On this page I will add news of progress and events with links to the appropriate pages.

Jump to latest entry.     

Late 2000 / early 2001

Decided I needed to build another car (it's probably 15 years since I last did!). I researched, designed and built a short course off-road racer http://www.desicodesign.com/calabrina    

Mid 2001

Decided I enjoy building cars more than the racing! The racing was fun, but the 6 hours wasted traveling weren't. So I looked into a possible road car.

Early August 2001

Decided to build a mid-engined "Locost" type of car.

8/25/01    

Wrote first pages of this site. Current leaning is towards the Fiero as the main donor. The reasons are :

1. Availability of donor and parts
2. 4 wheel disc brakes
3. Handbrake already engineered
4. Gear shift already engineered

I may not use the Pontiac engine as it is relatively heavy and underpowered (although the V6 is more powerful and no heavier). According to some Fiero engine swap articles I have read the Fiero transmission is fairly strong in normal use and the axles are "unbreakable". Check out http://www.v8archie.com/allv8.htm where the guy specializes in V8 swaps.

8/26/01

Wrote a bit more on these pages. (could be a good idea to publish them soon!)

Site now published. (which of course you know if you are reading it!)

8/27/01

Got a donor! An '86 MR2. Details on the donor page. Added picture of spec. racer adaptation of strut type knuckles on the reference page.

9/1/01

Added more donor pictures. Updated spec. page. I managed to get enough water into the system to drive the car for a couple of minutes. I was impressed with the performance considering the engine probably needs a tune up and I'm hoping to lose 1000 pounds from the original weight during the build up. Added a parts weight page (not much there yet)

9/2/01

Added some thoughts and ideas on styling. I will probably do this once a month or so. See reference page

9/9/01

Worked on the frame and front suspension. Photographed and measured the front end. donor pics

9/14/01

A bad, bad week for the civilized world. My deepest sympathies and thoughts go out all those affected by the terrorist attacks.

9/15/01

My experience with most decent sized projects is that it is easy to get bogged down with similar sort of work, so I'm trying to mix it up a bit. Rather than completely finalize the design (probably the best way of course) I had a change of activity and actually started to make some parts. Nothing really special, but it's a start.  Mfrd. parts

9/18/01

Added a front suspension design view. Mfrd. parts

9/25/01

Did some work on my 1/12 scale body model. Front coilovers arrived, new parts. Some more brackets have been made. Some more concept styling views added. reference page

10/05/01

Did some chassis work last weekend. Mfrd. parts

10/11/01

Chassis off the base board for the first time. It will go back later to ensure its flatness prior to diagonals and full welding. Mfrd. parts 

I'm at the stage now where I have to strip the the donor down to some degree to measure/fit more parts. I can either go for the front and work on the rack, uprights, wishbones and radiator etc. or remove the engine, transmission and rear suspension. Busy weekend ahead I think. Although I'm currently favoring reusing the MR2 struts, there is still the option to rework the rear suspension too. There are many possible options there if I don't use the struts.

10/14/01

Moved the MR2 to its final resting/strip down place. Removed rack and drivers side front hub assy. donor pics Made lower taper bushings for wishbone. Mfrd. parts 

10/21/01

Almost made all of one front side of the front suspension. Mfrd. parts

10/24/01

First front corner is now sprung! Mfrd. parts

11/09/01

Still working on the parts for the other front corner, should be fully sprung at the front in a few days. I have also been looking at the rack mounting so that will next on the agenda, followed by the steering column.

11/10/01

Front end now fully sprung. Steering column trail mounting (you know, the usual clamps and stuff). Mfrd. parts

11/14/01

Made a makeshift bumpsteer gauge from a laser pointer mounted to the tire edge aimed at a target about 10 feet away (to magnify any toe change). Actual toe change at the wheel edge over full suspension travel works out to be around 0.025", which is OK for me. The rack mountings can now be completed and located on the frame.

11/19/01

Rack mountings finished and welded to frame. Mfrd. parts

11/28/01

Not a lot to report at the moment. We have relatives visiting from England soon so there's been a ton of honey-do's to deal with! I have been working on the pedals, but I'm not yet decided which way to go. I could use the stock (or modified) MR2 ones, or I could make something more suitable either with a single or twin brake master cylinder set-up. I've been researching both (or all) options. 

12/12/01

Decided to go with a twin master cylinder set-up for the brakes, using Girling style cylinders. They are readily available in a few sizes and aren't too expensive either. I looked at balance bars and ended up buying the complete Tilton balance bar assembly that is sold for incorporation into your own custom built pedals. new parts I also spent little time looking at and removing the gearshift assembly from the MR2. donor pics

12/19/01

Added picture of pedals, Mfrd. parts . 

12/25/01

Happy Christmas everyone!

Been busy stripping more parts off the donor the last few days, even got the engine out and roughly positioned. donor pics

01/05/02

Happy new year!

I've done a little more work on the pedal assembly and started to put some structure around the rear end.

01/16/02

Bit more at the rear. A decision has finally been made about  what I'm going to do. Basically it will be two parallel trailing links with two radius rods and a non-steering link per side with a short pushrod and bellcrank to a horizontal coilover unit. Explained here: Mfrd. parts

01/20/02

More work on the rear suspension see Mfrd. parts I think there is a good chance it may be rolling in one/two weeks if things go well. Most of the suspension parts for the other side are at least 75% complete compared with side being built now.

01/31/02

It's rolling!

 OK, not very far because the engine is still effectively on stilts, but forward and backward three inches is better than nothing ! Mfrd. parts Also today, my exhaust manifold flange arrived that I got from E-bay. It should give me a flying start towards building my exhaust system. Did I mention I was making my own? Perhaps not, but there are a couple of reasons that it makes sense. One, I need to re-route it slightly round the rear frame members and two, there's a crack in the casting that would need attention. Oh, and it's cooler, thermally speaking of course:)

02/04/02

Now it's really rolling!

I mocked up the engine mounts and rolled it outside. I believe that this is compulsory with all car builds :) Mfrd. parts

02/12/02

Working on a lot of minor (but essential) stuff. 

I keep thinking about why this is different from a kit build? Well, it's been said "it's just like a kit, but you make your own kit first!" This is so true. And by taking time at this stage, by really figuring out all the brackets in advance you will make yourself a better kit to assemble. That thought, and the support of fellow builders is what keeps the enthusiasm high. Thanks guys! Mfrd. parts

02/15/02

I did a little more on the handbrake cables, and welded on a bracket for the clutch flexible pipe, which involved drilling a 3/4" hole in piece of 16ga steel and then filing into a hexagon to fit the pipe. I decided it would be a good time to weigh the car so far to see how it compared with my spreadsheet. I placed the battery and radiator roughly in position and placed the car on my locost corner weighing system (bathroom scales, x6 @ $6 each) it came out at around 990# with a distribution of 35/65 front/rear. My spreadsheet had estimated 980# at this stage so I'm quite pleased that my target weight still appears achievable.

02/20/02

I've moved back to the front end, mounting the pedal box etc. I have also added new pictures at donor and new sections.

02/22/02

The radiator was mounted a few days ago and I've now got round to showing it. The pedal box is mounted and the pedals have been re-tried for fit and movement. Mfrd. parts It seems at this stage there can only say 10 to 12 hours work to complete the frame ready for paint. How long those 10 to 12 hours worth of work will really take is another story!

02/24/02

Trying to chip away at the 10 to 12 hours that are left ! (see above) Some progress has been made, at least on some minor brackets. Mfrd. parts   I took the engine out as it serves little purpose still being mounted as I now have all engine related brackets mounted or at least figured out. It came out very easily, and, although it was planned that way, you never know until you try:)) I weighed it again with the engine/transmission out, 298 pounds front and 282 pounds rear, 580 total.

03/10/02

Well those 10 to 12 hours are pretty much over now. I removed the MR2 seat runners and will use those on my seats, I then made mounting brackets to suit. I did the fuel tanks mounts (ended up going with 2 smaller tanks for accessibility). There are some minor brackets and tubes still to fit as well as all the underside welding, but I'd reached a point were a decision had to be made. Option one: Strip the frame and finish the welding then paint and build with temporary body work and get on the road quickly, finishing the body later. Option two: Start the body work now, while the frame is in it's unpainted state. Make the molds, and final panels then finish up the frame and finish the build once and for all. 

Surprisingly for me I did not opt for the quick fix, and have chosen option two. Two reasons: Would I really feel like taking the car off the road to do the "real" bodywork?, and with the summer months ahead the climate is more conducive to mindless fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand cycles than to detailed build-up work which is better suited to the winter months.

I will create a new bodywork page and chart progress on there. Bodywork

03/21/02

It's been over a week now of sawing, notching, nailing and screwing 2x4's and hardboard and it's kind of taking shape (but you need a very good imagination to see it). I'll post some pictures when it starts to approach the intended look. Meanwhile, here's a top view of the model with front and rear ends open (also available in red you'll see too :)) Bodywork

A few people have asked me what software I use for design. I use AutoDesk's Mechanical Desktop 4 which is a parametric solid modeler. Sometimes I need to resize, crop, or lighten (etc.) my pictures and renderings and I use Paint Shop Pro. 7 for that. If any of you are AutoCAD users you may well get "Mechanical Solutions" published by AutoDesk, if so have a look at page 16 of the Spring 2002 issue, where two Meerkat images are featured. (Ah, fame at last!)

Oh, well back to sawing, notching, nailing and screwing.

03/31/02

Well, I've decided to show some body plug/buck pictures. Please don't tell me it looks likes crap, I know it does! (so far at least) However, there are people who do want to see this stage of the build and can see through the hardboard and filler and can see where I'm heading. Bodywork

04/07/02

More of the above. It's taking shape slowly, and even that's probably a false impression! Yes, I'm not expecting a rapid conclusion to the body making process. It is very important to stop and look at it a lot (I'm good at that!), and be prepared to destroy and rework sections that you aren't happy with. I haven't had to do that, yet. 

You would probably guess, but it's here: Bodywork

04/14/02

I could almost cut and paste the previous entry! 

Main thing I did of interest was to wheel it outside to be able to stand back and get a good look at it. Oh, and put the engine back in to work on the rear. Bodywork

04/24/02

More progress on the rear, mainly the engine cover a side "fins". Doesn't seem much really for 10 days but it all adds up in the end I guess. Bodywork

05/05/02

Not much to report this week. Visitors again I'm afraid! I have done some work on the rear wheel arches so there are a couple of pics. Bodywork

05/17/02

OK, back to making progress again! Not much, but at least some. You know where to look:)     

Bodywork if you don't! I think It may be time to wheel it outside again this weekend for a "step back for a real view" photo shoot.

05/28/02

Opps.... You know I mentioned moving it outside again? Well, I couldn't. The way the rear arches are under construction combined with my softish rear springs means it will have to stay where it is for now. Still it hasn't hampered things too much, and I've been working on the rear arches again. Bodywork

06/09/02

A little more general progress on the body. I think there is a chance I could have the basic overall shape (in white filler) finished this month (we'll see!). I make this bold statement based on the fact the the right hand side of the plug ought to be just a copy of the left side, so how hard can that be? (notice how easily I set myself up?) Progress as usual at:  Bodywork

06/23/02

Well it looks like the "basic overall shape (in white filler) finished this month" will not be achieved this month :( 
(Excuses: The World cup and the wettest June in history for my area) 
However, despite that, progress is still OK. I did manage to get the car outside again by extending the rear pushrods their maximum length, allowing the soft springs to give me a useable ride height. (Useable as in the wheels didn't scrape the plug)

I've also been working on the right side of the car and also making progress on the dash/scuttle area. Bodywork

06/30/02

Well to be honest I'm not too for off the basic shape being finished. You probably saw that I took the hood/bonnet off to work on the dash area, and I'll be finishing the hood when the body molding is actually complete (or when I've pulled the body molds, if the plug stays intact) I should have more pictures in a few days when there is something more to show.

Today I actually had a day off from car building, and what better to do than go and look at cars:)

First stop was to see Dennis Brunton and his Stalker, who was competing in an autocross at Zephyrhills. If you are into cars with engines in the wrong place:) check out Dennis's site. 

It really is every bit as nice in the flesh as the pictures show. Also, hi to Jeff Downing fellow locost NA listee and Mrs. Brunton (sorry, I'm bad with names, ask whatsername, my wife:)

Next stop was to meet Jim and Lauren McSorley and check out Jim's progress.

I explained to Jim what the part was he was holding, and where it went:) although I now suspect he may have some other place for it! Jim also seems to think the engine should be at front too, and has build details and drawing packages that can be found here.

So, all in all a useful and inspiring day out, thanks everyone. Oh yeah, and World cup final was played today........

07/05/02

Back to the grind, or rather fill and sand. Now I'm on the second phase of the plug which is all explained on Bodywork

07/06/02

Minor updates on Spec. and bodywork

07/12/02

Minor update. bodywork

07/21/02

After much deliberation, and input from others (thanks, everyone), I decided to shorten the rear end. A bit drastic but it was bugging me too much. All the gory details at: bodywork

07/28/02

Right back into the fill and sand phase again, bodywork

08/07/02

I wish I could rhyme off a long list of completed tasks, but no, it's just more of the filling and sanding routine. I would expect around another 6 to 8 weeks before I'm ready for any mold laying up, so if anyone is holding back going on vacation (holidays) in case they don't miss anything........

It doesn't help being so hot in the shop. This is at around 8 pm (OK Steve and others, I know there are hotter places!)
You could always look at bodywork to see if I've added anything.

08/11/02

I believe I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I primed an arch then rubbed it down and put some black gloss on. It wasn't perfect but at least I can see what's needed to get there :) Added a little more blurb. bodywork  

08/20/02

I had a great day out on Sunday (18th Aug) with Dennis and Pat Brunton at a local (to me) autocross. I got a ride off Dennis in his Stalker (see 06/30/02 entry) and it was sensational! Autocross looks a great way to really sort your car out, but in safety! BTW, for UK readers (assuming there are any!) US autocross is actually more like UK sprints/hill climb, one car at a time against the clock. Progress on my car you ask? bodywork

08/24/02

Been having some problems with my site host, I hope everything is OK now.

08/25/02

Today is this web site's first anniversary! Hmm...? I wonder what stage the car will be at on the site's second birthday? 

Nothing much else to report really, just more of the usual.

08/28/02

I've ordered a long hand sander to help get the surfaces true. It surprised me how difficult they were to find, many places had the air operated ones, but no hand ones. I ended up using these guys. Meanwhile, I've been working on some flanges and returns and similar good stuff! Also, added a couple more pictures. bodywork

09/01/02

I'd hoped I might have had my new sanding tool in time for this weekend, but no such luck. So what can I do instead? How about changing the shape again? Don't panic, it's nothing drastic, just a bit more curvature at the side of the engine cover. As Dennis rightly said to me a fraction of an inch here and there can often make a big difference. bodywork

09/06/02

Well my sander arrived, and I'm very pleased with it. Excellent purchase. Picture? Of course... bodywork

The other thing that arrived was a friend visiting from England! However, I have a cunning plan (insert Blackadder memory here :) ), whereby I can trick my friend into working. 

09/10/02

Well my cunning plan worked :)

It shows what happens to anyone who drops by! This my friend Paul who is visiting from England (I think he wanted to help really) A little progress.

09/30/02

Hopefully I'm back up and running again with my new web hosts! Should have some more pictures and info. later today. Please tell me if this new format displays OK for you.

OK then some more body progress.

10/03/02

Well it looks as if some people are still finding me on this temporary URL ! It should be back to the normal soon, I'll let you know when. I can now say that I have got the finished shape on one side now. more...

10/06/02

It feels like I'm moving along again! Working on the left side of the body, I'd almost forgotten what it looked like:) A whopping great SIX new pictures.....I'm just too generous....

10/09/02

Some minor changes, doubt you'll notice.

10/15/02

As above, minor changes.

10/19/02

Back to some progress again. Work has been busy and delayed things a little, but I'm not complaining, you have to work to finance the project!. I decided a little more tooling was required.

10/24/02

More side matching and some work on the rear. Usual place Beginning to feel that molds are in sight, this year perhaps?....I hope so!

10/26/02

The results of my latest survey show that the harder edge on the rear is popular so I'm not changing it.......much! 

11/02/02

My Birthday! Not in the slightest bit relevant really other than the fact my car building fund has received a nice boost....thanks everyone!  
A little more gradual progress. I will post more pictures in the next day or so.

11/04/02

Just a little more progress nothing spectacular though. The best news is that it is cooling down a bit, it was about 74 degrees F in the shop tonight, very pleasant. 

11/09/02

Some work on the back around the engine cover, progressing fairly well right now. click I had trouble finding paint colorant for the Kilz. I wanted it a darker shade to show up better, and eventually I ended up in Lowes who  said "no we can't sell you the color, but we can add it and mix it.......for no extra charge". Deal done :-)

11/17/02

Well after a couple of smooth easy weeks it was time for something drastic. After consulting with fellow midi builders on www.locostbuilders.co.uk  they confirmed by a niggling concern that I had. The front arch had too much "weight" in front of the wheel and needed attention.......

11/26/02

Moved back to the rear and made good progress. pics I expect to be starting the first mold this weekend, and just in case I bought some materials and some tools.....

11/29/02

Rear end is now prepared for Gel, so barring disaster the mold should be made this weekend. Latest on bodywork 2 

11/30/02

First mold is doing well. bodywork 2 

12/08/02

More progress on the molds. here

12/15/02

One side mold finished, ready for gel on the other. It seems to be moving along quite well at the moment, although the cold weather (50F IS cold by Florida standards!) is not helping. latest pics

12/16/02

Mold one separated, and successfully too...yippee.... here Now I have a choice, I can continue work on the mold and prepare it for the first part, or I can carry with body molds. Hmmm..? What will I do? (and no I'm not teasing, I really don't know)

12/19/02

I ended up doing both rear mold preparation and more work on the body. I've been able to do filling on the body (the last section at the front) and then rub down the rear mold while it hardens. I got some red gel for the body parts, although I intend to paint it I thought it would be nice to see it in it's final color before time. Nothing really to justify a picture this time.  :-(

12/21/02

Pretty much the same as the last entry, but this time there are pictures.  

12/23/02

Milestone. First body part...yippee! In fact the first part actually for the car in 9 months. Pictures? You don't want pictures do you?...rear end

12/25/02

Happy Christmas everyone! If you are dedicated (or sad) enough to be reading now, then I owe it to you to write something! Not much to report except glassing the hinge brackets in place without a problem....yes the aerosol spray paint was NOT affected by the styrene in the resin. More pictures again in few days.

12/29/02

I hope everyone had a good Christmas (and Boxing day, where applicable).

I've been working partly on the rear hinge and the next front mold section, which is now laid up (pics to follow, didn't take any today) I did add another front preparation picture, but nothing significant. I'd guess another week or so should see all the main body mold sections complete and then the body soon after if the molds are OK.

12/30/02

Added a couple of pictures of the next mold section.

01/01/03

Happy new year everyone!

Made a little progress today, working on the rear hinges and more on the last body mold section

01/04/03

Feeling some real progress at the moment. I've laid up the last body mold section, hinged the rear end, and started breaking out and preparing the body molds. All here

01/05/03

All the molds are broken out OK, and I've now got a rolling chassis again. I'll put the pictures here because they aren't really part of the body story. No descriptions required I think.

01/07/03

Working on the body molds in preparation for the body lay-up. here

01/14/03

More of the same. We have another visitor so build time is affected a little, but it doesn't hurt to have a little break anyway.

Keep watching/viewing.....

01/22/03

Our visitor leaves us today, so expect more activity soon. It has been pretty cold by Florida standards so I may have done very little anyway.

Expect a decent update this weekend.

01/26/03

OK, OK, so it's not much of an update. I did make pretty good progress on the mold preparation though, but nothing worth showing a picture of. I expect to be laying-up the body by next weekend as I just have a little more sanding and polishing to do and then the flanges. If anything worth photographing does happen before then you will be the first to know...:-) Is it just me or does January always seem to pass so quickly?

01/28/03

More mold prep. Been making flanges and inserts for the mold.

01/30/03

Still preparing the mold, and coming along nicely.

Added some more links and also my contact e-mail below.

02/02/03

Didn't quite get round to laying up, the terrible Columbia tragedy taking the edge off the weekend. Very sad indeed, especially having seen the launch live from a little nearer than I usually do.....makes all the more real.

I did get a couple more pictures, and with being away on business next week, will probably lay up next weekend.

02/09/03

Damn. 

I didn't get the lay up done due to getting a cold/flu or whatever ....... maybe next weekend?

I did get to to drive Dennis Brunton's Stalker while working on the other coast (thanks Dennis) , it gave me more inspiration to get mine finished......you need all the inspiration you can get. On Saturday I met up with Jim McSorley once more and fellow Florida builder Bryon Harp. These meetings between fellow builders are very inspiring.....you need all the inspiration you can get. (Hmmm? I just said that.......)

02/15/03

Yippee.

The body is now laid up .... pictures tomorrow, unless there is a major disaster while breaking it out.

02/16/03

Pictures as promised. Some minor repairs needed but nothing serious.

02/23/03

I've been working away from home again, so not much has happened. I did get to look at body mounting and do some more trimming, and add some more pictures.

03/02/03

Decided to attack the hood/bonnet, knowing that there will be plenty of drying time needed for the plaster in which I can fall back onto the grilles etc.  A quick trip to Lowes (similar to B and Q, or Homebase in the UK) was in order for some wooden strips and particle (chip) board. I'm trying to reuse as much of the body plug as possible as I hate buying stuff that is ultimately going to get throw away. I really wanted something like 3/4" square, but ended up with 1 x 2 which when ripped down the middle ended up at 3/4" square. Sweet. (as is popular to say at the moment) pics here

03/05/03

A little more progress on the hood plug. usual place

03/09/03

Back into the old filling routine again. Also took a truckload of old plug debris to the county landfill...very satisfying not to have it all under your feet. Another good thing is I can take the finished car to the landfill and have it weighed on their scales. On the way home I spent a few more dollars in Lowes...more drywall plaster/filler/mud/whatever and some more diamond mesh which I may also use for mock-up grilles (or real ones if it looks OK.......)

03/20/03

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, caused mainly by the lack of progress due to being out of town. Working in Sarasota to be exact....thanks to the guys who took time to look over the website (you know who I mean, Dave, Pinky and Gomer.......)

Anyway back to more filling.

03/23/03

More filling. Seems to be going faster on this plug...maybe I'm learning something?. Just one more picture

03/25/03

Good progress (for a couple days at least), although it doesn't look much different, (proof) and probably won't for a few weeks as I refine the hood/bonnet plug. Having to wait for the filler to dry does help you think about other stuff, and the filler cap came to mind.

03/28/03

A little more filling and rubbing down....hardly worth the 2 more pics...but hey, it's my website and I can do what I like...he he.

04/02/03

Well, more filling and rubbing, but I won't bore you with more pictures until it looks any different. However, while the filler has been drying I did get a little more done on the filler cap

04/06/04

More filling and some paint trails. I'm going to try and do without the Bondo stage, but it al depends on being able to work dry fro a while as I can't get the drywall filler wet. latest

During the paint and filler drying stage I've been experimenting with grilles and rear lights. The pictures are shown below so as not to spoil the sequence on the bodywork page.

The lights will be mounted on a separate mounting plate, but are shown here mounted directly into the GRP, one side black painted the other still body colored. The grille is some temporary mesh for effect. 

04/11/03

Just more filling and rubbing down. Nothing worthy of new pictures for say a couple of weeks I'd guess....we'll see. Meanwhile, here are a couple more of the transparent pictures. They are more than just a gimmick as you can see better what sort of clearance you have in certain places, very useful for other potential engines.

Should start coming together soon.

04/22/03

Getting a bit closer, I may be mold making again soon. I'm not sure about the nose yet, I know I'm limited by the radiator, but I may see if can lose any more off the "bump" of the nose...we'll see  (pics)

Update update......Dr Alan has performed rhinoplasty* on the patient...a full recover is expected...

* Look it up......:-)

04/23/03

First post-surgery pictures  . It never ceases to amaze me how such subtle changes can make such a big difference. At least that's what I think. 

05/02/03

Not much to report, just steady progress rubbing and filling the nose. While I have been waiting for the filler and/or paint to dry I have been working on a mold for the headlight buckets. From the mold I will probably pull two parts which will be modified to become left and right plugs for the final molds (of course this may not be necessary, but most likely will) I will post those pictures after I have done the hood/bonnet mold.

05/06/03

Getting a little nearer, hoping making the hood mold soon (pic)

05/15/03

My, how time flies. No sooner do you miss your window for one weekend, than the next one is almost upon you. When making mold/GRP parts it is important to plan your time so that you can complete each operation at the correct time. There are only certain things you can do on a "fitting in" basis.

Hopefully, I should be laying up my hood/bonnet mold this weekend. I think I've done the final paint (with Kilz) but you never know till you have sanded it. Fingers crossed..:-) 

Just a an overview picture of where it's at......just testing the rectangular lights, as I'm pretty certain to be using twin 90mm Hellas.

05/19/03

Hood/bonnet mold is now laid up. The weekend was quite productive.

05/20/03

Mold pictures now posted. here

05/25/03

The mold is now cleaned, polished, flanged, waxed, pva'd, and gelled. Should be laying up tomorrow so I'll have pictures soon after. And then......wow, no more major molding...yippee! To other builders yet go through the do your own GRP stage......sorry for gloating...:-(

05/27/03

Pictures of the hood as promised. here It molded and separated very well.

I'd like to say thanks to Steve (a.k.a Merlin) from the Locostbuilders list who did this great Meerkat cartoon for me:

So this is another milestone. There may be a little more glass work, but really it is over....it's like I'm just starting a kit......with no build manual...:-)

06/01/03

Not much progress, but I did wheel it outside for some pictures.

06/09/03

Working on the body mounts. Not much to show really, but I'll post some pictures when there is. 

06/13/03

Body mounts now viewable, no big deal but here they are.

06/15/03

Slight change of plan here. (not you Alan surely, I hear...LOL) Yes, afraid so...

I offered the body style so far up for critique to several forums, the general consensus was good, and with perhaps some changes, could be very good. One guy in particular, designer Cliff Iwai from California, came back with a few suggestions.....all fairly subtle based on the original basic shape. I was impressed, and liked what I saw and just about everyone agreed with me. So much so that Cliff has agreed to help on this the final (I mean it) re-style.

This is the concept.

However, the frame completion will still take place in parallel as the body mounting positions and other hardpoints have already been established. Work on the restyling will covered on this new page bodywork 3 although there is nothing there so far.

As always comments are welcome. 

06/24/03

Not a lot to report, working with Cliff (see above), exchanging data and so on. I think I will build a very, very simple dummy frame to hold the body and rear end during re-work so that I can build up the rolling chassis in parallel. Hopefully more to report next time.

07/02/03

I've been working on other stuff before getting back into bodywork again. I decided that now the body is not seven style with separate wheel arches/mudguards/fenders, then I actually have more pedal room available. Surgery pictures here.

07/25/03

Wow, long time between updates. I wouldn't want give the impression that not much was happening here.......even though that is mostly true. A few reasons, I'm very busy with my other (paying) work, I'm still going through ideas on the bodywork with Cliff, my friend Paul is visiting from England, and it is very hot and humid right now.

Expect some progress on the next update.

08/08/03

Starting to rework the body having decided to go for the side view shown above. However, I have some indecision over the rear styling, the two best options are shown here ......what do you think?

08/24/03

Done some hacking of the body...painful but has to done. Also purchased more tileboard,  filler etc. Pictures to follow soon.

08/30/03

Reworking the body sides. pics here

09/04/03

More progress. More pics.

10/16/03

Getting back into it again. Been very busy with work and had a short vacation. Some pics.

11/04/03

More progress on the body, some work on the rear. pics

11/06/03

As above, more progress, but no pics just some extra words on here.  Also added this link to the home page, lots of info. about real Meerkats.

11/08/03

A little more progress and pics.

11/14/03

Starting to work round the front. Maybe you can see through he mess and tell what I'm trying to do, hope so. latest

11/23/03

More of the same. Started some work around the back.  pics here Here is my latest fan.......:-) the old one died eventually, but thank you Dr Paul for your efforts in prolonging it's life........

11/29/03

Still more filling and rubbing down. pics It's getting a bit cooler here now so that should coincide nicely with the wet sanding that will be needed soon.

11/30/03

Decided to order my headlights from these guys  Thanks to Dennis P. for confirming these guys as the best (only?) source of 90mm Hella lights. Did some more filling and sanding but nothing significant to photograph today.

12/07/03

The lights arrived on Thursday (4th). Very impressed by the product and the service.  Pics of the lights.  I've been working on the headlight buckets/housings on the front arch. pics

12/13/03

More light work, also a different grille idea. here

12/21/03

Happy Christmas to all if I don't update before the 25th.

I had a change of plan on the headlights, I decided they looked just a bit too "froggy" so I'm going to go for pop-ups. I'll use the lights I've bought and devise a hand operated lift mechanism that should save weight.

I've also been experimenting with video capture and here is my first effort, just a brief introduction. video/intro 01.wmv   (right click and save as)

12/25/03

Ok, so it's it not quite Christmas here yet, about 3.5 hours to go, but I may as deliver my annual Christmas update. This is the third one - wow!

The front wings/arches/fenders are back to where they were a month ago (oh well) but at least the grill is filled back in ready for re-working. I think I may mould the front grille area as completely blank/plain and cut them out after lay up.

Enjoy the Christmas and New Year break, all the best from Florida to one and all.

01/01/04

Happy new year everyone.

Welcome to 2004, the year of the Meerkat on the road. At least I certainly hope so. 

Not much to report as I've had a few days on vacation/holiday, but expect some activity soon.

Added a guest book page for your comments. guest book

01/02/04

Managed to get a few hours in yesterday, rubbing down and filling. Also I reworked some of the site by putting all the bodywork sections under a common page. Added a page for the video clips too....only 2 so far, but there will be more. Video page

01/07/04

Took it down from it's stands to clean under it, photograph it and access some of the higher parts (yeah, I know it's pretty low)

This picture sums up home car building quite well......kind of the loneliness of the home car builder......I even took the picture on the self timer.....

  No editing at all other than a slight re-sizing. More pics.

01/15/04

Got some paint on the first side. It's now starting to look like the finished shape. here

Thanks to everyone who has signed the guest book so far, the kind words are much appreciated.

01/18/04

Starting on finishing the rear and the second side, definitely can see light at the end of the tunnel. pics.

01/31/04

More of the same. Still progressing OK, can see a definite chance of starting to make molds again in 3 to 4 weeks. some pics

02/15/04

Not much to report other than slow but steady progress. The end of the month  is still possible for mold making to begin (again..), if not I should be close at least. Work has been very busy, which is good, but doesn't allow so much free building time. No pictures of any significant interest to show at this time. Thanks to everyone who has signed the guest book, trust me I WILL  be giving rides in this beast!!!...someday..

02/29/04

I can definitely see some light at the end of the tunnel. The rear is now painted (first coats), but at least it FEELS like some progress. It is easy, especially on the bodywork, to spend ages and just not seem to get anywhere. Milestone-like events are much welcomed. pics

03/08/04

Just got back from a very enjoyable break from building the car. I flew out to Phoenix to help Steve Graber building his car.

Many thanks to Steve and his family for their generous hospitality. I was going to write a lengthy trip report, but Steve has beaten me to it. It sums it all up very well.  Read here. I feel it helped us both a great deal, sharing ideas and re-motivating for the final push.

03/15/04

Wow, these weeks just fly by. Good job I'm still making progress. 

I'm within a day or two of getting the gray paint on all of the body plug, then I will proceed pretty much as I did the last time. First I will finish up the rear then make that mold, then finish up the sides and mold them, and finally mold the front end. By that time the rear end mold should be well cured and I can work on that while the rest is curing. It may not be the best way to work, but at least it spreads out the glassing time, rather than having a huge session with no breaks. As with all of this project that is the plan, but we shall see. Expect some pictures of the finished painted plug with the next few days.

03/28/04

Ok, it's more than a few days, but at least I have paint all over it now.....a very satisfying milestone.....pics

I get a lot of e-mails asking about chassis and plans, and I apologize for those I don't answer individually. All I can say for sure at this stage is there will be some sort of availability of the frame and body etc. The exact form of what will be on offer is uncertain at this stage, although a kit in some form of stages is the most likely. General questions to me about methods, ideas, parts etc. are still very welcome, but I can't supply exact drawings for a few reasons. The main reason is that I still have to test it all myself and a lot of things could change. 

04/09/04

Good progress on the rear, it is ready for gel tomorrow and should be laid up over the weekend. Pics of mold preparation.

04/11/04

Lay-up of rear mold virtually complete, just needs a little extra thickness in places. pics

05/02/04

First of all congratulations to Jim and Lauren McSorley on the birth of their daughter Katherine Elizabeth (April 17th). Well done guys!

Secondly, apologies for the late update which is due to work, visitors and sickness. Absolutely no idleness on my part at all..:-) The rear end mold did get completed and I'm ready to start on the left hand side mold very soon. No more pictures just yet but there will be soon.

Update...pics

05/07/04

Just been playing with/testing E-drawings by Solidworks. test sample Let me know if it works, thanks.

05/16/04

Left side body mold now made. pics Seems to be moving along slowly but surely.

05/30/04

Right side mold now finished and center section ready for gelling, as above really, slowly but surely. More pictures on the next update. 

06/06/04

Center section now molded, but more significantly the rear mold is now separated. pics

06/12/04

I've been working on two tasks simultaneously, preparing the rear mold for the laying up the rear end, and preparing the front of the car for the final body mold section. Nothing significant to photograph, but maybe tomorrow if progress is good. I had a lunchtime trip during the week to my GRP suppliers Fiberglass Florida who were as helpful and efficient as usual, thanks guys. I got more lay up resin and some white gel for the main moldings, amongst other things.

06/16/04

After telling Steve G about Cafe shops, I'm now following his lead and offering merchandise....all in a good cause..:-)

Merchandise

06/26/04

The rear mold is all prepared and gelled. Lay up is the job for tomorrow, and hopefully some pictures then. It's a bit warm for working in the shop right now so progress has slowed a little but it is definitely getting there.

06/30/04

Rear end laid up well and separated well. pics.

07/04/04

Working in tandem on the rear end, preparing for the light cutouts etc, and on finishing the the front of the plug for the final body mold section. No pictures today, but there will be a few more soon.

07/12/04

Front mold section is now laid up. I should have pictures later today or tomorrow. It went pretty smoothly so now the next job will be drilling for the section joint bolts and dowels.

07/18/04

The trimming and drilling went smoothly, so it was time to separate the mold sections from the plug. This also was without drama, so I'll be working on preparing the mold sections for the body lay up. pictures.

08/16/04

Still working on mold preparation. Lost some time with my workshop being tied up with paying work, still if it's a bit cooler when I lay up the body I won't be complaining (as much).

Thanks to everyone who was concerned about hurricane Charley. It really didn't affect us too much in my area, but sadly others were not so lucky.

I should have more progress to report on my next update.

12/27/04

Yippee!!!!!

Some progress. Mold trimming and minor repairs ready for lay-up. The cooler weather helps a lot. I did take some pictures but I haven't got my camera to hand right now so the pictures will be on the next update.

All the best to everyone for the new year.

01/03/05

Happy new year.

A couple of pictures added here.

01/14/05

I've been working on some mold modifications. I'm filling the holes where the roll bar comes through so I get the option to use a bar or not, without having a hole to fill. Pictures later.

02/10/05

Pictures as promised. Not very interesting, but then again this part of the build IS very boring and tedious. Pics. here

03/22/05

Laying up planned for this weekend. Watch this space.

03/28/05

Yippee....lay up done. Pictures very soon.

03/30/05

Pictures as promised here.

04/05/05

Pictures of the full body here. The breakout from the mold went very well.

04/24/05

Had a great trip back to the UK. Special thanks to Fozzie, Martin Keenan, the MK guys, the WLM, the Hampshire guys and of course all my non-car friends who together helped to create a wonderful visit.

The body is now partially trimmed and mounting to the frame has begun. The frame needed the old plug removing and cleaning up a bit, but it was nice to actually see it again. pics. Nice to see the Stalker guys visiting me, all encouragement is welcome. Thanks guys.

05/02/05

More work on trimming and mounting here.

05/03/05

Started a yahoo group to replace the now defunct guest book, please feel free to join and share your views and comments. 

Group page here

05/10/05

More trimming and head scratching here.

05/22/05

Had a break from body mounting to work on re-shaping the hood (bonnet). Here

05/29/05

More of the same, taking shape nicely. Pics

07/05/05

June was a little quiet, but I'm back into it more. A bit more on the hood, and more on the body mounting. Pics.

07/25/05

I had most of the weekend off, I needed the break. However, it was a very inspiring break as I got taken for a spin in Dennis Brunton's Super Stalker. WOW...is about the most appropriate word I can conjure up. If you have never sampled 0-6- in around 4 seconds, you need to. Fast is just not the right word. Super Stalker.

Dennis, thanks...I'm still smiling.

08/14/05

Still suffering from the hot summer, and other tasks unfortunately.  I have done a little more sanding and bodywork but that's about it in terms of real physical progress.  I do have access to a Dodge Stealth (Mitsubishi 300GT) powertrain, so that may be one for the future. Yeah, yeah, I know....finish this one first. Hopefully, more to report soon as the temperature falls.

09/26/05

Added a few more pictures. Making little bits of progress in a few areas, but it should come together more very soon.

10/02/05

More work on the body. I'm trying to do most of the filling, trimming, sanding etc. and maybe even priming whilst I have it bolted to the frame. I'm not sure yet who will paint it, the options being a) me or b) someone who knows what they are doing. Once again time will tell and money will have a say too.

10/09/05

More sanding and filling, but also working on the rear end hinges. All work leading towards removing the body for paint so I work on the mechanicals again. pics

10/23/05

Rear end is now hinged, Also been working on the front. pics here

12/02/05

I'm still here, in case you missed me. There's a lot been going on, most significant thing being the fact I'm now out of work. The good news is I have more time on the car, but of course the bad news is it can't go on indefinitely. So, if know of any good job or contract leads you know where I am. Contact me

The extra time on the car has been spent mainly on the bodywork, getting it ready for paint, or at least primer for now. I have a few pictures, but nothing really interesting just now.

12/28/05

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

I have made some progress on the hood "air scoop". pics. Hopefully, later today I should make some more progress.

All the best for happy, prosperous, and safe New Year.

12/29/05

Added a few more pics.

01/20/06

Ooops.. I got reminded that had not updated for a while (thanks Bob). So here it is.

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