MM Project

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Leaving it natural
Pete

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Ross is now back on the case after taking time out to re chassis a Ford Pop.
He's made up the closing bulkhead for the boot area and is progressing with the bulkhead:

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Gee those floor panels look great - top work

[TeHoro]

Very tidy work going on there Pete.

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An update from Ross:

Some updates and some issues......

  I made the hammerform for the front lip repair. Once panel was made it was gas welded to the original. Need to dress out the welds but it stiffens the wing right up.

  I also decided that for a number of reasons it would be good to have the shifter attached to the box. It means the tunnel section can be welded in and the shifter removeable through an access panel. I made a plate to attach it to the box and hooked it up. I also wanted the workings to be hidden so started on a trim piece, but that was taking too much time. A leather boot maybe quicker!
 
   The rear bulkhead is welded in and tub reinforcing plates have been added.

In the dash area, to facilitate a nice clean area to work too I removed all the previous steelwork and added a smooth return to the screen surround. I have tied this into the tunnel with enough space to get to the motor.
   Alot of head scratching has gone on regarding finding space for the pedals,steering and gauges....all of which want to occupy the same area.
    I have pretty much decided on using a transverse shaft to move the brakes across to the passenger side. Access for filling will be easier too. I need heavy tube to do the framework for this which will also support the column. That is in hand just now.

     Remember the conversation about wings?....well, I was having issues with the rears fitment. One fitted better than the other. The tubs were templated off one wing so are the same.Problem is the wings aren't!
    I put them both on a flat surface beside each other and they are a completely different shape! One is longer by about an inch and a half, has a different radius at the top and a much rounder shape at the rear. Hopefully pics will show that.
    Do you have any spares?

     I,m going to prime some of the other panels with a rust preventative primer I have seeing as the shitty weather is closing in.

pics:

[TeHoro]

Looking very nice Pete.

I'm sure Ross could duplicate the new wing in a couple of days work.

Otherwise you'll be down to searching the spares pile or swap meets. Are they the same as SII wings?

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MM and series 2 wings are the same. I have a replacement for the offending part - came off the same car as the N/S wing, but Ross used the new old stock O/S wing for the dimensions, so he'll have to re tweak the tubs.
It just shows you that what looks like a good part can turn out not to be - pity.

Pete

[TeHoro]

Yeah, that's certainly true. You would expect some difference between different panels, but nothing so huge. I wonder if there was some sort of shape difference in the body shells over time too.

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Update,
Ross is still having bother with O/S door fit and on further investigation it turns out the that the previous builder had put the sill sections on poorly (should have done it myself ). He now has to modify things to fit, and has made up a new 3/4 repair panel. He had to cut off the sill covers (Ian had welded them on) and has emptied an inch of blasting slag out of this area.
Can't say I'm happy, but them's the breaks.

Pete

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New inner wings being constructed>

PO

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Visited Ross today and had a good look at how Ian had fitted the sill strengthener . No wonder he welded on the cover plate.
i'm not really impressed as I reckon he's cost me £5k
Still, Ross has been a star rectifying the problems and all is progressing fine now.

Pete

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Updates:

Ross has fitted the new inner wing area and has started prepping the best of the 6 rear wings I gave him. The ones I got from Andy were the best despite the knackered flanges. The flanges are being redone at right angles to the wing to fit the body (more wheel clearance for ride height).

[TeHoro]

Good to see that you found a mostly-matching pair of wings.

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Ross is working on the radiator area and the front chassis to pick up the bumper mounts. He has selected a Saab turbo rad as the suitable size (with twin fans).
Mouse pic  included

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Ross made up brackets to attach the bumper and has fabbed up bracketry for the front panel - very pleased as it's coming together lovely.

PO

[TeHoro]

Interesting idea to use bolts for the bumper mount. For now I've used the original posts with some sheetmetal supports. Yours look a lot beefier.

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Pics of front crossmember and bumper mounts. Also the start of the hidden parts of the body being painted with por15 protective paint.
Photos aren't the best as Ross's camera was playing up.

PO

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I managed to get to Ross's today - his power only came back on as I was leaving.
Not a huge amount of progress at first glance, but he's started attaching rear wings, has bracing made for the front and has re primed most of the car. He has also applied por 15 to all the cavities. He's now moving on to the dash area, finish rear wings and decide on whether inner wings are required or not, then fabricate a fuel tank.
I also decided to fit a rear bumper and will get Ross to fab up a valance for it that will fit closer to the body.

Pics:

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A bit further forward now. You can now see how the rear wings are modified to give additional clearance (maximum lowness )












Low enough? remember these are the high wings

[TeHoro]

Looking very tough Pete. Will you have to wear some bike leathers while driving to fit the image? Have we discussed what colour it is going to be?