Kansas Cimbria

[hotrodbones]

OK, so i finally got some time to get in the yard (after a day of yard work alone, then another 2 days organizing the garage)

I uncovered the Cimbria i bought on Ebay about a month ago. I paid just over $1k for it. I do not regret that i bought it, but i am very disappointed in her condition.

Now before i post all the pictures and complain about the problems i have with it, please keep i mind that i have gone to school to build customs and hot rods. I am also in the Air Force. With those two life events going on, i have a perfectionists point of view. Nothing will ever be perfect but we will try to get it close enough.

 

[hotrodbones]

here she is sitting in the yard.


here is the front view, the passenger side is sagging. not sure if its shocks or the nose settling.


the louvered deck lid, why someone cut into the louver for the gas cap. i would have either set it were you lift the lid to fill, or run it out the top of the side fender (personal preference i guess)


of course this is the rear end, no engine yet. i dont know what the 3 holes are for though.



here is the rear window, looks like some body work will need to be done. im hoping its body filler and not fiberglass work.


its hard to see in this pic, but it almost looks like there was a sunroof installed and filled over. i would like to go back with the sun roof if there is one there.


im assuming this hole was for a trunk release of some sorts.

 

[hotrodbones]

as you can see the door is being propped up. here is why.

someone cut the entire spring pockets out.

cant find any plates saying the kit number (bummer)

Broken door handle

look at that rear window, i can almost take it out completely

this is the floor job, its riveted in. and i know they say that in the instruction manual, but come on a floor pop riveted doesnt sound safe at all.

seems like alot of extra glass in the roof, where i think there may be a repair job or something. i think there was a sunroof.

i can see sunlight around the passenger door.

 

[hotrodbones]

the shifter will have to be relocated.


the window will need to be replaced


alot of the gauges are blocked from my view point, not good


all these came with the car

 

[hotrodbones]

although with all the things mentioned already, still a smile on my face

 

[kruzer52]

Let the fun begin. The spring pockets for the door lift, and are separate pieces that screw into those holes. The holes in the rear are for bumper tubes.

 

[hotrodbones]

Let the fun begin. The spring pockets for the door lift, and are separate pieces that screw into those holes. The holes in the rear are for bumper tubes.

ok thanks. i do have the pockets in a box, but didnt see any screw holes, so maybe they are new.

i completely forgot about a bumber. makes sense now.

 

[letterman7]

I've seen worse. It did appear that there may have been a sunroof at one time... one of the worst things you can do with a gull wing car. With a sunroof, there is no support left at all for the doors unless you add in a steel framework and tie everything together. Not to say it can't be done, but a lot of work. The four holes next to your strut pockets are likely the latch holes that held the windows open and closed. And the floorpans... yeah, pop-rivets were a proven method years ago. They work, if you got enough of 'em, but it looks like hell and screams KIT CAR !

My suggestion: start with a new windshield from Fuzz and grind off all that fiberglass inside the roof to see what's under there. You may be able to reinforce the roof and doors as needed as I'm sure the roof is drooping a bit - hence the cracks on the outside by the upper corners of the back window. Before you take the old windshield out, try to get everything straight and sturdy (especially if you're putting a sunroof back in), do all your bodywork before paint, then remove the glass and finish your bodywork and painting. Personally, I'd fill every single hole in the body, including the strut pocket mounting holes as you'll likely be drilling new mounts anyway (or glassing the pockets into place - a far cleaner solution).

Oh, and the shifter... you can move it back and shorten the shift rod or simply purchase one of the curved Hurst shifters that places the ball back further.

Have fun!

Rick

 

[hotrodbones]

At this point in time no work has been done on the Cimbria. I'm still waiting for the engine to be delivered from Mofoco.com This was suppose to be a 6-8 week build and delivery, I ordered it March 23rd I believe. I called them two weeks ago and they apologized and said my engine was still being built and that I was engine number 25 out of the 55 they had in the shop at the time.

So I havent been motivated to even look at her. I have a couple of other projects that are demanding of my time. I believe once the engine arrives then the Cimbria will move up on the list as it will be closer to a finished product than the other two rides.

Maybe I should go out and take the body off, so I can drop the new pans on it and make new drop pans as well and weld them in place.

 

[hotrodbones]

Well I'm still waiting on the damn engine to arrive.

Meanwhile I dug out my old floor pans from storage. They are from a 1971 VW Ghia. I'm thinking they may work on this kit. Trying to read thru the chicken scratch that came with the car, the original chassis was a 73 bug. Also from reading other builds, it sounds like a 4" drop pan is the most you want to go, am I reading that right? I'm 6'0" tall and I want to get as much room as is reasonable. I know i can get more with low profile seat rails and modifying cushions. But lets start with the floor pans.

I also have a title for a 1977 Recon(Make) 2DR(body style)... Do you think this is the correct title for the Cimbria??? The VIN number on the title matches a little plate that is in a ziplock bag that came with all the instructions. I must admit the previous owner kept alot of notes on everything, but its going to take some time to make sense of it.

I am also curious how to set the cover photo for this thread? I was thinking the second picture that is the front view of the nose. Looks cool to me.

 

[letterman7]

4" is about as low as practical, else you start rubbing metal on speed bumps. Only your DMV can say whether or not that is a correct title - each state is different. It would work here (reconstructed) but can't say about Kansas.

I'll see if I can modify the cover shot for the thread

 

[hotrodbones]

ok thanks man. i see it is updated.

i spent about an hour or so in the heat today. got the doors removed, and most of the junk interior as well. to include the seats. the drop pans look to be about a 3" drop.


ok question for the experts. i believe this engine cover/trunk cover is incorrect to the car.

looking at the height of the hinge compared to the window, makes the rear window 100% useless. it appears that the engine cover/trunk cover sat in the groove lower down.

am i somewhat on the right train of thought with that cover???

Also. From this angle it appears that this "ground effect" is not a correct add on.

it honestly looks like someone fiberglassed a piece of 2x4 and then strapped that part onto the body to cover up the drop pans from being seen from a low side view.

 

[letterman7]

The engine cover is correct for the car. What's holding it at height are those blocks of wood, no doubt to clear the gas fill. But if the cover already has a hole for the fill, I have to wonder why the blocks are there. Remove those and see what you have. Rear vision through that window was never a strong point in these cars even without modifications.

"Ground effects"... definitely an add-on. With some clever fiberglass work though, they could be passable!

 

[hotrodbones]

ok i will pop those blocks off and see where im at from there. as far as the gas fill, im thinking of putting it in the rear fender. kind of like this

im glad that "ground effect" aint accurate to the car. it looks like shit to me. its straight as an arrow instead of curving with the car. i even put a straightline on it, lol. I will prolly do something with it later.

who has a good build thread showing how they lifted the body off the frame? im going to have to do this and i want a few pointers from someone who already done it.

 

[kruzer52]

As far as side skirts, Those came with the car as part of the kit. I have the same skirts for my car. I think that rear hatch cover was a later add-on. I can see the screw hole for the original engine cover.

As for getting the body off, after you get all the bolts, get 3 more guys and lift at the wheel wells straight up and over. Hell I did it with 4 old men, and I was the youngest at 61 with a bad back.*na-na-na**laugh*

 

[letterman7]

As far as side skirts, Those came with the car as part of the kit. I have the same skirts for my car. I think that rear hatch cover was a later add-on. I can see the screw hole for the original engine cover.

As for getting the body off, after you get all the bolts, get 3 more guys and lift at the wheel wells straight up and over. Hell I did it with 4 old men, and I was the youngest at 61 with a bad back.*na-na-na**laugh*

Didn't know about the side skirts... didn't think they were part of the original kit. But the engine cover is a version of the later SS cover, so the original may have been replaced for that one. Body off - yeah, pretty much what Bob said. I rigged a gantry crane and some straps and a spreader bar with the straps under and through the wheel wells on my Sterling and cranked it right up, no issue.

 

[Peter]

That engine cover looks too high but that's going by the Eagle SS which has a forward slope to it, obviously to overcome this very problem,. not flat, it also pivots on two bushed bolts on the front corners about 1" back, mine has the advantage of having the Ford SS version available as I didn't like the louvers.


On the sun roof issue, don't, the roof is not strong enough to take a big hole in the middle, enough strength problems as it is. On the eagle there is a substantial tubular framework running up the 'A' posts across the top of the screen back to a roll bar across the rear window opening and several cross members.


Filler cap wise, look at the 'aero' style flush fit, the 'Monza' ones look good on a period car but security is an issue, they are very high, requiring to either stick up 2" or be 'frenched' into the body,
Seat drop pans look like a crash waiting to happen why oh why folks drop the front as well. a sloping drop is much better, I'm 5'10" and have 3" drops at the rear and I fit, just.no flat frontal area to get hit, seat rises as it moves forward and looks better.

I overcame the problem of shifter and handbrake position by fitting a shifter where the handbrake was and a Volvo handbrake ON the tunnel further back.



There is always the Steve McHugh solution, no rear! *yipes*(now owned by Dan, (bobbybrown of euro-nova)



VIN number as opposed to kit number is located on the rear of the chassis tunnel just rear of the inspection / shift coupling hatch. A VIN plate is optional and NOT the legal VIN. we have Eagle ones made and they are usually accepted on tests but the chassis one is the McCoy.
Blank Eagle Owners Club, "Eagle" VIN plate.


Never have liked the separate rear window tunnels of the Cimbra and Nova, on the Eagle SS the 'tunnel' is part of the body and the (slightly larger) rear window is set into standard two part screen rubbers in the body.

 

[hotrodbones]

I was looking at the roof from inside the car last night. i dont see any brazes like that, but there is about 2" of gunk built up on the inside. But mainly i was looking at the lack of support there. I watched my dad climb out of the car and saw a few inches of flex, because he grab the window frame to help himself out. Im thinking a nice 3/4" square tubing would make a good support cage, if i could just figure out where to bring it up through the frame, around the door openings, across the roof line, and back down to the frame again. In my mind i see it as a bolt on cage to the frame, and the rest is glassed into the body.

Thought?

Has it been done successfully before?

 

[Brett Proctor]

looking at the height of the hinge compared to the window, makes the rear window 100% useless. it appears that the engine cover/trunk cover sat in the groove lower down

I noticed that the previous owner had cut outs for dual carbs. I wonder if the lid was raised like that for the air cleaners to clear the lid. Not that it's going to help but it will give insight why it was done.

Its interesting how some people "mickey mouse" things to make things work. I never can understand though if they're going to take the time to "mickey mouse" something why not take a little more time and make it look like a professional job

Brett

 

[hotrodbones]

I noticed that the previous owner had cut outs for dual carbs. I wonder if the lid was raised like that for the air cleaners to clear the lid. Not that it's going to help but it will give insight why it was done.

Its interesting how some people "mickey mouse" things to make things work. I never can understand though if they're going to take the time to "mickey mouse" something why not take a little more time and make it look like a professional job

Brett

yeah there was a 1835cc with duals in there previously, and thats what is going back in, whenever it gets here.