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Feb 11, 2023 15:23:32 GMT
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The inner wings were delivered as promised by Dad, and due to an unexpected absence from work on wednesday, I set about fitting them. With the older two shipped off to school, and the baby settled off for a sleep, I sloped off into the garage, armed with the baby monitor for a bit of surveillance, and some quiet hope he would have a nice long sleep! He gave me a couple of hours, and that was enough for me to fix the panels back on, as you can see below.  The bonnet was already in the garage, so once I was happy with the grille and inners, I couldnt help but get the bonnet on too, and really begin appreciating how far this project has come. It makes all the work that isnt even visible seem worth it. As ive said elsewhere in the thread, I have begun questioning some of my decisions throughout this project, with the time its consumed, the money aswell, but it is very satisfying seeing it finally fall back together. And then two days later, I was able to get the step brackets, outer wing and step all back on drivers side. I also give everything a bit of a touch up to keep it looking fresh. I had already blocked it up a bit higher on the trolley, but despite that, it still looks like a low rider! So ill need to resolve that prior to delivery, as it will be a bit of a struggle getting it up onto the lorry. But for now all that remains is the passenger side wing, step and brackets, and then the windscreen and we are all but there. Finally.   |
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Feb 15, 2023 18:25:56 GMT
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Last night it happened...on Valentines Day too of all days, my wife obviously really loves me! The cab is complete! The step and wing went on and that marked the end of things in my book. The owner is coming to have a look over at it sunday, then as Ive said, I can get it shipped back and finally start coming up with a bit of a scheme for my motors.  It does limit garage room a tad... As a result of this all happening it will probably go quiet from me for a month or two while I catch up on a few indoor jobs to maintain the equilibrium in the household, but I will update any developments and collections along the way |
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remmoc
Part of things
Posts: 931
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Feb 15, 2023 19:10:32 GMT
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OOOF what a thread , love Rootes stuff , got a Commer Imp Estate here ( weird story ) and a Singer Chamois
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Yesterday was D-Day ... Delivery Day to be precise, and a little less dramatic. After nearly a year in the garage it was quite a strange feeling to finally be saying goodbye to the truck. With a final few checks run over the fastening of the cab to the trolley, I assured Dad it would be fine, then we began winching it up onto the lorry.  The trolley has been a god send for mobility around the garage, but for transport on the back of a lorry, not so good. Armed with various timbers, we chocked it up off the ground, strapped it up and set off along the A2 battling the cursed traffic caused by the continual shutting of the A249 Stockbury junction. It had been requested that we lifted the cab back onto the also recently repaired chassis when we dropped it off. So I had to give this a fair bit of thought. Obviously the last thing I wanted to do now was damage all the hard work. I fabricated some lifting brackets to go up the inside of the rear cab chassis at work friday in expectancy. Essentially they were pieces of 25x25 solid box, with a smaller 20x20 hollow box tacked a 1/3 of the way along as an extra brace, with a lifting lug welded on the same end. I then drilled and tapped some m12 holes along the length so I could put a bolt in it at an available point, to prevent them slipping out the chassis "worst case scenario". We then used a spreader bar which allowed me to connect to the back, whilst using a bit of channel and a pull lift on the front once the bonnet was removed. The pull lift allowed me to control the level of the lift. Thankfully the planning put into the lift paid dividends as it went without problem. Sorry for that long winded description, heres a picture basically illustrating that!  The cab sat perfectly back onto its brackets, and looks an absolute picture sat on there. I'm really chuffed with it. And to see it back where it belongs was really satisfying.  It also means I can now draw a line under this project, and finally begin turning my attention to my own ideas. As Ive got a fair few vehicles and plan to be pottering around at various opportunities with most of them, I feel it makes more sense for me to keep them all in this same thread? Any thoughts and response on that would be appreciated. Thanks all! |
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A fitting end to all your hard work,
Looks great sat back on it's chassis,
What's next ??
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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One thread is good, saves us all having to bookmark new ones. Also keeps threads from dissappearing into the abyss.
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A fitting end to all your hard work, Looks great sat back on it's chassis, What's next ?? Nigel Thanks Nigel, whats next is the final few bits and pieces tied up, then a bit of reflection time and some organisation before coming up with But, A delivery, also meant a collection too...   A Mk4 Humber Super Snipe to be exact. By far the biggest car I have in my current collection. Similar sort of state as the rest, but again a very rare example. Its had some work already attempted on it,(two owners prior) and they don't look the greatest. Interestingly, it shares the same engine as that in the Tipper, obviously the gearbox set up differs 🤨 With this joining the fleet, the prospect of having the Super Snipe, Hawk, and the Californian (or the mk8 saloon, which is yet to be detailed...) all parked up side by side would make an impressive line up. And with 3 children now, they can all have one each! Who gets what may cause ruptions mind you!  This is Dad's drive, looking very rustic rusty, while there is a bit of a shuffle around, thought it made a cool photo opp! |
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Mar 28, 2023 18:59:44 GMT
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,832
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Atmo V8 Power . No slicks , No gas + No bits missing . Doing it in style.
Austin A35van, very different------- but still doing it in style, going to be a funmoble
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You may have seen this, apparently restored about 20 years ago but now looking a bit down on it's luck, needs saving before it is lost for ever. www.carandclassic.com/car/C1531751 |
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That is a very cool vehicle indeed! Not much has been happening here since the cab conpletion, but after spending a bit of time looking over the Cob situation, I have come to the conlusion they arent a project I currently prepared to take on, both physically and financially! So they are currently listed on ebay and hopefully find a suitable mad man to give the green one a good restoration. Today though I have done a little more refinement on the "shed" I built for the Tipper. I gained some more sheets from work so have been making a bit of a nicer siding on the drivers side to protect it from the elements. I'm also hoping to come up with a better solution for the front, in the hope that once the better weather comes I will be able to do work on it easier |
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You may have seen this, apparently restored about 20 years ago but now looking a bit down on it's luck, needs saving before it is lost for ever. www.carandclassic.com/car/C1531751I had seen that yes, it looks like a lovely little vehicle, I do really have a soft spot for these mk8 minx's, I find them a really appealing little vehicle. With a slighty more modern engine I think you could have a lot of fun in one. Thats the plan anyway! |
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You may have seen this, apparently restored about 20 years ago but now looking a bit down on it's luck, needs saving before it is lost for ever. www.carandclassic.com/car/C1531751I had seen that yes, it looks like a lovely little vehicle, I do really have a soft spot for these mk8 minx's, I find them a really appealing little vehicle. With a slighty more modern engine I think you could have a lot of fun in one. Thats the plan anyway! When I was a kid back in the 1960’s my contemporaries fancied E-types & Aston Martins (like James Bond drove) but I was drawn to the bulbous cars that old men in trilby hats drove, they were neither vintage like the cars in the Montagu Motor Museum nor modern like my Dad’s Mk 1 Cortina, I must have been a bit odd. |
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May 13, 2023 11:47:54 GMT
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Afternoon all! As promised things have indeed gone quiet for the last couple of months. After finishing the Superpoise cab, I took stock of what I had, and decided to let a couple of them go, namely the two mark one Cobs, and the Rapier. This was due to a couple of reasons really, the Cobs were far too much work for me too consider, and given the other cars I have, the Rapier didnt really "fit in". Its not really my type of car, the 50's stuff appeals to me more, so they all went off to better homes. The Rapier already seeing a fair amount of work put in by the new owner. I have however popped down to the tipper. I got some thick tarps from work, which I have incorporated into the shed to allow me a sliding curtain to access the truck easier and also better protect it from the elements. I also gave it a bit of a wash off, as it still had the dust its accumulated in its prior habitat!   Its no show winner but a good wash never hurt anybody! All the unboltablescaround the engine and front end were all doused with liberal amounts of wd40 in expectancy of a battle at some point!  It was nice to reaquaint myself with the interior of the cab too, I find it a great place to be! The hope now is try and have it running within the next month or so, then hopefully try the clutch out, and then hydraulics! So fingers crossed for that. Ill be able to sit in it and hear truck noises, rather than make them 😅 |
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After a failed attempt a week or so ago, a new set of points and condensor gave this result! I had'nt ever changed or set points before, but was shown and now understand it. Every days a school day as they say. After getting the points right, and after a bit of "pre-spinning" to circulate a bit of oil around the engine, we connected the ignition wire back up and away it went after the first turn! I couldnt believe it. Its not running exactly perfect, but its running all the same. Ill now look to order new leads, plugs, rotor and cap and a coil. Money permitting I'll order it as a X2, as everything will be needed for the Super Snipe too!  Heres a pic of the offending originals. Prior to getting the truck running I had felt resistance in the clutch so was hopeful/optimisic/maybe even deluded(!) of it working. As the video shows it obviously did, it allowed me to tidy up behind it a bit before reversing it back in. It also gave me a chance to take a few more pics. Unfortunately the body is currently a bit of a stores, so the tipper trial will have to wait for another time. But with it now being able to move in and out at leisure, it will make it so much easier for to pop down for an hour or two and crack into it.  The youngest enjoyed it too!   |
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Feb 20, 2024 15:14:02 GMT
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Good afternoon all, its been a while...
Unfortunately, Ive been very quiet for the last few months, due to a few factors, but felt I should explain myself...
Juggling a young, busy family of 3, working at least 50 hours a week, and having so many projects on the go was beginning to take its toll on me, through frustration regarding the lack of time I could have to myself to put into the projects, and just a general battle trying to balance everything else. Reading Glen's thread on the VAK played a part in this too as I found myself reading his thread and finding it very relateable.
So I had to make a decision really, and that wasnt easy, but weighing up out of what I had, what would give me the most satisfaction seeing completed. The Lorry won that hands down, so I began facing the reality of letting the others go. It hasnt been easy, as I genuinely had high hopes of seeing my series of Rootes cars all sat there ready for use. But its just not to be. So the Hawk, the Super Snipe, and the Californian, have all been re-homed. Just the Minx MkVIII remains, but I'm trying to re home that too.
By doing this and clearing the spares I have accrued, it also allows me too clear my mind from the distractions many projects cause, and just get all my focus into the Tipper this year.
So heres hoping!
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,364
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Feb 20, 2024 16:52:41 GMT
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Excellent. Well done. 👍
I am, as you mention, similarly drowning in projects. Like you though, I have also grasped the nettle and am actively thinning the “to do” list. I’ve not managed to make quite as much headway as you, but I have sold three bikes, made decisions about loads of other stuff that won’t realistically happen, and almost finished a major home DIY project that’s been a huge mental “why on earth did I start this” hurdle to clear.
With luck, I will end the year with one new motorcycle, my Bantam, the Land-Rover and, hopefully, still my Austin VAK. Together with more space and less “side quests”. 🤣
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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oto67
Part of things
Posts: 70
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Feb 22, 2024 12:51:33 GMT
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You did some nice work on that cab buddy, would like to have seen how you fabbed that step with all the
curves and the 'tread' bit to consider. Look forward to further installments, family an funds permitting,
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Evening all, Things have begun moving in the right direction, With everything now gone, I have the room to begin removing the panels from the truck. First thing I took off were the steps and brackets, and immediately got them into work. They appeared in pretty good condition, until I took the grip treads off.    There was also some damage to the brackets on the underside, as I imagine they have been whacked at some point, the brackets were similarly twisted. These were a fairly easy fix with the aid of some oxy/acetylene! I cut out the entire rusted section and replaced with new plate. I couldnt find an exact match for the treads on the step unfortunately so began searching for alternatives. There were a few options, with prices ranging from £35 for 3m to around £50/£60. But I then found 3m for £8.48! From a company called "Lockinex", so that was what I went with! The picture below shows the difference. I could have perservered and re-used the originals, but they had a fair bit of pitting on them, so it seemed counter productive to put old steel back over new.  I drilled holes through the step and plug welded the new treads on from the back side. Then once cleaned up, I run a bead of seam sealer around the treads before finishing them off with a couple coats of primer and a satin black top coat for the time being.    With these done, I have now turned my attention to the passenger door, and also continued the strip down.  |
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,364
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Excellent progress. 👍
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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