Removable Frame & Body:
Charman.tech made a good point on his build thread the other day about "thinking time".
I've also spend a lot of time thinking about my build (as anyone reading this thread can probably tell
).
Even though there is little to show for it, it gives me comfort when working out how to put this car together.
I know the whole re-body inspection process relies on the frame and body work being removable.
However, based on previous comments, this is based on theoretical, rather than practical, evidence.
( i.e. As long as there are visible brackets that appear bolted to the chassis, that is good enough. )
But the more I think about this, the more I want to make sure that I do nothing to prevent physical removal.
I have been putting a lot of thought into the rear of the car & there are a few areas I need to consider carefully.
These are the petrol tank, filler cap, the rear frame bolts themselves & the fuel hard line...
Access Behind Rear Cockpit Wall:
This was my 1st crude 'mock up' of the rear of the cockpit which will be "fitted" around my handbrake panel.
My understanding is that this panel is bonded / fibre glassed to both the floor & body shell for added strength.
So then it would be a case of cutting out a removable panel in this wall that would allow access behind it.
AndyP57 put a very discreet panel in his first demonstrator, for the fuel gauge wiring…
Mister Towed has a much bigger panel providing access to his luggage area…
Sorry, I feel another
Goldilocks moment coming on...
"
One panel is too big and the other one is too small...
So I will have a look at the weekend to see how easy it would be to reach the following from inside the cockpit:
- Petrol tank mounting bolts - Might need captive nuts at the rear of the frame rail.
- Rear framework mounting bolts - Hopefully these can be removed without removing the petrol tank.
The filler cap securing clips, fuel gauge wiring & the fuel line connection should all be easy to reach.
The fuel line itself is the next area I need to make some changes to…
Fuel Line:
I bought a cheap and cheerful pipe bending tool to re-route my hard fuel line to the new petrol tank location.
My initial plan was to bend it around the frame and clip it all in place
before bonding the body shell on.
The downside to this plan is there would be no way to disconnect the pipe in order to remove the body.
So new master plan is to use some of this flexible fuel hose instead…
I would need to cut the existing fuel hard line at, or slightly above, the chassis level.
I would then run this flexible hose from the hard line to the tank, clipping to the frame work along the way.
But by disconnecting both ends of the flexible hose there would be nothing to stop the body coming off.
I would just need a simple rubber grommet to seal the pipe into the new floor (see below).
Rear Body Work:
Without doubt, my biggest headache is the area underneath the bodywork, behind the rear cockpit wall.
I have spent a lot of time trying to come up with a solution that will resolve these issues:
- Somewhere to mount my twin exhaust silencers.
- Inner rear wheel arches.
- Protection of, and access to, the rear lighting mounting points and wiring.
But no matter what I try, I keep coming back to
DonnySoutherner's re-using bits of Spitfire solution…
( Which is why the new Ribble Navigator demonstrator being bonded to the Spitfire tub works so well. )
I plan to send the first photo to Spitfire Graveyard shortly so they know what I am looking for when I ring them.
( As I had enough trouble trying to describe the headlight rims I wanted over the phone.
)
If the price is right, then this is the road I will go down to sort out the back of the car.
Cheers, Paul.
Replies:
SeaNick - Thanks for the advice.
Although I might try wearing a mask rather than not breathing!
