Friday 30 November 2007

Update Friday 30th November 2007

Hi everyone,

What a week! Good progress has been made with the rear of the car being skinned out in aluminium, the scuttle finalised, (again) and sent off for another mould to be made, the doors also finally moulded so that they fit the body and the rear wheel arches amended so as to conform to current rules and them also taken back to the fibreglass man for remoulding.

We start next week on the louvred side panels and bonnet as well as continuing to look at the windscreen foot design.

Whilst some things have slipped we have made progress in other areas and so we remain on target.

Can I thank everyone who made contact after last weeks blog regarding the screen and feet issues, your help has been much appreciated.

I know you read the blog to keep updated on the progress being made and this is not my ranting a raving page, however, if you will just allow me a little leeway this week so I can make a small but important comment.

To those firms out there who have web sites with contact details, Why bother with the contact page if you are never going to respond?
I have sent several emails now to several firms (they know who they are) looking to order items from them or employ them to manufacture parts for us. I've used their email address, supplied by them, or gone direct from their web site 'contact page', but no response. I wish we were that busy and big that we could afford to turn down work!!
If you don't want to deal with us...fine...just have the decency to send an email back saying that and we'll look to put our business elsewhere.

Our policy at the Gentry Works is to answer all emails within 48 hours, even if it's only to say we need more time for a full response. I don't expect everyone to try this hard, but not to answer at all is not only poor customer care it's down right ignorant.

Enough said.

Be back next week with the very latest in our progress.

Geoff

Saturday 24 November 2007

A few photo's as promised




Update for Friday 23rd November




Yes I know it's Saturday! The problem with bragging about doing the update 3 times in a row on a Friday is that when you fail the following week theres nowhere to hide.


We have made more progress this week and now when entering the workshop you can more easily see a Gentry developing in front of you rather than requiring a huge amount of imagination.

Have discovered one or two little issues, probably brought about as the result of tweaking something early in the build! The problem is that a little tweak here and there goes almost un-noticed at the time but then manifests itself later as a larger tweak required to something else and so on throughout the build.

I have spent most of the week trying to get the doors to fit and line up with the scuttle beofre sending the doors away to be remoulded so that in future everyones doors will fit the curve of the body.

However, the tweaking hasn't put me off and I would now like to redesign the feet for the windscreen, so if there is anyone out there reading this that can offer any help with a new casting then please feel free to make contact as soon as possible.

The old casting is slightly too small and needs modifying to make it more sleek and curved and comply with SVA regs and as it's currently aluminium causes problems when it comes to being chromed. A new one shaped differently and cast from a strong but easily chromed metal would be much better so please help if you can.


Will add some photos that we took the other day. Will post the original 'untouched' copies here on the blog as I've been promising to do so for a few weeks now.

Hopefully will hear from some of you very soon. If not, I'll try to be back next Friday.

Geoff




Friday 16 November 2007

Update Friday 16th November 2007

An update on a Friday for the third week in a row!!!!!

Now if the build went as well as the Blog.......... we would nearly have a car by now!!!
Still cannot complain too much. This has been another interesting week with progress eventually being made with the body tub. We now know exactly how long it takes to redesign a body part, have a mould made and then make a panel from the new mould. Anyway having gone through that process we have finally fitted the rear of the body tub into place and the last thing we did this week was laminate everything into place.
We believe that we have resolved all the issues over the seatbelt mountings and a visit to the kit car show at Exeter on Sunday should confirm our thoughts so that we can move swiftly ahead next week.

Some of the week was spent working out how to move some of the heavier equipment from one location to another. After much consideration it was decided that our louvre press would need to be moved and so Wednesday was pretty much spent achieving that goal. Initially that seemed like an easy objective but when it weighs about half a ton it takes some working out.
Then of course after moving it you have to change round the entire configuration of the workshop in order to give it a home from where you can actually use it. Most of that work was completed late into Wednesday night but at least allowed us to continue working on Thursday.

I will provide some photos of the progress next week without fail and will be back to tell you all about how the week goes. see you soon.


Geoff

Friday 9 November 2007

Update for Friday 9th November 2007

Hi everyone

Another week and I've managed to do the update on the Friday as promised!!

This week has been an interesting week with progress again being made, but once again not where it was expected.
We were hoping that the body frame would have been finished and the rear part of the body tub laminated into place. However the changes we've made to the seat belt anchorage points affected the fitting of the rear of the tub and so a few changes were required.
Having collected the rear of the tub from the fibreglass specialist we then set about redesigning it. So you collect a single piece and within a few hours it has become 4 separate parts that then require reshaping and then returning to the specialist for another mould to be made.
At that point you have to find 'other' things to be getting on with or grind to a stand still.

So we looked at all manner of issues that resulted in us modifying the scuttle, which in turn meant taking it back to George the fibreglass man for a new mould!
I've spent quite a bit if time this week visiting and talking to George, but I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end.

Next week we will press on with the body build and look at making the louvred side panels and the split bonnet so there should be plenty to update on.

All in all I would say a good week with some major issues having been resolved. At this moment we remain on target and will be back next week to provide another update.

See you all soon

Geoff

Friday 2 November 2007

Update for Friday, Yes Friday 2nd November

Hi,

Made it on a Friday!!!! Now your asking is that because he's had nothing else to do or is he so excited about the progress that he couldn't wait to tell the Blog?
Well I've had plenty to do, finishing quite late into the evening and there are some things that I wouldn't want to tell the Blog. For example, last week I said, 'By next week I'll have certainly finished the body frame' Well what a difference a week makes.
Monday started badly when it became clear that something wasn't quite right. Much head scratching, measuring, discussing and remeasuring. (Somehow remember being here before!) No chance of moving ahead until the answers had been found and in order to do that we were going to need parts we were waiting for. A phone call later and it was clear that the parts would not be available until towards the end of the week.

So a few other issues to be carrying on with, a few more tools to be made so progress was being made but not where I had thought.

By Thursday things were looking better. The problems had been resolved, the missing parts delivered and we worked well into the night to make up for some of the lost time.
Today went well with more progress being made. I am happy that we remain on target, although we have now found some more panels that will need new moulds making.

The photo will be slightly delayed, may appear during the week, but may have to wait until I am satisfied that everything is just as I want it. Hey after all this is my baby and I'm not going to let you see her until I'm sure she's ready!!

Be back next week. Not going to make any predictions as to what will have been done this time.
Once bitten, twice shy and all that. See you later.

Geoff