Deni's Miglia Build

[deni]

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[deni]

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[deni]

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[deni]

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That's it for now. I will post more photos as soon as I have made more progress. I have made a list of parts to buy, so till these arrive...

Cheers, D

[davecymru]

Thats all looking very smart!

[deni]

davecymry - thank you. This was the easy part - not being a great mechanic (yet) I compensate with cleaning and painting I guess.😊 Interesting what you've said about your front springs. Hope the new ones will be softer. Did you clean your Spitfire tank inside and if yes, how please?


I have received some parts I've ordered from Canleys earlier this week, so I have a few jobs to do on my list for Monday (and a bit of Sunday too I hope).
I have bought a reconditioned radiator as well, and I have noticed that the drain hole is facing forward unlike on the original one. Does anybody think this is a problem?

I am excited about the next stage of the build even though the winter is coming. I am looking forward to learning how to weld and to work with fiberglass. I hope the "moon buggy" stage will be reached soon. I am going to try to do as many jobs as I can before it gets too cold. However, jobs like sorting out and testing the wiring, or modifying the seats and similar can be done in the house if it is too cold to work in the garage (will have to bribe the missus though). 😉

Till next time. Cheers,D.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by deni

… I am looking forward to learning how to weld and to work with fiberglass…

Deni – There is a great sense of satisfaction when you can use new skills on your build.

Plus, thankfully, there are a lot of people on here who know what they are doing and are happy to help.

Originally Posted by deni

… if it is too cold to work in the garage...

Too cold inside your garage?

[Rant Mode On]

”Does it ever snow inside your garage?”

[/Tongue Firmly In Cheek]





OK, I admit that even I don’t work on the car when there is snow outside.

However, I have cleared ice off the covers and carried on until I could no longer feel my fingers.

Good luck, Paul.

[davecymru]

i found the key to winter building was old fleece lined jumpers, padded coveralls and lots of little jobs i could dip in and out of.

When i got my petrol tank from spitfire graveyard the plan was to use some of that "swoosh it aroind inside" sealer and coating. But internally it was in such good condition i didnt need to!

[lancelot link]

I WORK ALL YEAR AROUND WITH THE WORKSHOP DOOR OPEN UNLESS ITS REALLY EXTREME WEATHER ...

I find once you get into something and are deep in the process you tend to forget how cold it is .....

[deni]

Paul L, davecymry and Lancelot - thank you for the encouragement fellas.
Paul - building The Swordfish outside without a garage will always be a reminder and inspiration. So, like davecymry said, it will be a hat, long Johns, thick fleece overalls and keep going, but I'm not sure if I will be able to keep the door open all the time - not many palm trees here up north ;-)

I will be working on the car tomorrow so i will post some pics soon.

Cheers,D

[deni]

Hi all,

Just a quick update. Did not do a lot but I am a bit further nevertheless. I ordered some parts earlier - some have arrived but some are not in stock-these are on back order and should arrive soon. I have ordered new bushes, U bolts and nuts for 7/8" ARB, but somehow I did not include new brackets in the order so I needed to postpone the ARB upgrade. I have ordered these and they should arrive soon. I have also bought upgraded drop links for the ARB.


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I have also bought a heater hose set. I have replaced the top and bottom hoses, but I think that the hoses that run from the engine to carburettors are not of great quality, so I will buy better ones and finish the job when they arrive.


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I am waiting for a steering column to steering rack coupling to arrive, so I can mount the steering column and do some measurements in preparation for welding the plate for the pedals. I have an old bulkhead I will use as a template for a new bulkhead fabrication.
I have cut it down for easier handling.






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I also need to weld additional bars and reinforcements on the frame as well as the bars around the gearbox and around the prop shaft.

[deni]

I have removed the heater box from the bulkhead. I need to inspect it to see if it can be used. If it can be used, it will be cleaned and painted for the installation later on.


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I have bought a reconditioned radiator too. I have now removed the brackets from the old radiator and will clean and paint those too before fitting them to the new radiator.


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I have noticed that the drain hole on the new radiator is not only on the other side (compared to the old radiator) but also larger in diameter, so I will have to order a new drain plug. I have bought a new radiator cap too. I could choose to buy 7psi or 13psi radiator cap - I have bought the 13psi one (I have a Spitfire 1500 engine). I hope that was the right choice.

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[deni]

I have trial fitted the floor panels too and it seems that they fit ok. I got a bit excited as the car suddenly looked a bit more complete....



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That's it for now. Till next time.

Cheers, D.

[deni]

Hi,

I need to order some steel box bars to complete and reinforce the frame. Just to check, is it a mild steel the frame is made of?

Thanks, D.

[Paul L]

Deni - I'm pretty sure that the Miglia frame work is mild steel, as that is what the Sammio ones were made of.

I know I definitely ordered mild steel box section for all the alterations I made on my build.

Keep plugging away, as it good like you are switching from the restoration phase to the car building one.

Good luck, Paul.

[lancelot link]

Yes mild steel ...I don't know what Mike used but it should be 25x25x3mm box section ...A length is around 20-22 feet but you will be surprised how much you get through ...I think the original S*mmio frames were about 3 lengths ..
You could get away with 20x20 if you are adding to the existing structure ...if you want some brackets to use as bolt on points ...there are probably some on the existing frame , as Mike used my program at my suppliers ...arch shaped brackets about 50mm wide and some 25mm wide brackets with a hole either end ...I have a selection at the workshop ..happy to post you some ...I use the larger ones as seat belt points too..

[molleur]

Excellent advice on the 25 x 25 x 3mm section of mild steel.
You could get away with 2mm thickness minimum, however, the 3mm will be much easier to weld.

[deni]

Paul L, Gary and molleur - thank you for the confirmation and the advice on steel box section. Gary tank you for the offer to post some brackets and it would be great if you would do this. I have PM-d you about it.

Cheers, D.

[deni]

Hi,

I need some advice please. When I was replacing the heater hoses I've noticed the rubber in the picture below has split. Is it possible to fix/glue this or it need to be replaced?
I have looked in the Haynes manual and Internet trying to figure out the part name/function so I can order one, but no luck. It is located between the manifold and the carburetor.


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And it goes from here:



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My wild guess would be that it has something to do with a vacuum? so the rubber need to seal this point, but as I said it's just a guess...any advice would be helpful and appreciated.


Thank you.

D

[molleur]

try distributor vacuum advance hose