Southern GT Chassis #54 Build - The What Have I Done Chronicles!!

[Shaun]

Hi Morten, thanks for the input, I have done a full lock to lock and it seems to clear the springs, I was going the other side but it caused the pipe I thought to kink a bit, will take a full check later when up the workshop, Micks latest build it comes out the front of the shocka nd behid the s[ring as the image below but that seemed a bit tight, will have a good look later, as always input much apprecited, stiff learnign curve all that !!

 

[Shaun]

Ok one to throw to the group in my build log, getting close to dashboard, now I am aiming to recreate a stripped out look, no carpet, alloy panels and rivets for me!! Looking to fit IDA looking EFi as well just love those trumpets, engine is a period-ish 302 stroked to 331.
So do i got period dials and switches or a more modern but complementary look?? Any photos of your dash (dashboard porn!!) would be greatly appreciated, just not sure which way to go. In my mind, I am leaning towards retro as its timeless...Oh the decisions the decisions, makes Brexit look a a doddle

 

[Neil]

Mine is not a GT40 but here is what it looked like earlier in my build. In a word- Spartan.

 

[Ian Anderson]

I used ETB for my instruments.
And had then supplied with the SVAcompliant bezels.
https://www.etbinstruments.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59&page=1

Easy company to deal with and they can supply matched senders and gauges!

Ian

 

[Shaun]

Evening all
Been too long for an update so here are some latest photos, just starting the body build so any tips please fire them over.
So front nose section all but done, wiring loom in, air con now fitted just need to clip the hoses

Managed to fit the washer bottle so that the pump is not visible but that involved a Houdini contortion to get the cir-clip in and several times I left the pliers on the bench, air was bluer than a Tory party dinner club!!
Another angle

Manged to depin the connectors using a nifty tool so they could be fed through a standard grommet then re-did the pins, lets hope in the same order they were removed.

Found a nice supplier of micro switches for the handbrake switch, a bit more beef than a traditional switch and has a good adjustment although the hex bolt will allow me to set it and alter if necessary.

Dash is loosely fitted, spent the weekend looking at the roof / door section so as mentioned above any advice, direction, general sanity check would be GREATLY appreciated, its a bit daunting to spin over to body but hey ho on we go.
After weeks of looking at gauges (bit like choosing paint) I went with the ETB GT40 gauges as all in the look I think nice and clean. The guys there are rally busy so that's a decent sign for sure.
That's all for now just off back to the workshop to ponder some more over bodies, I know Mick said set the body to the windscreen at the early stages so I just got some glass suckers.
Oh and does anyone know what thread size the seat belt bracket is? I thought it was M10 but seems not then I read it was 7/16 UNF, is that some odd hang up from certification?
Toodle Pip!!

 

[Mike Pass]

I have helped fit 2 Southern GT bodies. Check with Mark Boyers (build on this forum) as he has just done this on his car.
The way i would do it is to firstly ensure that the the F and R suspension is all set so the hubs are equidistant from the chassis centreline so you have 4 points at the hubs to check if the front and rear clips are centred.
I would then set the spider so it is centred on the chassis then drill and bolt it down.
Then set the rear clip in place and support the back at the correct height so that the front edge of the rear clip is sitting correctly in the channel at the back edge of the spider. Tie a weight to a piece of string and the hang this plumb weight from the edge of the centre of the wheel arch and check the distance to the hub centre on each side. If both distances are the same then happy days as the clip is centred and will cover each rear wheel the same on both sides. If the distances are not the same then the angle of the rear of the spider will have to be altered by slotting by a few mm one or both of the holes which are bolting down the rear of the spider. Again bolt down solidly so it can't move about on it's own while you are adjusting. Then test again and recheck the position of the rear wheel arches with respect to the hubs with the plumb line. Repeat until the rear clips have the same overhang on the hubs both sides.
Repeat this same process for the front clip.
Then check for windscreen fit and if necessary adjust the spider. If the spider needs to be adjusted for the screen then repeat the above process until the screen fits and both front-end rear clip are centred. Then check for door fit.
The Southern GT bodies are very good and will line up with good panel gaps once you get the panels in the correct places.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Mike Pass]

Zeus Chart.
This is a really useful little chart book for anything to do with threads etc. i have used one for years.
e.g.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zeus-Pre...309915&hash=item4862b6908a:g:KMUAAOSwZthbYxlf

Cheers
Mike

 

[Shaun]

Mike as always thanks for the detailed info and the book link as well, I will digest and get backj if thats ok with any questions, once again really appreciated

 

[Shaun]

And so the the body, perhaps the bit that daunts me the most but so far it seems ok, few pictures below and as always tips and tricks welcome.

So I popped the clam shell on, got it centred roughly back and front, did notice there is a 10mm overhang on the passenger side for the scuttle as per the images below, the driver side is flush

So I left as is, the screen seems to fit really well with even gaps and it sits snugly onto the clam without any gaps.

On a roll it was front clip time, I have mounted that and it seems pretty good, I have got it centred on the tub front and back and the distances from each hub are within a few mm, I guess ok for now??

My gaps at the doors don't seem to bad either, passenger a little tight but I moved the clam over a bit and that helped without raisng the screen too much

So going I hope in the right direction.

Clam hinge next, anyone got any idea which way round it goes? Its a bent tab and I am not sure if the bracket faces forward 9thats what I am guessing) or backwards.

Also I could do wither a measurement of how high the clam sits at the nose, or do you do that with a circumference on the hub so the wheel sits right? Time for a cardboard wheel maybe??

Final question, how do you beef up the bracket where it bots to the body, is a spreader plate on the inside where the light box is enough?

All done for now, may try the rear clam this weekend, what can possibly go wrong

 

[Udo]

Shaun, doesn‘t matter how it is located al long as it works. I put my under 45 degrees, and used a support plate on the inside. How does the current SGT hinge for the front clip looks like? I got a very simple folded steel strip, and replaced it with something reasonable. Can send pictures, if wanted.

 

[Shaun]

Hi Udo, its a straight tube with a plate welded each end that is slightly angled, seems quite sturdy, will do a spreader plate. Mick uses large washers but maybe a plate is more belts and braces.
Just fitting the sills and rear clam, saw Mick last week so got some top tips, seems I was starting at the wrong end

 

[Shaun]

Some days are just not productive.....
So doing a engine trial fit, needed to remove the water pump pulley just to get the last few inches, that is after juggling the stands to get my engine crane close, its a shocker that crane, ok not an expensive one but the wheels are shite, what I am doing is moving the frame to the engine, might fit some decent wheels to the crane, another job
So last bolt on the pulley and the head rounded off, bloody Chinese tat probably, had to drill it then drill out the broken end which jammed the drill, tapped it out which was a night mare, I am using loctite on the threads but even so. I got the bolts from real steel so they should be good their some is always top...
Some days eh!! Sent to test us
I am now finding Gin and a large glass of red wine is helping...Hic
Cheers

 

[Shaun]

Good lord...

Engine in....

By heck that was tight, had to remove the pulley (sheared bolt as above!!) and the starter motor
But oddly now in there is much more room that I thought there would be round the engine so it can damned well stay in !!

Couple of questions those out there may be able to help....The gearbox brackets for a UN1 box only seem to align to one hole, is that correct? What is the other hole if the bracket for?
And anyone know what thread size the bolts are that bolt it into the gearbox, I know I struggled with the clutch slave cylinder bolts but I re tapped those to Metric

 

[Ed McClements]

Which gearbox brackets do you have, Shaun? Chris Cole's?

Anything which is tapped into a UN-1 casing is going to be a metric thread. Or are you talking about the adapter plate between 302 and UN-1?

 

[Mike Pass]

The bolts for the Renault slave cylinder are M7. An odd thread but bolts can be found.
Cheers
Mike

 

[Shaun]

Cheers Mike, I ended up tapping them out, Mick said he does all the time !!

Eddy they are Micks SGT ones, he emailed me some photos and I got them to fit but only with one bolt on each side, have emailed him to check

Anyone got any photos of the SGT gear linkage and position of the support rose joint?

Cheers all

 

[David]

I used ETB for my instruments.
And had then supplied with the SVAcompliant bezels.
https://www.etbinstruments.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59&page=1

You don't need IVA compliant bezels on a GT40 though! You cannot touch them with the mandated sphere due to the design of the dash.

 

[Shaun]

Must get myself a sphere!! Good point thanks fro the info

 

[David]

3D printer FTW!

It might be a bit marginal on the speedo, I couldn't easily tell if it touched it or not so a different speedo, one that had a thicker rim or if you have leather or similar that pushes it out more it may still be a problem. So for the sake of avoiding grief come IVA it's probably worth it for the speedo but I wouldn't *worry* about it for the rest. Especially when you consider that a goodly chunk of instruments are both uncontactable with the sphere *and* in the occluded/excluded area behind the steering wheel.

So despite this type of tacho failing utterly on the radius if it was on something else, it's perfectly fine in the GT40 for IVA due to its position.

 

[Shaun]

I find the whole IVA concept quite odd in this case, if your head is hitting the gauge just before the dashboard it mainly means that you did not wear a seat belt which is back to the world we live in today whereby rules are trying to negate the rank lack of common sense of a ever increasing percentage of our population!! And I suspect the gauge damage would be a lot less than a dashboard, bit like a hex nut on a rear number plate light, heaven forbid having been struck by a GT40, rolled up and over the bonnet, roof and rear clam you scraped "yer old noggin" on said number plate light, that would be a travesty