Our Touring Past

Hi
TD is currently listed on ebay.... but I guess most of you webbrowsers already knew that .

That hasn't stopped some "next stage" shopping.
Just bought 2 sheets or "AB" grade ( no knots or ugly spots ) ply for the bootlid and roof as well as a sheet of 12mm ply to make the doors out of ... total $300.
Also bought 3 lengths of J mould ( $7.50 ea) to finish off the wall to roof join once the roof ply and side alloy goes on...picked up 2 lengths of 25 x 25 mm angle to use around some of the joins on the TD....and a 6 metre length of sail track for converting Matilda Annexe Marconni track.
Will making fitting the annexe so much easier on my own.

So.. if the TD doesn't sell on ebay I am armed and ready to continue.. if it does sell.... .. well... I guess I have enough material to make a start on another project

Reddo

Okey Dokey..
So.. The TD didn't sell...
Lotsa people asking silly questions... but I have grown to expect that when you advertise on ebay.
Anyway... on with the show..
Yesterday I got home from work early and figured it was too early to sit down and do nothing .
So I painted out the inside of the van in water based beige... left over from painting the house.
I dried in no time at all.. and...just as I suspected.. dried like chalk.
Every time you touch something it leaves a fingerprint.
Anyway.. I can count that as the third coat of primer sealer undercoat. Next coat will be in oilbased semi gloss or gloss.
Today I moved on to sheeting the ceiling and front wall inside.. then the tailgate and 2 roof/front wall outside sheets.
They are high grade Hoop pine finish with no knots etc in them.. $135 per 3 ply sheet. The next van I build will be Masonite all over.
inside.. still have a lot to do..

Outside front. have left bottom edge open . will have to cut a 300mm strip and finish off ...
Would like to stain the ply a bit darker then 3 coats of gloss clear.

Happy with the bottom sheet I done the other week .. Tailgate works well with new piano hinge ( done away with long screw idea.. however it did help hold things in place while fitting the sheet and the piano hinge.. Hinge will have to come off for painting and I will be fitting 40mm wide strip of rubber under the hinge to waterproof the join up..

Tailgate sheet overlaps the lower sheet by about 30mm

About 4 years ago I called in on a garage sale at Cliff and Ingrids place down by the lake. They had some left over Latex Formica timber flooring sheets . so I grabbed them. They have sat in the second Shed of Invention ever since. Was considering using them over the old lino in Matilda....
However.. they got dragged up and I cut 3 sheets to see how they would look on the floor... would mean about 8kg extra weight but ... a neat way to tidy up a grubby floor...


The jury is still out on this idea...
More as it happens folks.
Reddo

Look nice in kitchen area, wasted in sleeping area as will be covered.

Hi All

Been a little bit happening on the TD over the past week.

4 coats of clear varnish.
Tailgate hinge fitted with rubber strip under it.
Kitchen area and inside painted .
Cupboard doors made , varnished and fitted.
2 doors cut to size as well as the reveals /architraves all out of one piece of 12mm ply.
Only problem I have run into is the ply that I made the doors out of is CB grade and not common old CD form ply like the rest of the body. The new CB grade is about 0.5mm thicker and the doors don't sit flush with the rest of the body.
Problem might be compounded when I fit the alloy sheets to the sides...
I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it..

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Cheers
Reddo

Looks pretty damn good Reddo. Re the variation in door thickness - would running a router around the edge work? Love how the grain looks with the four coatings. gordo

As always Mate ,looking forward to seeing it in the flesh or should I say ply.

Hello viewers
Motivation.. that's what I need a few kilo of motivation..
Just been back down the S.O.I and started messing with flat sheet bauxite..
Bought 3 sheets of 0.6mm yesterday ( $95 ).
So...
Throw a few card tables on the shed floor .. cover with old bed sheets to try and prevent scratching the sheets.
Start measuring all the cut outs along bottom edge.
With that done it was time for a trial fit of the sheet

all good.
Next up I traced out the shape of the van on the back of the sheet and went back to the card tables for more metal mangling..

and another trial fit

Happy , happy, joy , joy...
Ummmm... where's the bloody door....??.. Doh
Mark out door and visit the tables one more time....
Then I drilled a row of holes about waist line along the sheet . The holes will be behind the timber flash later on and I will use the holes to help stop the sheet "Bellying out" while it is sticking to the ply..
So... out with the liquid nails and show some artistic flair with the goop gun..

After much gooping I slipped the sheet into place without smearing the goop.. Then set stuck a couple of bits of masking tape on it to stop it from peeling off the van. Then I ran a series of short self tappers in the holes along the centre line of the van that I had drilled earlier.
Worked my way from the centre out to the ends and over the top .. along the bottom edge with masking tape to hold the sheet flush against the ply until it dries.

More happy.. more joy.
I will have a go at the other side this arvo . Try and get it done . Then leave it all for a few days to let the liquid nails cure.
I can then snip and file any points that aren't flush with the outer edge of the van , and also work out where to cut the sheet around the door frame so it can be rolled in to the reveal.
That 0.6mm is good stuff to work with... Unlike the stuff on the bike transporter TD it can be cut easily with tin snips......

Hi Ho silv... errrrrrr Hi Ho aluminium aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy !!!

Reddontcutyourselfwithesnips

Looking good Mate.

Looking pretty damn good Reddo.

Not too shabby ......for an old fella