Filthy Channels

A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
Lao Tzu

This is the channel underneath the white Kombi #2. It 100mm in diameter, 96mm inside height. I intend to weld in a 2-metre long beam of new steel that will span both Kombis through these corresponding channels. Of course, they don't make rectangular steel tubing in 96mm diameter. After a lot of head scratching I figured that I could get three lengths of 32mm square steel tubing and join them together to get my 96mm beam.

The channel shall be cleaned up and the protective undercoat removed before welding in the new beam. I think that this used to be a builder's van as I have found clods of concrete attached to random places, also a couple of odd, home-made tools.

Thanks for stopping by
CooP

Bare Beams

True freedom is knowing you can leave tomorrow.
Bruce Manson

I wore out my left shoulder while grinding and have taken a few days off to recover. Now back in business and I have removed the exposed faces of the existing cross-beams in order to add a little steel for strengthening.

Thanks for stopping by
CooP

Bad Alignment

Adventure on, and if ye suffer swear,
That the next venturer shall have less to bear;
Your way will be retrodden, make it fair!
John Masefield

"Erm, feels like the alignment is a bit off, mate."

Daryl, stop mucking about and get back to work.

Thanks for stopping by
CooP

Smoothing The Rough Edges

The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man can lose himself.
William Least Heat Moon

Daryl spent most of the day beneath Marigold on on his back again. He managed to clear out the wiring, brake cables and pipes. Most of the cut edges have been smoothed with a grinder and there is just a bit of tidying left to do. I have to make up some strong struts to slide into the channels at the top corners. Visible rust is mostly just surface rust caused by the high rainfall in the past fortnight. You can clearly see in these pics that I have cut Marigold just ahead of the main strengthening supports, while Kombi #2 was sliced just behind them. This should give me a double-strength join when we glue them back together.

Thanks for stopping by
CooP

Belly Out!

Though they carry nothing forth with them, yet in all their journey they lack nothing. For wheresoever they come, they be at home.
Sir Thomas More

I'm running a bit behind schedule (already!) as Marigold has a full belly pan welded to her underside that is proving difficult to remove. This was installed to add stiffness to the chassis in compensation for the missing roof section. She also has bash-plates fitted beneath the forward foot pedals, and also beneath the gearbox for extra protection.

I'd hoped to have that finished by the end of January. I hope to continue with the smoothing of the rough edges on the cut ends, get the strengthening supports made and have the whole lot ready for welding by the end of the month.

Dino popped in for a couple of hours this morning with his amazing blowtorch. The centre of the offending belly pan between the beams has now been hacked out and we can reach the gear linkage, wiring and brake pipes to remove, extend and re-install. There were about 15 kilos of sand and stones in the belly-space enclosed by this pan! I have also removed the white Kombi doors and replaced them with Marigold's doors. The white ones were rusted to hell and back, Marigold's are just rusted to hell

Thanks for stopping by
CooP