AP2289 Build log 'stage 2'

[Dimis]

Either way is good, I vote paint match it.

Looking good Glen
Congrats

[xb-60]

Jury's in. Here's a hint:



I was already settled on body colour for the vents before doing the trial fit for the support brackets, but started to doubt it when I saw the silver aluminium alloy vents against the blue body....but the correct combination has to be blue/blue


Cheers!
Glen

[tkb289]

Good call Glen.

You really can't go wrong either way, but I am in the body color camp as well and the vents in my FIA are painted. I think it gives the car a more finished look.

That being said, I did have ERA supply a set of unpainted vents as well, that were test fit and shipped with the car. I have yet to swap them out for the painted set ... they are still in the box, and likely to stay there for a very long time. You are making great progress, keep it going !!

[dave295]

And KIm of Kath and Kim fame wanted the hallway painted duck egg green.
Brett lost something in the translation.

Dave

[xb-60]

Brett's FIA is Guardian Blue, not duck egg green

[dave295]

No, no, no.

I was referring to a scene out of the ABC sitcom with "Kath and Kim".
To explain it, she wanted the hallway painted duck egg green.
He painted it using duck egg (read bright yellow) and green (read dark green).
The characters name was brett

I wasn't being nasty to anyone.

Dave

[xb-60]

Dave....

[xb-60]

Painting the vents was definitely the way to go. Here's what the right hand vent looks like:



....and no, the rubber bands won't be staying there once the glue's dried


Cheers!
Glen

[xb-60]

Also been working on the tunnel. The clearance hole for the Toploader is now there, and I’m working on making the tunnel looker close to original. I’m not carpeting the tunnel top and sides, so I’ll be adding a 16 gauge (1.6mm) aluminium alloy sheet to the top.





Tapping one of the holes near the roll-over bar strut needed the slow approach:





This is closer to what it will look like (alloy sheet in place, but no screws yet):




I'll wait until the engine and gearbox are in to cut the hole in the sheet


Cheers!
Glen

[1795]

That looks real nice Glen, and I imagine that there are many hours of work in that tunnel.

Jim

[xb-60]

Thanks Jim. More hours to be spent underneath the tunnel - I haven't started on the insulation yet.
Want to do something challenging and fun before that. The dashboard 'challenge' is at the top of the list for new year.

[xb-60]

Started on the dash install today.

Here it is sitting in place with the angle around the 17⁰ mark as a rough starting point; will probably have to make it closer to 20⁰.




The ‘challenge’ is allowing enough rear clearance for the speedo (the larger round opening) and also the water temp gauge (capilliary type) in the second row.
Oh, and the glovebox…..I’ll just have to wait and see what I can achieve there. Yes, the round tubular cross tube is very much a structural member, so no mods permitted there.


Because the glovebox opening and also the lower edge have been welded, there is some distortion, so I’ve added a length of timber as a temporary straightener. That will stay there until I’m happy with the rigidity of the installed dash panel.




Cheers!
Glen

[xb-60]

Dash update time.

Progress hasn't been lightning quick, but been a little warm here. One day last week was 46.6⁰C (116⁰F to you northerners)

I was looking at a dash inclination angle of 17⁰ to 20⁰.
I settled on 20⁰ for a number of reasons…
- I have a horizontal structural tube that is causing me some headaches for gauge clearances, mainly for my speedo cable, but also for the oil pressure gauge tubing in the second row of minor gauges.

More angle means more clearance.
20⁰ also is the angle of the steering column, so the dash panel will be perpendicular to the steering column, so all good





The dash is largely a scratch build. I left the welding to an expert, but the rest of the dash design, construction and fit is mine.

I had to make some bespoke brackets. Here’s my bending 'fixture' (aka my vice)….




….and here’s the first one ready for trimming…




Cheers!
Glen

[xb-60]

More...

Here's what it's starting to look like:



....and from underneath:




For some extra perspective, here you can see that structural horizontal tube under the scuttle that I mentioned previously:




The big hole in the dash panel is for the speedo, so that's the one where I might have a clearance 'challenge' for the speedo cable.


Cheers,
Glen

[1795]

Glen,

Looking nice. Yes, that support tube does make things tight. The vice and the C-clamp are some real old looking tools. Have not seen any like that in quite some time, like my grandfathers tools. You must be old

Jim

[xb-60]

Hi Jim,

It's unlikely that I'm as old as your grandfather unless you're way too young to be driving.
I did however make the vise and the clamp myself, and I do actually have some tools of my Grandfather's....a ratchet screwdriver date-stamped 1914, and a couple of nice woodworking chisels.
Back to the here-and-now....it's the challenges like the cross tube and the speedo that make the build more interesting. (No, I don't really mean that.)

Cheers,
Glen

[xb-60]

Well, here I am bumping my own thread

Other issues need my attention just at the moment, so will be another month or two before I can post build updates.

Cheers,
Glen

[Alfa02]

Glen, good to see your project is moving along, as always a beautiful job sir Like Jim said those tool's look like you could build anything with those (well designed & built) not like the tool's you buy now (those will outlast all of us) Today is a red letter day for me (Up early) mine is headed (Finally!) to the interior shop, dash was finished last week (with NOS gauges) Brian (My Int. guy) said 2-3week's. We have to use a buddies open trailer, as my enclosed one is still snowed in I could use a little of your weather my friend. We may have snow flurries. This is not our normal weather. (avg. is 2-4" per year) Late Jan. I had 34" in my back yard. Wish me luck Glen, as always Cheers Tom.

[xb-60]

Thanks Tom. No, can't say I'd like to swap our weather for your's. We did have a record 46degC (around 116degF) a few weeks back but that's OK.
I do have a few of my own hand made tools, as well as some of my Dad's and my Grandfather's, and it's nice to be able to use them and treat them in the manner they deserve.
I'll be interested to see pics of the dash. NOS gauges, so Smiths?

Good luck, and cheers!
Glen

[Alfa02]

Glen, good to hear your back up & around (per our PM). Here's the wrapped dash (I hope it posts) since mine have compound curves it was by my interior guy a "PITA" Not Smith's I ended up 60's VDO's, I really like the look's and my mech. said better built. So no backward speed-o, but I can live without it. I'll have more pictures as we get closer to the checkered flag Cheers Tom.