Another Sylva Leader rebuild

[crashmatt]

Ok so I'll put some pics on here as I go, unfortunately I have cracked on with some work and failed to take pics as I went. But here's a handful so you can see where I am.

[crashmatt]

image.jpg

[crashmatt]

Body work being dropped back on, just loose to remind me what she looks like, this has been a bit of a nightmare. I took the body to a customer who had promised to sort it out for me.............that was over a year ago.

Then I get a phone call from his landlord telling me that he was being evicted from his premises and if I wanted my car bits back it's get em now or they'll be seized!!!

Having recovered them, to make matters worse the numpty hadn't listened to anything I'd said and had fibre glassed the holes for the headlights and side vents and yet left ones that I needed filling!

[crashmatt]

Just a little progress, at least visually, from a couple of weeks ago. My first (and last) attempt at wrapping, looks ok from a distance but doesn't stand too closer an inspection. However, to completely change the appearance of the car for just under a hundred quid it'll do.

[dopdog]

looking good well done on the wrapping

[crashmatt]

After yet another really busy b/hol weekend, she's finally ready to be presented for MOT (apart from a niggly issue with the alternator not working )

[RedStar]

nice bit of progress! good luck with MOT......shame you missed the bank holiday to go out for a test drive.

BTW, how did you fix the bodywork back onto the chassis?

Regards,
Karl

[crashmatt]

I just redrilled the holes on the body that were there from the original build and bolted it on, total of 12 bolts hold it on plus the roll bar has a total of 10 bolts that go through the body and chassis.

One question I have is about the bonnet. When I bought mine it had race pins through the bonnet that supported it at the 'scuttle' end. I have done away with these and opted for side straps as on many others. On other leaders and stars does the bonnet just rest on the back half of the body? I wasn't happy with that, so I fitted rubber feet that locate into little holders (sorry about the quality of the pics) once the straps are on that bonnet doesn't budge an inch.

[RedStar]

so you drilled all the way through the chassis tube and put a long bolt through body and tube? any issues with this method?

my bonnet is held down with a pair of spring style clips (Terry). the bonnet rests on the body work but has a strip of self adhesive foam to cushion it.

with the method you have, does it leave a gap all round? would this let dust and crap fly up and over your windscreen or something?

Regards,
Karl

[crashmatt]

Well I didn't do the drilling into the frame the holes were already there from the first build, I just redrilled the holes in the body to match up as the numpty I gave the body to to be repaired filled them in. As the car was used for racing for a number of years I can only assume that this method had no negative side effects..........?

With regards the bonnet, yes there is a gap but there always was when it was on the bonnet pins so I have only known it like this, great for cooling air flow, needs a little adjustment as the 'cups' are a little deeper than ideal. As for dust and crap flying up, didn't have any issues on the test drive and that was not wearing a helmet but not doing more than 30 mph. Above that and having just the aero screen means that a helmet is the order of the day so not an issue really.