Manky's Pop.

[wizzkitt]

It is looking pretty cool, Mr Manky.

[terry t]

as i was at the yard delivering the trike back.i helped with some work on pop.i marked out Marcus cut and welded and  I fixed front foot wells. fixed the gearbox tunnel down made the bracket for the steering wheel column.don't seem much but every little helps as they are running out of time fast

[Manky Monkey]

And I got in the way & ate cookies. Lots of 'em. Well somebody had to.
The new windscreen rubber arrived so I cut it to length & fitted it. Haven't tried the glass in it yet. Passenger floor panel trimmed & drilled for Loony to plug weld in place; sill panel cut to length; rear brake pipes re-made with the correct fittings.
While Loony was sat on the cab floor, I was drilling brake pipe mounting holes underneath. He was convinced I'd impale him on the drill. In return I was laying under the pick-up bed while he sat in the cab -neatly pinning me to the floor under the axle. Teamwork. Like Laurel & Hardy. I'm sure Terry despairs of us -well me anyway.
Thanks for your help & enthusiasm again Tel. After 3 or 4 years of this thing, the nearer it gets to test time, the harder I find it to keep focused. Any & all help gratefully received.

[kapri]

The steering column support and kick boards look excellent !

[Manky Monkey]

They do don't they Kev -mainly cos I wasn't involved in them at all!
May add a tubular section to the underside of the column support. With my steel toe-capped workshop shoes on, I can forsee me getting my toe caught underneath it when I stomp on the brake.
Passenger side sill panel fitted & silencers bolted back on. We've welded in the sill framework since we made up the exhaust system & although it fits, it's damn tight -took me over an hour to bolt the silencers up to the header flanges as there's so little clearance for the fixings. It'll do for now, but we'll shave the corners off the sill framework when we take it apart again.
Arrived home this evening to find a parcel from Frost Auto Restoration. That'll be the Por 15 tank sealant for the fuel tank -next job on the list.

[dobber]

been a while since i have had time to do anything, even log on the site much. looking at the thread it seems the truck has come on in leaps.
you still confident with the time left fella.

[Manky Monkey]

Erm, no! We've got about 9 days left now!
Due another visit from Terry T tomorrow, as well as Kapri, so it'll be all hands on deck to try & make some headway.
Difficult to see any improvement when we're working on it every single day, but it's getting there.
Lots of small tidying up jobs today, so not much to see, but we did lift the bed off so Loony could weld a few bits & pieces.
I quite like it like this. I had a Morris Minor pick-up about 20 years ago, which I drove for ages just like this. Lots of fun.

[Manky Monkey]

Loony poured the zinc etch primer solution in the fuel tank & sloshed it around to fully coat the inside surface -before managing to empty it over his foot. Once the tank's dried we can add the liquid sealant.
I bought the thickest grease I could find & packed the steering box with it, which certainly seems to have reduced the freeplay in it a bit.
Hard to imagine this as the saloon car we started with now.

[dobber]

too many moving parts on motors, took ex,,s 02 fiesta for test, thought [stupidly] cant be that much to do. by the time a patch welded, couple of bushes, couple tyres, hand brake, clutch was high, screaming wheel bearing, central locking going berserk and a few other things found it easier and financially sounder to go to calderford n get a new one. that's with out sourcing obsolete parts, fabricating and things seized like I'm sure your up against.
gotta keep going on yours tho... have you any idea what you have spent in time and readys?.. lost track of my projects after day one...

[Manky Monkey]

No idea what I've spent -&, to be honest, not sure I'd want to know. We keep saying there's about 5 grand's worth of major components, but I've been spending about 100 quid a week on small bits & pieces for it for ages now. Man hours? Your guess is as good as mine. 3 or 4 years, starting at one or two afternoons a week & rising to every bloody afternoon after work for the last year or so. I spend more time with Loony than I do with the missus.

[Manky Monkey]

Being a Postie, I have to work on Saturdays. Arrived at the workshop this afternoon to find Messrs Terry T & Kapri had been there most of the morning &, ably assisted by Mister Lunatic, were busy ferretting around under the truck. Not entirely sure what they were up to, but I'm told it was Very Important Stuff.

[poprodder]

theres a good circle of people in rodding.
kev is one of the best.

did ya get up of the floor ok kev?

[Manky Monkey]

Both gents had travelled up from the Portsmouth area -really appreciate you giving up your time guys. Thank you.
Terry has become our chief wiring chappy & always brings along a big bucket of much needed enthusiasm.
Kev, ("Kapri"), is our SVA test guru & our guide through the maze of legislation. Not only is he always at the end of an email when I need advice, he's willing to get stuck in & help us build the thing too.
A team effort from the chaps saw the sections of wiring loom Terry had made up fitted. Lots of drilling of holes & tapping of threads in the chassis to attach the loom clips to. Also much comparing of medical problems & advice on which drugs are best for which ailments!
Thanks again guys.   

[Manky Monkey]

PD arrived later & pitched in, greasing & adjusting the front wheel bearings, before starting to bleed the brakes. A bit more work needed on those, but they're getting there. Thanks Pete. 
Between us, we also adjusted the toe in, (the amount the front tyres point inwards towards each other, which controls the way the steering self centres when you let go of the wheel -something they check on the test. Various other small mechanical jobs sorted & a few items crossed off our list.
Towards the end of the day I made a start on the front section of the gearbox tunnel. Looks enormous, but can't really be any smaller. Because we built in a deep Z shaped step in the chassis rails, the engine & gearbox sit much higher inside the cab than they would normally, so the tunnel needs to be taller. There's a large empty space under the middle of the tunnel top though & I'm very tempted to make up a shallow storage tray to set into it. If I had more time I'd maybe create a lockable box, with a hinged lid -the hotrod equivalent of a glove box, as there's no secure storage space for anything in this vehicle.

[Manky Monkey]

We've temporarily disconnected the heater hoses that run under the dash & back along the side of the gearbox to the heater, mounted at the rear of the cab. They were making the panelling in of the area under the dash more complicated than it needed to be. We'll re-fit & re-route them after the test.
Terry's now taken the fibreglass dashboard away with him to wire up & won't be bringing it back till next weekend, so I'll have to work out the rest of the under dash sheet metalwork without it.
Very hard to visualise this bit of the build in advance & it looks completely different than I thought it would. We're pleased with it so far though.
Again, many, many thanks to all who've helped out, not just today, but right through this build. Literally couldn't do it without you. Thanks chaps.