to come close to factory Spitfire 1500 spec as a reference.

I'm only worried a bit about the top seats. Not sure they will be ok now, as the springs OD might be a bit smaller too.

Looking forward to see your next update on the speedster build.

Have nice holidays and thanks again, your help is much appreciated.

Cheers, D.

At last I've found some time to get on with my Speedster. Part of the reason for the delay was that I've just been so busy doing other things since I retired, like holidays abroad, visiting English Heritage and National Trust historic buildings and digging up the past in the fields near my home.

The other reason for the delayed progress is that I wasn't happy with the way my subframe and floorpan efforts were coming together. It looked fine, but I had niggling doubts that it was starting to get cumbersome, overcomplicated and might just not be up to the important job of locating the rear suspension.

As I've been following progress on the Old No.7 A6 GCS Coupe with interest, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment the other day as the answer has been sitting on my driveway under a tarpaulin for about the last four years.

I have an early Triumph Spitfire body that I had intended to turn into a GT-Sixfire by putting it onto a GT-6 chassis that I just happen to have in my shed, but tbh I'd rather build another special once I've finished my Speedster (probably an A6 GCS...) so I decided to sell both the GT-6 chassis and the Spitfire body.

Someone bought the body and then bottled it the night before they were due to collect it, but that's when the penny dropped and I realised that I should really use the Spitfire body as a subframe in the way that Dan at Tribute/Old No.7 do with their Triumph based cars.

I don't know why it took me so long to think of it, but I have now so I have gone at it today to see whether it will work with my 356 body.

First job was to remove the (fibreglass) rear wings -

https://i.ibb.co/3prGwJQ/IMG-20220904-110617810.jpg

This revealed a bit of a hidden horror in that a previous owner, after welding in new floors and sills, filled the sills with builders' expanding foam, which blocked the drainage holes and trapped water against the new metal :(

https://i.ibb.co/xzT0zNQ/IMG-20220904-110620826.jpg

Thankfully, the sills survived the experience and the only rusted part is the non-structural bottom edge of the wheel arch liner, which I'm going to cut out anyway.

First trial of the body looked promising. This isn't a great picture, I'm afraid, but the back end grounded out about four inches too high as the Spitfire's inner rear wings were fouling the body while the Spit's rear valance made it difficult to lift the body on and off.

https://i.ibb.co/dKJpDxc/IMG-20220904-140536100.jpg

So, out with the angle grinder and chop, chop chop...

https://i.ibb.co/gvD6TPQ/IMG-20220905-112850153.jpg

I eventually had to cut away the inner rear wings completely and part of the rear deck, while I also cut away the 'rear seat' area on the Speedster body so I could see what was going on inside. I'll reinstate that once it's all fitting together.

So, at close of play today, the body sits on top of the Spitfire frame perfectly, and the door apertures match exactly, which is more by luck than judgement!

https://i.ibb.co/RDqzs35/IMG-20220905-154905973.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/JdtvhC3/IMG-20220905-154953941.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/BtzJ407/IMG-20220905-154937100.jpg

Before packing up for the day I trial fitted the dash, and all that needs is for a bit of the Spitfire's dash panel to be cut back and that will fit perfectly too! I suppose the fact that there's only 8mm difference in the wheelbase between the Spitfire and the Porsche 356 helps :)

that is a positive step forward , i’d be feeling pleased with myself which i’m sure you are.


sounds like retirement is agreeing with you too

[QUOTE=redratbike;107987]that is a positive step forward , i

[QUOTE=redratbike;107987]that is a positive step forward , i

Forum's playing up again, my last post completely failed to appear :(

I did keep a draft, though:

That's a big YES on both counts:

I'm pleased that I've seen the light and realised that I should use the donor Spitfire's body as a subframe as it resolves a lot of design headaches that I'd unnecessarily set myself.

Retirement is also agreeing with me this time round (I unretired five years ago).

After 43 years keeping my nose pressed firmly against assorted grindstones, I've now finally accepted that work sucks and that I've had enough of it.

As it happens, doing your own thing all day every day turns out to be a much better work/life balance than putting work first and life second and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Now, back to my Speedster. I'll be mostly working on the Spitfire 'subframe' over the coming weeks to address the holes in the floor and to strengthen the sills to take the weight of the Speedster body, once I get back from Goodwood, anyway.

I need to get a move on, really, as I want this car on the road for Goodwood next year (that's always my target completion date), and a quick check on Google threw up the fact that prices of the real thing haven risen so much, almost a million pounds for a RHD Carrera Speedster recently, that a decent replica can now command the kind of price you'd have paid for a pristine early Porsche 911 around ten years ago - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134200976...Bk9SR_rGqe7kYA


https://i.ibb.co/Hqwbf31/Picture1.png


Well, seventy grand is at least what they're asking...

Now I know that the Speedster body will fit on the Spitfire tub with a bit of jiggery pokery, my main job for today was to separate them and move the Speedster body outside so I can work on further trimming down and repairing the Spitfire tub before reuniting it with the chassis and getting it to the Moon Rover stage.

https://i.ibb.co/DRwD5L5/IMG-20220910-134142687.jpg

Hmm, looking at that I can't help thinking of James Dean's 550 Spyder...

Wow Mr.T, that is very exciting development (and such a great idea in my opinion)! I'm looking forward to see how you are going to do this.

Mr T – Belated congratulations on your ‘Light Bulb’ moment. :cool:

Obviously, I started having flashback nightmares of the rusty tub I butchered for my own build. :eek:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-no?authuser=0

I’m sure you’ve already spotted the box section in the boot area is not standard Spitfire.

The good news is that it makes no difference to what you need it for.

This approach should also make fitting the pedals an easier process.

When are you going to be in Goodwood?

As I’ve just been offered a ticket for Friday (via work), so I might see you there.

Good luck, Paul. :)

PS
Where is the build thread for the Old No.7 A6 GCS Coupe?

Hi Paul, yes I'd noticed that my boot floor had been replaced with some square steel tube, good news really as it's been welded together really securely and pretty much matches what I made myself.

It's good to see a picture of your 'Moon Rover' as it's given me a few ideas. Did you do away with the outer sills completely? It looks like you just have a steel box section tube where the curved sill should be. Cutting mine out and welding in something similar to what you have would make it much easier to mount the body.

I will be going with Triumph pedals - one of my reasons for having to rethink the floors/bulkheads was that my floor mounted pedal box was going to be too close to the driver to use due to the length of the master cylinders. They do pedal boxes with them facing the other way but they're much more expensive and harder to install.

I'm at Goodwood on Friday and Saturday and it'd be great to catch up. Do you still have my number? If not, let me know and I'll pm it to you. I'm afraid I lost yours when I threw my phone onto a concrete floor at a car show - it wasn't in a fit of pique, it slipped as I took it out of my pocket to take a picture and in trying to catch it I ended up propelling it into the concrete like it had come out of one of those Spanish Pelota ball scoop things.

Old No.7 A6GCS doesn't have much presence on the forum or otherwise online but they do seem to be selling a few, particularly overseas. Most of what there is is on facebook, but it takes some searching - https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid...88463654802306

Anyway, hopefully see you at Goodwood :)

Okay Paul, I just checked through your build thread, and I see you did away with the Spitfire floors completely and used the Cordite frame instead. Still given me some good ideas, though :)

Mr T - I was just about to dig out some photos to show my whole Frankenstein approach.

But, given your build skills, I see no problem with replacing the original sills with some box section.

As you know, my car can be described as 'solid'. :wink:

I've got your number, so will ping you a text in the morning.

I'm still not 100% sure how my day is supposed to go, but hope to see you on Friday.

Cheers, Paul. :)