Photos - Building the bodywork

I used a Whitepointer (no longer in business) fibreglass nosecone. It was their wide version but I still had to cut it down the centre and widen it by a further 30mm to suit my custom widebody built chassis.

Nosecone glassed back together. More detail work and final finishing to come later.

The fibreglass itself was good quality but the mould for the nosecone was not so good. Each side was a different shape and it wouldn't sit square on the chassis. I had to slice the passenger side open and spread it by about 20mm to get an acceptable fit. This was not due to my joining it down the middle. I was annoyed to pay so much and then have to rectify manufacturing issues.

Back in one piece again and now correctly aligned. Impossible to fix all of the out of shape issues from the manufacturer but unless you carefully compare both sides most people will not notice the problem.

Nosecone held in place by Dzus fasteners on each side.

The nosecone hinges forward to enable easier engine bay access.

The nosecone required a lot of work along the edge where it meets the bonnet because the edge as supplied was very inconsistent, not straight, varied from round to flat and the depth was very irregular. To fix this and provide a good bonnet gap I laid fibreglass along the edge and refinished the entire area. A lot of work but the only way to get a good fit with the bonnet.

After reworking the edge I then had a sharp line to make the bonnet to.

The start of the fibreglass scuttle. Masonite was fixed to the scuttle frame to make the "buck" for the fibreglass process.

A plastic sheet was inserted under the buck to keep excess fibreglass resin off the rest of the car.

The rounded corner shape was achieved by bending and riveting aluminium in place.

Body filler was used to provide a smooth round shape for the corners.

The completed "buck" ready to make the mould. Several coats of wax were applied to the surface and packing tape was applied to the corners and edges to assist in separating the mould from the buck. The packing tape adds some fine lines which were easily rectified later, but it releases the mould really well.

White gel coat was applied and once it tacked off layers of fibreglass mat and resin were added.

Fibreglass applied and we now have a mould waiting to be separated from the buck.

Before removing the mould, timber reinforcements were glassed in to ensure the mould retained its shape.

Once I had the mould the final process was to make the actual scuttle. First step was to apply several coats of release wax and parting agent and then apply the white gel coat.

Once the gel coat tacked off several layers of mat and resin were applied and a few extra layers added to the edges for extra strength.

Mould on the left and new scuttle on the right. Trimming and fine tuning still required.

A small aluminium angle was fibreglassed to the inside of the scuttle to add rigidity and provide a hidden mounting point.

Finally, a custom built fibreglass scuttle that is easily removed to provide access to the inside of the dash. Very good end result but it was frustrating (and costly) to have to go through the three part process (buck, mould and final product) to make just one item!

Construction of a fibreglass bonnet started with building a buck on the car. The scuttle and nosecone were fixed in place and a timber frame was installed to support the buck.

Masonite was attached to the top of the timber frame with an opening cut to provide clearance for the engine which sits a bit higher that the nosecone. MDF was used for the sides as it was more flexible than masonite and better conformed to the angled shape of the sides. Strips of timber were added to form the radius between side and top and the finished shape achieved using body filler.

The air scoop was made by covering the engine with plastic and adding large quantities of "Plaster of Paris" until it could be filed and sanded to the desired shape. It was a long process due to the slow drying plaster. Unfortunately it was about 50mm thick in some places and had to be left for 2 weeks before it was dry. If I did it again I would reduce the thickness of plaster by building a basic cardboard or timber frame and then using only a thin layer of plaster. The "toffee" colour was due to the use of "Shellac" to seal the porous surface of the timber, body filler and Plaster of Paris.

Here we have the fibreglass mould sitting on the buck. A couple of extra layers of mat have been added around the edges for more strength.

The mould as it came off the buck - awaiting trimming. Separated easily due to lots of mould release wax and water based parting agent. Mould edges were trimmed longer than the correct size and after the Gelcoat was blocked back and imperfections repaired it was ready to make a bonnet.

Trimmed mould placed back on the buck to keep the shape correct while a timber reinforcing frame was glassed on the outside to provide a stable platform to work on.

Final product laid up inside the mould and waiting to cure after careful rolling to remove air bubbles. Extra layers of chopped strand mat added around edges to improve strength.

Bonnet freshly removed from the mould and the outer edges roughly trimmed.

Bonnet trimmed and fitted to match the scuttle and nosecone. Still some final fettling to take place but very close to finished.

1.6mm aluminium was used for the external panels as it provides better resistance to knocks and bumps, with only a minor weight penalty over 1mm which is easier to damage. A simple but effective method of bending the panels - clamp to the bench and apply gentle persuasion with a block of wood and suitable hammer. Result was some rather professional looking folds.

Another simple method of folding the side panels - clamp to the chassis and use timber and a hammer to complete the fold. The advantage of this method is the exact fit to the chassis. When the frame is welded the heat can cause some distortion of the tubing and this method of folding the aluminium overcomes imperfections and ensures an accurate fit.

The top fold is completed and then the same method was repeated for the lower edge.

This simple folding process was repeated on the rear side section as well.

Aluminium side panels completed. Permanent fixing was concluded during final assembly after the chassis had been painted.

After the chassis was painted, Sikaflex 227 adhesive was applied under the aluminium panels to provide a strong bond and prevent the panels "drumming" (rattling).

Aluminium and fibreglass bodywork approaching the final stages and just requiring minor fettling to improve fit and finish.

The rather bulky fibreglass bonnet was awkward to remove and would be easy to scratch once it was painted. Therefore I decided to hinge the bonnet from one side and also make it easy to remove if required. I designed a couple of custom hinges which incorporated quick release detent pins and a friend machined them from billet aluminium.

The hinges come apart by simply pulling on the quick release pins.

With the two quick release pins removed the bonnet can be lifted off.

The quick release pins were attached to small stainless steel cables to prevent them being lost when the hinges are separated.

The gas strut was retained by a quick release pin (nut & bolt shown here) fitted into a bracket that was fibreglassed into the bonnet at one end and a ball joint on the chassis at the other end.

The bonnet is held open by a gas strut.

Stainless steel over-centre catches were used on the opposite side to the hinges to hold the bonnet closed.

PVC pipe was used to attain a uniform shape during fabrication of the rear round corner. Once the alloy rear panel was shaped the PVC pipe was removed.

The one piece aluminium sheet was cut a bit larger than needed and gradually trimmed off as the process was completed. Better to have too much material than not enough. The sheet was then pushed, pulled, hammered and persuaded to take the shape required.

The corners were rather challenging and the alloy required annealing to soften it before the shape could be completed. Annealing is achieved by drawing on the panel with a marker pen and then heating with an oxy torch until the marker pen disappears. The resulting softer material was easier to work and retained the desired shape.

The top edges also required annealing to make it easier to fold them over the top tube. The bottom edge was trimmed off level with the lower tube rather than roll it under as it was a much easier and neater finish.

Once the shape was perfected the panel was permanetly fitted in place using Sikaflex 227 adhesive, backed up by rivets in hidden areas.

Top edge trimmed and rolled. Adhesive and rivets provided solid fixing to chassis. Final finish was perfected during the painting process.

With my Locost, the fuel tank is mounted behind the IRS and just in front of this rear panel. I also wanted a larger and more usable boot area so the rear body panel ended up larger and flatter than other Locost cars. The spare wheel is mounted on the back and this breaks up the large expanse of metal but I also added some vents and alloy trims to enhance the appearance from the back.

Completed rear panel with vents, alloy trim and reverse lamps in place. Final detailing will be completed during the painting stage.

Scuttle and front firewall during final assembly with aluminium panels glued and riveted in place.

Locost front cycle guard mounts are subject to a lot of vibration and can suffer from fatigue and stress failures. In fabricating my mounting brackets I tried to ensure that they were going to be strong and durable enough to withstand hard use for many years to come.

The cycle guard mounting brackets attach to the NC MX5 uprights using existing bolts.

The cycle guards can be quickly and easily removed by undoing just the two bolts located on the inside edge.

The standard hex head bolts used to trial mount the front mudguards were replaced with more presentable stainless steel cap screws during final assembly.

Fibreglass bonnet and scuttle in final stages of preparation for painting. Cold air vents cut into bonnet bulge and hot air extraction vents added to each side at the rear, and then mesh inserts were installed.

Bonnet with its temporary coat of black paint.

All four mudguards painted in two pack satin black. Many, many hours were required to prepare the fibreglass for painting.

Left front mudguard mounting brackets finished in epoxy satin black.

Fibreglass nose cone was a big project and took many weeks to widen, fit, improve and smooth and finally apply several coats of two pack paint. The end result looks great but no one realises just how much work was required to achieve this. Fingers crossed that I never run it into something and have to replace it!

Bonnet, nose cone and scuttle were initially painted black. Once the clubman was registered the final Bionic Blue (Ford) two pack colour was applied by a professional painter.

Ready to be enjoyed.

Locost Clubman build

No bodywork kit for this Locost build

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