Our Touring Past

Fly Reddo Fly.

Ok Reddo. Things have been a little quiet on the building front so I thought I would give you a little motivation and show you an idea I have had for your next project.
I think they call this style steampunk, with the use of copper, brass, alloy and timber.

Looks like it could double as a sauna

George

What can I say... That is just beautiful...
Portholes......even .... elliptical portholes....
Lantern roof......I smell and Englishman builder.???
and here we are fighting on ebay trying to get just one porthole for our vans.

I have been sidetracked all this week with Centrelink dragging me in to do some "Job application training"... Interview skills.... covering letters .. update resume.....communication skills....
2 hours of a morning..2 hour break .. 2 hours of an arvo.. completely stuffs up replica TD build time.

When I explained that I am building the little van to be onsold to make a meagre income to support my dole payments they just looked at me silly and blinked a few times...I may as well have said I am growing dope to support myself and the missus
or Perhaps that they where just in shock to hear that someone that walked through their door was actually doing something to try and make an honest buck ??

Anyway.. I will be back on the job next week. I have one door trimmed up with its aluminium jacket on and ready for its hinge and mounting. I will get the other door done and then give it another run on ebay or Gumtree.

Hope to get the rebuilt 179 HP motor for the panelvan home from the engine builder this Friday.. another distraction from the TD...

Reddo

Yippeeeee..
I managed to eascape early from the classroom. Came home and fitted left side door ..


Then started messing with mudguard shapes etc.
Thinking of making the guards out of 3 ply with an aluminium underbelly to prevent rocks from fretting through the timber....



However.. its just a release of brain juices after fitting the door. Will probably change the shape and materials to build the guards by the time I get around to focusing my efforts on them...

But for now.....



I'm laughin'...

Reddo

Looking good Mate, and no one can say your smile isn`t engaging.

And a very happy birthday to the Boss of the Reddo household , Trish

Well you`re certainly doing a fine job Reddo. As to mudguards...you know those s/s 4 x 4 wrap around spare tyre shrouds/covers? ...........
Oh, and Birthday Wishes to the love of your life too. gordo

9.00pm Thursday night..
Birthday patient is resting comfortably after a few hours of intense grandkid fun. ... topped off with a whole stack of pizza, and a visit from a few of our friends and relos
New swimmers, some stuff that she has splashed on that smells like skunk urine ??? ...Lotsa instant scratchies. lottery tickets. lotto entrys etc.. so I gotta be nice to her just incase the BIG ONE lands on our place...

Yup Gordo...Col and I spotted a spare wheel cover on the curb side junk mounds near here back in about 2010 while on one of the tours. He took it home and I think it was cut and shut ... now living as back guards on a roadster I think ??......I have seen pix of the end result and they look cool....

However... you know me... I will fiddle on with timber/bauxite and come up with something just that little bit "obscure"

Regards
Reddo

Happy days..
The right side door is finished and fitted..
However that means another hurdle has appeared in front of me...
The mudguards... what to do??.. HOW to do..

Its all well and good building a caravan to Mr Winsers plans...but.. when there ain't no plans it squeezes all the juices outta the brain bucket..
12 different ideas in ya melon at one time

Do I buy the $55 rolled guards from the bloke in Albury??
Do I go and but boat trailer guards??
Waddabout those nice big butch mack truck yellow plastic thingies.
??
or maybe go with Gordons spare wheel covers idea

Nup..
I will make my own out of gods gift to man... Timber.

So.. with a sh!tload of ply offcuts fillin' up me shed I scratched around for some real bendy 3 ply.
Then sat down with texta and fiddled ...well.. more like doodled on the side of the van
Do a bit.. go have a cuppa.. come back .. rub it all out.. doodle again...
Grabbed a bit of yellow tongue flooring plastic to make pretend curves ...


and messed about some more.....
Come up with the idea of an inner and outer guard. Inner follows the radius of the tyre.. Outer heads off on its own sweet way towards the rear of the van...
lotsa doodling and mapping out again..


in the end I just walked away


The gap behind the wheel arch inner guard through to the outer guard is where I plan on fitting the battery on the left side and a small water tank on the right side. No room in the small kitchen so .. I plan on making the guards extra strong in that triangle bit /thingy.
Can weld /bolt in a battery tray suspended off the 50 X 6mm mudguard support and a couple of angle irons welded under the chassis '
Guards are 230mm wide so should be wide enough to slot the battery into the tray.
access would be either through a door cut into the guard side.... or through the top of the guard with a hinge open lid that has the taillight mounted on it...
Once I have it all secured to the van I will work on some wheel arch infills/spats to cover the ugly big wheel arch radius and go with the flow of the outer guard radius...
??
YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO A WORD I HAVE SAID ARE YOU

Just trust me.. its all good brothers

Even managed to do a bit on Matilda today as well.. she received a "facial"... that's on another thread.

Just got home from the pub raffle with a 1/2 doz nice big rump steaks. they reckon steak has lottsa iron in it.. good for the brain... will eat the entire tray and the styrene tonight.. that should top up the imagination enzymes in the scone ready for more pure thoughts tomorrow.



From the shed of invention.. This is Gyro Gearloose signing off for the evening.

Got some great ideas happening there Reddo.Always pays to think outside the square in a 'round' about way.Ideas that a lot of folk wouldnt normally think of.
gordo