Monthly Archives: December 2019

31/12/2019 and 2019 summary

Today was spent cutting the box section stock for the remaining window frames. This is almost complete and just requires cutting to length.

As it is the end of the year, a summary of work completed in the last twelve months is appropriate. 2019 has been the year of bodywork.

Starting at the front, the main steel bulkhead has has been fully repaired and painted.

New steel has been grafted into the roof structure above the entrance.

The complex shaped aluminium fairing immediately in front of the entrance was repaired by welding and refitted.

The entrance steps have been completely replaced with new steel and new mahogany treads. The floor around the entrance has been replaced.

The nearside chassis member outside face has been silvered from the rear wheels forward to the engine bay.

The nearside main body frame has been repaired, new steel flitch plates made and fitted and painted from the front rearwards to the rear wheel opening.

Two fixed-light window frames have been rebuilt and are awaiting glass. Five droplight frames have been manufactured and the remaining three are in progress.

The first bay rearwards from the entrance has been completed with new panels and the first half drop window completed and installed.

The plan for 2020 is to complete the nearside, rebuild the rear end and boot and progress to the offside starting with the emergency door.

30/12/2019

Did final adjustment on bay 2 side rod extension and drilled the brackets and woodwork ready for fitting.  Primed same, I added some drying agent to the primer to speed up the process as it is taking to low to dry in the relatively low temperature at the moment.  I’m not totally convinced that hardwood like Iroko needs primer and certainly Weymann didn’t prime the frame before painting it but I’d like it to outlast me.

I started collecting together bits of tube to modify my newly-acquired mangle into a panel roller.  I just need some box section to form the upper bar and I should be able to manufacture that quite quickly so I can roll the cladding panel curvature correctly.

24/12/2019

Continued working on assembling the framing for the next bay including setting the position of the side rod extension  in bay 2 using a plumb line and cutting the perimeter rail piece at both ends to form the joint with the side rod extensions.  I also cut the next section of lower perimeter rail which meets the wheelarch frame at its farthest end.  Noted that there is some discrepancy in position of the frame rail at this point,  which would lead to the body flaring inwards slightly towards the  rear wheel.  which I may be able to correct when I make the new wheelarch section and there might be some adjustment of the current side rods position possible to reduce the difference, which is approximately 1″.   The wheelarch section will require timber that I don’t have, so I have ordered this for delivery early in the new year.