Progress over the last couple of weeks has been slow and steady. Which is a good thing, as it's given me the time to think the processes through. One of my failings is that sometimes I've tried to do things too quickly - and then have to redo things as a result. Anyways, the big news is that the bodywork (barring the roof) is finally complete.
Note that I've made a temporary roof that allows the construction wires to poke through. The reason is to give me a visual reference for the sides of the cab. Oh, and I did have a bit of fun with this, as I've painted it up with the National Champion's stripes.
I didn't take any work-in-progress photos unfortunately, but barring the rear panel, which is just a simple piece of card with tabs, the cab sides (upper and lower) were made using the same method - a card and wire frame, and then building up the curved surfaces with small pieces of paper / card. The lower panels for the cab are actually made in three sections and then glued together prior to covering with the paper skin. It was just easier to do it that way when it came to taking all the angles into account.
I was kind of surprised, because while the bodywork LOOKS simple, it really isn't, because there are a lot of subtle curves and angles that aren't always apparent to the naked eye. Although admittedly, some of the photos I'm working from are pretty pants. Having said that, it's been very satisfying seeing the top half of the car come alive in three dimensions.
Anyways, the original lower cab sides have finally gone in the bin now that the new ones have been completed - they really were that pants. The new parts simply click into place to complete the chassis / rollcage assembly. I did have to modify some of the internal cab parts slightly to account for the changes from the original parts, but that'll be to my benefit in the long run. The forward section that runs along the sides of the engine bay should actually be a separate panel, but it was easier to integrate it into this part of the build and simply make it *appear* to be separate instead.
Once I'd got these two under my belt, the upper sides of the cab were much easier to make. I did fanny about with some paper templates of an evening, but quickly realised I'd have the same issues as with the lower panels if I tried to make them from a single piece of card. So I ended up using the identical method of card and wire frame, covered with small tessellated pieces of paper to generate the curved surface - think of a leather football and you kind of get the idea. Unlike the lower cab sides, these pieces are not structural, so could be thinner and lighter. The tab on the rear curves around the roll cage, btw.
Last but not least, the rear bodywork panel that covers the fuel tank and rear firewall - the only piece that is actually flat! Easy to make, taking the measurements directly from the roll cage etc itself. Again, it simply clicks into place.
So all the pieces of the bodywork for the driver's cab and bonnet are now complete, but I have decided to not prime or paint anything just yet. That's because the roll cage, chassis and engine bay aren't glued together at this stage, as I'll be building the car from the bottom up. And even if things appear to fit together really well right now, there's still a chance that I'll have to make adjustments once things have been glued together. Ergo don't want to find myself in a situation where I've got to re-paint bits because things don't match up...
