Interior done

Went to collect the Marcos today from "Dave the Trimmer" in Cranfield near Milton Keynes and really pleased with the end result.

Dave is better known with TVR owners for his work and this was his first Marcos project and i am sure will now be the first of many, if you are looking for something a little different he is certainly worth a visit, i had several idea's of how i wanted mine to look and with his experience he was able to guide me as to what would work and put the idea into reality.

It has been a busy day at home as we are in the middle of some house renovations (it's all go here !) so have not had chance to take some photographs yet, will post some here in a couple of days,

Other good news is that i have been invited by the Marcos Owners Club to have my Marcos on their club stand at the classic car show at the NEC in a couple of weeks, looking forward to this and meeting other owners over the three days,


Martyn
01/11/2013.

More interior photographs

Just received a few more photographs of the work in progress, looking good and looking forward to seeing the end result,






Martyn
22/10/2013.

Interior so far

Went to refit the dashboard today and took a couple of photo's of the work in progress. Unfortunately the photographs do not do it justice and the colours appear grey (blame it on the camera flash) but is actually black with a silver stitch to match the exterior, part leather and part alcantara including the dash top to stop any glare onto the windscreen.

They are presently working on the centre console to be followed by the seats, looking forward to seeing the end result,




Martyn
15\10\2013



Interior

Took the Marcos in monday for the interior refit and exchanged some last minute ideas of the look i am going for.  They were just finishing off a Ferrari that was being were worked on which sounded lovely when it was started up, reassured that they will do a good job.

Hope to get to see the car in a couple of weeks to check on the progress and take a few photographs,


Martyn
09/10/2013.

Marcos 1 Jaguar 0

Found this lovely photograph on the www of two great British classics side by side with Brooklands race circuit in the rear.




These two models were often compared to each other but have never seen a photo of them side by side for comparison albeit the Marcos in the photo is one of the 80's variants,


I know which one i think is the better looking.........


Martyn
28/09/2013.

Interior date

Marcos goes in for interior refurb 7th October, looking forward to something special,


Martyn
06/09/2013.

Dashboard switches

The cool air system is all fitted now bar the on/off switch and the motor appears to put enough cool air into the cabin, will have to wait till i get the chance to go for a spin to get the full effect.

Whilst thinking about the switch i have decided that before the Marcos goes in for it's interior (after a couple of false starts) in October i have decided that i don't really like the dashboard switches that are standard on the Mantula, i think they look cheap and at night time the light in them is too bright which can be distracting. I have been searching for some black rocker switches to suit the black dials and there really is not a lot of choice out there. I Would have ideally liked some solid looking early Jaguar switches but there are not many about so have decided on a selection of some new MGB rocker switches via ebay, just waiting for the postman to deliver but not a 5 minute job as i will then have the task of filling in the dashboard holes and cutting out new ones again, a bit of a pain but will be much better looking.

Will this car ever be finished ?

 Martyn
 16/08/2013.

Cool Air installation

Have made a start on the cool air installation and as there have been a few mentions on the Marcos Forum with different ideas to solve the heat issue here are a few photo's of the work in progress.

Just waiting for a scoop to fit on the front of the 2" pipe which will sit at the front of the bonnet to collect cool clean air whilst moving, I need to wire the motor fan into a switch and then finish off with a 2 into 1 connector which will sit behind the dashboard. The air vents were courtesy of ebay and came from a Afla of some sort.

There is just enough room to fit 2" pipes behind the dashboard and to make access easier I cut square sections out of the wooden panel that sits under the bulkhead and made some square sections of fibreglass sheets that screw into place with the air vents attached to them. I was originally going to route the pipe under the wheel arch but was concerned on full lock the tyre may have rubbed so the pipe will now sit attached to the inner wing inside the engine bay which I think looks a neat installation, so far so good.







Sadly I won't be able to get to the Marcos Rally today at Prescott in the Marcos. I have worked almost every single free hour over the past few weeks trying to get the car done but time has beaten me and the interior guy who I was booked in for last month let me down big style as for some reason he suddenly decided not to answer his phone or emails when the car was ready to go in, on the plus side I have found another company with a excellent reputation for quality work and the Marcos is booked in for early October to be done, looking forward.

Still hoping to get to Prescott tomorrow to watch a few cars racing up the hill, 


Martyn
10/08/2013

Marcos Heritage Spares

Just noticed that "Marcos Heritage" the official supplier for all Marcos bits have updated their webpage and looks very good with some cracking photographs and history info, thought I would give it a plug here in case you had not logged on their pages recently, oh and there's a photo of mine on the racing page complete with Mobil stickers on the doors,


Martyn
10/08/2013.

Fresh air


Well I have bought a recommended bilge blower 3" size usually used for ventilation on boats which will sit under the bonnet bolted to the passenger inner wing. Going to use 2" hose ducting using some shrink reducers from Europa Spares to adjust the ducting size from the blower, the fresh cool air will be drawn from the front of the car where the spotlights normally sit.

The ducting will lead to two eyeball vents which will exit fresh air under the dash into the footwells, I was going to fit two vents on the dash top as well but lack of room in that area restricts this, I think two vents in the footwell will keep me cool as we sit in these cars quite low.

What I am stuck on is a "Y" piece in 2" size to split the hose ducting into two, i have searched the usual online places but no luck in finding any in this size,

Any suggestions where i can find one ?


Martyn
03/08/2013.

Many years ago

Many years ago when a Marcos was way out of my £££ range i built and owned a Jago. I have always wondered if it was still alive and today it appeared on ebay for sale, really pleased that it's still going although in need of a little TLC, if only i had the room....

.Jago Geep on ebay


Martyn
11/07/2013.

Sweating buckets

Went to Milton Keynes today which entailed a traffic jam on the M1 in what must have been our hottest day of the year so far and pleased to find the Marcos kept cool in the engine department with no overheating issues at all thanks to the efficient radiator I had designed for me, however we were roasting inside and made for a cool shower as soon as we got home.

Having tried to find out why it seems that on a hot day whilst cruising 70ish, if you wind the windows fully up the car initially is cooler inside until the cabin warms up from the sun on the windscreen but when you wind the windows down the temperature suddenly drops by the escaping heat but then after a short while with the windows down the temperature then rises to the extent that you have to wind the windows up to reduce the temperature and then the circle begins again..

My conclusion to this is that (and I may be wrong here) the heat from the engine escapes as intended from the 4 vents on the bonnet (mantula models) near the front screen, this heat escaping the vents then hits the windscreen and then goes sideways and into the cabin via the open windows hence the rise in temperature and us sweating buckets.

1/ Has anybody else noticed this ?
2/ Why would you want a heater in a Marcos ?
3/ Why did I fit a radio, I can only hear it when stationery ?



Martyn
06/07/2013.

TT Races

No work on the Marcos last week as me and Louis spent a week in the sunny Isle of Man watching the TT races, wow those speeds of up to 190mph need to be seen to be believed especially as they are on closed bumpy roads, we met people who had travelled from Australia just to see these races and so many people from all over Europe there as well, would certainly recommend a visit for any motorsport enthusiasts,

Martyn
06/06/2013.




Soundproofing

Have been busy cutting my fingers to shreds putting in some Dynamat Extreme which claims to be a quality soundproofing and heat reflector. Have done most of the interior including the inside of the door skins ready for the trim to be fitted. I did not want to spend decent money having a quality leather and alcantara trim fitted and regret not reducing the inside cabin noise, the Marcos is okay on A roads but on a motorway can get a little tiring due to the noise. Dynamat also claims that it stops panels vibrating to cut out the drum effect of the larger panels.

Just a couple of sheets short which i need to reorder to finish off the firewall section,




Martyn
27/05/2013.

Little trip

No work done on the Marcos over the last few days as i went on a little cycling trip with 25 guys/gals from work. We cycled from Solihull to Paris, just the 350 miles in 4 days in aid of the "Help Harry help others" Charity, wind against us all the way and lots of rain to test us.

Here's a photo on route outside Abbey Road, London,




I am the big 50 tomorrow so hoping for a little sunshine to take the Marcos out for a drive on my special birthday,

Martyn
14/05/2013

MOT

Marcos sailed through the MOT yesterday and then I drove straight to see the upholsterer I first spoke to a couple of years ago, after him seeing the car in the flesh for the first time instead of photographs we were able to sit down and discuss some ideas/options. I am just waiting for some computer based sketches and a price hopefully within my budget to give him the go ahead.

Got to be ready for the Prescott Annual Rally in August !!


Martyn
02/05/2013.

Wiper motor

Have finally had to change the windscreen wiper motor. It decided not to work once before and after taking it out and testing it on a bench it worked, confused but happy, so when i put it back in after the recent paint job I was a little miffed for it to not work again so time to throw it away and put a new one in.

The original motor was located right next to the steering column and drove the single wiper direct from the motor itself, I did try to find out what car it was from without any success and was always a little disappointed in the sweep area not covering much of the screen.

So last week I bought a Lucas motor which i think is the normal fitment for Marcos cars however as I have retained the single wiper system I decided it would be easier to fit the motor where the heater would normally sit (the 5.0V8 is the heater in this car) which is right behind the centrally fitted dash instruments.

Looking forward to getting the car to the MOT station in the next few days in time for the sunshine,


Martyn
24/04/2013.


















New Windscreen

The front windscreen for no apparent reason suddenly decided to reveal a crack approx 4 inches long at the top going down, no idea what caused it but clearly needed sorting.

A few issues with the windscreen replacement company who wanted to order direct from Pilkinton Glass who apparently had none in stock and would be 4-6 weeks to make a fresh one up despite me telling the windscreen company that Marcos Heritage Spares had a Pilkinton heated front screen in stock available immediately, I just could not get them to see sense. So after several phone calls to the Insurance Company the windscreen company finally backed down and agreed to collect one from Marcos Heritage.

The screen was fitted yesterday and yes I was very nervous about some young apprentice turning up and not giving the car (and new paintwork) the care it needed. I was relieved when the fitter arrived who had been in the job for 25 years and knew what he was doing and was very very careful and clearly liked the car, he told me he had to look "Marcos" up on the tinternet to see what they were before visiting me.

Meanwhile inside the car I have looked at putting the radio in, I shall have to get some advice re the "cut off" switch and whether the power to the radio will have to bypass this to avoid loosing the settings each time power is cut. I have found that when the radio is mounted in it's normal place on the centre console the angle it sits caused the rear of the radio to be so so close to the top of the gearbox and are concerned re heat transfer from the gearbox so I am presently working on adjusting the angle slightly of the flat piece the radio sits in, also making a fibreglass section to sit underneath the gearbox cover which will be covered in heat reflect material, all little jobs i need to do before a new interior is fitted.

Wondering what to do when the Marcos is finished, no that they are ever finished !! I have bought a Kona Hoss frame from ebay and plan to do another bike build up, looking forward to this as all i have is the frame and i can use exactly what components i want to build a special, shall probably go for Green again to match the other Kona i did recently.


Martyn
12/04/2013.

Bonnet back home


Bonnet back home all shiny and now on the car, looking good !!!


Martyn
07/03/2013

Surgery

No jobs on the Marcos for a couple of weeks as i had surgery yesterday to remove my gallstone bladder by keyhole. Have 4 holes in my chest and stomach and surprisingly feeling quite good. I had the op in the morning and a hour later i was shuffling out of bed to go to the loo. Managed to eat 2 meals with deserts which were lovely and with the aid of a wheelchair was discharged late last night to go home.

Just woke from a good nights sleep and will have to take it easy for a couple of weeks.

Last week i managed to do a couple of little jobs on the Marcos that were on my mind. For several months now i have been pestering my local Ford garage for a replacement skinny wheel spare tyre, the one i had looked unused but had a split in so pleased when the garage called to say it's finally arrived. It's a Continential 125/80 on a 15" wheel and reassured now that i have a spare onboard, need to think about a lightweight low lift jack to keep and secure in the boot with the wheel. Fortunately in the middle of the boot there is a mounting bolt for a exhaust "U" clamp and have got a steel threaded rod which i shall put in it's place which is a foot long, the spare wheel will sit on this and off ebay i got a screw down spare wheel holder which is exactly the same thread as the rod, this will keep the spare wheel still and secure in the boot. Have  also started to tidy and extend the wiring in the boot so it will be held secure against the side panels so they will not get caught by items in the boot, just waiting for a new soldering iron from the postman.

Still waiting for my bonnet to come back, i think it's all done now and think my painter needs to just sort out a van big enough to bring it over and refit.

On the inside i have moved some of the dash switches from where the radio normally sits and rehoused them on the actual dashboard, why ? Well i finally gave in and bought a radio, i need my music but really did not like the all flashing spaceship type Radio/CD players with their big boom boxes, loud but a rubbish sound. So after much searching i have bought a mint Pioneer. DEH-P77MP which suits the period of the car and will put some discreet quality Focal PS130 speakers in the rear upright panel just either side of the rear boot hinge. Not sure about all the wiring yet as i need to think about the battery cut off switch and whether the wiring for this will have to bypass this due to the memory settings on the radio.

Once all these little jobs are done i can get the interior re trimmed which i am really looking forward to,


Martyn
15/03/2013.



Marcos back home

Marcos is back home safe and sound and have just turned the key and impressed that it started first time after a couple of months resting, have let it run it up to temperature with just a few squeezes of the loud pedal, it does sound good !!

The paintwork is lovely with a excellent job done, albeit the bonnet is still off the car shortly to be painted. I could have delayed the car coming back to me a couple of weeks as the bonnet is still being worked on however we decided that it was to be bought home to me on a trailer early so i can make a start polishing up the engine bay and to give me the opportunity to work on a few bits before my operation. I can start work inside the car in preparation for the interior, door cards included, and i have the windscreen wiper motor to repair or replace.





For the interior i am looking at red leather, part quilted on the transmission tunnel and the curved panels under the door section, the red leather i prefer in a matt finish rather than shiny red and was originally going to go for a leather covered dashboard however are now thinking of a brushed aluminium effect which i think will contrast well with the exterior colour, i need to speak to the upholsterer i was talking to a couple of years ago to sound out my idea's i have and get some feedback.


Another step forward in this project,

Martyn
09/02/2013.

Inner wings

Looking forward to seeing the Marcos on Saturday to refit the inner wings, pedal box and sill covers as they have been repainted in black, should hopefully then get a progress on the painting of the bonnet, have a nice new badge to stick on for the finishing touch.

Meanwhile i have a appointment with a surgeon this Wednesday to discuss the operation i need to remove my gallbladder. It caused me some problems a few days ago, despite being told to take it easy i decided to clear the snow off the drive and a hour later was doubled up in the most awful pain having set it off again, visited by a Paramedic who gave me some gas and air to relieve the pain and as he left he said "i'll see you again no doubt", apparently it's a really common problem and people suffer these regular bursts of pain whilst waiting for the operation date. The sooner it's done the better so i can look forward to summer and driving my shiny Marcos around, cycling looking a little doubtful though !

Martyn
28/01/2013.



Bits and pieces

Up early this morning to visit my painter to refit a few bits and pieces back onto the Marcos. Rear lights, rear reg plate, fuel filler and cap all bolted and screwed back in/on without any mishaps. We also fitted a new front windscreen rubber seal which we had to cut to size being extra careful to get a nice edge where the corners meet, looks nice. The doors have also been rehung and the rear boot has now been painted.

To finish, the front bonnet is to be painted along with the inner wings and refit the internals to the doors, getting close now.

Happy birthday to my daughter Olivia who is 17 today, yes you can learn to drive but NO you can't drive the Marcos,


Martyn
13/01/2013.


13/01/2013.

Prices on the up ?

Just seen this for sale advert for a Marcos 1800 racer at a staggering £92000 wow,

Postman did not deliver my bits in time so could could refit the rear screen on Saturday. Have also ordered from MHS some fresh quarter light rubbers, outer side window seal and a new bonnet badge, the small finishing touches will make all the difference,


Martyn
06/01/2013.




More Paintwork update Photographs

Getting a little excited now as I went to look at the Marcos today and the colour is stunning, I hope you agree.
On Saturday we plan to put the rear screen back in and the new seal around the front screen.










Martyn
30/12/2012.