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Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Build Area > Sammio Builds and discussions

Sammio Builds and discussions Sammio bodied car builds and specials

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  #521  
Old 6th April 2015, 21:30
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Nice! Thanks guys well done.
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  #522  
Old 19th April 2015, 18:31
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Had a really nice blast round the local roads yesterday as it was fabulous weather (apart from being a bit windy).

Not so nice here today though, kept threatening to rain even though it never actually did, so I decided to do a non car related job that I've been promising my teenage son I'd do for ages. Build his pet guinea pigs a shelter for when they're wandering about in the garden and it rains.

It was intended to be something functional and basic, but one's got to do these things with a sense of style I suppose -



So, one Alpine chalet style guinea pig shelter. Luxury.
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  #523  
Old 19th April 2015, 23:01
8 Valve Ed 8 Valve Ed is offline
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Swish!
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  #524  
Old 19th April 2015, 23:26
a big scary monster a big scary monster is offline
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At first glance i thought you had fabricated a hard top ?
We should start a new thread with non car related follies, I will take a picture of my mock Tudor chicken coop tomorrow, and the welsh dresser gerbil house. Ed.
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  #525  
Old 20th April 2015, 07:36
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Wow, ye olde fowle coope. Now I'm going to have to plant some edelweiss round the guinea pig shelter and construct some snow-capped mountains in the background.

One thing I didn't mention was that I didn't have enough tongue and groove or a suitable sheet of play to make the roof section, but I did happen to have a complete sheet of waterproof plasterboard left over from an en-suite shower project...

So, the roof will never rot, but weighs about half a tonne and could survive a nuclear strike.

I do like employing off the wall engineering solutions - in this case, off the shower wall.
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  #526  
Old 20th April 2015, 18:34
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Lovely sunny day combined with a day off today, but a quick check in the shed revealed that our deck chairs had seen their last summer.

So what's a chap to do? Argos had a couple in stock, but the boot on my daily driver Micra is too small to take them...

I know! Squeeze them into the spyder.

Actually not the best plan I've ever had as I didn't quite realise just how big a couple of deck chairs are. They wouldn't fit at all in their packaging, but once unwrapped outside Argos I managed to get both them and me into the car and made the ten mile journey home with them strapped safely into the passenger seat -





Better half couldn't really believe I'd actually got them in -



But soon got into the swing of things once I'd read the safety instructions and set them up (yes, they really do come with instructions these days...)



So, one sunny day survival kit assembled -



..and a very pleasant afternoon was whiled away just chilling in the heat.
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  #527  
Old 20th April 2015, 19:10
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Who said a car with no roof wasn't practical?

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  #528  
Old 13th May 2015, 21:24
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Don't worry, my lad's not wearing a posh school uniform, he's appearing as an evacuee in a stage play over the next few nights and the Spyder seemed like the perfect mode of transport to get him there. Until he pointed out that an Italian car wouldn't have been too popular in 1940...

At the rate he's growing (he's 13) he'll be able to play Private Pike if they do Dad's Army next year.

Car felt great in the evening sunshine btw, coming up to two years on the road and it still puts a smile on my face every time I change down and listen to the crackling of the Triumph Six pot on the overrun. Marvelous!

Last edited by Mister Towed; 13th May 2015 at 21:45..
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  #529  
Old 13th May 2015, 22:26
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Chocs away old bean.

The car looking great Mr T and i can't wait to get mine on the road for the crackling exhaust.
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  #530  
Old 28th May 2015, 20:17
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I can scarcely believe it but I've now had my car on the road for almost two years, during which I've covered just under six thousand miles.

I've made a few changes along the way - taller profile tyres, less lowering front and rear with softer springs, quicker Spitfire steering rack, series one Landie mechanical starter solenoid, etc etc. - and I've enjoyed every single mile.

Its one and only breakdown was due to the failure of a modern electronic 'upgrade' component, a multi spark ignition unit, other than that it's never failed to get me where I want to be, and you wouldn't believe the positive attention it gets everywhere I go in it.

With the MOT looming in July and a couple of advisories to sort out from last year, I thought it was about time I took it off the road for a week or so to get a few jobs done.

Number one on the list was to whip the engine out and tackle a couple of persistent oil leaks, one from the timing chain cover where a stripped thread in the block was preventing the seal from doing its job and the other from the cheap and nasty (OE) tin rocker cover that had the oil-proof qualities of a sieve with no mesh. So I've now drilled and tapped the block for a bigger bolt and fitted a nice new alloy rocker cover. Oh, and while the engine was out I thought I'd freshen it up with a lick of Ferrari red engine paint -



Next job was the advisories on the MOT, these being front and rear wheel bearings and a gap in the welding (not mine) on one of the age-old chassis repairs.

The front wheel bearings were pretty easy to change, and while I had the front suspension in pieces I also took the opportunity to fit GAZ ride and height adjustable shocks, which I've set at their lowest position, and a new pair of uncut 180lb Spitfire front springs.

Although I was much happier with the shortened 150lb springs than the original Vitesse 220lb springs (that I'd chopped 95mm out of), there was a nagging doubt in the back of my mind as to whether it was sensible to drive around on cut down springs. So, for the price of about three tanks of fuel, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of proper adjustable ride height shocks. I know you can't really see them but here's an 'after' pic -



As for the gap in the welding, I thought it'd be a good idea to take a screwdriver to the chassis while the car was jacked up and bang it pretty hard to make sure it was all still sound before welding up the (tiny) hole.

The chassis sounded reassuringly solid until I got to one of the old repairs (again not one of mine), which made an unnervingly hollow 'clack' instead of the solid 'thunk' everywhere else. A slightly firmer hit with the screwdriver and it went right through...

Bugger, it's another patch of thin tinplate that's been 'expertly' welded over a hole in one of the main rails by a previous owner. I thought I'd found all those when I sandblasted the chassis but this one was so well welded I missed it.

Given its awkward location, right beside the driver's footwell, I've decided it's probably not a good idea to attack it with my cheap stick welder, so I'll be taking it to a pro this time to make sure it's done right. At some time in its forty-seven year life, my Vitesse donor had the world's worst mechanic bodge anything and everything he touched. Carrying out unsafe cosmetic repairs on the chassis is inexcusable, but he hadn't finished when he did that...

So, on to the king of bodges next trick. Sorry to digress, but since I put my car back on the road there's been a bit of 'shunt' in the driveline on take up as if there was some slack to be gathered in before the drive goes to the wheels. It always felt as if the nuts on one of the universal joints were loose but I'd checked and they were fine, so I assumed it must be wear in the diff.

When I jacked up the back end I decided to take a look and see if I could find out where the slack in the system was. Rather unexpectedly it was actually at the hub end, not the diff. I could rotate both rear wheels about an inch each way before the drive shafts started to move, which was a bit worrying as I couldn't imagine how that could be (I've never stripped the rear suspension on a Triumph down before).

With the wheels and drums off it was time to remove the hubs and see what was going on. All the received wisdom says that you need a proper hub puller to get the rear hubs off the axles, so I'd bought one from Canleys (and an impressively heavy duty tool it is too). I had it standing by ready for the superhuman effort required to separate the hubs from the drive shafts, which then just dropped off the ends of the shafts when I undid the big securing nuts, which were loose. Hmm.

On closer inspection, I found that the keyway on the offside drive shaft that transfers drive via a woodruff key to an identical keyway in the hub had completely shattered at some point in the past -



As the whole thing was sealed and there were no bits of metal present, the bodger had found this fault, cleaned up the swarf and just reassembled it. They'd used the woodruff key from the other shaft to minimise the slack on take up as I found a badly damaged key fitted in the nearside hub, which at least explains the matching slack in that side.

One saving grace is that the Vitesse, Herald and Spitfire (I - III) all used the same shafts so there are plenty out there, and I've ordered one from Canleys as I trust them to send me a decent one quickly (plus a couple of new woodruff keys). When it arrives I'll be taking both drive shafts and hubs to a workshop as I also completely failed to get the old bearings to come off the shafts, and shattered a G clamp in trying.

Overall, it's going to be an expensive month.

Still, summer is just around the corner and once my Spyder's back on the road the pain of the credit card bill will quickly fade into the past.
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  #531  
Old 28th May 2015, 20:45
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The joys of inheriting another mans handy work, at least you have found the damage before it showed itself on the open road.

I will be interested to see what you think of the new springs and shocks on the front, i am thinking it may be wise to fit new springs and adjustable shocks to my car because i refitted the old springs which are a little tired plus they are for a 1300 engine and I've fitted a straight six which is heavier.

Good luck with the other jobs Mr T.
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  #532  
Old 29th May 2015, 04:44
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Hi Swifty, I'll let you know how the adjustable dampers and 180lb springs work out on the road once I've driven it. I've set the height at their lowest setting, which made the spring and damper assembly the same length as the cut down ones that were on it, and I've set the ride adjusters one click firmer than the standard dampers, but they can easily be adjusted on the car.

One thing to note with the dampers was that the upper locking collar has a sleeve that centres the bottom of the spring by sliding inside it about half an inch rather than an inverted cup as on the standard shocks. My new springs were about 2mm too narrow inside diameter to fit, so I had to shave about 1mm all round the sleeve with the angry grinder. That's probably down to aftermarket springs rather than the dampers, but it wasn't a huge problem.

Not sure if you recall, but I switched to mk1 Spitfire 150lb springs as the Vitesse front springs were far too stiff after reducing the car's weight by around 330kg's. Even with a straight six my car only weighs 680 kilos, and I know a lot of people will tell you that short 330lb 'uprated' springs are the best for a sporty car, but I have very fond memories of the Peugeot 205 GT I had in the 80's which handled superbly on soft springs with firm dampers. Just remember that the tyres can't grip if they're not in contact with the road.

As for the knackered axle, It's just pure luck that it didn't completely fail and strand me with no drive in the fast lane of the M25. If I ever find out who the bodger was I'd have a few choice words for him...
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  #533  
Old 29th May 2015, 07:43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Towed View Post
My new springs were about 2mm too narrow inside diameter to fit, so I had to shave about 1mm all round the sleeve with the angry grinder. That's probably down to aftermarket springs rather than the dampers, but it wasn't a huge problem.
Sounds like they are the same ones that I used on the Sammio and Miglia as I had to do the same mod.
FYI I;ve since found out that it's not the springs that are an odd size, rather its the spring steats! Reason I found this out is because when I was buying my shorter springs for the Miglia from Merlin Motorsport one of the guys there phoned up GAZ (as you do) in order to check the shock specs and he was told that Rimmers (and I expect a few others) special order Herald/Vitesse specific ones with a slightly larger diameter ring than is std!
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  #534  
Old 29th May 2015, 09:34
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Spring seat, that's the term I was looking for! Yes DC, the original Triumph springs have an internal diameter of something like 2.65" but I think the replacements are 2.5", hence the difference, GAZ make the spring seats to fit original equipment springs, then we go and buy different ones. Tsk.
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  #535  
Old 30th May 2015, 07:41
Scottie22 Scottie22 is offline
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Mr Towed, what is the maximum difference in ride height from low to high on your units?

I would imagine the highest setting would be the "normal" Triumph ride height?

Really interested in this one! Like you, I am a "slam-it-to-the-ground" man, but having just had my daily drive car Mot'd,
while I was looking at the rollers the car's front wheels go in for the brake test, I had an awful thought that perhaps my XKSS might bottom-out when the front wheels went into the roller unit!
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  #536  
Old 30th May 2015, 08:36
8 Valve Ed 8 Valve Ed is offline
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It shouldn't be a problem Scottie, the MOT station should have a Tapley meter which they sit in the passenger footwell and brake from about 20 MPH for cars which can't go on the rollers for whatever reason. (Think locked 4 wheel drive, or six wheel drive?) Getting it on the lift may be a bigger issue... The garage I use for MOT have a level run on lift which is sunk into the ground, but some use a swing arm lift or have to climb on, up small ramps.


Last edited by 8 Valve Ed; 30th May 2015 at 08:49.. Reason: Added image.
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  #537  
Old 30th May 2015, 11:45
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Mister Towed: - I'm always impressed with the amount of running repair work you do yourself.

Although clearly it is a pain in the to find so many bodged repairs from the past.

Hopefully when you have fixed all these problems you will get both a fresh MOT & many more happy miles.

Good luck, Paul.
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  #538  
Old 30th May 2015, 13:05
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Thanks for the input guys. Scottie, I didn't physically measure them, but the GAZ ride/height adjustable spring seats have about two inches of travel above and below the fixed ones on standard shocks -



...which means you can go from quite low to funny car without removing them (if you buy the optional 'C' spanners, which I didn't).

The knob near the bottom alters the stiffness and faces inboard so you can adjust it without even jacking up the car or taking the wheels off. I got mine from Rimmer Bros on a 'price match' deal, so I paid about £165 for the pair. Not cheap but probably far safer than the setup I had.

As for the MOT brake efficiency test, mine is too low to do it on the rollers so my mechanic chappie drives it up the road and stomps on the middle pedal while observing one of those decelerometer meters Ed mentioned.

On the subject of the MOT, my handbrake efficiency always gets a marginal pass, and this is common with old Triumphs apparently. Part of the problem is that I have a single circuit brake system, so the handbrake has to be something like twice as efficient to get a pass than a car with dual circuit brakes. If I built another Herald/Vitesse based car I'd definitely 'upgrade' to a dual circuit system, even if only to avoid this issue.

And thanks for the compliment regarding the running repairs Paul. Having just been quoted £120 (two hours work) to change the bearings on the rear drive shafts, if I'd paid garage rates to have all the work done I've put into mine it would've cost me around £120,000 plus parts! Sod that.
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  #539  
Old 30th May 2015, 13:41
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Thanks for the info Mr T, yes, my car also has a single circuit brake system......

Having said that, The handbrake work surprisingly well, perhaps due to maybe the extra leverage given by the Jaguar handbrake lever!

Interesting to hear about the alternative roller brake test, and on that note, thank you Ed!

I think I will ask for the decelerometer test rather than have it bottom out and crush the side exhaust!!
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  #540  
Old 30th May 2015, 19:51
8 Valve Ed 8 Valve Ed is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scottie22 View Post
Interesting to hear about the alternative roller brake test, and on that note, thank you Ed!

I think I will ask for the decelerometer test rather than have it bottom out and crush the side exhaust!!
My pleasure Scottie, in the early days of MOT's it was the only option, but while in some ways it's better than the roller test, it's more 'realistic', it doesn't show up a lazy back brake.
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