Mk1 VW LT 35 Tipper Truck 'Lucky Lloyd'

[commycouper]

Mar 27, 2024 20:02:55 GMT panelbeaterpeter said:

Well I can't really add any more than what has already been said but this thread is flipping great! I've read the whole thing over the past couple of days. Great metalwork skills and interesting to see how you have got better and more fussy as the project has progressed. It reminds me of my polo project, same colour and era of VW, though I think yours is more rusty than mine. I mean it was more rusty!

Hi Peter, 

Thanks for your kind words👍🏻 
The fact you took the time to read through the whole thread is genuinely appreciated. 
Yes....I definitely became a lot more fussy the deeper I got into it. Maybe a little too fussy for what is essentially a builders truck.
Anyway, I'm certainly glad to have all of those rusty nightmares behind me now. Hopefully, not too long until its all back together. Although, a lot of it is riding on state of my finances at the moment. 

Dan.

[commycouper]

I had a bit of time on my hands today, so decided to get on with one of the many jobs on the to do list. I'm not really approaching any of this in any kind of order....so things will be a bit random from here on in.

At the top of the 'stuff I haven't seen for years' pile was the steering column shroud. I thought I'd give a quick blast and paint. 

This the shroud.....









Well.....I got as far as blasting it, and as you can see, it needed work before painting.





Which meant some fabrication work!


First make a template.....






Cut the rot off.....






Cut a fresh piece of steel.....





Line it up with the work piece....






Trim it up and line it up ready for welding...





Now.....I got a bit carried away with the welding and forgot to take pictures as I went.

But here it is welded up and cleaned back....






Next, add an 8mm hole using the template to pinpoint the location....








.....and there you go...done....








Its funny how at one point, I was so glad to stop the fabrication work on the truck and get on with the bodywork/paint. But after all that bodywork, it felt like I'd not fabricated for ages. So I found myself really enjoying this today. 
Don't tell the misses though.....she gets all grumpy if I too much fun without her!

More soon

Dan.

[Norman]

Nice work Dan, I thought “you will be lucky” when I saw the first picture but no problem to you. I thought it would go into holes, anyhow it’ll never need doing again. Norman

[teaboy]

A little repair like that is bread and butter to you, Dan.

[commycouper]

So......it's been a while. I'm always saying that I'll update more regularly and then the opposite happens. I'll just say nothing from now on!

I've been really busy at work lately. We've just moved from three small buildings to one massive one. So I've been getting the overtime in while it's available. 

A quick picture of the new building.....







Anyway, updates have taken a back seat, but work on the truck hasn't.....although if I'm honest, it has slowed a little. 
Next on the list was the fibreglass billboard thing that was perched on the roof. There were points throughout the bodywork part of the build that I thought about getting rid of it. But in the end, I decided to keep it. 
So.....the first thing to do was dig it out of hedge I threw it in about 3 years previous and give it wash...








Then clean off all of the mastic that once held it to the roof.....











D.A the surface in preparation for high build primer...












Then on with the high build.....







Originally, it was stuck down with mastic and rivets. But I want it to be removable....ish.
So I countersunk the original fixing holes....








.....to fit 5mm countersunk hex screws....





Then reamed the holes in the body to 8mm.....






....and painted some hydrate 80 on to the bare metal....





....and stuck a load of 5mm rivnuts in...













After that, it was a case of flatting out the high build.....












....and then paint it....



















The reason for using the 5mm countersunk hex screws is so that I could pop a white cap in it in an effort to disguise it. As shown in this trial fitting photo.....






Just incase some of you might be wondering why some of the pictures have a weird blue hue to them is because I replaced the tent roof covering with reinforced blue tarp. This now means the lighting in there is terrible!

Anyway, that's it for now.

Dan.

[jamesd1972]

Whats the billboard going to say ? Could do some fancy LED lighting...
James

[austinpowers]

Good to see an update.
Is the new building on the same site as the old setup?

[commycouper]

I knew someone here would ask that question as I've been asked the same question many times when people have seen it. The honest answer is...I really don't know yet? It was originally illuminated by 4 or 5 bulbs. I was going to go LED, but have now decided to stick with the original. My indecisiveness is what made me make easy to remove later. I can update to LED or put some sort of 'light show' up there if needed as one thing I'd like to do with the truck is use it as a float in a local town carnival at Christmas etc.
I think to begin with, it'll just have something like Goodyear or something similar up there just to fill the space.

[commycouper]

No mate, it's on a new industrial estate on the other side of Ringwood heading towards Christchurch....behind the big Lidl 👍🏻

[norniron]

As always, amazing attention to detail with the headboard... not surprised though!

[commycouper]

Jun 23, 2024 19:53:07 GMT norniron said:

As always, amazing attention to detail with the headboard... not surprised though!

Thanks 👍🏻 

[generallee]

Jun 23, 2024 8:23:44 GMT commycouper said:

I think to begin with, it'll just have something like Goodyear or something similar up there just to fill the space.

Perhaps go for a factory or main dealer "demonstrator" look?



I do like the idea of a light show.

[commycouper]

So......it's been while.....something this thread has become accustomed to! 

generallee ......yes, the dealer logo/markings is definitely on the list of options 👍🏻

I thought I'd do an update as there's now loads to catch up on where I've been lazy.....I mean busy!

The fuel tank was my next focus. The old tank was rotten.....naturally. So kept my eyes peeled for a decent second hand tank. But back in 2001, I found a place in Germany that was selling a brand new one for £125.......posted! It seemed too good to be true....but It was listed on ebay, so I went for it. Now....there are a few different types of tank for these LTs. The one I ordered was for a single wheel axled van. But, from what I could see, the only difference was just the mounting brackets. Which I could easily cut off the old tank and added to the new. The cheapest I'd seen a tank for a twin wheel was a tad under £400 notes! 
Anyway, it turned up and yes.....it was exactly the same as the old tank....except for the mounting brackets. But.....the trip from Germany to blighty wasn't kind to it. The top of the tank had been pushed inwards....right where the fuel sender should be mounted. If I was to leave it, the sender would never read right as it would have been at a jaunty angle. I tried the usual ' grab it with both hands and pull really hard ' method. It didn't work. The steel is really thick and it wouldn't budge! So.....I popped it at the back of the garage and forgot about it. 
Fast forward to a month ago and strangely, the dent was still there! You can just about make it out in these pictures.....












So......I came up with this contraption to remove the dent without damaging any other part of the tank........








It worked! When the metal came back to were it should be, it sounded like a shot gun going off!

Here's the old rotten tank......


















.....and here the brackets that need cutting off..
..still with rusty bits of Lloyd attached!












So.....cut them off.....









Cut the rusty bits of Lloyd off.....







Clean them up in the acid bath.....







.....and weld them here.....






I don't seem to have any photos of when I welded them on.....but I'm sure you can picture it.

Next was a coat of epoxy......











.....and on with the top coat. Which would eventually dry satin....












Then slot it into place.....which was easier said than done!......












.....and that wraps up another long overdue update. Hope to update sooner next time. Thanks for looking in 👍🏻

Dan.

[teaboy]

Sept 1, 2024 20:37:48 GMT commycouper said:

So......I came up with this contraption to remove the dent without damaging any other part of the tank........

I love the contraption, Dan.

[jamesd1972]

Been away again- when Lloyd grows up!





James

[generallee]

Has a look of a Scania 3 series about it, but then I suppose it's from the same era!

[matfenwick]

VW certainly got their money from that cab tooling!

[jjeffries]

“Lloyd & Sons Cartage” or Haulage or Hauling or Trucking or whatever the right word is.

This remains one of the Great Threads here on RR.

John

[thomfr]

Sept 5, 2024 21:10:56 GMT generallee said:

Has a look of a Scania 3 series about it, but then I suppose it's from the same era!

Only VW kept using it 15 years after Scania moved on to the 4 series ;-)

Thom

[commycouper]

Sept 5, 2024 18:22:25 GMT jamesd1972 said:

Been away again- when Lloyd grows up!





James

Mmmm........isn't it funny when you think a thought, and then, what you were thinking materialises in some form. In this case, the photos you posted James. You have unwittingly thrown a spanner in the works!
Now.....it all concerns the 'bill board' on the roof of Lloyd. Lloyd was purchased brand new with it fitted. Oddly enough, it was one the things that made Lloyd stand out to me when I bought it. People have always commented on it.....and I had every intention of keeping it......until about a month ago. I'm now in two minds? If I put the lower spoiler on that I've made, I'm thinking it may make the whole front of the truck look long and narrow. Thing is, it's a little too late to change my mind about it., especially as the holes to locate it are already in the roof........
or is it ??
I'm now thinking of making a sun visor that fits/utilises the holes used to locate the bill board. The photos you have posted have only reinforced this thought. I think it looks great with the visor. It has a more low profile look about it.
It's probably something I'll address once Lloyd is back on road.....but it's definitely something I think that's worth considering. 
I suppose it's a case of watch this space......