Davecymru's Miglia build :) - Page 13

davecymru · #**241** 15th April 2015, 19:20

Here's a few piccys as a lot of small jobs have been done over the past few weeks in the run up to yesterdays MOT.

I made up trim rings for the handbrake and gear-lever and fitted leather gaiters. I've also fitted foot rests for the passenger and for the drivers clutch foot for those longer journeys

I also added an access panel behind the drivers foot rest as I needed to replace the speedo cable.
And I've also moved the steering wheel slightly down and slightly to the left so that I can use the oem Vitesse wheel and keep the skin on my knuckles

Here's a pic of the finished (for now) interior

Exterior wise, I've raised the front suspension by about an inch and fitted new headlamps with built in sidelights as even though I liked the posh Lucas ones, I didn't want to drill them or the bodyshell atm.
btw the angle of the rear wheels isn't anywhere as bad as it looks in this photo!!

I've only done 14 miles on a few small trips today (only passed yesterday and I'm just eliminating the final gremlins as I build up confidence!) but I have already found that my door pockets are exactly the right size to transport celebratory beer back from the local shop

I've got more bits-n-bobs to post, but they can wait as the last few days have been hectic and those beers won't drink themselves

Paul L · #**242** 15th April 2015, 19:42

Dave - Congratulations on the MOT.

Enjoy the beer, as you've certainly earned it.

Cheers, Paul.

garyh · #**243** 15th April 2015, 20:14

And that's another one done, looks lovely. What time is the new owner picking it up?

1iTim · #**244** 15th April 2015, 21:52

Congrats Dave ! Just in time for summer

T

Mister Towed · #**245** 16th April 2015, 06:12

Great job DC, now enjoy the car without getting itchy fingers to try and finish someone else's part built nightmare...

davecymru · #**246** 16th April 2015, 16:45

Cheers all,

This one is staying with me for as long as I can afford to keep it!

And as far as "part built nightmares" are concerned, it's onto her VW camper next....

I've already got through one tub of Krust and I'm nowhere near finished

swifty · #**247** 17th April 2015, 06:33

Great work Dave your car looks the part and certainly one to be proud of, i bet there's a man driving around Somerset in a fifties style red sports car with the biggest grin on his face.

Happy motoring and the summer is about to start.

Thurcroft flyer · #**248** 17th April 2015, 10:34

Well done dave!!! I bet you are proud as punch, the car looks excellent, and it's a credit to your skills. You have knocked me back with the speed you have built this, yet at every stage the car looks great. I especially like the ally interior looks really professional once again well done, now you can enjoy the summer showing her off. Is there any chance you can give us a brief description of what she feels like to drive, and what reactions you are receiving from the public.thanks.

davecymru · #**249** 25th April 2015, 14:07

Cheers guys.

I've now done about 60 miles, I'm only just getting used to how it drives and at the moment I'd describe it as small and bouncy

The suspension is softer than my Sammio and I sit much lower down and much further back so it's a whole different driving experience in the Miglia!

The aero-screens are..... pretty to look at, but I've now broken out the motorbike helmet until it warms up a bit!

I took it on a 30 mile round trip to a local classic car meet-up last Sunday and it was very warmly received and I had a lot of questions. Obviously there was one pillock who make a "it's just a kit car" comment when he didn't realise I was the owner

And one guy who walked along it knocking it the entire length to see if it was all fibreglass! I know some would have shouted, but it just made me smile

Then when I came back from a cup of tea I found a group of old chaps around it with one on his back on the wet grass with his head under the car making very nice comments about the cleanliness and newness, while he tried to figure out what it was

So a good first run-out, alothugh I did feel a bit guilty about who I parked next to, although it does make a very interesting side-by-side "before and after" comparison

Paul L · #**250** 25th April 2015, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by davecymru

..Obviously there was one pillock who make a "it's just a kit car" comment...

JUST a kit car!?

JUST!?

Marc F · #**251** 27th April 2015, 11:30

Great to see it up and running, looks really nice and clean.

Inspired me to keep going on mine - spent Sunday cleaning my work bench back to clinical standards, ahead of engine build. Got my stand built, but need some really long bolts to attach to the back of the engine now - hope to pick up at Stoneleigh on Sunday. Got back plate off - some surface rust on flywheel but hope a bit of gentle wet and dry will sort that. Hoping to start the engine build in anger in two weekends time - after shopping this Sunday.

Will you be bringing your car up to Stoneleigh?

davecymru · #**252** 2nd May 2015, 05:44

Glad I could kick-start things! I'm sure the weather getting better always helps as well?

TBH I'm still not sure I'm going to make the great trek up yet but I will try and get to the Castle Coombe show.

Plus it is still a bit cold, although the motorbike helmet has come as a revelation in terms of comfort!

Carib Classics · #**253** 2nd May 2015, 16:18

Very impressive. Exactly how many months?
I am blown away with the final finish. I ground to a halt during all the can't get hold of Mike period, but thats behind me and it WATCH THIS SPACE.
You've got me buzzing, time to visit my lockup and post some new build pics. Would be great to see it at Stoneleigh. WELL DONE. WOOOOOOW!!!!!!!

davecymru · #**254** 3rd May 2015, 18:43

ta muchly

Some people have been asking me about the steering column change as I didn't cut-n-weld mine. I'd forgotten to post pics so I've just had a dig around on the camera and I have a few, so I hope I can explain without showing it at every step.

The std Herald/Vitesse column is made up of two parts, and outer and an inner, held together with a big clamp and designed to compress on impact as there were no UJ's on the std setup.

If you take this apart you can shorten the entire setup quite considerably, but you may have to grind a new 'flat' on the inner shaft.
I don't have a pic of when I was finished, but here's a 3/4 done pic that shows what needs to be done.

Then I got a prefabricated length of steering column from CBS along with 2 pressed steel steering column Universal joints and a pillow block bulkhead bearing from e-bay.

I fitted the UJ's and new short shaft, then bolted in the steering column (still not clamped back together at this point) and adjusted the main column section until it was the right length and then took it out and finished off the 'flat'.

Then it was clamped up and reassembled

And the view from the other side of the bulkhead

The 2 UJ's also mean that I have an IVA level of collapsible column without having to grind a long flat on the inner column shaft.

Simples! and I am a lot happier than if I'd had to weld it

1iTim · #**255** 28th May 2015, 12:28

Hi Dave, now you're driven around in it a bit, how important do you think dropping the front footwell floor is? How would it be if the floor was at the level of the chassis rails?

T

davecymru · #**256** 29th May 2015, 06:32

Personally I'd say it was essential as you're putting your feet in the same position as the Herald/Vitesse and if you look at my pic above of the steering column you can see where the pedals sit and there's not much room for adjusting them.

Thinking about it, even if you went for a floor mounted pedal box then without the dropped foot wells it is going to be awful tight as far as I can see?

Mister Towed · #**257** 29th May 2015, 08:47

I think you'll find that the clutch pedal won't go down far enough to fully disengage the clutch without the dropped floor.

Like DC says, even if you went for a flat floor and floor mounted pedal box, it'd be quite difficult to make it work - even with the bulkhead moved back in the Miglia the front tyres might still foul the ends of the master cylinders on a typical installation -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Floor-Moun...item35b52b5a93

You could always give it a go though...

1iTim · #**258** 29th May 2015, 09:54

Thanks Dave, mr t. You guys have been (and remain) great inspiration for me.
T

davecymru · #**259** 27th September 2015, 18:29

It's just that as soon as I finished on the Miglia I started 'er campervan.
And that doesn't' fit in the garage and so it's been V E R Y, V E R Y.. slow...

Until I finally bit the bullet and copied what some of the old Sammio boys did, and purchased a cheap 3mx6m Gazebo/Mini-Marquee from fleabay.

So this has been the scene on my drive for the past 2 months, with the poor Miglia trapped in the garage

But..... i'm nearly there making it watertight (don't ask!!!! But my neighbours now know 'exactly' what I think of 40yr old VW's!) and so like a moth from a cocoon, the camper will soon emerge and the Miglia should be free to catch the end of the summer

As you may have spotted from the picture the gazebo has been pegged, starapped and screwed to the drive as I live on the edge of the Somerset levels and it can be a bit windy. Which I why I _have_ to get it down before winter really sets in!

Even in the 2 months I've had the gazebo, it's managed to bend a few poles and I've had to tape and cable-tie the sides on! But when i'm done with it, it seems a shame to throw it in the skip, so if anyone wants to take it off my hands then it's yours for a few Ciders!

The gazebo that is, not the Camper van! Although given how much trouble that's been.....

Mister Towed · #**260** 27th September 2015, 21:14

Welcome back DC. Nice to see you're still wielding the spanners, albeit on a Type 2.

Wise move bolting your gazebo to the planet, I tied mine to buckets of concrete on the drive and it still blew away in Dorothy's house stylee at the first sign of a hurricane.

I know nothing about the Migiias(?) on the motorway, but there are at least 150 Spyders out there plus an unknown number of Miglias, so there's a good chance one or two will pop out of the woodwork occasionally.

Anyway, good luck with the belligerent camper.