So I'm now calling the chassis done:
I still need to source an NA Miata RH Rear Caliper and some 5/16 rod ends, but those bits can be added once the body is on. Hopefully in the next 10 days the body will be bolted to the chassis, the doors hung, and send the car off for paint. The paint job I did a year ago was a bit thin in spots, and because I haven't been able to find a paint booth to rent, I'll be getting it sprayed professionally. I'll post some bodyshop pics when it goes there.
Rod
In reply to RoddyMac17 :
Awesome!
That is fantastic! Excited to see this with the body mounted, really nice work!
That looks great.
Outstanding
Awesome attention to detail!
That’s almost too nice to cover up!
Isn't the center spine visible inside the Europa? (Sort of like a center console..) So it's not really 100% covered up. ;-)
Awesome work, BTW.
In reply to dculberson :
The body fully envelops the frame sort of like a saddle. The only portion of the frame that one can see with the body in place is in the engine bay. In this pic you can just see the tunnel portion of the body that covers the backbone:
Here's a shot with the body in place, but no mechanicals:
And, to all, thanks for the compliments.
Rod
A wee update, the car has been at the paint shop for a few weeks, the paint shop guys found a few flat spots and other items they wanted to fix so it's not quite ready to paint:
They've blocked the body, fixed the flat spots and rolled on some polyester primer (Slick Sand). Next is spraying high build primer and then paint. I'm eager to see it all shiny again.
Other than that, I have been progressing on stockpiling all I need for the interior. Carpet was ordered, foam was obtained for the seats, headlining material was sourced and I've talked with a co-worker about building a GPS speedo for the car. I had thought about ordering one, but where's the fun in that? Also, in regards to the seat foam, contrary to what the foam shop employee told me, you can shape foam with an angry grinder with a flap wheel. It's quite messy and does require some careful use of the grinder, but it does work.
I'll post more pics when the seats are done and the body is back from paint.
Rod
Nice! One question - where did you get the seat foam from?
RoddyMac17 said:
Also, in regards to the seat foam, contrary to what the foam shop employee told me, you can shape foam with an angry grinder with a flap wheel. It's quite messy and does require some careful use of the grinder, but it does work.
I laughed hard enough to cause a scene at work at this.
It's hard to get over how well the design of the Europa has held up all these years. That 50 year old design looks like it could still be found in showrooms today (if designers would give up their obsession with angry catfish anyway)
In reply to Ian F :
There's a local company in Vancouver called, of all things, The Foam Shop. I was going to get the firmest foam they had, but after sitting on a sample it certainly wouldn't be comfortable. The pink foam is their medium density, which works very well for what I'm doing.
In reply to The0retical :
I laughed too. I think "angry grinder" is what that tool is called from now on.
I will try this "angry grinder" method sometime soon. Can't wait to see the body on the chassis painted, this is really a work of art!
Awesome project and thanks for the angry grinder tip with the foam! Always learning something new.
I got the body and chassis back from the paint shop yesterday, it certainly looks better than when I painted it but from a distance it's tough to see difference:
I get the doors and lids back next week, they were a bit too soft to safely transport. I'm not too fussed about it, I have a ton of things to cross off the list before I'll need the panels. Hopefully this weekend will consist of re-painting the engine bay and front bay so that I can start on reassembling the mechanicals and plumb in the radiator, and of course having a few pints of the black stuff on Saturday.
Rod
Having never seen one of these cars in person, and apparently in pictures not close to anything to give an indication of size, I had no idea how small they are.
That thing is looking awesome! Great work!
Car is really looking fantastic, amazing to look at the first post and now look at where this project is at. Great color choice, it seems to hide the big "sail sides" and really makes it look as exotic as it is. Nice work can't wait to see it completed!
Wow! Looks gorgeous!
@SaltyDog - yep - a Europa is pretty tiny. While I've not driven one, a couple of owners have let me sit in them. Getting in/out of one requires a bit of practice, but not really much different than my Spitfire or GT6.
Love the color
Love the blue - can you tell us what blue that is?
Yes, that blue looks familiar to me. Sapphire Blue?
It looks incredible, BTW.
Titan,
The blue is Ford Midnight Regatta Blue (mid 80's). I used the same colour on my last car, which was supposed to be BMW Lapis blue, but the paint supplier I was using couldn't mix it. So, the paint book was consulted and the Ford blue was chosen.
And, thanks for all the compliments.
Rod
In reply to RoddyMac17 :
Stunning!
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