Mister Towed's Tai Chi build

[davecymru]

Mine dropped off to body length (theres lucky) and the ends were painted and then glassed to the rear of the body to help male it stiffer. All fine so far...

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by davecymru

Mine dropped off to body length (theres lucky) and the ends were painted and then glassed to the rear of the body to help male it stiffer. All fine so far...

That's what I'm planning to happen to mine when I get back from Peterborough.

[Paul L]

Good luck for your inspection Mr T and thanks for the insurance tip too.

As I start messing about with my own headlights I'm wondering what you are doing?

Are you re-using donor parts, or something else?

As always, photos and tips are always welcome.

Cheers, Paul.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Good luck for your inspection Mr T and thanks for the insurance tip too.

As I start messing about with my own headlights I'm wondering what you are doing?

Are you re-using donor parts, or something else?

As always, photos and tips are always welcome.

Cheers, Paul.

Vitesse headlights were 5" so I've bought some new 7" tripod type units and second hand mini chrome rims. Will post some pics once I start fitting the bonnet, next week hopefully.

[Mister Towed]

I spent today finishing off the front bulkhead. It's not perfect now by any means, this was never going to be a show car, but it's looking a lot neater now and I'm happy with the results. I also sorted out a clamp to stop the battery from jumping about when I tow the car to Peterborough next week -





Please ignore all the wiring laying on top of the engine, that's just the front lighting loom and is only there to stop it getting tangled up in the generator belt or wheels when I drive the car in and out of the garage.

Oh yes, I also took it up to the end of my drive today to check the speedo was working - it pulls like a train but I ran out of drive at a heady 10mph in first. The brakes feel good too, I'm glad I've fitted a servo as it's given me the pedal feel of a modern car and, together with the grooved and drilled front discs, a bit of extra stopping power in an emergency.

[Mister Towed]

I got a few tidying jobs done today - fabricated a bracket for the Vitesse overflow bottle, bagged up the front wiring loom and taped it to the cross member for example. I also started putting bits 'n' bobs into the dash in their final positions -



As you can see, it's a complete departure from the usual approach and I'm aiming to keep it as uncluttered as possible.

I'm particularly happy with the location of the ignition barrel, which is almost hidden from view from outside the car, and the master light switch, which is quite difficult to get at unless you're sitting in the cockpit. That should mean there's less likelihood of some clown switching the lights on and flattening the battery while it's parked up.

I haven't connected up the oil pressure gauge yet but I really like the way the white face gives a bit of contrast to the black Triumph dials.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

... fabricated a bracket for the Vitesse overflow bottle...

I'm particularly happy with the location of .... master light switch, which is quite difficult to get at unless you're sitting in the cockpit. That should mean there's less likelihood of some clown switching the lights on and flattening the battery while it's parked up...

It is funny how you can see things in other builds at just the right time.

My donor was missing the overflow bottle and I only got one a few days ago.
I wondered if the small hole in the lid was standard and I can see the same hole in your photo above.
I've also just found a grommet to run the hose through as it didn't come with one.
But it looks like your hose is just stuck into the bottle without a grommet, is this "normal"?

I've also just checked my wiring diagram as I didn't expect the lights to work independently of the ignition.
But sure enough, the wiring suggests the main light switch does look like it could just be switched on.
So I will also have a think about where to put that in my dash too.

I'm sure I've mentioned that I owe you a beer for all the help your build has given me.
I look forward to settling my debt.

Take care, Paul.

[MoriniMan]

The tank of course catches any water expelled from the cooling system. This might just be from overfilling, but you might have had a minor overheat (a long steep hill on a very hot day for example). When the system cools it is able to draw the water back in. You want the pipe to go close to the bottom of the catch tank and the easy way of holding it there is a grommet in the cap. For the system to work properly, you should have the correct type of radiator cap. It will have a second rubber seal around the underside of the cap as well as the sprung loaded seal on the protruding centre. The little hole in the lid is just a vent since the catch tank isn't pressurised.

[oxford1360]

I really like the layout of the gauges. The contrasting oil pressure gauge is similar to several pics I've seen of old race cars in which instruments were added or replaced with whatever was available. Very nice.

[Mister Towed]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Paul, I'm looking forward to that beer...

The side lights are on a permanently live circuit so they can be used as parking lights at night (I think it's an MOT check too).

As Moriniman says, the overflow bottle isn't pressurised. I can't remember if mine had a grommet on the overflow pipe, but the Canley's exploded view doesn't show one -

http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml...sl=diagram.xsl

I'm going to run mine without a grommet and fit one if the pipe ever comes out. I'll post a photo of how I've positioned my overflow bottle later. I painted the bracket yesterday evening so it wasn't fitted overnight.

[garyh]

T, could you post a shot from the side to show your lowered floorpan. I would like to see how much room underneath, and if you have a tape measure, that would be useful.
Cheers.

[Mister Towed]

OK, so here's my bracket for the overflow bottle as promised -



Big day tomorrow, off to Peterborough first thing for the rebody inspection.

Spent today getting everything ready, riveting on the commission plate and body number plate, for example. After a completely dry and sunny fortnight the weather forecast says it's likely to rain tomorrow morning, which is 'king typical.

I figured some sort of weather resistant cover might be in order, so I came up with this simple yet stylish solution (UK and international patents applied for) -



No, honestly, I didn't pay a professional trimmer, I made it myself out of a couple of builder's rubble bags, some plywood, screws and duct tape. I just hope it survives the journey and keeps most of the rain out of the cockpit. Oh, and I know I can remove it pretty quickly too: when I went to push the car back into the garage I found I'd left the hand-brake on.

So, there we have it. My Spyder is now sitting in the garage waiting to go for its administrative makeover. I can't wait.

[davecymru]

Fingers crossed for you. And can I just say, after my 10hr rain soaked ordeal on the day of my inspection I was still excited! Soaked to the bone, but very happy.

[Viatron]

a bit late now i know but i was under the impression that a towing frame was only ever legal if the car being towed was taxed mot'd and insured?

[seanick]

I think if the tow vehicle is legal, then whatever its towing, may that be a car or trailer, is covered by the towing vehicles insurance.
This includes a tow rope.
I have moved plenty of wrecks this way, saves on scrap yard collection fees!

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by seanick

I think if the tow vehicle is legal, then whatever its towing, may that be a car or trailer, is covered by the towing vehicles insurance.
This includes a tow rope.
I have moved plenty of wrecks this way, saves on scrap yard collection fees!

Ahh, I see I've opened up a can of worms with my 'A' frame...

As luck would have it, I've done a bit of research on the subject of towing, and, Seanick, I'm afraid a car being towed with a rope is definitely not covered by the tow car's insurance. It needs to be taxed and MOT'd and whoever is behind the wheel needs to be insured and have a driving licence as they're in control of the vehicle. I've dished out many a £200 six point fixed penalty ticket to people doing favours for mates by shifting some death trap on the end of a rope without insurance.

Now, with the 'A' frame, I don't need anybody in the car steering and stopping it, it just follows my car wherever I go.

I've attached a trailer board to the back carrying my regular car's registration number and mirroring the rear lights, effectively making it a trailer.

And, because it weighs less than 800 kilos, it doesn't need to be braked.

Finally, as a 'belt and braces' measure I've insured my Spyder from today and confirmed with the company that it'll be covered while being towed.

The only potential offences that remain relate to having the vehicle on the road with no MOT or Tax disc. As I'm not driving it the MOT is irrelevant, while it's DVLA that prosecute the road tax offence, not the Police (we fill in a form and send it to DVLA for untaxed vehicles). As I'm taking it to an appointment with DVLA, I've got a pretty good defence in the unlikely event that they try to prosecute me for breaching the SORN declaration.

I hope that's cleared things up.

[AndyP57]

Good luck at Peterborough. I've got a 10am appointment with DVLA at Kirkham for the Cordite so that's Two Sammios registered on the same day!

[Mister Towed]

Cheers Andy, and good luck getting Cordelia registered.

[seanick]

Thanks Towed, I consider myself well and truly spanked!

[garyh]

Good luck T, i guess you can answer most of your own questions... say you're 'under cover' for a BBC programme. More sucessful pics tomorrow.