If 'twer mine (other than painting it that light green) i would keep the wing trims but delete the roof to A and C pillar seams. A tidy up without going too far.
I rather like the de-seamed look and personally I would go for it even if only to remove an area where corrosion is present on most of the models. Now is the ideal time to do it when the shell is bare.
Timing was my main thinking given where we are, although I have deliberated for quite some time as still not 100% convinced it's the way to go, hence it's not been done yet. Corrosion was my main motivator as opposed to aesthetics which leads nicely on to:
They suffered corrosion at this point because way back when good old BLMC were producing cars that they applied poor quality paint with a virtually nil paint density and absolutely no form of anti corrosion protection - With the use of good preparation alongside high quality paint & good anti corrosion protection any problems are eliminated
Which is a fair point - coupled with arch liners to stop the throw up from the wheels there is no rear reason as to why it would then rust 'like the good old days'. That said, and just thinking about it, with the exhaust headers now exiting into the wings I may not be able to run with the arch liners, another thing to add to the research required list!
From my own viewpoint the deseaming to the wings deletes quite an important part of the cars atheistics - makes it appear as if you trying too hard to separate the cars visual appearance apart from what was intended originally
Definitely something I am conscious of, especially given removing them was a bit of a trademark of Frontline initially, now however every classic EV conversion company seems to be following suit - perhaps not doing it would make it stand out more .
It also might draw attention to some of the less subtle changes, whereas the original ethos of this build was to look standard, unless you looked closely
I'm just the monkey that straightens the panels & applies the paint - I'm quite happy to do whatever the client instructs at the end of the day
Not sure many would believe that nor is it quite the case given our conversations to date on some of the build aspects - your view is as valid as anyone's on this, if not more so, particularly as you are the monkey that's soring the panels and applying the paint!
I like what your trying to achieve but from my point of view(not that its worth anything as its your car!) but removing the wing seams makes it look like youre trying to hide something like previous rust or a poor repair, we know your not but just my view!
Again a fair point and one that many might agree with, it does flatten the whole of that section of the scuttle off too which can look a little odd in the wrong colour.
If 'twer mine (other than painting it that light green) i would keep the wing trims but delete the roof to A and C pillar seams. A tidy up without going too far.
Sorry Pete, while I agree it's a nice colour, it's definitely not going that green... far too many been done like that to make them into 'mini astons'. I have somewhat bolder plans (no johnnybravo it's still not going pink). However I am leaning more towards your suggestion of deleting A & C and keep the rest as intended, subtle enough without trying too hard.
Retropower.... my guaranteed sunday evening youtube viewing. I love the variety and quality of what they push through (just wish they would refuse to fit ghastly led headlight units on builds though!
Another Retropower viewer here. Stu is a magician in metal. Don't always like the decisions they make but I'm not paying, what you can't dispute is quality of execution, shudder to think what the bill is for a lot of their projects. Also enjoy the new occasional series detailing specific processes, intrigued by their preference for TIG over MIG wherever possible, have spent quite a lot of time pricing up TIG plants in anticipation of a forthcoming long service award from my employer as a result!
Aside from the led headlights , their dashboard and consol designs occasionally grate my eyeballs!! Churchill is going to be stunning as long as it doesnt get too dressed up!! Less will be more with those magnificent proportions!
Late to the party but a +1 on seam retention - shows it's all metal & will make the other mods pop more IMHO - you don't want the MG equivalent of a Mini Minus!
Post by toomanyprojects on Jul 27, 2022 11:10:11 GMT
Not a huge amount to update on, however...
That's right, the workshop is looking a little devoid of the larger MG parts at the moment as I finally got some time to finish the front subframe and refit the hubs, brake discs and calipers. Which means that has been wheeled into the 'build bay' where it awaits its fate with the rest of the bigger components.
All of which means I can finally attack the steering rack, which although has little slop or play, definitely needs some tlc...
Plan is to strip down and assess the various bits and renew where needed before a lick of paint. I also need to locate the uprated front anti-roll bar as that may also need tidying.
Post by toomanyprojects on Sept 2, 2022 16:55:44 GMT
So finally a start was made on dismantling the steering rack which was in pretty ropey condition
Suffice to say certain parts had seen much better days... dust boots, who needs em
As I delved deeper it was clear there was a fair bit of play in some of the components and things just wouldn't be as good as I'd like them to be given everything else on this build. A quick cost up of all the individual parts was also looking excessive in the grand scheme of things.
A quick browse on the MGOC site provided a simple, cleaner (and I daresay cheaper) alternative... they also had one in stock which apparently I was rather lucky with. So a few days later a box arrived.
(think the dog is learning the unimpressed look from SWMBO everytime a car part arrives!)
Anyway, said box contained a refurbished rack in much better condition than what I was dealing with
After adding new track rod ends, as well as shims for the subframe (more fettling will be needed in time), it got added to the already built subframe, albeit temporarily for storage purposes
More on that soon following some playtime over the weekend... I hope
Post by grumpynorthener on Oct 21, 2022 8:22:33 GMT
Things are happening behind the scenes of many other things
Mainly on the dry fit up of the nearside door
Sam has managed to put his hands on a pair of fully rebuilt front quarter glass frames which are a better fit compared to the original set that we had to hand - mainly down to the point that they have all new fastenings in the right places to secure the frame
Door glass & regulator fitted
Still requires some further adjustment in the top corner now that I've fitted the roof gutter trim - I'm also comparing the quality of the fit with other examples of the model - fortunately there's a classic MG specialist a few miles down the road from me that retains several GT's in stock
Many thanks Chris, great to see. It's provided a much needed lift after a tough few days.
Not a problem - Currently doing my best to prevent anything from obstructing progress but sometimes it's like juggling chainsaws - much more work than planned on the Jupiter project that is in the workshop but I hope that works are now drawing to a close on that particular car
Post by grumpynorthener on Jan 9, 2023 20:23:38 GMT
Still working on this with a little more research covered over this last weekend - I don't really want to document any further progress until I resolve the situation with the nearside top corner of the windscreen pillar & roof line
But lots of other cars in different ownerships have been studied and thing one is for certain - The quarter glass frame fit against the aperture is different on every single car - has is the fit of the door glass - With the workshop fairly clear bar a few lingering smaller jobs I now need to get some time into the B and progress it
Post by grumpynorthener on Feb 20, 2023 20:41:39 GMT
I've not logged any progress but behind the scenes I've been looking at various methods in order to achieve a reasonably good fit of the quarter light frame & door glass against the windscreen pillar & roof line on the nearside of the car - this has seen some substantial hours dedicated to the process and I've not updated it to the thread because in a nutshell I'm still not happy with the fit - Don't get me wrong this is no coach built masterpiece with millimetre perfect aperture gapping - Its a BLMC derived car that was built for the mass market - Make the comparison with examples of the model and there's no 2 cars that are the same. None the less its just not cutting the mustard which is hugely disappointing - The shell was pin straight prior to sending it to Envirostrip and its clear that they have rushed the heating / cooling process which has distorted this area of the bodyshell.
Myself & Sam have decided to take the plan B option - no pics just yet but the button was pressed this afternoon for a clear plan of forward progress - further update to follow at the end of this week
. 
nor is it quite the case given our conversations to date on some of the build aspects - your view is as valid as anyone's on this, if not more so, particularly as you are the monkey that's soring the panels and applying the paint! 
