S1A-pocalypse

[Chuck Nukem]

Thanks! I filled in the key holes for the mold, but I like the look so much that I am going to come up with a cabin only or remote release for both panels.

Tempted, Chuck?

Not my pics - stolen from the interwebs and I didn't take note the maker.
It looks very neat IMHO, so kudos to them.
If I recall, the catch plate started out as VW Beetle part.

Very nice!

[Chuck Nukem]

I am getting the wheel wells stripped out to prep for priming around the arches. Just finishing up the last of the tissue repairs on stress cracks towards the bottom of the car and it should be on to the first coat of primer.

On to the fabrication side of things. The front T section of the frame had been repaired by the PO and I think it would be better to remake a new one like Serge did. I need to verify that this frame is even actually straight. With the car on jack stands as pictured the front left corner sits .250" above the jack stand. The reference point for the front is the lower control arm mount, which was welded in its position by the PO. The rear bobbins are bolted in and the frame forks sit flush on the jacks so that is good. It is evident that this car was rear ended at some point in its life. The center of the frame also looks suspect for corrosion.

I also have the Green S1A which needs a new complete frame as the original is a write off... I am thinking about making a Spyder style tube frame, possibly like a 47 similar to Roddy's set up. The more I look at this body the more I realize how much the damage of having its frame removed poorly has affected the body over time. The window gaps are worse than they have ever been, to the point that the passenger door wont shut because it is pinched by the body at the top of the windshield. I am not sure if this can be easily remedied. My plan was to make a frame and let it sit on it to stretch out.

Serge just posted a video about his tip over jig and it got me thinking about how I am actually going to fit the chassis in place. Would anyone care to chime in with their methods? As of right now I have the all pieces the body that were removed from the car (frame removed from bottom), so in theory I could fiberglass them back together, rivet the frame to the piece, and then join the frame to the body with the piece attached. Then it could be fiberglassed back together from the underside.

[BDA]

I'm not a welder so I can't help you with that but I would suggest if you do make a new 'T' section, that you build in extra access to the steering u-joint. My frame is an early Spyder unit before they went to their full tube frame. As you can see from the attached picture (you sort of have to look around the roll bar drop link) there is lots of room to get to the u-joint. You can get a bit of an idea how my 'T' is put together and I can take more pictures if you're interested but there's lots of ways to skin that cat.

[Chuck Nukem]

Could you reattach the image? I dont think it went through.

[BDA]

I just realized I forgot to attach my picture! Here it is.

[Chuck Nukem]

Nice! thanks for the pic. My biggest complaint on the twin cam disassembly was the access to remove the steering rack and shaft for sure! Did spyder use .063 sheet metal like Lotus did for most of the construction? It looks like the steering rack supports are a 1/8" or something a little more robust.

[BDA]

I never measured the thickness of the sheet. I would guess all the sheet in the frame is the same thickness. I'll see if I can take some measurements for you. The rack mounts are probably 1/4" since they are threaded for the rack clamp bolts.

It would have been nice to get Spyder's tube frame but this frame is much nicer than the Lotus frame. There is much better access where you need it and it should be at least as stiff as the stock frame. I'm really glad I got it!

[Chuck Nukem]

Alright big step forward today on S1A. I fixed the major cracks and got the car primed today. I found a previous repair around the mouth of the car which has caused it to be out of shape. That repair along with grafting a new rear section on to this car are the next big hurdles. My rear section of the other S1A is shaping up nicely for its mold. I wanted to get the body in primer so I can start correcting the pin holes and other blemishes.

A few notes on the painting. I am trying the Duratec surfacing primer on the S1A. I shot the body with my FLG4 Devilbiss primer gun w/ 2.2 tip, air turned up to 120 psi at the tank reg, gun shoots at 40psi or so. I have a refrigerated dryer and two filters on it. The gun shot it OK, but it started to thicken up on my as I finished spraying the car. I switched to a 2.5 mm gun I bought from USComposites and it works much MUCH better with this polyester primer. The fan is much bigger, the spray is much better. I feel like I am actually putting down a nice volume of paint.

I am looking to try the 2.5 with the evercoat slick sand next on the TCS. Hoping to spray the doors tomorrow...and maybe the TCS for round 2. Depends on how it goes tonight!   

One interesting note... The chassis number is 0468 but the body number is 0470. How many S1 owners have mismatched bodies and frames? *Edit - JB answered this on the first page. The answer is most of them apparently* I think this is also true of my other S1 but I will have to check again. With my body number being 0470 I am really fighting the urge to convert this in to a 47 replica... 

[GavinT]

Chuck,
When you say "Duratec surfacing primer", do you mean the darker grey stuff intended for moulds?
If yes, I'd be interested in your take on its general workability . . sand-ability, hardness etc.
It's an interesting product and Duratec say it can even be polished.

They apparently have a thinner for it too, but now you're putting it on with a 2.5 mm 'hose' perhaps that doesn't matter any more.

[Chuck Nukem]

Chuck,
When you say "Duratec surfacing primer", do you mean the darker grey stuff intended for moulds?
If yes, I'd be interested in your take on its general workability . . sand-ability, hardness etc.
It's an interesting product and Duratec say it can even be polished.

They apparently have a thinner for it too, but now you're putting it on with a 2.5 mm 'hose' perhaps that doesn't matter any more.

Gavin,

Yes the 2.5 truly is a hose. I can't wait to unleash it on the TCS body tomorrow. The boot and bonnet look spectacular from it. The Devilbiss sprayed kind of dry and light on the body, but its ok as I mostly intended this first round as a guide coat to show major flaws. Learn as you go! So far my experience is that they both sand very easily. We will see how well it polishes. 

[GavinT]

Yes, they do look pretty spectacular.
Cool . . if the surfacing primer is easy to sand, it may be overall better than Slick Sand as far as shaping goes.

My impression was that the surfacing primer is more dense and would be harder to sand which kinda points to its intended use as a mold surfacing.

[BDA]

Chuck, I know this is off topic but I wanted to tell you I like your avatar. I'm not sa motorcycle guy but the Britten and the story behind it are amazing! I got a chance to see one at the Barber museum.

Since they have a large collection of Loti there, we should organize a meet there sometime.

[Chuck Nukem]

Chuck, I know this is off topic but I wanted to tell you I like your avatar. I'm not sa motorcycle guy but the Britten and the story behind it are amazing! I got a chance to see one at the Barber museum.

Since they have a large collection of Loti there, we should organize a meet there sometime.

Thanks BDA! I figured since my car no longer looks like it has been sitting in a field for 40 years I should update my avatar to something more timeless.

I also don't own any bikes, but I am a huge fan of the Britten. The motivation that drove that team to produce it in a garage... I am in awe every time I think about it. It always makes me want to work harder! The man was a dynamo.

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/britten-backyard-visionary-1993

For anyone that is interested, that link is the first draft of the documentary. There is a longer version which covers their BEARS campaign and speed records. There is also a biography by Tim Hanna that is very good. He really gets in to a lot of the technical and personal challenges of the team.

We should definitely meet up there sometime!

[Chuck Nukem]

An update on the paint guns.

After using the 2.5 gun a few times it is starting to show its flaws. It is a cheap gun. If you don't clean it 100% it will jam up. Disassembly is much more time consuming than the Devilbiss FLG4.

I tried thinning the solvent with a little MEK to help it spray out of the devilbiss and it works well. I am going to keep playing with it, but the extra .3 mm may not be worth the headache of full disassembly of this cheap gun every time when you can just thin the paint a little.


I have filled the first round of pinholes on the S1 so now it is time for more sanding!

[BDA]

Can't tell which were done with the cheap gun. They all look great!