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Formosa Builds, Ideas and Discussion Formosa 120 GR and related builds |
12th February 2017, 17:52
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Fantastic!
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15th February 2017, 15:51
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NOT MUCH TO REPORT...Paint delivery has been held up , so black will be going on tomorrow late afternoon ...
Car is all sanded and ready to go ...the 8 coats of high build we ended up putting on has meant breakthroughs are at an absolute minimum , Glan did go round and deal with a few pin holes as well ...
I took the opportunity , whilst Glan was sanding the front and sides , to make a paper pattern of the bootlid shape I want , transferring it to some MDF and Glan scribed around it , so we have an indication of where the boot aperture will be going ...The bootlid will be moulded first alongside the bonnet ...
The pictures aren't great , but you can just about see the scribed perimeter of the intended boot shape ...It will be large enough to get a 15'' wire wheel or similar in the back of the car .
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15th February 2017, 19:35
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boot
Hi Gary, have you considered a rear hinging boot lid with the fairing ala 500/625TR?
sorry i tried to copy an image but unable too. Sure you know the image.
also are you adding any details to the bonnet like rear vents or brake cooling ducts?
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15th February 2017, 21:48
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I did look into doing the bootlid in that fashion in the early stages ..Glan talked me out of it , he said it would be quite difficult to create successfully in f/glass ...We didn't want to over complicate the body as it is to be offered .
Similarly , with vents and ducts and scoops etc... everyone has their own ideas on those features ...I very much want the ethos of this package to be similar to its sibling , the S*mmio , by that I mean , people can put their own touches to the body / running gear etc.
As a Hot Rod and Special builder , primarily , and not really a full on kit car type ..I love the diversity of these vehicles and the opportunity to personalise them or mimic similar cars ...
I intend to build a 'demo' car for myself and put a few together for re-sale ...I have various little features in mind for different cars to keep them fresh and keep the builds interesting ...
Last edited by lancelot link; 15th February 2017 at 21:51..
Reason: does anyone read this bit ?
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15th February 2017, 22:39
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I was thinking that the bonnet was very "E-Type" looking and that a set of vents would finish it off very nicely. However GRP vents always look very heavy and are a bugger to get right because of the openings. Far better to let in some metal vents cut out from a metal clothes locker. You could always lay that section of the bonnet up a little thicker to let the vents be flush mounted. It also lets the customer have the final choice and most importantly, saves you a ton of work.
Other vents will always be to a customers taste so could be supplied loose as an optional extra.
Bonnet opening could be a problem on the trailing edge, could see the lower rear corner catching the bulkhead. Could perhaps do with an old BMW 3 or 5 series bonnet hinge, when they unlatch they push the bonnet forward 3 inches before you lift them. On the E-Type you have the hinge at the front but also have locking catches at the rear as well, bit fiddly but it worked. Also you need some way of adjusting the hinges. I had my E-tpe painted and removed the bonnet. All the shims were carefully packed so they would go back exactly the same. No modifications were made to the bonnet but it took days to get it sitting and gapped properly.
Looking good, love the lines of the boot, give plenty of room for the spare as it will probably be fitted on a dark,cold and very wet night so will be done in a hurry. You wouldn't want to damage the paint.
Last edited by Jaguartvr; 15th February 2017 at 22:50..
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16th February 2017, 13:27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr
I was thinking that the bonnet was very "E-Type" looking and that a set of vents would finish it off very nicely. However GRP vents always look very heavy and are a bugger to get right because of the openings. Far better to let in some metal vents cut out from a metal clothes locker. You could always lay that section of the bonnet up a little thicker to let the vents be flush mounted. It also lets the customer have the final choice and most importantly, saves you a ton of work.
Other vents will always be to a customers taste so could be supplied loose as an optional extra.
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The similarity to a Jag bonnet is exactly why I didn't want to fit louvres ....
The Formosa , in exactly the same way as a S*mmio , takes its looks from a variety of different cars ...If you paint one red , its a Ferrari , green it's a Jag , pale green it's an Aston , silver its a Porsche .....
I think the Formosa with its size and attitude bears the same presence that a 300 SLR must have done in a field of , generally , smaller cars...so , paint it silver its a Mercedes !
There's an issue with fitting metal panels into a glass bonnet as well ..if you want to blend and loose the join , more often than not , it will crack out again , regardless of how you bond it ..the fibreglass bonnet will flex differently to the metal insert ...I fitted some to the A352 going to Denmark , but they have a gap around them and are not blended ..I'm still not convinced they won't crack in the future either ...
Quote:
Bonnet opening could be a problem on the trailing edge, could see the lower rear corner catching the bulkhead. Could perhaps do with an old BMW 3 or 5 series bonnet hinge, when they unlatch they push the bonnet forward 3 inches before you lift them. On the E-Type you have the hinge at the front but also have locking catches at the rear as well, bit fiddly but it worked. Also you need some way of adjusting the hinges. I had my E-type painted and removed the bonnet. All the shims were carefully packed so they would go back exactly the same. No modifications were made to the bonnet but it took days to get it sitting and gapped properly.
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Or ........we could put in an angled cut line ...I agree , a 90 degree upright rear shut would be an issue ...The Formosa is probably about 80 degrees , the bottom edge being slightly further forward than the top ...not clear in the pics ..
Quote:
Looking good, love the lines of the boot, give plenty of room for the spare as it will probably be fitted on a dark,cold and very wet night so will be done in a hurry. You wouldn't want to damage the paint.
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Thank you ...I like the bootline too and a 15'' wire will clear easily , some people may even choose to carry a 14'' or even 13'' as a 'get me home' spare to free up more room ...
Last edited by lancelot link; 16th February 2017 at 13:55..
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16th February 2017, 15:19
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nice coming now ...like to see it in colour.....
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16th February 2017, 18:38
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When your buck is black ...there's no going back ....
way too many fumes to get a decent pic tonight and I wasn't going to chance getting too close whilst it was still wet ....so pics tomorrow ...
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17th February 2017, 17:12
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Hugo - Thanks for posting the photos and good luck with your own order/build.
Much easier to see the curves with some colour on.
Love this close up.
Cheers, Paul.
Last edited by Paul L; 17th February 2017 at 17:23..
Reason: Fixing Photo Links
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17th February 2017, 17:24
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Ooops.
Finally got the photos to appear and they are HUGE!
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17th February 2017, 18:00
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very nice now i see it .....
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17th February 2017, 19:05
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Hugo , good to meet you today and run through the car with you ...
Thank you for putting the pics up ...Glan has continued to sand it back after you left and has done the first pass with 180 grit ...
We reckon there's about 6-8 coats of topcoat on there , Glan lost count ! but plenty to get the surface smooth again...
The polyester topcoat is pretty hard wearing , designed specifically for preparing bucks for moulding and Glan will go around it now with 400 , then 800 , then 1200 to lose the orange peel and slight sinkage in a few places.....finally , a mop and polish to get her gleaming and we can start putting some flanges on ...The 'chin spoiler' in the pictures is the bottom flange already fitted ...
Here's a picture I took earlier before Hugo arrived and before Glan started sanding it back ....
Last edited by lancelot link; 17th February 2017 at 19:10..
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17th February 2017, 19:55
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17th February 2017, 19:58
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Beautiful, well executed!
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17th February 2017, 22:04
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Looks wicked now.
The bonnet has an air of e-type about it also. Which can only be good.
Dave
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18th February 2017, 10:13
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Gary & Glan
The business you know what I am going to say can I have one to fit an SE5 chassis.
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20th February 2017, 14:43
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I have just listed a set of wheels in parts for sale on this forum .
They are the ones I would recommend for use with this body.
If the buyer of the wheels , places an order for a Formosa at some time in the future , I will do £100 cashback on the package for them.
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24th February 2017, 19:05
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So, after a week of sanding and polishing and several coats of wax , Glan has forearms like Popeye and the car is back to a shine comparable to the wet pictures above .....The car looks fantastic ...
We made a start on the mould today .
Bonnet and bootlid outer skin being done first ...
Blow hole detail shown here , this helps to release moulds that have tight spots ...usually achieved by just drilling a hole , but as I want these moulds to last a very long time with minimal damage and wear , if possible , I had some little aluminium inlets turned up and Glan has bonded them in ..
And , before anyone says it ......We know !!
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24th February 2017, 19:45
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Well executed plan on the blow holes. Saves the mould flanges!
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