1956 Red Goddess - No socks for this birthday!

[jamieh]

Hi,
A bit cheeky perhaps - I've just joined after stumbling upon the thread this morning - but I would love to join you for the first road trip in this converted GG. I really dig these old trucks. The front page with the groovy Ecurie Ecosse transporter is great too, I saw a few vehicles from that era assembled at the BRM day in Bourne and I'm a big fan of the Monaco Historic GP.
Cheers,
Jamie

[Frankenhealey]

Sept 4, 2013 11:07:36 GMT jamieh said:

Hi,
A bit cheeky perhaps - I've just joined after stumbling upon the thread this morning - but I would love to join you for the first road trip in this converted GG. I really dig these old trucks. The front page with the groovy Ecurie Ecosse transporter is great too, I saw a few vehicles from that era assembled at the BRM day in Bourne and I'm a big fan of the Monaco Historic GP.
Cheers,
Jamie

Just watch the thread subject change to 'ROAD TRIP' and PM me. Not cheeky at all but you'll have to be prepared to stop at a pub

[Frankenhealey]

No work this weekend but we had a meeting and the current plan is that next week the Gas Axe Kid and me start on the panel mouldings and ensuring the roof is watertight while Dangerous (with our help) is going to to pull the engine.

Talking round and round in circles about motive power only brings us back to the cost of fuel. While she's not going to do that many miles a year, the bill to Prescott and back would be about £240 so not too much money for burgers and beer left. We've had the diesel ponderings but a friend suggested sitting on top of a non-acoustically shielded Cummins 6 would be a bad move, a gas turbine would give even worse fuel consumption and while the engine would probably burn paraffin when hot that's not cheap these days and it's too low compression for gas.

So we pull engine, deck the block severely (if it will take it) and drag the compression ratio up from it's stone age 6:1. With the engine out I can use the spare Megasquirt stuff to EFI it and once that is done and it's reliably running on its three injector wet manifold system we shove a gas system in. I really like the idea of dual fuel.

[darrenh]

sound logic mate and a technically very interesting decision. will be fascinating to see you backdate it with 60 years worth of new thinking and missed engine technology

[village]

Whilst I would've loved to see the old girl running a 6BT, I'm really looking forwards to seeing your engine surgery!

[Frankenhealey]

So last weekend was a bust as the GAK's (Gas Axe Kid)van clutch needed replacing so no work was done and now he's beggared off to America on holiday so Dangerous and me rolled our sleeves up and got to work.

We're leaving the mouldings until the GAK is back so we needed to get the road wheels on and the bar treads off.

Avon Bar Tread does not fill wheelwell well



Goodyear G388 does a better job



More air needed I think, like 90-100 psi



Spare wheel lift and new rear chassis crossmember fitted



We then decided to test dress the old lady so bolted up two side frames and put on the side panels









Next up was fitting the hydraulic power pack and rams







Unfortunately the exhaust touches the right hand ram but we're going to shorten the exhaust pipe to bring it out closer to the cab and that will solve the problem



and finally we stuck the 12000lb winch and roller fairlead into their places but need some special bolts to attach them.

[Deleted]

Wow, that's one impressive looking bit of kit now that it's all bolting together. Far cry from what you started with.

[PhoenixCapri]

Just keeps getting better!

[grizz]

What other way can one say "Great job, Compelling read" than just that.

Has to be one of my top ten builds of all time.

[grifterkid]

There are just no words to describe how ruddy, bloody good this vehicle is...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PureSilver]

Can we have video of the ramp working? Pleeeeease?

[Smiler]

Awesome!

[Frankenhealey]

Sept 30, 2013 11:10:07 GMT PureSilver said:

Can we have video of the ramp working? Pleeeeease?

Sadly I'm on my own this weekend and for the first ramp test I'd like some one around just in case I get my head stuck in it or something similar. I'm picking up the ramp guides and bed plates this week so that's likely to be to weekend jobs. HOWEVER as soon as anything moves there will be a video for you

[eurogranada]

Great update for sure!

[flyingphil]

Thanks for the update Ian - bet you can't wait to see it in action now!

[Frankenhealey]

Got the bed plates back from the galvanisers and thank God I could borrow a fork truck. I'd have liked ally treadplate but that would have been like a magnet to the local gentlemen of the travelling persuasion and they would have been an arm and a leg. I only hope my obsession with weight and the lesser thickness of the plate chosen does not lead to them bowing when the car's on them.

[blackpopracing]

Ally treadplate will dip anyway - even if 1/4" thick, just takes longer.

[Frankenhealey]

Oct 11, 2013 12:22:46 GMT blackpopracing said:

Ally treadplate will dip anyway - even if 1/4" thick, just takes longer.

Thanks for that BlackPop, not sure it makes me feel any better though

[Frankenhealey]

So a pretty good day today. The GAK only got back from holiday in the USA this morning and declined to work on the Goddess in favour of getting some sleep so Dangerous and I mounted the ramp guides. Why I didn't go for black polyethylene as the sliding surfaces I'll never know



Fitted the ramps



only to find Dangerous had a new shelf for putting his flask and tea on.



Ramps fit in nicely



Then I thought I should have allowed for wheels on the end of the ramps and then we could have done something like this



Ramp locking pins that really need a padlock



Put the ally treadplate on the back of the bed temporarily to check clearance for the winch motor cables, Some beggars scraped the ally! Not happy



Just put up the rear panel and balanced the lights and number plate t6o check placing and spacings. Mt local metalbashers will waterjet the holes for me. The tarpaulin bundle is the wrapped-up tilt to keep it clean.



Trial fitted the smallest piece of treadplate and dammit the holes for the countersunk screws are all over the place. Not happy again.

[flyingphil]

Good progress- but frustration in various areas I sense!