Been a while since I posted any updates as I hadn't got round to finding a new image hosting site.
I've been making some progress recently, anyone who's familiar with my front engined speedster project will notice that the chassis is now wearing wide-five bolt early steel wheels (4"x15") on adaptors, and that I've cut the bonnet off.
Although I really liked the MGF 'square peg' alloys, ultimately I felt that they just looked too modern, even for an Outlaw style Speedster.
The bonnet 'mod' is down to me living with an MG Midget for eighteen months and really missing the easy access to engine and suspension components that the flip front on my Spyder allowed. So, my Speedster will have an opening front bonnet for oil and coolant checks and the whole front will flip forward for everything else.
With the front end separated from the body, I've also let a pair of MGF cooling vents into the front and trial fitted the lights -
I have a pair of Marchal fog lights that I might fit inboard of the air intakes, it just depends on whether I like the look or not when I trial fit them.
Another change since I last posted is that I've moved the engine back in the chassis by 80mm so that the front carb clears the underside of the bonnet. That was achieved by fabricating a pair of engine mounts to take MG Midget rubber mounts and using an overdrive prop on a non-overdrive box -
80mm is as far back as it can go without having to use a different exhaust due the 4-2-1 stainless system fouling the chassis.
The result is quite pleasing, allowing about 10mm clearance for the rear dash-pot and giving a fair bit more space ahead of the engine for a radiator. It also moves the whole engine behind the front axle line making it effectively (front) mid-engined.
I'm hoping to get the lower section of the frame welded together during the Christmas break so I can mount the body, start fabricating the floors and look at fitting the doors.
Merry Christmas everyone!