1966 Ex BRS Austin VAK 100 "Noddy" van. Shack building.

[glenanderson]

Thanks Nigel, nice of you to say. 👍 I hate wasting stuff, so building this out of things others would throw away is deeply satisfying to my inner Womble.

It’s still going to have the Cummins engine and ZF gearbox out of the DAF, yes. Everything else is going to be either original Austin, or whatever kind of period British and commercial I can scrounge up.

Today was first spent tidying up all the junk lying around; offcuts, sawdust and putting things away. Then I had a minesweep about with my dad’s old magnet. Worthwhile. 👍



After that I broke out the pressure washer and attacked the moss and suchlike from the roof sheets. They’re going to overlap differently than they did where they came from, and the clumps of moss were enough to stop them nesting together properly.



It took a good while longer than anticipated, and I’m done with it now. Soaked and frozen.

Back on it tomorrow, provided I haven’t given myself pneumonia. 🤣

[thomfr]

Did you calculate the rear axle ratio in Glen? Otherwise the Gummins will scream itself to death at 40Mph.
Thom

[glenanderson]

Got some more pallets today, so I should have enough materials to make a pair of doors to finish this bit for now, and also another pair for my woodshed that is currently open fronted.

When I got back I made a start on fitting the roof sheets. It will come as no surprise, I’m sure, that free concrete roof sheets aren’t exactly premium quality, or in perfect condition. However, considering they cost 0p a sheet, while they disappoint somewhat on close inspection, they are significantly better than the alternative, which is no roof at all. 🤣

I got as far as here before darkness and rain stopped play.



There are a few cracks in the panels, which means a couple of drips, but I should be able to solve them with the application of some sort of gloopy paint-on roof sealant type gunk. If this was going to be a permanent structure I would probably buy some new panels, or look for better secondhand ones, but these are plenty good enough for now.

[glenanderson]

Oct 7, 2024 18:39:27 GMT thomfr said:

Did you calculate the rear axle ratio in Glen? Otherwise the Gummins will scream itself to death at 40Mph.
Thom

Yes Thom, I’ve done the maths. The rear axle is 5.85:1. 

The original engine, with a 2500 maximum governed rpm, a direct 1:1 top gear and 7.50 x 20 tyres, was good for about 53mph. 

The Cummins has a 2800 rpm ceiling, the gearbox has an overdrive 0.76:1 top gear, and I am going to run slightly larger 8.25R20 tyres. This will give a theoretical top speed of around 73mph. More importantly, I should be able to cruise at 60mph without any issues, and also be able to hold 4th gear to nearly 60 on an uphill climb if needs be. 

😃👍

[gazzam]

Absolutely chuffed at your turnaround on this.
And I totally agree with you about waste and repurposing materials.
Top marks!
Can’t wait to vicariously share your first drive.
Good luck!

[horrido]

That's so great - make a huge shed from scrap material. I'm kind of amazed.

[glenanderson]

Thanks for the positive comments. I’m not the kind of hoarder who keeps any random old stuff, but I do have a really hard time parting with anything that I think I can make use of. Making my personal demons actually work in my favour from time to time is always a bonus. 🤣

Bit more done after work today. Finished with the roofing sheets.



I won a box of these special nails a few years ago, surplus to requirements, so another one in the Womble scorecard.



This leaves a gap between the lorry and the roof.



For the time being I have just tied/battened a cheap blue tarp over the gap, because I already had one lying around. I’m not sure how long it will last, but if it gets shredded in short order I’ll invest in something a little better. If it lasts well, then I’ll just get another cheap one when/if I need to.





Sorry the pictures are not brilliant, I was running out of light.

In my search for the roofing nails, I also found one of my dad’s old padlocks. Seems somehow appropriate to use it on here. 😃

[glenanderson]

And, yes, I suppose I could have extended the roof up to go over the van completely, but things are high enough off the floor already, and I am really leery of working above those two expensive new windscreens, given my infamous ability to drop things. 🤣

[homersimpson]

Working outside in the rain is a real pain, when I was younger I thought nothing of it and even used to be outside welding in the snow but now if I had to work outside I would just stay in unless it was something I needed to do to get to work the next day.

With some form of shelter, some light and maybe a little heater even the dark winter nights suddenly becomes less of a problem and the odd hour here and there start to make a difference.

Also being able to leave everything, lock up and pick up the next day is a huge time saver with not having to put everything away.

I'm looking forward to seeing some progress :-)

[glenanderson]

That’s exactly my impetus for building it. Protection against wind and rain, and a bit of security so that I can lock the doors and walk away without having to spend an hour at the end of the day putting everything away, or another hour at the beginning of the next getting back to where I left off.

I have a couple of fluorescent battens to stick out there which should give me enough light to work unhindered now that the nights are drawing in again.

[jamesd1972]

Nice job Glen, tarp should last pretty well as its battened down, I've used them to cover stillages full of logs that are seasoning and they last a couple of years at least before the UV gets to them.
Onwards
James

[ivanhoew]

brilliant .

[PHUQ]

That's a damn fine shed. Nicely done Glen.

Glad to hear the Austin project is still a goer too!

[glenanderson]

We had absolutely torrential rain last night.

The good news is that today the blue sheet is still in place, and the front of the lorry is dry.

The less good news is the slight flaw that has come to light following the overnight precipitation…



I have already had a prod at that with the broom. There was probably the best part of twenty gallons up there to start with. 🤣

I’m going to pull the sheet off presently and have a rethink. At the very least it’s going to need some sort of support structure under there to “tent” the sheet and stop the puddling.

[glenanderson]

Bit more this afternoon. Didn’t tackle the blue sheet as I didn’t feel like it after work. Instead, I stuck up a couple of fluorescent battens I’d bought a few years ago for my garage, but not got around to doing anything with.



I then ran a cable out from my garage to power up the lights and give me a couple of sockets out there without having to faff around with cables on the floor.

Then I called it a day.

Nice sky this evening. 😃

[glenanderson]

Picked up some more pallets to make the doors, and am mid way through breaking them down. I have a plan for the blue tarp area too, but I want to have the doors on and the structure reasonably secure before I tackle that bit.

I have deliberately avoided any kind of interior fittings, because as I say, the plan is for it all to come down again as soon as I have got the work done at the front of the lorry. However, I was looking at where I had put the temporary power supply in and thought that it would be worth the effort to make a simple shelf above. This gives me somewhere safe for phone storage/charging, the charger for my power tools, and tea mugs. 👍



I would have had my RetroRides mug proudly on display, except that ham fisted me dropped it the other day. ☹️

[nord]

I was really gutted to see you letting it go. Now this, well chuffed!

The shed is where it's at. You're going to make a lot more progress. And even when you don't feel like it, wife is just not going to see the van, which is a bonus.

You need a beam or two to support the tarp over there. If it was steeper incline there, you'd probably be fine as it is.

[glenanderson]

The rain here last night can only be described as “biblical”. It absolutely hammered down without any let up.

This morning I was pleased to see that the interior of the shack was still dry. Even though there’s still no doors on it, most of the floor was dry enough for me to be happy about working in there, and there were no puddles. Result. 👍



My blue tarp reservoir, however, is definitely full again! 🤣

Today I have been finishing up stripping the pile of pallets that were in the way, and then made a start on the first door. Once again, this timber is all reclaimed from the pallets. I have probably made them significantly heavier than necessary, and if I had been buying the materials then I would have made them similarly to the ones on my lean-to storage, with 9mm ply backs, 4x1 frames and an outer cladding of 12mm t&g. They would be much lighter that way, but I have just used the 4x2 and slats from the pallets. I suppose I could have ripped the 4x2 down a bit, but you’ve only got to hit one hidden nail and you’ve ruined a saw blade that’s cost more than the wood…

Anyway, have a picture of a nearly finished door frame. 😃



At close of play today it was clad and ready to fit, but I’d run out of light and called it a day, so you’ll have to wait for photographic proof. 😉

[horrido]

I set up an internal roof drip catching setup in a lockup i used to rent, as the condensation was appalling. Suspended plastic sheets under the roof to catch drips. To get rid of the water, I poked a hole though it in the middle of the sheet and put a rubber sealed hose pipe fitting in there, connected to a hose running out under the door. Might be a solution for your reservoir.

[glenanderson]

Fitted door 1 this morning.







Had the big bolt for the inside at the bottom for years, so it’s quite good to actually use it for something, if only temporarily.

Spent the rest of the day making door 2 and getting it fitted. Pretty much exactly the same except mirrored.

Structure is now reasonably secure. 👍





Tomorrow I will be tackling the blue sheet of doom. I have a plan. With luck I won’t drown. 🤣