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Gearbox Tunnel cover.


Paul Amey

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On 23/05/2022 at 16:45, griffipaul said:

The lever hole needs repositioning by cutting the aperature area offset by half the error and turning it round and aralditing in

Thats a neat solution to the problem.  

Ive taken a different approach as I was concerned the lever aperture might be too close to the vertical face at the rear of the tunnel and created difficulties in sealing the lever rubber or fitted carpets later?

I took drastic measures and cut the tunnel in half 😳.

I then fixed the two pieces in position with the front part snug to the bulkhead and the rear suiting the gear lever. I then used fibreglass matting to fill the gap between them. Once it had gone off I carefully removed the tunnel and reinforced the join on the underside. I still had to modify the rear fit to the propshaft tunnel and again this was done with the fibreglass matting.

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No going back.

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Two halves fixed in position.

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The tunnel lost a little rigidity once cut so I used some timber props to hold it in position whilst the resin went off.

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Completed joint and rigidity restored.

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Step at rear to ensure seal.

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Fettling complete and good seal achieved .

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Underside finished off with Dodomat to (hopefully) keep the noise down!

I intending conventional sound deadening under the carpet on the inside and the two together should be ok?

 

 

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17 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

I didn't realise that fibreglass would bond to that type of plastic.

Lets hope it does!

I didn't really give it much thought but it appears pretty strong. Lets hope it doesn't fall apart after being exposed to a little vibration 😳

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1 hour ago, Badwolf said:

Well done. I didn't realise that fibreglass would bond to that type of plastic. Interesting.

It generally doesn't, particularly polyester resin.  Epoxy resin will do much better.

1 hour ago, Phil C said:

Lets hope it does!

I didn't really give it much thought but it appears pretty strong. Lets hope it doesn't fall apart after being exposed to a little vibration 😳

In use, when fitted screwed down, it should be OK. but if you've used polyester then be careful in handling, particularly avoiding twist which will tend to peel the resin off the surface.  A couple of pop-rivets, with correct hole-size plain washers on either side, at either end of the overlay will greatly help prevent that peeling.

Pete

 

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🤠🤠🤠

........just when you think you've done a good job!!

Following Badwolf/Pete's comments I've checked a little more into the details.

Polyester resin used (Isopon) + Cover material - Polyethylene = 🥴

It all seems well fixed (at the moment) and the Dodomat should help on the underside?

Pete, I think the pop rivet idea is a good idea. Do you think overlaying and extending the area with epoxy/matting would be worthwhile?

 

 

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1 hour ago, Phil C said:

Do you think overlaying and extending the area with epoxy/matting would be worthwhile?

Sorry but I wouldn't think so.  I'd just add a coupe of pop rivets at the bottom of each overlap (with small plain washers under those rivets to avoid localised crushing) which will help prevent the grp from peeling away when the cover is handled.  Otherwise it ought to be fine when the cover is screwed to the car.

Pete

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You won't really see the join when the carpet / soundproofing is added and as long as both halves are firmly attached to the bodywork there should be minimal movement. You could always leave the 'join' visible; after all, it worked on the Morris Minor...

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I would agree with adding a few washered rivets. Don't want to be a kill joy after all the hard work done (says he, who is still struggling with his old cardboard version!!) but every little helps in this case. If the fibreglass is sound then the rivets should do the job admirably. After all, there are still cars held together with old coke cans, rivets and filler...no mine is not one of them. Good luck with it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

All I can say on the positive side about the TSSC tunnel (which came in a Moss box), is that it is better than the piece of corruption that I removed.  However, there is NO way it is suitable for a Mark 1 Spitfire 4 without butchery.  Which butchery has been, actually, rather satisfying.

And oh how I wish I had seen this thread before buying the fitting kit!  What a waste, at least when trying to conform to the existing screw holes.

The experts say that no two classic cars are the same. How right they are!

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