Hello all, if you're into your race cars you might question my username. It's a combination of a Capri I built a number of years ago, I built a cross between the Zakspeed Capri and the Capri 280. It's no longer with us unfortunately as the only bits I didn't do succumbed to the rust bug!
I still play with Capris and am currently restoring a very rare LHD German Mk2 3.0S X-Pack, in terms of modifying I'm also building a sprint / race Capri Mk2 3.1S X-Pack and installs a supercharged 24V Cosworth into my Capri 280. Away from Capris I have a zetec 2.0 powered Westfield which is in constant development (ie getting lighter every time I modify something).
I also fly a lot and have A Scottish Aviation Bulldog, while I'm not allowed to modify it there are minor maintenance elements I'm allowed to do! I helped my Dad build a very high performance light aircraft (200mph on 160hp) a number of years ago and one day I'll do the same with my children hopefully. I have done a bit of old aircraft restoration in my youth (I'm 39!)
But I like to put my hands to anything I can so I'm about to replicate some metal garden furniture (modified of course) and am currently proving some woodwork techniques by making some garage doors to match our front door and new wooden windows. I prefer to make stuff so when we moved into our current house (built 1883) I bought an old wood lathe to turn various stuff. Recently I pulled it out to create something I'm actually rather pleased with.
So the latest mod a it were was to make a mount for one of my wedding presents. A 1917 propeller from a Sopwith Pup! Being RAF I'd neve admit to reverse engineering but I needed to make a hub mount to put it on the wall. Hub, hub, hub... Hey I know what else has hubs and is round - a brake disc! Measuring the hub on the prop gave me a dimension I was more used to as a car exhaust, searching for a car with a similar hub size found my old Impreza Turbo so I ordered a new disc, a piece of thicker than normal exhaust tube and some bolts, measure, weld and look what I ended up with:
But it needed the front spacer with hub nut, I considered aluminium but cost and the fact I haven't got a metal lathe or milling machine (I'd love one though!) it suddenly occurred to me I could make one out of wood, at the end of the day it's just a spacer since the prop isn't going anywhere! One of my winter hobbies is chopping wood for our fire so I found a log I hadn't chopped up and cut it vaguely to size and mounted it onto my lathe. About seven hours later and some light sanding I painted it satin black and mounted it to see what it would look like, being literally fire wood it wasnt the best quality but the 'wear' in the wood has given it a slight metal patina. Well, it's been up ever since and for someone that has done very little wood turning I'm rather pleased!
So that's me, I'd rather build it than buy it. Modify it than keep it stock and am never to proud to ask for advise, or unwilling to help if asked. Really looking forward to this forum as its not specific to car tpe, or modelling etc. just a group of like minded constructive people!
