John Bonnett Posted September 25, 2016 Author Share Posted September 25, 2016 The rotisserie is proving to be a godsend, allowing full accessibility for welding. I expect most of us are aware of the benefits of 1mm thick cutting discs but the accuracy they offer when cutting out rusty sections and making new ones is astounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Was that with an air cut off tool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted September 26, 2016 Author Share Posted September 26, 2016 Quoted from RedRooster Was that with an air cut off tool? No Brad, a 1mm cutting disc on an angle grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktheherald Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 I've been using 1mm discs for some time, a quicker cut and greater accuracy. Like you, I was able to let in chassis repair sections that give an almost invisible repair... I get mine from Toolstation, £13 for a pack of 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 On the way back from Skye I called in to see a GOC member who is a good engineer and a fount of all knowledge on Ginettas. We were talking specifically about G15 front springs and dampers. I found it quite staggering that despite 800 cars being produced there isn't a standard front damper and most if not all cars are fitted with units that are too long and only have half an inch travel before they are on the bump stops. This coupled with non adjustable rear toe and built in bump steer confirms the opinion that the handling of a G15 ranges from bad to awful. This does not stop them cornering like no other and many people confuse handling with cornering but they are completely different.So with this in mind my next step is to to set the wishbone at ride height and source a damper that is in the middle of its travel at that point. Basic stuff you would have thought and amazing that nobody has actually done it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiTurbo228 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Huh. The reason I like working on Spitfires, and old British cars in general, is that they often have enough flaws that I can really make a difference to them with little improvements that are within my capabilities.Sounds like a G15 is the perfect candidate!Also, I tend to go for the cheapest possible cutting discs I can find seeing as I go through so many of them. I found some on eBay that were £9.39 for 25! Don't seem to be inferior to the store-bought ones either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny-Jimbo Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 John, when I was at Ginetta Heritage we developed a damper from Protech for just that purpose. I don't know the part number, but Protech should be able to help out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Quoted from Jonny-Jimbo John, when I was at Ginetta Heritage we developed a damper from Protech for just that purpose. I don't know the part number, but Protech should be able to help out. They can't find any reference to it unfortunately so it's a question of starting from scratch but thank you for the suggestion.cheersJohn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny-Jimbo Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Hmm, that's odd. We must have bought something else that suited and sold them as being for the Ginetta! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 Quoted from Jonny-Jimbo Hmm, that's odd. We must have bought something else that suited and sold them as being for the Ginetta! I find it quite extraordinary that with something absolutely fundamental to the way the car behaves on the road has not been nailed and written down in tablets of stone. It feels like inventing the wheel all over again.It is almost as bad with the roll cage. Safety Devices have lost the jig for the full cage and the rear cage is listed under Alfa Romeo I guess because of confusion between Ginetta and Giulietta. So what hope have we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 What another great read John, fab work again mate.Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Quoted from Bobbyspit What another great read John, fab work again mate.Rob Thank you Rob,I had to change the position of the bracing I put in because it could possibly have fouled the trailing arm on full bump. I had to cut out the round tube and put its replacement in a slightly different position. A bit of work but well worth it for peace of mind.Having had good service from Gaz on the two Triumphs I have ordered a pair of adjustable spring seat shocks from them. The measurements I have taken, ride height and bump tie in nicely with the model they list for the G15. These will suit 2.25" springs. I've collected all the suspension parts from the powder coaters and they look superb and for no effort on my part. 🙂So a bit more progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Recent gallivanting around the Country has slowed progress to a snail's pace but all that is about to change. Well after our few days this week in the New Forest.So where are we as of now with the project? I've now got back all the suspension parts from the powder coaters and they are polybushed up. I've taken a stab at the front springs and chosen as a starting point 120 pound 9 inch open and 2.25 diam. The Gaz adjustable platform shocks are a week away. The car came with 450 pound standard Imp rear spring which are too hard so these have been replaced with chrome bumper MGB roadster fronts which are 345 pounds and hopefully not too far off.I have a problem sourcing an ET30 alloy wheel with 4 inch pcd. The ones supplied for an Imp are ET20 and foul the arches.On the chassis I've started the rear driver's side bracing to match the other side that has already been done and begun a bit of lightening on the suspension towers. The last major piece of work to be done on the chassis is replacing the folded cross member to which the rear shocks are mounted. This part of the chassis has been made wrong. On mine, the cross member is horizontal but it should slope down towards the rear at an angle of 8 degrees to allow the shocks to line up with their mounts on the trailing arms. Before cutting anything out the body needs to go on and some careful measurements taken to make sure the new cross member fits nicely against the parcel shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 4, 2016 Author Share Posted November 4, 2016 The Gaz adjustables have just arrived and having done a trial fit all looks reasonable. Taking a notional ride height there is 32mm of free movement before squashing the bump stop.I've also cut out a panel of unnecessary metal from the suspension towers. This has saved 1/2kg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byakk0 Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Coing right along John. won't be much original chassis left by the time you get finished with it! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Quoted from byakk0 Coing right along John. won't be much original chassis left by the time you get finished with it! 😉 We're getting there Hazen. There's the bracing on the right hand side to finish and then the replacement of the folded rear cross member. The top of it should slope down at eight degrees which angles the shocks so that they fit nicely on the trailing arm brackets. On my chassis the top is flat and the shocks can only be connected to the trailing arm by straining the top mounts. This is just another example of some very shoddy work. But looking at it in context Ginetta at that time were in dire straits and went into administration very soon after this chassis was made. One can imagine that morale was low and people just couldn't be bothered. The chassis never was a great design but in conjunction with the body the whole package worked and even passed a Government crash test at 30mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiTurbo228 Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Nice work I'm saving all of these pics of chassis reinforcement just in case I ever pick one up If you have real difficulty with the wheel offset, could you use 4x100 PCD wheels with wobble-bolts (not the most confidence-inspiring name I'll grant you).I think a lot of older BMWs are 4x100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 7, 2016 Author Share Posted November 7, 2016 Quoted from BiTurbo228 Nice work I'm saving all of these pics of chassis reinforcement just in case I ever pick one up If you have real difficulty with the wheel offset, could you use 4x100 PCD wheels with wobble-bolts (not the most confidence-inspiring name I'll grant you).I think a lot of older BMWs are 4x100. The odd mm in difference between 4" and 100 mm is enough to bend the studs and cause a heap of trouble down the line. I believe Minilite offer a range of offsets up to the E26 which is what I need so all will be well.I'm currently looking at fitting a K series BMW engine which might be the cheapest way to a hundred horsepower. There's a chap in Scotland making the adaptor plates and hybrid clutches and quite a few Imps, Clans and I believe at least one G15 have versions of this engine fitted. The K series engines are built on car lines and don't produce maximum power at silly rpms. And there is only a 2kg weight difference between the Imp engine and the K. Worth a bit of research methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiTurbo228 Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 A K-Series G15! Now that would be a brilliant little car very much looking forward to that possibility.Yeah the slightly different PCD is a definite kludge. I know people fit BMW wheels on big Jags with a similar slight difference, but it's not something I'm particularly keen on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Oh, bike engined ginetta, very nice! I have a K series exhaust here should you need it (huge thing, when it arrived I was more than a little startled) but I would consider something neater....I like what is happening here, a very decent project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 Quoted from cliftyhanger Oh, bike engined ginetta, very nice! I have a K series exhaust here should you need it (huge thing, when it arrived I was more than a little startled) but I would consider something neater....I like what is happening here, a very decent project That's very kind of you Clive. Thank you. My biggest challenge seems to be contacting the chap in Scotland who does the conversion parts. He has no email or landline and poor signal for his mobile. I've been told to try messaging him on facebook and that's serious. I don't do facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byakk0 Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 fwiw John, you could probably outsource the facebook contact to one of us. Someone may be willing to make contact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Quoted from byakk0 fwiw John, you could probably outsource the facebook contact to one of us. Someone may be willing to make contact. In desperation I've actually bitten the bullet and messaged him on Facebook Hazen. And still no response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bonnett Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 Right, I've made contact with the man who does the conversion parts and I'm really impressed with his expertise and professional approach. He supplies a billet cnc machined bell housing to mate the Imp transaxle directly to the engine and lightened flywheel with a roller bearing to suit. Clutch cover and concentric slave cylinder off modern engines and a bespoke driven plate. He recommends the K1100 16 valve engine which has a Motronic system simpler than the Bosch one on the smaller engine. Performance wise the 1100 will get away from 500rpm and deliver power right up to eight five. In his words you have the best of both worlds; a good 875 Sport engine at the bottom and a full-house 1100 Imp engine at the top end. This does seem to be the way forward.On the chassis the right hand side bracing is finished and I've made a new gear linkage shaft and rebuilt the lever assembly. More jobs ticked off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richarddorrell Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Chassis looking awesome, and I like the engine plan too. Hope to see it soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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