Another Cordite Is Born ...

[Viatron]

Paul, just a quick point about your kill switch, if your using it as a security measure then it will be fine, if you actually want it to kill the power in the event of an "incident" then really you need an FIA style kill switch which is a bit more complicated to fit but does mean that when its operated the engine will die.

[Mister Towed]

Paul, bulkhead hose joiners look to be fine where they are, just make sure the return pipe bleed valve is at the highest point in the heater system.

The problem I had with the heater circuit wasn't getting the air out, it was getting the coolant to go in in the first place. The bleed valve I fitted allowed me to fill the heater circuit by slowly pouring coolant in through the bleed valve with the top removed.

Good luck with it, it does make a difference to cabin comfort when you're driving in the winter.

[dougie.doo2]

Good Morning. I am new on here, so sorry for the lack of knowledge, eh. What is the difference between your CORDITE, the NAVIGATER and the shorter MIGLIA, eh? Thank you for your help.

[AndyP57]

Good morning Dougie and welcome. No apologies necessary. We are here to help.

Essentially, the story started with the Sammio Spyder which was developed to fit the Herald/Vitesse chassis. As a result of customers asking if it could be made to fit the shorter wheelbase of the Spitfire, the Cordite was developed from this body shape by the original owner of the brand, Gary Janes, a couple of years ago. Shortly after this was launched, I took over the company and carried on production of the Spyder and Cordite from the new location in the North West.

Last year we rebranded both cars to the Ribble name, the Spyder becoming the Pilot and Cordite became the Navigator. During the year, a major fault occurred to the original Cordite moulds. This prompted a full remould of that car, including straightening it out, improving symmetry and removing the headrest hump which are now supplied as separate Left and Right handed items. This rebuild is documented elsewhere on the Forum.

So, to answer the first part of your question, the Navigator is the much improved replacement for the Cordite.

Manners prevents me saying too much about the Miglia but the full story is available on this forum should you search for it.

[swifty]

Good piece of history on your build, i too had wondered what the difference is in the various models. Can you pm me as i require a shipping cost to DH2 in the northeast of England.

[Paul L]

Mac - Thanks for the info, as I've now looked up the FIA switch.
I guess I should really call mine a "cut off", not a "kill" switch.
I was hoping this would help prevent the battery draining when not in use.
Although I haven't got as far as working out if it should be on the +ve or -ve wire yet.

Mr T - Another great reply, cheers.

dougie.doo & swifty - Welcome to my build thread.
Looks like AndyP57 has covered the answer before I read the question.
But have a look at the "Useful Info" threads on the top of this forum (& Tribute "next door").
These threads cover most of the information you are looking for.

Based on my experience of the Cordite, the Ribble Navigator and Miglia Speedster are in a different league.
Building either of these kits will take a lot less time and effort compared to what I am doing here.
I try to make this clear as I am going along, that I am dealing with problems the other kits don't have.
Again, this is no reflection on AndyP57 who bought the company in good faith and has done his best to fix problems he didn't create.

Andy - I've just added a link to the Navigator MkII thread to the sticky.
At some point I will have a go at adding a few more useful links.

Cheers, Paul.

[Paul L]

Light Tinkering...
Just a few minutes to spare today, but at least the evenings are getting a little brighter.

Made a simple cardboard template for a piece of metal to block up the dash where the old Spitfire heater controls lived.



This will be bonded in from behind which should keep it in place.



Note:
Other beer brands are available.



This will be the view from the front and I will paint the metal black.



I am still thinking about how to fill the smaller holes below this.
( Where the seat belt and hand brake warning lights used to be. )

Next, I turned my attention to the bracket below the centre section of the dash.



But before I started on that, I removed the cross brace from the steering column.



Then I used two clamps to slowly bend this bracket back through 90 degrees.



So now the view from the front looks like this.



And the view from below looks like this.



I think I will use the two holes to bolt my panel for the heater controls into position.
I might also run a section of metal from here straight back to the bulkhead.
That, together with the heater vent panels, should make the dash very solid.

Finally, I will shorten and reuse the original cross brace to the steering column too.



This has left a lot of room behind the heater controls.
( Sorry the photo is a bit dark, the light was fading fast. )



So now I can make a final cardboard template for this panel.

Every little helps, Paul.

[Scottie22]

That's neat Paul, l will consider doing that perhaps when I get round to doing my dash. The bending bit I mean!

You are not a shelf stacker at Tescoes by any chance are you? :-)

[dougie.doo2]

Originally Posted by AndyP57

Good morning Dougie and welcome. No apologies necessary. We are here to help.

Essentially, the story started with the Sammio Spyder which was developed to fit the Herald/Vitesse chassis. As a result of customers asking if it could be made to fit the shorter wheelbase of the Spitfire, the Cordite was developed from this body shape by the original owner of the brand, Gary Janes, a couple of years ago. Shortly after this was launched, I took over the company and carried on production of the Spyder and Cordite from the new location in the North West.

Last year we rebranded both cars to the Ribble name, the Spyder becoming the Pilot and Cordite became the Navigator. During the year, a major fault occurred to the original Cordite moulds. This prompted a full remould of that car, including straightening it out, improving symmetry and removing the headrest hump which are now supplied as separate Left and Right handed items. This rebuild is documented elsewhere on the Forum.

So, to answer the first part of your question, the Navigator is the much improved replacement for the Cordite.

Manners prevents me saying too much about the Miglia but the full story is available on this forum should you search for it.

Thanks for the history lesson Andy. You are the man to talk to then, eh? I see the NAVIGATOR is much cheaper than the Miglia, is there less to this kit? Can you give me a quote for delivery to this address:

CMH Association
1110-151 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 5H3

How long for you to make a kit, eh?

Couldnt find the "full story" on the Miglia, eh?

Righto, off to Timmy Ho's for a Double-Double.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by dougie.doo2

Couldnt find the "full story" on the Miglia, eh?

Righto, off to Timmy Ho's for a Double-Double.

Mike worked for Gary Janes, the owner of the original Sammio business.

When Andy and his son bought the Sammio company, Mike branched off and set up his own company, Miglia Sports Cars (great name btw).

So far so no problem.

The slightly contentious issue is that there's a tiny bit of suspicion that Mike modified a Sammio Cordite body to make the moulds for his own version.

This is mainly because that's what he said he did on his build thread, which accidentally got deleted shortly after Andy cried foul!

I believe the matter was settled 'out of court' and as rivals in the same market I'm sure that they now enjoy a relationship of mutual trust and respect...

I'm sorry Dougie but I couldn't get google translate to recognise your final phrase, is it Quebec French?

[AndyP57]

I think he's off to the local for a Jar

[WorldClassAccident]

Timmy's or Tim's or Timmy Ho's or Up the Horton's - Slang for Tim Horton's, a chain of doughnut and coffee shops named after a famous hockey player.

I am guessing the Double-Double is coffee not beer

[AndyP57]

WCA. This phrase you used. I'm unaware of it's meaning.... 'Not Beer'?

[micky1mo]

Originally Posted by WorldClassAccident

Timmy's or Tim's or Timmy Ho's or Up the Horton's

I thought the "Horton's" were in the VICAR OF DIBBLY

[garyh]

So he doesn't mean pie&mash...

[Viatron]

Think you'll find Tim Hortons is a cafe chain in Canada so I'm guessing the double double is a strong coffee..

Mac

[Paul L]

"Holy Thread Hi-Jack Batman!"





Meanwhile, back in Gotham City...

As I said before, I want to put thoughts about the body shell to one side for now and focus on the "moon rover" stage.
However, I do need to make a final decision on one part of the bodywork before I go much further.
The design of the "join" between the bulkhead & rear frame will depend on my doors. <<Shudder>>

I really liked the way Michiel (christinedmc) has recycled Spitfire boot hinges for his build.



My 2nd hand body tub came with a pair of these hinges and I picked up another pair cheaply on Ebay.
So it would be possible to ensure the "join" was built in such away to allow something similar on my car.

I also have Classic Mini external hinges, which were used on the original Cordite demonstrator & some Milgia Speedsters.



I even had a very kind offer to sort out the "barely held together" doors that were supplied by Gary.

Remember these photos?





Deep down I like the idea of having doors, plus the 3 piece fly screen they allow looks great.

But I keep coming back to this great quote from SeaNick about an unfinished project on Ebay...

"He should have lowered his sights and got it finished to a lower level, then enjoyed it.
He has failed to finish it due to an unrealistic idea of (for him) unobtainable perfection."

So my decision is finally made, there will be no doors on this Cordite.

This will make the "join" very straight forward to design / make.

One end will have a plate to be bolted to the Spitfire bulkhead.
( Using the original Spitfire door hinge mounting plates. )

The other will then be welded to the rear frame work, to permanently extend it.

This will be enough to get me to the "moon rover" stage and I will worry about the bodywork another day.

At least I have seen the first Ribble Cordite/Navigator with doors sealed into place.



As I said at the time, if you were looking from the outside you'd never know...





Note:
Obviously the join would be covered by the internal cockpit panelling.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Viatron]

Oops sorry for contributing to the highjack mate, heatstroke and an overdose of sun and snorkelling are to blame....:-)
How do you intend to make good the door apertures? I would have thought glassing it all up in one fell swoop would be best? Don't think just joining the outer door skin at the edges would work that well my guess is they would crack eventually.

Mac

[scimjim]

how about fitting a substantial bar between the A post and B post (hinge point and lock point) as side impact protection (like the XKSS)?

[micky1mo]

I can speak from experiance as I have had the sheer joy of fitting a pair of doors to a G-46

I had to settle for a near-enought is good-enougt fit otherwise I was looking at a getting a cement mixer and a shovel to apply the filler.