Author Topic: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)  (Read 9421 times)

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #165 on: 17 Jul 22, 07:34 pm »
Gettin there….

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #166 on: 26 Jul 22, 08:20 pm »
Ok now we’re really getting there… After this pic was taken I ended up adjusting the angle of the front grille, and extended the bonnet another 3 inches with more pink foam. Really quite pleased with it so far tho. Might get the chance to do the epoxy and glass over the weekend, yeoooooooow!

StefanN

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1051
  • Location: Bagshot, Surrey, United Kingdom
  • CKGB Committee: Yes

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Committee CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #167 on: 26 Jul 22, 10:23 pm »
That's looking great and really coming together.  Can't wait to see it moving.

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #168 on: 27 Jul 22, 12:12 am »
Hahaha!
Yeah, you, me, and my missus too!

“Is it bl**dy finished yet?!?”

‘Ummmm… yeah? Nearly!….’

Jimr1999

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 625
  • Location: Cumbria

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Committee CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #169 on: 27 Jul 22, 07:35 am »
Looking very good Synthpunk, have you set a target date to get it out to play yet?
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #170 on: 27 Jul 22, 12:47 pm »
There’s a tough one.

I’m planning on having it all painted, detailed, done n dusted by September 16th, as that’s the due date for our next child to make his grand entrance. Then I’m planning on being really busy and also incredibly tired all the time, running around after a toddler and new baby.

We’re lucky enough to live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, so I’ve got about a mile of private road to do testing and tweaking over the autumn/winter, so she’ll be all race ready for next year. I’m planning on buying a trailer for transporting it to events to save money on van rentals, so all being well I’ll be attending as many of them as I can.

There is a lovely steep hill with concrete paving leading up from the farmers house to our cottage, so I get to have my own little Shelsey Walsh hillclimb/time trial whenever I’ve got time on the weekends. ;c)

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #171 on: 22 Aug 22, 11:00 pm »
Okay that’s another piece of the puzzle squared away, and it was a big one….

..
Transportation.
Bridget doesn’t fit in the back of my mates van any more, seeing as she’s now 9 inches longer than the 8 foot space he had available, so I’ve been looking on eBay/gumtree for the last few weeks at motorcycle transporter trailers and small car trailers, in the region of 8x4, that I could modify and extend to fit her on top.

I’ve just got back from Andover, having picked up a single axle plus jockey wheel, aluminium checker plate bed 10x5 that I got off gumtree for the bargain price of 140 small gold coloured beer tokens. Result!

The (somewhat rotten) wooden sides are made of ply skinned OSB so they were peeling off in the slipstream on the way back to Sussex, but I’m going to just remove them altogether. The chassis itself is in great condition, and there’s obviously more than enough room for Bridget to perch on top. It’s even got 6 welded on tie down points for ratchet straps fitted already. brilliant! The electrics even mostly work, as long as you only want to indicate stopping and turning left. I came back via B roads and managed to completely avoid being stopped by Hampshire’s finest men in black, so a little bit of rewiring on the rhs lights cluster and we should be good to go.

I am obviously very pleased with my purchase; this was the last major banana skin I could see in my way to joining in with actual racing with the rest of you lot, rather than just pootling round on the farm. Seeya at Brooklands next time for sure…
Wahey!
Rich.
« Last Edit: 22 Aug 22, 11:04 pm by synthpunk »

Chris Brown

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 484
  • Location: Llangadog

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #172 on: 23 Aug 22, 04:30 pm »
Looks like a bargain, I'd be inclined to replace the lights with E marked LED ones, trailer lights are notoriously unreliable. You also need a fog light on the offside of a trailer that width.

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #173 on: 23 Aug 22, 07:32 pm »
Ace, good info! Cheers!
Tbh I reckon I’ll end up replacing the whole lights system in the end. These ones look like they’ve been swimming in the Thames for the last few years.

I’ve been on the DVLA website to reacquaint myself with what’s required to legally tow a trailer. I might just end up starting a whole new thread on the transporter build. I don’t think it’s heavy enough to require a trailer safety permit thingy, but I will take it for a trailer safety check at the place down the road. Apparently it’s free. I like free.

The wheels both look new. All the metalwork looks pretty good in the cold light of day, but there is no safety chain so I reckon it’ll deffo need one of them.

I’m also thinking of replacing the unsprung axles with sprung ones. I need to work out how much it weighs both unladen and gross I guess.

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #174 on: 21 Sep 22, 11:25 pm »
Paint!
 I settled on Ivory white gloss marine paint for the topcoat. It’s basically magnolia, but nice magnolia. 9 coats of epoxy GRP primer, undercoat and topcoat on the bottom, and the ‘chassis rails’ with it turned upside down, then flipped right side up and onto a dolly for final filling, sanding and detailing on the topsides, then painting undercoats, sanding, and then topcoats and more sanding till the paint runs out.

Jimr1999

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 625
  • Location: Cumbria

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Committee CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #175 on: 22 Sep 22, 06:19 am »
Looking sweet!
Paint seems to take forever, I have a new respect for it now I have done mine. It will be worth it in the end.  :)
« Last Edit: 22 Sep 22, 07:42 am by Jimr1999 »
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

TheGiantTribble

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 285
  • Bill Alexander, Maserati 750 V8RI Red
  • Location: Clacton on Sea, Essex.

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #176 on: 22 Sep 22, 10:28 am »
That's looking a right proper job! Congrates on how it's turning out.

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #177 on: 26 Sep 22, 09:05 pm »
Well now I definitely feel like I’ve got an old car hiding in the shed. It’s now that lovely, authentic shade of speckled songbird’s egg shell grey n white that only many many applications of filler and sanding hand can achieve….

synthpunk

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 294
  • I build things and make alot of noise
  • Location: EG, west sussex

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the White Riley)
« Reply #178 on: 04 Oct 22, 09:29 pm »
Painted!
Ive done three coats of undercoat and two of topcoat before running out, but it’s all looking better than I expected. I’m leaving it for a week to pull back and harden off before doing any finish sanding and re polishing. I’ll probly buy another tin of topcoat next dear and do some more coats but I’m happy with it for the time being..
Next job is finishing off any metal bits that still require fettling, and then painting them and refitting them. then it’s time to buy a suitable length of 420 chain and take it for a spin round the farm for a test drive :c)

Ps we’ve also had another baby so tinker time in the shed is now down to mere 5 minute chunks here and there…. Oh well…

Moogie38 (Noel)

  • Forum user
  • Posts: 275
  • Location: Northern Ireland

Badges: (View All)
CKGB Member
Re: Riley Special chassis (Bridget the Riley)
« Reply #179 on: 04 Oct 22, 09:39 pm »
The Riley is looking good and congratulations on the new baby.
Facebook: Cyclekarts Ireland.