Menoporsche Posted July 11, 2022 Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 What is your garage roof made of? If you can find a couple of old white bedsheets and chuck them over, they might reflect a fair bit of the sun before it heats the roof, thus lowering the indoor temp overall. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted July 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Menoporsche said: What is your garage roof made of? If you can find a couple of old white bedsheets and chuck them over, they might reflect a fair bit of the sun before it heats the roof, thus lowering the indoor temp overall. 👍 It's dark slate which was showing the heat haze yesterday when I was outside! I might give it a go if I can find some sheets Edited July 11, 2022 by timbobalobox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted July 11, 2022 Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 Damn, they will absorb (dark) and trap (slate) a lot of heat. Get them covered somehow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wish Posted July 11, 2022 Report Share Posted July 11, 2022 Should the car be carrying it’s own weight (wheels on the ground) when the panels are fitted ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted July 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2022 12 hours ago, Wish said: Should the car be carrying it’s own weight (wheels on the ground) when the panels are fitted ? A very good point - bonding the clams near the doors is fine to do on axle stands as it’s a really rigid part of the chassis, then as soon as the front clam fits I can drop to the wheels to bond the remainder. There’s quite a bit of flex in the fibre glass shell so looking forward to firming it all up 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terryg Posted July 18, 2022 Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 Wot, no weekend update? 😭 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted July 18, 2022 Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 Fibre glass dust and sweat in hot weather are not a good combo (I used to trim that stuff as one of my first jobs, very unpleasant), plus unless he got that sheet sorted for his garage roof it would have been rather hot!!! Come to think of it, no update??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terryg Posted July 18, 2022 Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 20 minutes ago, ½cwt said: Fibre glass dust and sweat in hot weather are not a good combo (I used to trim that stuff as one of my first jobs, very unpleasant), plus unless he got that sheet sorted for his garage roof it would have been rather hot!!! Come to think of it, no update??? I was thinking it may be a heat issue, I mean what else could possibly be more important? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted July 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 11 hours ago, Terryg said: Wot, no weekend update? 😭 I'm flattered! It's been great for me to be updating this as I go - otherwise it seems you can lose your progress and forget lots of the detail. 11 hours ago, ½cwt said: Fibre glass dust and sweat in hot weather are not a good combo (I used to trim that stuff as one of my first jobs, very unpleasant), plus unless he got that sheet sorted for his garage roof it would have been rather hot!!! Come to think of it, no update??? I've obviously only been doing a small amount of what you would have done as a job, but can testify it's pretty nasty and can be really itchy on hot exposed skin. Still nothing on the garage roof! 10 hours ago, Terryg said: I was thinking it may be a heat issue, I mean what else could possibly be more important? My other half booked a weekend away for me as a surprise for my birthday and I was way too hungover to be trusted with an angle grinder yesterday when we got back 🤣 I'm just getting to my busy period at work now (so a few weekends of precious car time taken up 😪) but trying to fit it in at night. A teeny tiny update however... I thought the clam was ready to bond but figured I should sort some more of the wiper mechanism first as it'll be easier with more space - I also decided to spray the underside black where it meets the windscreen (holes at the top). You can also see the new fuel filler I then decided it'll be better to line that small top section (maybe 30mm) with leather-effect vinyl that will match the seats and ultimately the speedster tonneau (just the flat part, not the humps which will be body coloured) Closer up picture of the fuel filler pipe. As mentioned, it incorporates the existing lid and locking mechanism (actuator at the top). Holes cut out below for the hinge There is so much left to do, but it's nice seeing it back on the ground again (even if my back won't agree) A bit of a better view of the extended washer fill pipe - I need to cap the end of the other tube that used to feed the headlight washers These shots also highlight the wider track of the rear - looking forward to filling them with some new rubber 😎. It'll be back in the air again soon to get the arch liners back in, after I've done some preventative maintenance. I still need to suss out how to stop the car thinking there is a problem with the headlight levellers... I'm not sure if a ballast would fix this (like it did with the side repeaters), or I'll need to find someone to code them out somehow. Any ideas are welcome!! So not the biggest update but I hope a few evenings over this week will see the front clam on and bonded, then I can sort the door mechanisms, gap the doors/boot etc and then...... off to be painted! Enjoy the weather all 😎 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terryg Posted July 18, 2022 Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 25 minutes ago, timbobalobox said: I'm flattered! It's been great for me to be updating this as I go - otherwise it seems you can lose your progress and forget lots of the detail. I've obviously only been doing a small amount of what you would have done as a job, but can testify it's pretty nasty and can be really itchy on hot exposed skin. Still nothing on the garage roof! My other half booked a weekend away for me as a surprise for my birthday and I was way too hungover to be trusted with an angle grinder yesterday when we got back 🤣 I'm just getting to my busy period at work now (so a few weekends of precious car time taken up 😪) but trying to fit it in at night. A teeny tiny update however... I thought the clam was ready to bond but figured I should sort some more of the wiper mechanism first as it'll be easier with more space - I also decided to spray the underside black where it meets the windscreen (holes at the top). You can also see the new fuel filler I then decided it'll be better to line that small top section (maybe 30mm) with leather-effect vinyl that will match the seats and ultimately the speedster tonneau (just the flat part, not the humps which will be body coloured) Closer up picture of the fuel filler pipe. As mentioned, it incorporates the existing lid and locking mechanism (actuator at the top). Holes cut out below for the hinge There is so much left to do, but it's nice seeing it back on the ground again (even if my back won't agree) A bit of a better view of the extended washer fill pipe - I need to cap the end of the other tube that used to feed the headlight washers These shots also highlight the wider track of the rear - looking forward to filling them with some new rubber 😎. It'll be back in the air again soon to get the arch liners back in, after I've done some preventative maintenance. I still need to suss out how to stop the car thinking there is a problem with the headlight levellers... I'm not sure if a ballast would fix this (like it did with the side repeaters), or I'll need to find someone to code them out somehow. Any ideas are welcome!! So not the biggest update but I hope a few evenings over this week will see the front clam on and bonded, then I can sort the door mechanisms, gap the doors/boot etc and then...... off to be painted! Enjoy the weather all 😎 Thank God, I was having withdrawal symptons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted July 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2022 I've been at a trade show this weekend so I haven't been able to put much time in, but I've taken a few photos of the progress I have made. Spent a load of that time making the front clam fit - again it's on/off until it's nice and snug. Once it was sitting correctly I sealed the internal valance now with a rubber strip to form a gasket. You can see a slight gap to the dash but this nips up once there is the weight of the clam on top. My dog is clearly interested in what I was up to! This is the rubber strip I used The below shows the new trim to raise the internal profile of the door New tonneau and boot lid in place - these need attaching properly then gapped I primed the car bodywork ready for the adhesive - all of the rougher parts of the body will be sanded when it goes off for paint - luckily they do the bulk of this! Super sticky adhesive! Warming up in the house so it flows easier New door handle - it's a Ford Focus boot release! Needs cutting into the door (still need to work out the wiring - I think a feed from the window switch) Bit of a better shot of the new location for the wiper mechanism - there are cover plates provided for the big holes! (a dusty) Wiper mechanism put together and ready to go in Worked out where the side repeaters should go and holes drilled And then got excited as usual so put the light and front grill in It's coming together (slowly!) I'm away this week with work but hope to get a chunk of time this weekend on it - next up bonding the front on, gapping, filling, sanding, door electrics, bond doors on permanently... list keeps growing! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted July 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 It's the Sunday night update 🤣 As per usual, didn't get as much done as I'd hoped! Spent a frustrating few hours on Friday installing the wiper mechanism - it was quite fiddly and took a bit of head scratching to work out. Got there in the end though! Attached the tonneau cover (need to lift the roof part way). Also had to modify the bonnet hinge slightly; note the patented bonnet prop Door skin back off, ready to wire in the new handle (you can just about see the new wiper arm spindles). Tested it and it works! I had hoped I could work from this side to get the power feed, but annoyingly had to take the door card off. You can see the door airbag canister - I have to admit I always look at these nervously... Door card on work bench (freezer)to take the feed Temporarily put the card back on to test and... doesn't work 🤬🤬🤬 My logic was to wire a feed from the door window so it would only work when the car is unlocked, however I hadn't realised you can't operate the windows with the ignition off. So, you guessed it - now the exterior door handle only works if the ignition is on 🤣🤣 Back to the drawing board. Kept myself busy by attaching and priming the bracket for mounting the new spoiler on, then tidied up all of the wiring I had left in the boot (along with the spoiler). The spoiler is bonded onto this bracket which is in turn bolted to the existing motors. Working out where to put the number plate light... You can see the brake light holes in the vents - I've since tidied up the holes as they were bugging me! Rear boot lid is also now hinged. Light holder hollowed out, light attached and riv-nuts in. They don't look level in this picture for some reason but I can assure you they are! Also used some of the same rubber gasket from the screen to get provide a watertight seal to the body. And as per usual, got carried away and attached the number plate (show plate of course - I also have standard colouring, but these suit the car so much more ). Anything I'm attaching will come off when it goes for spraying, but it's useful for working out proportions as I don't want to making mistakes once it's painted! Access was a pain in the ass! Since I took the photo I've heatshrunk the cable and zip-tied it to the chassis out of view (and debris). I need extend the exhaust too so it clears the new body - not sure which design to go, maybe a single round pipe rather than the original twin? It then leads me onto this - where do you think the reverse light should go? 1, 2, 3 or 4 The fog will go in the mirror image on the other side. At the moment I think 1 looks the best, or 4... 3 is on the curve so the light will be on the p1ss unless I work out a way of levelling it. 2 might make the back look a bit cluttered. Light is 90mm diameter circle with chrome edge to match the 356 original. Started doing the same spacing out to the front - headlights temporarily in (they'll be a little higher when attached), bonnet handle on, grills and indicators on, number plate on (annoyingly drilled the holes in the wrong place - I assumed in the middle but they needed to be at the top to keep the plate straight 🤬 Will order a replacement soon). You can also see the wiper spindles a bit better here. Mounted the front valance as well, which was a bugger to do with limited access - looks much nicer now though! The slats still need some sanding to be fair And finally... There is the P O R S C H E badge to go on the front too, which will fill the space between the driving lamps and below the bonnet - I think without this it looks a bit empty. This week I'm going to try and work out the door wiring (I think I've said that every update) then a bit more gapping of the bodywork, bond the front and rear completely down, get the doors skins on, trim the speedster humps, then I think, think, it's ready for painting 😎👍 Enjoy your week everyone 👍 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDonald Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 9 minutes ago, timbobalobox said: It's the Sunday night update 🤣 As per usual, didn't get as much done as I'd hoped! Spent a frustrating few hours on Friday installing the wiper mechanism - it was quite fiddly and took a bit of head scratching to work out. Got there in the end though! Attached the tonneau cover (need to lift the roof part way). Also had to modify the bonnet hinge slightly; note the patented bonnet prop Door skin back off, ready to wire in the new handle (you can just about see the new wiper arm spindles). Tested it and it works! I had hoped I could work from this side to get the power feed, but annoyingly had to take the door card off. You can see the door airbag canister - I have to admit I always look at these nervously... Door card on work bench (freezer)to take the feed Temporarily put the card back on to test and... doesn't work 🤬🤬🤬 My logic was to wire a feed from the door window so it would only work when the car is unlocked, however I hadn't realised you can't operate the windows with the ignition off. So, you guessed it - now the exterior door handle only works if the ignition is on 🤣🤣 Back to the drawing board. Kept myself busy by attaching and priming the bracket for mounting the new spoiler on, then tidied up all of the wiring I had left in the boot (along with the spoiler). The spoiler is bonded onto this bracket which is in turn bolted to the existing motors. Working out where to put the number plate light... You can see the brake light holes in the vents - I've since tidied up the holes as they were bugging me! Rear boot lid is also now hinged. Light holder hollowed out, light attached and riv-nuts in. They don't look level in this picture for some reason but I can assure you they are! Also used some of the same rubber gasket from the screen to get provide a watertight seal to the body. And as per usual, got carried away and attached the number plate (show plate of course - I also have standard colouring, but these suit the car so much more ). Anything I'm attaching will come off when it goes for spraying, but it's useful for working out proportions as I don't want to making mistakes once it's painted! Access was a pain in the ass! Since I took the photo I've heatshrunk the cable and zip-tied it to the chassis out of view (and debris). I need extend the exhaust too so it clears the new body - not sure which design to go, maybe a single round pipe rather than the original twin? It then leads me onto this - where do you think the reverse light should go? 1, 2, 3 or 4 The fog will go in the mirror image on the other side. At the moment I think 1 looks the best, or 4... 3 is on the curve so the light will be on the p1ss unless I work out a way of levelling it. 2 might make the back look a bit cluttered. Light is 90mm diameter circle with chrome edge to match the 356 original. Started doing the same spacing out to the front - headlights temporarily in (they'll be a little higher when attached), bonnet handle on, grills and indicators on, number plate on (annoyingly drilled the holes in the wrong place - I assumed in the middle but they needed to be at the top to keep the plate straight 🤬 Will order a replacement soon). You can also see the wiper spindles a bit better here. Mounted the front valance as well, which was a bugger to do with limited access - looks much nicer now though! The slats still need some sanding to be fair And finally... There is the P O R S C H E badge to go on the front too, which will fill the space between the driving lamps and below the bonnet - I think without this it looks a bit empty. This week I'm going to try and work out the door wiring (I think I've said that every update) then a bit more gapping of the bodywork, bond the front and rear completely down, get the doors skins on, trim the speedster humps, then I think, think, it's ready for painting 😎👍 Enjoy your week everyone 👍 Brilliant stuff - it's taking shape so quickly - well done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 1 hour ago, timbobalobox said: This view is surely the motivator for the rest of the project. Well done. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted August 1, 2022 Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 Loving these weekly updates. This is a fantastic project. Position 2 for the reverse/fog lights as it reflects the spot light positions on the nose? 3 reflects the side light positions but will be a sod to mount due to the double curvature of the bodywork in that location. BTW What ae you going to do with your weekends once it is built? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terryg Posted August 1, 2022 Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 Looking great, I am not going to comment on light position, the responsibility would way to heavy and I would lay awake at night wondering if I'd got it wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted August 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2022 3 hours ago, ½cwt said: Loving these weekly updates. This is a fantastic project. Position 2 for the reverse/fog lights as it reflects the spot light positions on the nose? 3 reflects the side light positions but will be a sod to mount due to the double curvature of the bodywork in that location. BTW What ae you going to do with your weekends once it is built? Thank you 👍 Agreed with position 2 matching the nose - at the moment it's between 1 and 2! Not sure yet, I'm sure I'll find something to work on 🤣 Hopefully go for some nice drives 😎 Spoke to the painter earlier and he's going to pop by later in the week to see if it's ready enough for him to collect (doors pending). Be nice to know how much more is left to do before I can hand it over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daboy3000 Posted August 2, 2022 Report Share Posted August 2, 2022 On 8/1/2022 at 1:04 PM, timbobalobox said: Agreed with position 2 matching the nose - at the moment it's between 1 and 2! Can you not hide them somewhere, like in the number plate? or maybe one central one above the exhaust. I have just been looking through google images and some of them look a bit cluttered with up to 3 units each side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted August 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 20 hours ago, Daboy3000 said: Can you not hide them somewhere, like in the number plate? or maybe one central one above the exhaust. I have just been looking through google images and some of them look a bit cluttered with up to 3 units each side. The more I look at it, the more I am inclined to agree that it could look a bit cluttered and less like the original. Iconic themselves usually use this mounted just below the rear number plate; Being clear I think it blends quite well and can only really see it when it's lit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daboy3000 Posted August 3, 2022 Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 That could work better, any photos with one on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted August 3, 2022 Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 4 hours ago, timbobalobox said: The more I look at it, the more I am inclined to agree that it could look a bit cluttered and less like the original. Iconic themselves usually use this mounted just below the rear number plate; Being clear I think it blends quite well and can only really see it when it's lit Not 'period', but then again neither are reversing or fog lights, so a neat solution. Check the construction and use regs for positioning of rear fog lights to make sure you don't make an expensive mistake come MOT time although I suspect you'd be OK. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted August 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 25 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said: That could work better, any photos with one on? I can't find any at the moment, but I've ordered one anyway to have a go! I'll stick some images up with it tacked on 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted August 3, 2022 Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 If under the number plate is legit, how about attaching it to a hanger along with the plate with a plug into the loom under the number plate light cover, that way if you are showing it you can put on your show plate and remover the non 'period' light easily along with the boring legal plate? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbobalobox Posted August 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 It's that time again... It's been a week of finishing jobs off I've been putting off! The main thing has been sorting the bloody door handles out 🤬 I asked a neighbour for a logic check and he kindly offered some advice for poking around to find the best feed. I've had the door cards off trying to find a source with a mulitmeter that is only live when the car is unlocked - thought I found one but it turned out it was for the CANBUS so couldn't be used. Then finally realised on Friday that the power doesn't actually need to be off to the actuator when the doors are locked, as the original lock mechanism is deactivated anyway <facepalm>. Dug around for a bit more then found one feed at 10.9V (off the lock as it goes) which I thought would be enough, only to find it's not! Back to the drawing board. Eventually found one buried in the loom at 11.7V to the window circuit that drives the motor. Rigged up a test circuit and success! Spent a huge chunk of time on Saturday working out that... On to wiring it in; Then the other side It was a quite a moment getting it all working as it's been a head scratcher for some time! Everything worked (except for the windows, which turned out just to be a loose connection after much swearing). Did the passenger side much quicker this evening! Cannot tell you how satisfying it was to sort. I needed to use up the bonding silicone I used for the button, so mounted the spoiler. It looks a touch low in this shot, but the adjustment on top of the rams is quite easy. And yes, I used window packers On Saturday I also tried the new windscreen in as I had visions of it not fitting after painting... Luckily it dropped in like a dream! I completely forgot to get a picture however. Lastly, I got the painter to nip over and check what level of finish they needed - once the door skins are on they're pretty much happy to take it away The end is truly in sight now! Things to prior to painting; -cut the other handle hole on the passenger door -bond door skins on -mount speedster humps -order a replacement front number plate -mount the rear fog/reverse light strip (it turns out it needs a bit of a recess/cut out for the back, so will have to mount permanently below the number plate - thanks ½cwt for the idea however of mounting it to the yellow plate) Have a good week all 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 On 6/10/2022 at 8:55 AM, timbobalobox said: And so it begins... You've done really well since June 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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