Manky's Pop.

[Mendalot]

Would be a shame to paint it, it looks like its been custom made for the truck ....... Unique

[triker_Chewie]

Paint it. The pop is getting painted

[Olds]

Think MM will have to either paint, plate or powder coat, as it rusts as soon as anyone touches it.
Hmmm, a bit like the pop does  
(Note to self -  buy shares in Scotch-Brite )

[BikerGran]

 

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, must admit scrubbing the rust off a couple of times a week is starting to lose it's novelty value already. Spent an entire afternoon a couple of days ago wire wheeling it clean, only to pull the tarpaulin off today to find it creeping back -& I hadn't even used it in between.
Saturdays are a normal working day for me, (I'm a Postie), so I didn't get to the 'shop till about 3 this afternoon. Mr Kapri was there in his model A pick-up. Nice to see you as always mate. I didn't want to be anti-social but also wanted to get the new wheel fitted for a local classic car show tomorrow. So I made a start on drilling the hub sections. Didn't have the right sized drill bit & only a cheap & nasty 4mm tap though. So I'll have a look for a better one at the autojumble tomorrow. Ended up just Scotchbriting the surface rust off the bodywork instead. Loony says it's O.K to use a clear wax or lacquer on it, as long as we know it's there & can remove it before final paint. The problems start when he tries to paint apparently clean surfaces that have been waxed for example. Need to do something with it soon before the weather breaks.
Seems like I may need a new starter solenoid. Chris tried to start the Pop, but the solenoid kept clicking, only actually turning the engine over every 3rd or 4th go. It's done it to me on the first turn of the key once or twice, but only on long runs when the engine's hot & always started second time. I tried it again later this afternoon & it fired first go. Just my luck it'll let me down right in the middle of the showground tomorrow.
Next weekend is a local motorcycle autojumble, so I don't need the Pop for that. So I can pull the starter motor off & take it to the guy who replaced the brushes for checking.
The engine's drinking oil but doesn't appear to be leaking or smoking. The tail pipes are sooty but the spark plugs are spot on. So I topped it up again today & checked the radiator. Coolant level's fine. Borrowed Mr Newbie's grease gun a couple of days ago & re-greased the kingpins on the front hubs.
The steering wheel will eventually be powder-coated gloss black, with the interior upholstered in black & the dashboard & "roll cage" tubes in pale green, same as the body -but that's a long way off yet. I'd like to get a good coat of satin clear lacquer on it all before the Holland trip in November.  

[Manky Monkey]

Took the Pop to the Newbury classic vehicle show at Newbury racecourse today, about 15 miles away.
There was light rain in the air when I arrived at the workshop this morning so I sat in my daily driver for about half an hour, waiting for it to stop before I pulled the tarp' off. Almost didn't bother, but I'm glad I went -it turned out to be a great show & for a cancer charity, so worth doing my bit to support it.
The engine fired first time, but the solenoid clicked once, then fired second time after I'd filled up at the petrol station. Mr Kapri was at the show so I spoke to him about it. I've had motorcycles in the past with starter motor solenoids that would just click like that if the battery was flat. My alternator's mounted low & right at the front of the engine bay, so there might be water in the terminals, or the terminals of the starter motor.
I bought a small grease gun from one of the autojumble stalls for 3 quid -worth that just for the fresh grease in it, plus an offcut of steel for Mr Newbie to make the steering wheel centre cap from if needed, for a quid, as well as a new 4mm tap.
The motor felt a little rough at low speed on the way home, though it ran fine when I put my foot down a bit. Almost like fuel starvation of just dirty fuel. Could be that or maybe not charging enough?
Bumped into Phil Silk at the show. He's the local upholsterer who covered the seat bases for me. He thinks it might be easier to fit sprung wires across the roof interior & make a normal headlining, using the "tuck n roll" material I've got, rather than making a removable interior panel & covering that. When Mr Loon gets time to weld the roof, I'll take it over to him to do I think.
Seemed to go down well at the show. For once it was actually parked on the showfield, rather than just in the public carpark, so now it's officially a blingy showcar!

[Manky Monkey]

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[Manky Monkey]

Finally fitted the new steering wheel this afternoon -thanks Mr Newbie for your help & patience with my engineering ineptitude.
So I now have a reproduction 1930s/40s Fordson tractor wheel, bolted to a Morris Minor steering column, using a modified Mini steering wheel hub.
I like it. I was concerned it'd look a bit gimmicky & fitted just to be different, rather than because it suited the car. But I checked with Mr Loony, my regular second opinion advisor, & he pronounced it "Cool". So it's staying. I'll keep it in bare metal for now, but it'll eventually be gloss black. All it needs now is a push-on centre cap to cover the nut & hold the etched Monkeyhead badge that Newbie made for me previously.
Wheel fitted, truck checked over & warmed up, all ready for a drive out to the local bike meet at Alton in Hampshire this evening -so of course, it rained. Just as I was putting the tools away the heavens opened. So now my new steel steering wheel's soaking wet, as is the rest of my bare metal truck. I've drowned it all in WD40 & covered it up again, but it'll be bright orange with rust next time I take the cover off. Getting fed up with wire wheeling it clean now!
Chris, ("Forgotten" here on the forum), tries the new wheel for size. 

[Manky Monkey]

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[kapri]

Break out the satin lacquer and 4" radiator roller ,it'll only take an hour to paint

[Baychimp]

Steering wheel looking cool Andy, I think its much better than the old one.

[Manky Monkey]

I broke my truck 

Nipped down the road to a local motorcycle show & autojumble today. The annual "Megameet" at Popham airfield on the A303, just 6 miles from home.
I hadn't intended to take the Pop, but I was going to another meet in Kent last night & it got rained off, so I just wanted to make the most of the sunshine today.
A small hiccup at the entrance as it ran out of sparks & coasted to a halt in the carpark. Bugger. Turned out to be a loose wire on the coil. Easily fixed by buying a pair of crimping pliers for a quid from one of the autojumble stalls & a packet of crimp-on terminals.
Problem solved, Postie Dave hopped in the cab & Archie climbed in the pick-up bed to drive back down the hill to the showfield. I may have accidentally ragged it once round in a circle on the loose gravel before trundling down the hill.
We parked up but when I opened the door to get out it scraped on the ground. Must've parked in a rut. Thought no more about it & we went off to wander round the show.
When we came back later in the afternoon something definitely wasn't right. Oh poo. Didn't take much mechanical know-how to spot the problem.
I've snapped one of the rear coil-over shocks. Not bent it, or broken a spring collar, but actually snapped the plunger rod clean in half. The top eye's still securely bolted to the chassis mount & the main body's still attached to the axle, though it's bent the bottom mounting bolt. It's the bit in the middle that's buggered. Snapped at the base of the top eye & also at the top of the body. The coil spring's bent double as the weight of the truck's sat on it.   

[Manky Monkey]

It should look like this.

[Manky Monkey]

They're adjustable "Gaz" gas filled shocks. 258 quid a pair, (I've just found the receipt). Bought in 2008, but obviously only done this Summer's mileage, about 1 1/2 thousand miles.
The axle shouldn't have been able to tramp sideways or rotate cos it's located by a triangulated 4 bar set-up & the propshaft, but it presumably must've tried to pull backwards on that side, (I slid round in an anti clockwise circle, just the once, honest).
I blame Archie. 

[Olds]

OOOPS. 
Didn't think Archie was that heavy.