My new car for next year......

[Adele AW]

See, I told you it was Steve who wanted them :p

[SteveW]

Another update! We spent all day yesterday removing the body from the pan and stripping the floorpan down all ready to be media blasted.









Adele having a sit in the 'office'  (and that's SIT  )



 

[SteveW]

Thought I'd update this post a little, mods can you move this thread to In Da Werks please?!

We got the car rolling again today, ok it looks like a baja but things are progressing! I have loads of photo's to update but they are all on our blog..

[WhiteTrash]

Steve/Adele
Looking good.
out of interest, where did you get the media blasting done and how much was it,
i'll take it it was done with plastic rather than grit so not to distort the shell.

Cheers Frank (Bournemouth)

[SteveW]

Hey dude! How was your trip to Berlin?!

The media blasting was done by a place in Coventry called Marrawise and it cost me.......£100!! I'm not sure what media it was they used but its the finest they do and they take real care in doing it. I was really impressed with them and how it turned out. They have done quite a few beetles now (amongst many other cars) so they know what they are doing on a bug shell! They did it in a day too! I took the shell down to them for 8.30am and picked it up again at 3.30pm! Really impressed!

[WhiteTrash]

The trip was ok. had another breakage just before Berlin which was a result of the snapped rockershaft stud at EBI after my shopping trip, but got it all fixed and made it back.  Went to the Mopar Nats and will be out for the August Bank holiday meet at Shakey.
Cheers for the info on the blasting

Frank

[benssp]

Steve, did they prime it too?

[SteveW]

Yep and that was included in the £100 too! They do powder coating too aswell dude, there not far from you!

[smurf67]

Great looking project and loving the stars best looking wheel imo cant wait to see this finished good luck with the build. Alex

[SteveW]

  Thanks Alex, I can't wait to see it finished too 

The body is all bolted in now along with some other parts so its off to Chris Isaacs in the next week or so for the cage to be built 

[Deanodynosaurs]

Hi Steve/ Adele!

This is the first time I seen the car in ages and it looks great (although a bit offroad!  ). I didnt realise how far you'd got!

Also i think its just convinced me to go the san blasting route!

Dude 

[SteveW]

  yeah baja!! Media blasting is cool we just gotta really clean the media out of all the nooks and crannys!

I spoke to Chris today and the car goes in on monday for the cage!!

[Deanodynosaurs]

yeah baja!! Media blasting is cool we just gotta really clean the media out of all the nooks and crannys!

I spoke to Chris today and the car goes in on monday for the cage!!

Wicked!  I had it it my head that you'd already had the cage done! But then my heads a very random messy place! 

How you having the cage done? Are you having it so you can take the body off the car? If you intend to paint the cage I'd deffo go this way, as i know from experience it's a nightmare to paint a cage with it fixed in the car!

Yeah thats my worry about media balsting, making sure you can get all the media out. No mater how many place you block up, it still seems to get into all the nooks and crannies. I'm hoping to build a jig for mine so that the body can be turned through 360 degrees (or 270 realistically!), which will hopefully allow me to get all the media out, as well as paint underneat better.

Dude 

[SteveW]

Erm yeah the body will come off but the cage is being built into the body!! I haven't cut out any sheet metal, only the rear section so the cage has to be built into the body if its to come off. Chris has a way of doing this so its really safe too. Martin, the painter, said no problems about painting the inside and the cage which is good, he has painted quite a few race cars!

[Deanodynosaurs]

Erm yeah the body will come off but the cage is being built into the body!! I haven't cut out any sheet metal, only the rear section so the cage has to be built into the body if its to come off. Chris has a way of doing this so its really safe too. Martin, the painter, said no problems about painting the inside and the cage which is good, he has painted quite a few race cars!

Thats cool about the cage!

If Chris could do one in a ragtop car without having a bar going accross the middle of the rag top opening at the b post I'd be very intrested!! 

As for painting the cage thats good news.  I know it took Stretch about 2 days to mask the areas around his so he could spray paint it!

Dude 

[benssp]

Erm yeah the body will come off but the cage is being built into the body!! I haven't cut out any sheet metal, only the rear section so the cage has to be built into the body if its to come off. Chris has a way of doing this so its really safe too. Martin, the painter, said no problems about painting the inside and the cage which is good, he has painted quite a few race cars!

You've got the best in the business working on your car, Chris is such a perfectionist. have you seen his door latch mechanisms on the Vanguard? all made by chris out of ali and you just need to close the door gently and it will lock, no door slamming there!

here's the Standard Vanguard, such an awesome race car

[Deanodynosaurs]

....you just need to close the door gently and it will lock, no door slamming there!

My cars like that, it just opening it again that a bit awkward!! 

Dude 

[SteveW]

Erm yeah the body will come off but the cage is being built into the body!! I haven't cut out any sheet metal, only the rear section so the cage has to be built into the body if its to come off. Chris has a way of doing this so its really safe too. Martin, the painter, said no problems about painting the inside and the cage which is good, he has painted quite a few race cars!

You've got the best in the business working on your car, Chris is such a perfectionist. have you seen his door latch mechanisms on the Vanguard? all made by chris out of ali and you just need to close the door gently and it will lock, no door slamming there!

here's the Standard Vanguard, such an awesome race car

Yep, thats why we have gone to him! The details on all his cars are just superb! We've become very good friends with Chris over the years we've spent crewing for Spencer 

[SteveW]

Well after a long day and a 400 mile round trip the car is in the capable hands of Chris  He thinks it will be ready by the end of October to early November and I can't wait for it to be done! I'm keen to see how our ideas will translate into a beetle body



All loaded up and ready to go!



In the entry outside Chris' workshop



Safely in the workshop next to his Morris Minor circuit racer that he's building in his spare time!

[Adele AW]

further update.....

Chris called yesterday to say basic 6 point cage is now in and he needs us to go down for some
Measuringup for built in seats and the funny car bit

Adele

[Pas]

Hi Steve and Adele.Its Mark Pascoe,Ben's uncle,I was down at Chris'  today talking over plans for my car and took a look at your car.Looking good guys,superb workmanship going on there.Chris was mounting the bonnet while I was there,its gonna look killer !

[Adele AW]

Hi Steve and Adele.Its Mark Pascoe,Ben's uncle,I was down at Chris'  today talking over plans for my car and took a look at your car.Looking good guys,superb workmanship going on there.Chris was mounting the bonnet while I was there,its gonna look killer !

We're going down on sunday to get our backsides measured for the cage surround and seats!! 

[Pas]

Hi Steve and Adele.Its Mark Pascoe,Ben's uncle,I was down at Chris'  today talking over plans for my car and took a look at your car.Looking good guys,superb workmanship going on there.Chris was mounting the bonnet while I was there,its gonna look killer !

We're going down on sunday to get our backsides measured for the cage surround and seats!! 

Oh,suits you Sir ! (and Madam)

[Adele AW]

More photos from todays visit to Chris'. The cage is stunning and it has exceeded our expectations  We are really happy with it. We had to get measured up for the seats and the funny car cage bit. We also found out that we are going to have to move the shifter back 5-6 inches as i am a short arse and my driving position does not suit Steve and vice versa. Also to reach the gearstick fully you end up being really forward and not correctly sat within the funny car cage area, which defeats the object of having it. Whats the point in sitting all that way forward when the protection is behind you ? Although i guess not many of have this issue unless you have short legs like me 







Dzus Tabs for the Glass Bonnet



Steering Colomn (This is something i really wanted)





Underneath parcel area......




Above Parcel area......



Frame Horns...



Me sat like a complete dufus....



The Seats and Funny Car Cage will look like this below, the seats where they are built into the car, with a moulded ali panel for the actual seat. Just to give anyone who is interested an idea




Still yet to complete.....

Door Bars
Funny Car Cage
Seats
Harness Mounting
Window Net Mounting
Moving Gear Shifter
and a few other trick bits hopefully

[Nico86]

That's a very cool project, I like this kind of works.

[Jonny Grigg]

Adele/Steve,

Your car looks great! And you are probably progressing 4 times as quick as I am!

I found what you found when I put my seat in- that I need to move the shifter back. I am 6'2", but because the seat is now so far back to suit my lanky frame, I am fully stretched out to get 3rd gear! It is even worse if I put the harnesses in......

The only solution I came up with- MSE Vertigate! To be honest it was the best way of explaining to the wife it is a good idea to spend about £700 on a shifter 

Keep up the great work- it feels good when you see it coming together 

[Martin Greaves]

I'll do the washing up rather than watch Top Fuel..... Gimme the Doorslammers


 

[Adele AW]

Hey Jonny,

Its taken time and plenty of dollars but i think we started July 2006, but really got to work in August last year. Small things really do make a difference and you sit and think.. yeah i have actually come along way! It felt like we were back at square one when the body was sat waiting for Wayne to do the pans

Your car is looking great, i bet you are pretty excited ? We are pulling out all the stops for the car to be done for the Volksworld show, it will be touch and go but i think the only thing that may hold us back is money... but fingers crossed we can make it, we have bought nearly all the expensive stuff and its now down to small stuff like window rubbers, wiring, lights, fittings etc

im trying to get steve to part with his Original petri steering wheel and sun & moon horn push to buy us a few more extras

[SteveW]

Hmmmm maybe.....

Some more pics 



Detail of how the cage is tied in to the channels and pan, its done like this on the B posts too


This is the 'mock up' seat 

[SteveW]

Update! Chris sent us some new photo's of the funny car cage!! The roll cage is now basically complete , the funny car cage is modelled on SFI 25.4 spec so with a couple more tubes the car could be tech'd to 7.50! As it stands the car will be tagged to 8.50. The tubular frame for the seats is under construction at the moment!