Manky Monkey Motors

As you may have heard ::) I've become the proud owner of a 1958 Ford Pop which I'm going to Hotrod.
the car is in pretty good condition for its year but has the usual rust spots.
Righto the plan is to build myself a pickup.
This is going to be a LOW budget build done in stages.
Firstly I have been given a 100e motor which I'm going to fit and get the car on the road in pretty much standard trim. The car will have the front wings removed, and hopefully the front axle relocated 6 or 7 inches further forward and a couple of inches lower. Going to run it with the standard brakes :o and front skinny wheels. I want to fit a pair of fatter VW rear wheels. If we can do it I want to fit a blower on the engine as well., all this done hopefully by the summer.
This is the build plan stage 1.
Stage 2 will involve the removal of the body from the chassis and boxing the chassis completely, extending it reward by 7 or 8 inches and fitting a Bedford Rascal rear axle and springs.
The body will be cut off behind the doors, The roof is going to be chopped and the Morris 1000 pickup cab back I have will be adapted to fit ( I hope!!). The doors will have their hinges reversed to give me suicide doors and I will be fitting a smallish modern 4 pot engine which we may again blow ;D ;D ;D ;D
The plan is to paint the car in either matt black or purple with either red wheels or maybe yellow, really want a set of 16 inch Ford wires but will settle for the 16inch taxi wheels I have.
All this sounds so easy as I sit at my computer drinking red wine, time will tell ;)

Good Luck!

Soon you can crack open a bottle of champers or 2  ;)

 ;D ;D :D ;D ;D :-*

Maybe we should break one over the bows.
You come up with a name for your new ride yet Shaun?
Hurry up & chop that Pop so I can learn from your mistakes & do mine right!  ;D

Poppy  :-[ :-[ :-[

Must try harder.

Nope, that is her name now ;D toasted with champers the day she came home ::) ::)

Couple of pics taken today

She's a beauty quite fance one meself If I had room......... the cash...............and 'Er indoor's permission.

But then again a Zodiac or Zephyr

Nice shirt mate  ;)
Lookin' good. All set to go cruisin'  8)

Fatter Vw rear wheels might be too pricey if you want 16" ones. Dont think you can get 16" any bigger than 4.5j. You could have you original rims banded. Boston engineering in Lincs can do it legally for 20 quid a rim. The guys on retro rides have been using them. The guys name is Steve, his no. is 01205 361218. Also Johnny 69 on retro rides has got a pop which he bought to use through the winter! Might be worth taking a quick look over there?

That's worth knowing Loony. £20 each is a bargain for phat wheels. Would be nice to keep the original Pop hub caps.

Thats what I thought! They band wheels for commercial vehicles so they have to be licenced. Nice to keep the original wheels and hubcaps but add a little phatness! ;D

Midland wheels do NEW 5x205 pcd in 4.5 &5.5 x 15 for £39.95 each.
But I will give those others a ring, would be nice to keep all the wheels the same.

   To whom it may concern ,
notice that ? a plan ! not very detailed at this stage , but a general direction mapped out. All very achievable (?) sensible (?) steps , based , I'm willing to bet, on what is available and do-able . The Donkey just scored a Vauxhall 2.0 twin cam red top for sensible money , just need to tempt it out of him and find a box to suit and build a sump and you could run rings around Fords, although Joe Egg's Cossie is due for breaking unless he winds the Scoobie into a tree first, in which case !!!
   Always very easy to build some else's dream car ! , thinking about Shaun's description , I keep looking at the Volksrods with their extended beams and lack of wings , hammer the top , rebuild the lower side panels from the firewall forward , as smooth as you like , tall narrow wide whites on the back , smaller version of the same on the front , extend the front frame rails , sectioning would be a bas**rd but raising the rear arches would be achievable , if you must have satin or matt black on the body then pre-empt the trend and have the chassis finished to top standard , possibly in flake or metalic as second choice and the fire wall in cream (it's the law !, or should be) and finish the interior !!! all the metal in body colour and the upholstry with flake inserts on the wearing areas.
   Right! , all my clothes hanging up in the bathrtoom to dry, most of the grease washed off of the kebab ( mainly down my trousers ) , that's me in for the night , damm the weather ,  might have tarried for one or maybe two too long at the Bear , but thats Saturday nights for you , the world put to rights,  I shall retire to dream of a donated two door Morris 1000 shell and  my little hot rod to be

PS , the chop should be tapered , more at the front than the rear

Right on!  ;DThat sounds sweet! 8)

Nice to meet you today Shaun and Hayley. We got home ok!

What has that brother of mine been drinking?!
O.K, so are we talking plans for my car, Shaun's or your own?

Who cares! ;D Sonds kool no matter who does it! 8)

And wheres your piccies from today boss monkey?

That's Mister Monkey to you!
O.K, O.K, I'll post 'em in a sec. Been busy watching CSI on DVD on my PC .
I can't decide -fenderless trad 50s hotrod Pop, or full fendered high riding, flip fronted 70s Pop?
I was thinking tall skinny original Pop front wheels, with banded fat Pop rims out back under widened arches. Savage roofchop, satin black paint with the MMMotors logo in white on the bootlid. Just two recovered Pop seats in black leather -as someone pointed out today, once it's chopped there ain't gonna be much passenger space in the back -especially if I fit that Jag motor!  ;D

I like 50s fenderless myself, but your going to have to decide! Plenty of time yet though! I didnt know you are a Csi fan? Ive got series 3 of miami on dvd somewhere, the one thats not been shown in the UK yet, if you would care for a copy?

I've seen lots of odd episodes from different series on TV, but thought I'd get methodical about it so watching series one of Miami at the moment.

A posting from the NSRA forum, sent in by Brock. Jolly nice.

HERE WE GO ITS CRAZY DAVES PICK UP. YES ITS THE REMAINS OF A FORDSON SCUTTLE ON A 32 RAILS. USING SALOON DOORS AND A MINOR PICKUP REAR CAB SECTION. THEIR HAS BEEN LOTS OF ONE OFF MODS ON THIS PICKUP. PREFECT FRONT BONNET WITH A HOME MADE GRILL. REAL NICE BONNET SIDE PANELS WITH THE SWAGE LINE THAT FLOWS WITH THE DOORS. MODDED MODEL Y DASH. WILL BE ON THE ROAD SOON CHECK IT OUT WHEN YOU SEE IT THEIR IS SOME REAL NICE TOUCHES ON IT.
ITS GOING TO BE HIS DAILY FOR HIS PAINT SHOP.

Oh yes, that is what I'm after ;D ;D ;D ;D any more pickies please :P :P :P :P

I like the look of the front grill. How was the bubbly  ;D

First bottle gone ;D ;D ;D thank you so much :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

Thats ok mate  ;D

The only pics I could find. The fibreglass Moggy pick up back in the second photo is identical to the one I fitted on my Minor.

I have "popped" ::) over to the HSRA forum and been in touch with the guy who posted the pictures, he has offered to answer any questions I have.

"Borrowed" these from the Volksrods forum, this is the mutts doo-da's :P :P :P :P big inspiration for the idea's in my head for my Pop, couple this with the truck easlier in the thread and you can see where I'm going.... :-* :-* :-\

and more

Yup, I concur. That's gorgeous. I'd be very tempted to "pick up" mine too, but the body's in too good nick. It'd be a shame to cut it up. Plus the curves of the back end of the Pop bodies are just too nice to chop. I reckon I'll end up building mine in typical 70s style -arse end in the air with fat rubber & maybe IRS, although I'm still undecided about the front wings. I love the look of the tall skinny front tyres & they'd be lost under full front wings. Not sure.   

Send the wings back to me and go naked :o :you know it makes sense :-* :-* :-*, the arse in the air Pop has been done to death, mine is being sacrificed to a greater good, namely a pickup ;D ;D ;D not to many Pop pickups about and no fenderless ones that I have seen ;D ;D :P :P :-* :-\

might use my cut off rear :o :o as a base for a trailer 8) 8)

This just isn't fair >:( >:( >:( I think it is a blatant misuse of power  :( :( I purchased my Pop first but manky has more pages :'( :'( :'( :'( this is blatant favouritism, just cause he is top Manky ::) ::) :P :'( ;) :-*

Post lots of Pictures!!

OK

More

Nice overalls!  ;)

I had an email today from Pete, who goes under the name of 3inchchop on the NSRA forum. He writes:


I bought  "Bella " 2 years ago. The lady who had her before me raced her at shaky. I stripped her down to bare metal, which was a nightmare -she was in a bit of a state; dodgy wiring, rust, etc, but I was fortunate enough to have friends in the car world who box-welded the chassis etc for me. She has a 2.1 Pinto. I wanted to put in a v8 but the bulkhead was in good condition and I didnt want to cut her out -in case I cocked it up!
My advice to you about the roof chop is not to go too extreme. 3 inches is plenty. I'm 6 ft 1 and sat in a Pop which had a 4 inch chop but I felt hemmed in. It also depends on what seats you are using. Best try them in the Pop first then you have an idea of vision -please dont think I'm an expert, this was my first build. I made mistakes along the way but it's a learning curve. I would also recommend talking to people on the NSRA website forum. I found their help and advice great. Kris at Pop Browns has also been helpful. He gives out good free advice.
                                      Pete

.

I always think it's really useful to listen to people who are NOT experts and have less experience - the experts take it for granted that know stuff that you don't!  When I was rebuilding my Superdream I usewd to read Motorcycle Mechanics magazine which some folks slated cos the people doing the rebuilds were a bit amateurish and made mistakes - I found it very useful to learn by others' mistakes rather than my own!  And it made me feel cleverer than I am!

nice motors lads keep up the good work ,and bobbi were all human and every body makes mistakes :o :o its called learning  not to make that mistake again :D

If we learn by our mistakes I should be a bloomin' genius by now!  :P

Nice Pop that Andy, here are a couple of pictures of mine, before and after(ish) ;D ;D ;D

That looks more like Blue Peter than Photoshop.  ;D

I want one  :(

That's well KOOL!! that is Shaun, if it turns out anything like that it'll be a truly awesome motor.

Nowt wrong with Blue Peter, this is pure scissors and prittstick ;D ;D ;D

Cheers mate, I hope it does ;D ;D ;D

Not forgetting the sticky back plastic  ;D

No chuffing sticky back whatsit used, just good old prittstick ;) mine's gonna be cooler than yours :P :P :P :P

My mate Grizz posted this to me, what do you think??

Slowly catching you up Mankey ;D ;D

even more ;) :P :P :-*

getting there ;)

Sod it!!!!!!!!! I'm knackered off to bed ;) ;D :P :P :P :-*

I quite like that but he's still pining for a pickup  ::) ::)

I'd frame it and put it on the wall!

 ;D

Had planned a day "Popping" but it has decided to p1ss down, so a day on the puter instead :( :( :(

just been offered all I need from a ratty Pop, must make a list ;D ;D ;D

Anything I can nick?

will check what is available and let you know ;)

Spent most of today stripping out my Pop, it now sits with no wings, rear glass etc. Found quite a bit of rot in the boot area hidden with pug ::) but as I'm chopping all that off I'm not to bothered. If all my measuring is correct and I move the rear wheels/axle back 10" I should end up with a pickup bed 60-62" long and around 35" wide, plenty big enough for what I want ;D ;D just awaiting a call from "Welder Man" so I can plan the roof chop etc, can't wait ;D ;D

I have been offered a pair of 205/75 x 16 tyres (1 brand new on Suzuki Jeep rims) will these fit on my 16" Taxi rims ? these rims are approx 5" wide.

No idea mate, but Tazet's got 4 white Weller 8 spokes with tyres, from Suzuki jeeps if they're any use.

The ones behind my shed are 195 R15 94Q and they are about 6" wide (the rims). I will check the ones that are on both my Sukis for you when I get into work.

What's the latest on your project then Shaun?

All gone a little quiet :( I'm waiting for my mate Grizz to fit me in to his Indian building schedule for the roof chop, hopefully early may.
hoping to get the glass out today, will let you know.

Found this shot in an old thread. I love this. Sits just right.

That is perfect, not to sure I could get away with my Pop being that low due to the entrance to Royal mail Tonbridge. ::)

 ;D
I used to have a mate in the Moggy Minor owners club -we were the only two custom owners there & the restoration guys used to look down on us scruffy 'erberts, so we always ended up in the corner on our own discussing roofchops & channelling. I had a Fiat engined pick up & he had a drastically lowered saloon. He attended Guildford university, which is on the top of a steep hill. Unfortunately his Moggy was too low to make it over the speed bumps so he had to park it at the bottom of the hill & trudge up on foot each day.

May one suggest using air suspension?, flick a switch up for more clearance when over the hump otherway for down.;D

Would love to but that stuff costs money I don't have :(

just been offered an Escort back axle for my Pop ;D only trouble is it comes with a Mark 2 Cortina 1600 engine, gear box and prop, Jammy git or what  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D did I mention that it is free :P :P :P

mk2 cortina engine yummy ;D thats what i intend using on my next trike.

sounds like someones got trikus buildas syndrome ya makes one and its never enough ya jus gots to build another ,an another ;D ;D ;D

Haven't done much due to the fact the old girl is sitting on my drive and it hasn't really stopped raining for around 3 yrs (well it feels that long ::) ::))
Hoping to get her under cover very soon so we can start chopping ;D ;D ;D :-\ :-\

Oooh, give us a shout before you fire up the grinder mate! I wanna be there to witness that first cut!  :o

Me too. I'll be ready with the bandaid  ;D

Speaking to a guy at Burnham auto's last night, he has chopped pops before and this time is only going 2 " as his last one was 4" and he thinks that was far to much for an everyday driver. I told him I wanted to go 3" and he thinks that is just about right for what I want but he would only go 2" himself. So Grizz has an allie in his quest for the 2" chop ::) ::) ::) ;D

I still want 4! 2 seems hardly worth all the effort.

still not done anything as the bloody rain will not stop and I have been let down on the storage front :'( :'(

You're not alone Shaun. Mine's still sat, untouched, under a tarpaulin outside Loony's workshop -I hope.

Was still there last time I looked, tarpaulin billowing in the wind! ;D

Won't be long now Loony. Promise!  ;)

Not like ive exactly rocketed ahead with my projects is it! You achieved more than lil doug so far, at least yours is covered up, he has'nt even managed to do that!

got my storage/workshop space ;D just need to get the Pop up there now ;D ;D

Feet through the floor & trundle it up there Flintstones style.  :)

Don't give him ideas. He probably would.  ;D ;D

   :P :P :P

Well the Pop is up the Barn now and I had Grizz around for tea and a chat on Sunday.
He will possibly coming over this weekend with his tools if he can get the gas bottles for his welder.
So Manky we may be cutting this weekend if all goes well.

Grizz has almost talked me out of a pickup conversion with his Bonneville style road burner idea, but I am hanging in there (just) we will see this coming weekend which way the grinder falls. If we go Bonnie it will be chopped by more than 3 " and also channeled as well with the front axle right out front on a suicide perch.
God I hate indecision ::) but I think the pickup will win out in the end.

Manky will be upset as I'm away with my mum this weekend and he will have no transport to get to you. Could you not hold out till next Saturday.

Can't come over on the Saturday either  :(
Will be working in the morning, then at the Valley Gas Speed Shop chilli night in Berkshire in the evening. It's also the Kempton autojumble that day but we won't have time to do it.
Have you decided yet?

not up to me I'm afraid, Grizz is giving me his time and skill for free so I am at his mercy...sorry :-\

Understood. I had a highly skilled team working on my car too.  ;D
Keep us up to date with the progress please mate.

will do Andy and in the off chance it isn't this weekend I will let you know.

T'missus is away this weekend & there's not much I can do on the trike until I've scraped together a few quid -so I'm tempted to go & chop the roof off me jam jar!
Depends if Lunatic's free to go open up his workshop for me. I've read roof chopping features in magazines a million times but it's gonna be a different matter when I'm stood in front of the car with an angle grinder. Where do you start? I didn't actually wield the grinder when we cut the back of the body off -dunno why, just didn't get around to it & busy taking photos. So I'd like to get stuck in to the choppy/cutty/weldy stuff this time. 

Im about all weekend buddy. Lets chop 'er up! Might as well get on with the body for a bit while you decide about the chassis, engine, etc. Give me a call matey.

Woo Hoo! A roof chopping race!  ;D
I'll ring you tomorrow & arrange times, donut collection etc. Will need a lift please cos Taz is away & I'm carless. And careless.
Been chatting to Postie_Dave & I still want to go with the 1700 Consul engine. It'd be cool to have a 50s Brit motor in a 50s Brit rod & it'd be different from the usual Rover set up, plus it'd be far more useable as an everyday driver. Dave reckons his Consul will pull 70 - 75 easily & then creep up to 80 -90, (about the same as our Reliant trikes). That's in a 2 ton car. So should be good for 100 in a 6 ounce pick up truck.
Was thinking today -if I Z the chassis at the front to drop the cab lower to the deck, what happens to the propshaft? The engine bay will be higher than the body, so do I end up with a very high tunnel through the middle of the cab?
The bod was only temporarly nailed to the chasis anyway so I very much doubt it was straight & true. I'm hoping if we can add a few more braces before we peel off the lid, it'll be as stiff as it would be bolted to the chassis rails.
Should be another interesting day down at the Loony Farm.  :P

Cool. Speak to you tomorrow then.
Yes, if you z the chassis, then the centre tunnel would have to be quite high, but you can mount the engine a little lower to help. Depends how low the sump hangs. I still need convincing about the consul engine! But it would definately look the part in there.
I think if we add a X shape brace along the door tops, sort of where the pillars meet the body, that should keep it straight. The roof shouldnt be too bad as it has the remenants of the roof insert frame in it. The only problem I can see is that we really should remove the doors to chop the roof, then chop the doors after. That would mean some X braces in the door openings too.
But we can sort it out!

as long as you dont use the marque poles :)

'Course we can sort it -we're professionals we are!  :P ???
Erm, we used the marquee poles for all the other braces!
Taz has taken my camera away with her for the weekend, so have you got one handy?
I'll text Dave & Janie & see if they're available to help. Dave should have his newly skimmed cylinder head back by now so might even be able to persuade them to bring the Consul so we can have a measure up of the engine. I've got the basic block, bell housing & gearbox of my Connie motor in my lock up but no way of getting it to your place. I was thinking twin SU carbs with big polished bellmouths poking out the open bonnet sides, with the engine painted in Ford bottle green, against the pale green bodywork. A column gearshift would be pretty cool too.
Have we hijacked Shaun's Pop thread here?!

not the £60 marque poles!!!of loonies

Ahh, no don't worry, not those poles. We had a second set of stand-in stunt poles for the dangerous bits.

:) was getting worried then

If the marquee's only knee high next time we use it you'll know we cut up the wrong poles.

rofl

Bloody pirates >:( >:( >:( :P

Remove the doors and chop the tops off them and then replace and bolt to the body, I think thats the way Grizz mentioned doing mine. Then Chop off the old roof and way hay a convertible lump of scrap oops I mean classic car ;)

If we keep chopping bits off without welding new bits on there wont be much of it left soon! At least its lighter to move around now!

I think you will need the doors fitted when you chop the top, plus you can then cut the door tops down to fit the opening once the roof has been welded back in place.

I have to agree it would look the part, but have been told they are Blooming heavy. You would be better off getting a Pinto or something similar.

'Tis heavy -about the same as the Rover V8 I think, but I like the idea of keeping as much 50s stuff as I can on it. Recycling at it's best!

might as well slap a diesel in the way fuels going up:(

hmmm, Consul, lovely. 56bhp , 22mpg , 0-60 in 25 seconds with 4.11 sprint gears in the diff ! LDV's vary from 3.7 to 4.1:1 so not much change there but taller tyres should see that slowed down and with only 56 horses pulling you along you may not see any benifits at the other end of the scale, on the plus side there are that few of them you could probably give them names. It's a five hundred weight coffee table, do a search for Zetec ( and then buy one ) No one sets out to build a cold rod

Sigh.
So it's back to the good ol' Rover V8 then.
Definitely don't want a modern Zetec engine in there. Don't particularly want a V8 but if it has to be, it has to be I suppose.

hmm reliant scimitar v6..heavy as hell but in keeping with the MMM brand :) oh s**t Sorry Shaun yer thread again :(

 :P :P :P :P :P

Done a bit of chopping today ;D ;D

So have we  :P

.

wow u pair:)

 ;D
Full photo gallery of today's work in the Motors, 4 wheels, Manky's Pop Project bit, here:

Pop top chop (http://mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/Hotrodpageimages/pop21.10.07/gallery2/index.htm)

I'm off for a bath to wash the grinding & filler dust off, then I'll try & explain what's been done in my own thread, (sorry Shaun -hijacked yours again!).

looking damn fine there Manky...as ever the loyal Loonie and PD are at hand again :) good on yers Gents :)

More a case of me mumbling through a mouthful of donut "O.K, let's do that bit next", then watching as they do all the work.
Just the way it should be.  ;D

Those doors won't shut mate, just a warning ;D ;D

I will update you all soon, been to France today so I'm a little knackered  :P :P and off to Poole tomorrow for a meeting with the great Mr Andy Saunders to photograph Picasso.

It's called delegation  ;D

Got any other pics Shaun. This will be interesting to see how they turn out as you are both going about it in different ways. So you gonna feature Pop Chop Part one in the next mag Shaun?

Picasso -the penny's just dropped. That's the Citroen 2CV with all the body panels mixed up isn't it? I've seen it in a magazine or a newspaper somewhere in the last week or so.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Gotta apologize for being a little quiet these last couple of weeks :-[ being a full time postie (60+ hrs a week) plus a budding media mogul has taken its toll and I have had a very anti computer few weeks.
Spent last Sunday chopping the Pop's top and then this Sunday (today) fitting the cab back. well I say me but it was all my mate Grizz's work, I just hand him things and make the tea :-[ :-[ :-[.
The rear cab has been tacked in place and it took a fair amount of work to get it in and looking decent. I will post a pick of how it looks now but that doesn't show the amount of cutting, bending and hammering it took to get it this far. I'm as fuffed as chuck with it and it is turning out exactly how I imagined it. well here it is guy's and gal's... what do ya think so far??? :-* :-* :-*

Looking good!

smart as fluff :) are u go0nna get the body off after the alterations to do the chassis? and im assuming yer extending the back a bit? are u binning the front wings ?

You git! You utter, utter git!
We're err, ever so slightly behind you. Getting there though.
Looks fabulous mate. How did you attach the cab back? Did you cut off the bolt-on flange on the Moggy panel & weld in a flat steel strip under the roof joint? Have you cut the cab back & widened it or made lots of "pie cuts" around the top corners & stretched it out to suit? No rot in your gutters like mine then? I suspect you may be on the road before me!
Well done Shaun. Send Grizz down here when you've finished with him please!

Don't forget that I paid more for my Pop so it should be in slightly better condition ::) but the tin worm had been very busy and Grizz reckons it was very close to being uneconomical to restore :o :o also Grizz has done all this before, many moons ago but he still has it all stored away  ;D ;D ;D

Cue photos of men proudly displaying their tools.
Grizz...

...and Lunatic.

never thought I would say this :o but grizz looks the nuttier of the two ::) ::) ::) thank god  ;D ;D ;D :-*

Ah appearances can be decieving!  ;D

Yes they can.  ;D

here is how my old girl is looking at the moment,(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/panthershaun/P1020253Small.jpg)

Got one small problem though :-\ my spare chassis with the engine/box and axle attached is locked in a field and we can't get to it :'( :'( :'(

Is this the cross flow motor you talked of fitting Shaun?
If you need standard Pop stuff, I've got a gearbox & back axle you can have.
How's the bodywork going?

it is :-\ hope to get permission soon.
If I cant use the crossflow I am thinking MX5 or maybe a French flattie :o :o ::)

I think Namco, over our way, have crated French flatheads in stock. Loads of dosh. You must be doing plenty of overtime! How'd the birthday go?

Grizz was offered a crated french flattie last year for a grand, which is a lot but still within the "reasonable" price range.
Not doing hardly any overtime, will explain more when I next see you in person.
Birthday went well, Thai take away and plenty of fizz ;D ;D

C'mon, just for me and any other higgerunt peeps reading this - what's a french flattie?  Sounds like something that shouldn't be discussed till after the watershed!

Flathead V8 out of a french military vehicle I belive. A grand seems steep though, they were doing them pulled out of vehicles for something like 400 quid a while ago. Dont know who though, twas in a magazine. The few people who Ive met with flatties say that you had better enjoy doing head gaskets! We are gonna whoop ya ass in mankys super rover powered beast! ;D

http://www.rrservices.co.uk/index2.html

   from my mate Steve who owns a jeep, He says "a grand seems cheap for a complete unit " You could always trade the lot against a tank

theres only one problem with the "french flatties"....they only have one forward gear,but they have 4 reverse gears lol  ;D ;D

"Thai take away and plenty of fizz".

"You like Thai?"
"Tie great. You like shirt?"
                                      -God bless Homer Simpson. ;D

Loony, PD & I collected my Rover motor this afternoon. Thanks to Postie_Dave for the shout on that one. It came from a drag car a few years ago, though I don't think it's race tuned. It was bought to put into a Granada but the new owner found a Cosworth engine instead so it's been sat in his garage for the last 4 years.
We arrived at the guy's house in Basingstoke this afternoon in the pouring rain & he fired it up for us.
Wump, wump, wump, rooaarr, crob, crob, crob...
Oooh, it sounded damn good with just the headers on! Never seen an engine fired up like that before, just sat on the ground & hooked up to a battery & fuel can. Ran fine. A bargain for 200 quid for the engine & auto box -& he delivered it to my lock up for free, though it was a bit of a struggle for the 4 of us to lift it up into the back of his Transit pick up! I'll post a pic of it sat next to my litttle trike in the lock up on my own Pop thread soon. Sorry Shaun, hijacking your thread again. :)
Can't wait to see the motor sat in front of the Pop cab now.

Bloody pirates >:( >:( >:( >:( nice one Andy.
Well things have slowed a little for me, Grizz is booked solid for the next few weeks so that just leaves me and my trusty angle grinder to remove all the bits we don't need ;D ;D my chassis is in a less than happy state so I really need to get hold of the spare so we can move on come the new year.
I will post a few pic's when I am not so tired and a little more sober  :P :P :P :P :-*

oooooooooooooo a man with a warm tool lol

Righto, progress update. No work has been don eon the Pop due to the sh1* weather but I have purchased an MGB GT Engine/box prop and back axle and I managed to pickup 15 inch steel wheels to fit the MGB axle and the spitfire front hubs once I have had them modified to Ford Stud pattern.
More as it happens ;D

hi dude i have a rover v8 if it would help my be we could help each other

daza

i am after steel front wings among other stuff give me a call 07930 877327

daza ( shabby)

Hi Shabby.
I sold my front wings last year mate sorry

thanks anyway

Picked up my boxing kit and sills from the Nice Mr Pop Brown and dropped off my Spitfire hubs to be converted to Ford stud pattern as I happen to have a pair of Hillman Minx 15" wheels sitting in my shed and a brand new pair of 135/15 (2CV to you guys) tyres waiting to go on them  ;D ;D
I have a miss-matched pair of A55 rear wheels to go on the back, so if anyone bumps into Mr Spannerfingers can they get him to contact me please  :-* :-*  I also have some TR6 wheels to use in the meantime but I would rather have front and rear matching.
Thats it for now, I only have a few day's left in the UK and then its 3 weeks in France for me  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

You been doing some overtime Shaun?!
Taz & I are off to the local bike meet this evening & SpannerFingers is due to be there on his newly acquired Beezer, so I'll nudge him to contact you.
Enjoy your hols!

just phoned Steve at Boston engineering they don't band wheels :( it was a one of for Steve's mates that got a mention in a mag just thought I would let every one know  :) also does anyone know anyone else who does banned wheels I need a couple doing  ;D

Blimey that was ages ago!! We never used them in the end, but the guy did say he was doing them and put pics and his number up. Manky has a number for a top guy from the retro rides forum who did the moggy ones for taz's trike or try www.wide-wheels.co.uk.

just spoke to James about wheel banding he cant do mine they are to big to fit in his lathe but he said he can do others so his number is 07738055638 if anyones interested now to try wide-wheels lol ;D fingers crossed

just a little update, the chassis is now boxed and I can't speak highly enough of Pop Browns boxing kit, fitted a treat and with only minimal tweaking and trimming.
The front axle is now sitting in my shed with the Spitfire hubs trial fitted and the Minx wheels on. I couldn't believe how easy it was to fit the triumph hubs and I even used the bearing that came out of the Pop's hubs. I managed to get another pair of A55 wheels and they are now fitted to the MGB axle and loosely rolled into place under the rear of the chassis.
It is starting to look like a car again ;D ;D but still a long way to go. Pictures soon.

cant wait to see pics dude  ;D ;D ;D

hi shaun,
sounds like your making good progress,
yep truimph hubs fit easily onto pop stubs.
have you had them redrilled?  i've a pair here with morris 1000 4x4" pattern(converted by pop browns!!)
a55 wheels, are they 15"? as my volvo back axle has mgb pcd.

cheers chris.

Yep front hubs redrilled by Mr Pop Brown and now fitted with 15" Hillman Minx wheels and skinny 2cv tyres.
A55 rear wheels on an MGB rear axle. I do have 3 Triumph TR6 wheels which are 5.5J x 15 for sale if you are interested? they fit onto an MGB axle.
Measured the track of the MGB axle today and compared it to the original Pop axle,3 inches wider (I think the wheels sit further in on the MGB axle) and the Spitfire hubs increase the front track by a couple of inches making almost even track front and rear  ;D ;D ;D God I'm lucky sometimes  ;D ;D ;D ::) :-* :-* ;)
The chassis was polished and all the welds tidied today, front suspension has been bolted on and now just waiting for some more free time to get the engine and box and rear axle fitted.
Will post pic's soon I promise :-[ :-[

tidy carnt wait to see it dude  :D :D

Wow, I'm impressed Shaun. Your project's suddenly coming on in leaps & bounds while mine's ground to a halt, (sidelined it to try & get my trike finished but not making much progress on that either at the moment). O.K, I'm curious about the Spitfire hubs. Just how easy are they to fit to the Pop axle & where can I get some?!

Ahhhhh big problems with the Spitfire hubs mate ::) ::) ::) but I can't think of any  :P :P :P They are a straight swap, even the Pop's old wheel bearings fit, all that is needed are some spacers to locate the hubs for the new caliper mounts, which I haven't done yet ;D ;D I may know of a pair local to me if interested???

Ooh, yuss please.  ;D

spent some time with Poppy yesterday, getting the engine positioned and measured up to start making the crossmembers/engine mounts.
Also had another look at the front suspension, I think I may push the front axle forward onto a suicide perch just behind the grill, this will stop the nose looking too much like a tractor and will also drop the front by a couple of inches. I wasn't planning on doing this but it just looked so much better when mocked up.
Hope to get back up the barn next saturday and do some more.

This is moving so much slower then Manky's, but i will be done for the Hayride ;D ;D ;D :-*

Hang in there Shaun. Looking forward to wooping your ass comparing notes on performance on the dirt oval next year.  ;)

Ha Ha Ha Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  ;D ;D ;D still no progress :P :P :P :-*

Done a bit more :P :P :P

Watcha done, watcha done?

Lifted the cab off the old chassis and onto the "new" one, mocked the engine in place and well thats it really ;D ;D looking at maybe channeling the old girl a few inches, going to cut the legs on my Pop seats down first and see how much head room that leaves me ::)

Piccies! We need piccies!

unfortunately I left my camera at home ::) ::) might be able to get up there one afternoon this week, I'm on earlys for a month ;D ;D ;D ;D

I'm on holiday for the rest of this week. So much to do!

get rodding dude :P :P :P

Will do.  ;)

well I moved the Pop into its new home today, I'm out of the tractor shed and into a covered area  ;D rents gone up by a tenner a week but it means I don't have to cover her up everytime I go home.
Working out how to mount the engine and gearbox tonight, got to beat the Mankies  ;D ;D ;D :-*

Shouldn't be difficult to beat us mate.  :(
Well done on the move. That should help progress a bit. C'mon then, get rodding!

nothing like having walls and a roof heh Shaun ;D one day i'll be in mine ;D

Just picked up the new issue of Brit Chopper, (volume 2, issue 15), & checked out PantherShaun's next Pop build instalment. Thanks for the namecheck Shaun.  ;D

Would have been well stuffed without the chassis mate ;) owe you big time ;D ;D ;D ;D but that still won't stop me from thrashing your ass at the hayride09 ;D ;D ;D ;D

 ;D
Yeah, yeah, yeah -we'll see.   :P

purchased the metal to fab the gearbox crossmember last week, 3ft of thickwall box, 2ft angle, several off cuts of 6mm plate and it all cost me a massive £5.00  :o ;D ;D so up the barn today to start fabbing yippeeee  gonna take the camera this time so that I can get some more progress photo's.

p.s. notice the name change on the thread? found out that my '58 "Pop" is actually a 40's Anglia despite what the V5 said ::) so I'm building an Anglia pickup ;D ;D ;D ;D

 ;D
Piccies! Lots of piccies please -so I can pinch ideas from you.
Mine's an Anglia too -a '53, but whenever I tell people that, they think it's the notch backed Harry Potter flying car type, so I stick with "Pop" cos it's easier!
Fabrication at last -that's the fun bit!  :D

My first car was an Anglia - if talking about it I always describe it as 'the old black sit-up-and-beg Ford Anglia' so people know what I mean.  Yopu do realise it's much more exclusive to have the Anglia as it was the posh export version?  That's what I was told anyway, dunno what the differences are.

Mine's got side air vents -"crotch coolers" as someone called 'em, & a seperate Bakelite dashboard instead of the integral steel one, although I'm using a Bakelite Ford Prefect one. There's several different radiator grilles too, but not sure which belong to which models. Mine's got the most common version with 2 vertical slots.

Spent 4 hours in the barn yesterday fabbing the gearbox cross member and engine mounts, the engine and box are now fitted. Popped (get it ;D ;D) cab back on the chassis to have a look at channeling it over the chassis, think I'm going to go for 4 inches. So with the current ride height being almost standard (slightly smaller tyres) she measures 63 inches to the top of the roof, when she is channeled it should take it down to around 59.
I'm also going to fit the front axle on a suicide perch out front and that should drop her another couple of inches so I'm looking at around 56/57 inches to roof top, not far off yours Manky ;D ;D ;D ;D
No photo's I'm afraid as I was so into it I didn't stop ::) ::) ::) :P

Cool! So with the same roofchop as mine, but the body chanelled as well, which effectively raises the floor level inside the cab, you're gonna have your head squashed against the roof!
How did you manage to lift the cab on your own?

I don't think the space in the cab is much smaller than Hayley's car, gonna fit the seats on the floor so it will be a bit like my old Triumph Spitfires driving position, still gonna be a bugger trying to see those traffic lights :o :o still I can see it now...... Officer_-- why didn't you stop at the red light sir, Me-- I didn't see it osiffer,  Officer-- why, are you blind sir?, Me-- no I'm not, but all I can see is the bonnet ;D ;D ;D ;D
Had a mate round to give me a hand and we lifted the cab back on together.
Looks like I may be getting some parts from the states at a really good rates, can't tell you what yet but they is going to be well cool :P :P :P :-*

My body's still too wibbly wobbly to lift, & so's the car.
Appropriate that we're both Posties as we're gonna be driving cars with letter box sized windscreens.  8)
Stateside stuff? You been on Ebay again? My guess is wheels.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D not wheels and not eBay :P :P :P :P

shiny bits................gota be shiny......... 8)

nope, but they are old genuine parts ;D ;D (not Pop either ;))

anglia? ;D ::)

Hmm. "parts", not part. Lights I reckon.

Ooohh I like surprises  ;D ;D ;D will have to wait and see.

No news on the stateside parts yet so you will have to keep waiting ;D ;D.

Spent around 6 hrs up the barn yesterday and about the same today, so blooming cold it takes me around 2 hrs to actually get going once I'm up there (-2 all day). Well I've dropped the cab over the chassis around 4 inches, so with the 3 inch roof chop and 4 inch channel I have 7 inches less head room, good job I'm a short arse ;D ;D ;D The front tyres are around 2 inches smaller than the old 17 inch cross ply's plus I'm pushing the front axle forwards and lowering the chassis around 3 inches so all told the Pop should sit around a foot lower than a standard one. Not bad considering I'm using a standard chassis and it hasn't been Zedded, may even go lower with the suspension once I have the body mounted correctly, I think she stands at 57 inches to the top of the roof ;D ;D ;D ;D

As you can see I have a state of the art workshop ;D ;D ;D ;D

Looking good Mr Shaun! Not fair -your car looks so much more solid than ours! Can't even open the doors on ours yet. Daren't take the body off while it's still all braced up with bits of tube inside. Love those blue wheels -are they staying that colour?

looks are deceiving Andy, my Pop is bloody rotten :'( :'( got to replace the A panels AND the lower door hinge mount on the drivers side, think I'm going to cut it out and weld in a nice bit of box ;D ;D ;D.

Question time ::) how are you mounting your body to the chassis? and how are you setting up the steering box and are you using the original Pop one???

really could do with some warmer weather ::) ::) ::) :P

Warmer weather, ha. You ought to be down here trying to give all these horses water with only one tap on the whole estate not frozen and typicaly it's not near any stables or fields. Think I've well and truly buggered my back lugging water canisters about so -2 is bugger all when we've been having -5 and colder here.

ah but you are moving about and not crawling around and old rusty heap :P :P :P :-*

So there! Who you calling an old heap?!
I bought repair panels for the A posts from Pop Browns, which should sort out the bottom hinge mounts. Also bought repair sections for the bottoms of both doors, which are pretty rotten on mine.
Someone gave me a pile of L shaped brackets in 4 or 5mm mild steel. Think they're used in building or fencing or something. We'll probably weld a series of mounting tabs to the new box section chassis & bolt the body down on those. At the moment I'm making a tubular frame which will weld to the chassis & run up the inside of the A posts & across under the dash to hold the steering column & pedals. The front of the body will bolt to that. There'll also be some sort of tubular framework around the back of the cab, if only to give us somewhere solid to mount seatbelts & stuff. Hoping to have all the tubework welded to the chassis with the body lifting off over it. Maybe.
Yup, using the original Pop steering box, mated to Brock's Moggy Minor column & wheel. Haven't sorted the details yet, but will follow Odgie's example on his Pop based special, as detailed in the past couple of issues of Custom Car magazine.  

spent some time up the barn yesterday, not as long as planned as the slave cylinder on the Land Rovers clutch gave up the ghost on the way up there :-\ (teach me for buying cheap pattern parts ::) ::)) so I had to nurse her home before the rush hour traffic ;D ;D.
But I did set up the chassis and body level and started to cut my new inner sills which I will weld into place once I have the A post repair sections. This will tie the front and rear of the cab together at floor level.
I'm going to have to fab a new upright to bolt the lower door hinge to as mine has rotted away almost completely, door drops 2 inches when opened :'( :'( so I will probably beef up that whole area to give me something solid to bolt to the chassis.
Didn't get above -2 yesterday and its currently -3 and I'm about to go out and fix the LR.......

Aah, the joys of classic vehicle ownership!

That's looking good Shaun. Definately not the weather to be fixing motors. Workshop has not got above freezing for a while now ::) Looks like it's gonna warm up Sunday (8 c) Must get me shorts ready!!!

my fault mate :-[ purchased a cheap pattern part rather than spend the extra £25.00, false economy really as I had to spend 4 hours on my drive working on the bugger in - temps but all fixed now ;D ;D ;D ( I hope)

We've still got Posties at work wearing shorts.  :o
It was minus sixteen when my nephew took his Christmas pressie out to play in the Canadian sunshine.

His Dad, Baggie, got a nice bottle of Ice Wine for Christmas. Maybe that'd warm you up in the workshop Shaun!

yes please ;D ;D ;D

not much to report, purchased the 3mm sheet that I'm going to make my fire wall/bulkhead out of and also picked up a nice large sheet (well half a sheet ::)) 1.2mm which is going to form the lower skin on the cab.
I have also fabricated a frame which holds the weight of the rear of the cab and sits on a plate that will be bolted to a bracket welded onto the chassis. I have tried the new sills in place and with no weight on the chassis it gives me 8 inches of ground clearance under them but I still have around 12 under the chassis and engine ;D ;D

no pictures yet I'm afraid as light in the shed is not to good ::) ::)

Maybe a candle-lit artist's impression? Did you buy new sills Shaun, or have you fabricated your own?

new budget sills from Mr Pop Brown, make all the difference to the finish I think, actually makes it look finished.
I do have a picture on my camera of one mocked in place, I will upload it later. ;D ;D

Yes please. We've yet to even think about sills. Got the originals put by somewhere in the workshop, but the ends were quite rotten so would need some surgery to rebuild them.

I plan to make new internal ones as I have dropped the body 4 inches and also weld in the repro sills so it should be nice and strong.

Taz & I travelled to darkest Kent yesterday to Mr Shaun's secret rural workshop, surrounded by rare breed poultry & Highland cattle. Very nice but bloomin' cold.
Interesting to compare notes with a fellow Pop pick-upper. Difficult to say for certain without the two parked side by side, but Shaun's roof chop seems slightly less than ours, (my doors are still tack welded shut. I can't climb through the side window of mine but probably could through Shaun's). Taz says she can easily rest a cup of coffee on the roof of mine, but can't on Shaun's. Although the bodywork looks very similar, Shaun's is riding a couple of inches higher, presumably cos he's running the standard chassis, with the body channelled over it, whereas we've gone the more drastic route of a complete new chassis with a big kick up at either end, which drops the cab down low in the middle.

Shaun's kept the full length Moggy Minor cab back, with it's angled bottom edge. On mine, we've cut it off at bottom-of-window height as the rest was rotted out.
At the moment he's got the standard Pop seats but hopes to fit MG ones. Sitting in his cab, I was able to check out what mine will feel like for the first time. The cab's quite narrow -when driving, I'll be able to open the passenger window with no trouble at all. No need for leccy windows here! We were expecting that, but I was suprised at how far away the dashboard will be. The footwells are small but there's plenty of legroom. Shaun's welded in laser cut chassis strengthening plates, courtesy of Pop Browns.
My own Pop will be an all out hotrod, Shaun's will be more of a vintage truck. Nice.

This old Marcos lays, abandoned & unloved, outside Shaun's workspace. Such a shame. It's not his by the way!

Shaun's Citroen 2CV -a future project maybe.

i loved them marcos creations in yrs gone by tis sad to see it lying there like that :( and i thought shaun liked the cv's where's the bloody body gone ;D

Yes it was criminal to see that Marcos like that. I just wanted to take it home with us and love it and look after it like it should be.

hmm yeah especially when u think about the price tag they had in kit form alone :( having visited many kitcar events

Thats at home on the driveway sitting on the old 2cv chassis ;)

I'm not sure about the history of the Marcos, but this one is I'm told a genuine factory built one and not a kit put together in a shed/garage.....

Good to see you both, sorry the weather I ordered didn't arrive  ::) ::) next time you see the Anglia it will be parked outside Loony's workshop when I drive it down  ;D ;D 8)

See you next year then Shaun.  :D

pmsl thats like me saying i'll be down on me trike soon ;D

That quick  :o :o :o :o

We'll both be on the road for the Summer Shauny. No problem.  ;)

I was going to tell you about my recent time in the workshop, but now I'm going to sulk >:( >:( >:( >:(






































not really ;D ;D ;D

I'm slowly mastering the art of the mig welder, and last sat I welded in the one of the new custom inner sill's. I would have taken a picture but I left the camera at home  ::) ::) the lower cab back is also welded in place but will need some cutting once I have refitted the engine/box and worked out the run of the prop.

more to follow ;)

That's 2 jobs you've done that we've yet to do to ours. Piccies. We need piccies Shaun.  :)

will try and get some on here later

Slowly slowly catchy monkey  :P or so they say  ;)
I'm planning on spending all day sat up the barn working on the Pop, hope to have both inner sills welded in and then I can cut away the bracing frame and refit the engine and box and start the fab of the bulkhead.

I'm slightly stressed at the moment and will be taking my lump hammer with me and beat the living s**t out of any metal that doesn't work with me  >:( >:( >:(

photo's will follow ;D ;D ;D

Oo-err! Think I'll steer clear of the Panther workshop for a while! Take it easy Shauny.  ;)

well I finally got some time up the barn, not that much achieved but all the job's I have been doing are fiddly little things that take ages but don't really show ::) ::)
Mocked her up on her wheels today, rear chassis is sitting on wooden blocks and is tied to the rear axle to get the stance right. Engine refitted and measurements taken, she will have around 6 inches under the sills and be around 57.5 inches to the top of the roof.
Also made a template of the new bulk head and made a start cutting it out.
Here are a couple of tasters  ;D ;D ;D

Looking good Shauny.  8)
We displayed ours at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport today in a very similar condition. Got huge amounts of interest from Joe Public. We really need to get these things on the road soon mate!

Nice one Shaun ;D

Are you tempted to take a slice out of the grille-shell to give a slight downward slope to the bonnet-top?

We've achieved that same look by mounting the grille shell slightly lower. Keeping it full length means we can sit the auto gearbox oil cooler within the shell, underneath the radiator.
-yes, we know the radiator's out of line in that photo!

peanut, the grill and sides are just propped there for the photo, they will sit about 2 inches lower once fitted properly  ;)

had a good day Up the barn today, have the fire wall/ bulk head mocked in place with the pedal box FITTED just need to link up the steering column to the box and the front of the cab is almost done  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Great! Let's have a look then! What pedal box are you using & how did you fit it?

would you believe a 2cv pedal box, all self contained and fitted to the bulkhead with a pair of brackets bolted in place. Comes with a split system that is set up for a disc front drum rear ;) I knew that old 2cv would come in useful  ;D ;D ;D ;D will put up some pics when I can roll the old girl outside in the dry  ::) ::) ::)

And you have a spare I can use?  ;D

only if I butcher the complete 2cv, which may have to become my daily when the Land Rover's mot run's out :o :o

Butcher it, butcher it!

Here you are Shaun

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1937-21-Stud-Ford-Flathead-V8-Hot-Rod-Rat-Rod_W0QQitemZ250432080286QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item3a4eea499e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1689%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

yes please  :P :P :P :P :P

i had a 24stud in my pop, but changed it for a rover, what a silly boy ::)

this is the engine you need shaun.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/V8-HEMI-331-CHRYSLER-ENGINE-MOPAR-HOT-ROD_W0QQitemZ270396732056QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item3ef4e6b298&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50

I'd need to build another car to put that in  ::) I really want to have a go at the flathead meltdown so I am slowly building a pile of parts to build a modified which will be flathead powered, though what engine will have to wait.
I already have the front axle,. fuel tank and hopefully another Pop chassis which is currently fitted with a 1600 Ford crossflow engine and back axle ;D ;D ;D

any progress?

a little  :-[ :-[ :-[ been busy recently so not visited the barn much lately. Hope to start back up there in a couple of weeks when my eye problems cleared up (I hope :'()
I will post an update later

When I left school I did an apprenticeship at a printing company. One of the print machine assistants was a really loud Jamaican guy.
One day the boss got a phone call from him saying he wouldn't be in that day.
What's the matter with you?
What? Oh well, you've only got one set of eyes. Best to take care of them. Stay at home & try to rest them. Have you made an opticians appointment?

No, no mahn -I said Ahh's broke down!

-Oh how we laughed!  :P

Take it easy Shaun. There's more important things in life than cars, (honest).
Your eyesight's one of 'em.  ;)

Sh1t I'm shocked at how long ago I last posted  :-[ :-[ :-[
Well I have had some real bad news regarding my eye's and glaucoma but I'm not going to bore you with that but it has put a rocket up my arse and I have been back to the barn to revisit the old girl.
I have posted a wanted add for a Reliant steering box as I want to try something a little different  ;)
I also need some advice on moving my leaf spring mounts, I need to move them inboard an inch or so but if |I cut off the old ones I do not think I will be able to reweld them to the axle. Has someone done this before? and do you know of someone who could possibly machine me a new set or somewhere I can purchase them from??

these shaun?

(http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/images/RD554%20Product.JPG)

£6.50 each plus vat from rally design.

for that price theres no need to worry about getting old ones of whole!!!

Text sent Shauny.

cheers Poprodder, think I will order some ;D ;D ;D

thanks for the text manky, means allot  :-*

saddles ordered Chris, thanks mate big problem solved...

Don't faint but I have just spent 2 days up the barn working on the Anglia :o :o :o
Seem to spend ages doing stuff but not achieving much but using the spring saddles that Mr poprodder put me onto I have moved my rear springs inwards slightly which means I have been able to shortened the wheelbase by 6 or so inches and this will still leave me with a pickup bed long enough to keep the VOSA man happy  8) 8). I spent most of today fabricating front spring mounts for the rear springs, all was going well and I was almost ready to weld them into place when I thought I had better try the old girl actually sitting on the springs.To get the correct ride height the rear of the leaves are 3 inches lower than the front, now I'm guessing here but should the front and rear mounting points of the springs be at the same height?? I think I know the answer to that one allready  :'( :'( :'( so hopefully one day this week I will be able to get back up there and move the front mounts down 1.5 inches which will bring the rear of the leaf up 1.5. I'm hoping to be able to use the existing mounts and not have to remake them.
I'm sorry but I didn't get any pictures as the weather was so foul it was almost impossible to take anything decent ::) ::) ::)

At least you're making progress Shaun. Taz says did the bottles of vino help?

vino was great  ;D ;D ;D all gone  ;) ;)

progress is slow though, not much fun working on your own, I spend too much time making tea and talking to the ducks  :-[ :-[ will try and get some pics soon....

Not sure if i should admit this, but, substitute ducks for spanners and thats me you just descibed  :-[ (and no, i dont mean spanners from the forum).

 ;) ;) if I was that far advanced with the project it would be spanners I was talking to but Mr Angry talks louder than me and the Geese aren't much better but the ducks, now they are cool  ;D ;D ;D

hhhmmm talking to ducks? he must be quackers!  ;D ;D ;D

the way things are with me these days  he,d be best talkin to the ducks anyhow

Had a mate with me today so the ducks got ignored  ;D ;D ;D.
Spent ages working but do not seem to have much to show for it  ::) ::) mocked up a pickup bed in the required dimensions for the SVA if needed to get an idea how she will look. I'm not sure but I think the rear axle needs moving forward a few inches  :-\ :-\ but it could just be me, I want her to look "right" opinions please  ;D ;D

 ;D ;D

I think to look `right` it will need to go where YOU want it to go. In my unedjucated opinion it looks great as is, and i love the powder blue wheels too.

What Tbone said!

Think it's only that first shot with the second bit of wood on that makes it look like they're too far back! I reckon the dimensions in the second shot looks Juuuuust right buddy!!!

In the end, it's your build, so it's whatever you think looks right!!

Clive

I reckon Clive's right -the shot of the left side, with two bits of wood acting as the bed side, is confusing cos they're different lengths. The right hand side looks much better. When Loony & I set out my own pick-up, we put the wheels equi-distant from the front & back of the bed. Personally I think that looks right.
-Oh, & I agree with them about the blue wheels.
 

trouble I have is the sloping cab back, axle is currently sitting mid point of the bed taking the measurement from the top rail, when you look from the cab base I just think it looks a little too far back  :-\ :-\ :-\

Change the cab back? Replace the sloping lower section with a flat panel?

put a petrol tank in there it'll even out :) i now im gone :)

spent several hours working on the Anglia yesterday but the work isn't worth a photo, in between ginding I threw together a rigid/girder 600cc Panther from my spares stash now that IS worth a photo but I didn't have my camera with me so you will have to wait until tomorrow  :P :P :P :-*

tease  ;D

 :-* :-* :-*

Well the magician turned up yesterday and waived his magic wand, well his arc welder   :D :D and done some real amazing work on the chassis. The rear springs now have their front hangers welded in place and I think looking very "factory" which will confuse the rivet counters   :D :D ;)  the rear of the chassis has been tweaked upwards to level the rails out and extended to take the rear spring hangers. Sadly we ran out of time so didn't get the rear end finished but the front spring is all mounted and ready to rock, just need the A arms fabricating and its all done at the front.
Anyway here she is as she stands now, having a re-think on the bed and may well go for a Hill-billy stakeside either full cab width or narrow with cycle fenders (  :P :P :P )

couple more 

Looking great Shaun. Good to see some progress. Handy to be able to check out the competition!  ;)

excellent progress shaun, liking them spring mounts.

can't wait to see all 3 together  ;D ;D

Nice! You`ll soon be overtaking Manky (i`ll leave the 2 of you to debate wether thats on `the strip` or in build progress  ;D)

both  ;) :-*

We shall see Shaun. We shall see!
So you're driving yours to the Basingstoke show this weekend are you?!

Are you ::)

Well Mankys does run and it has drive to the wheels. And it has brakes.
just dont ask me to prove it on sunday!

wouldn't want to embarrass you mate  :) :) :)













I wish  :'( still a Looooooooooooooong way to go  ::) ::)

chin up shaun, soon be done.

Harrr, ha, ha, ha!!

I don't think you can't laugh yet Andy ;D

he can laugh when its a pirate laugh eh matey  ;) ;) ;) :-*

she's still there  :D :D :D

How's the Pop Tart coming along then Shauny?

 ;D ;D ;D

looking good shaun,

one thing, is the engine in? as spring shackles should be sitting at 45degrees with full weight on, rad,engine etc watered and oiled up.

chris.

engine is in, no rad fitted yet and no bushes in the shackles.... hope it sorts itself out once all that is done.

Needs more new pics!!!

I would young Archie but I haven't been near her for months  :-[ :-[ :-[ been playing with 2 wheels instead... ;)

nice to see you on here shaun, glad ya still getting ya hand in.

2 wheels are rubbish.

After the Portugal trip  what I've decided I really need is a speedboat.

A big speedboat.

after a loooonng break I have decided to take a week off work early Nov and get back on the Pop.....

good luck shaun.

Great! Crack on Shaun. I'll need someone to hang with when mine's done.  8)

TBH I would have given up on mine if you  boy's hadn't plugged on with yours... :-* :-* plus I think an article featuring both would go down well in one of the US rat-mags....

Good to hear Shaun!!! :D

Ah I see -trying to steal our limelight eh?!
Just as soon as we've finished mine, I'll be available to bodge other machines. I've got a big list of favours I need to repay.

Wait a minute- Rat mags?!  :(
Taz sent me this pic of young Shaun's Pop, alongside his Luvverly Panther -hence his username.  :) 
Originally posted on that Facebook place. 

Oh, & this shot of the man himself. Nice Poirot 'tache thing you've got going on there Shaun.  ;D

loving that bobber.

i envy you brits and the variety of old cars and bikes youve got to work with.
not sure if i'd be willing to trade the cost of living tho

or the weather?

Or the Kangaroos. I think Britain would be a better place with Kangaroos.  :)

we did have them or wallabys in the moors around buxton area,don,t think theres any now though.

there  still up there behind ,,cat tor,, (the winking rock) on the A53 out off leek  there at and around(a lot got out) stewart johnsons  truck breakers and dealers  he also has a rare breeds farm up there very close to the ,winking man ,, pub,, which is also the highest night club in england..

i heard that some red back spiders have been found around the place!
one of you buggers post me a 50s anglia will ya!

Didn't you get them down your way Ben? Here in Blighty we called 'em Ford Populars, but the export ones were Anglias, (both Shaun's & mine are exports, as shown by the opening side vents & seperate dashboards -British ones had a steel dash welded into the body shell).
I can send you the scrap metal left over from mine & you can build your own.  ;D
You had Holdens n stuff in Oz though & Australian versions of a lot of the classic Yank cars -they were pretty cool.

"The Winking Man" -is it really called that Mike?!

Old scrap is big bucks down under

Andy,I thought yours was an oldun. :D ;D ;D

winking man  yep   it gets its name  from a rock with a hole in it half way up the steep hill  called  cat torr  on the A53 from leek in staffordshire to buxton derbyshire.

one rock has a hole in it and almost behind is another rock that sticks up and as you go/drive past it create,s the illusion of the rock winking

and the pub/club (which originally started as a transport cafe) take,s its name from it  the walleby,s and other rare breeds live at the truck breakers behind the hill with the winking rock on it
a number escaped about 20 yrs ago and not all were recaptured and some bred in the wild...   just a few mile,s from there in the macclesfield forest wild boar also roam free..

We've got green parakeets living wild in our village.
I'm an old'un, but my car's older than I am.

Just remembered I need a big speedboat.

had good day yesterday at the swapmeet.. picked up a pair of 16" Ford wire wheels, a model Y speedo and a real cool steering wheel for the Pop.... she is going in the direction I wanted now and I feel a bit more positive about the project again...

It was nice to see you there Shaun. Been a while.
Can't quite envisage the look you're going for -any photos, drawings or mock-ups?

I'll try and find a picture, have plenty in mag's but not many on the PC, yep it has been awhile. been fighting my demon's a little lately, still find myself getting down and lethargic over my glaucoma and the on going dvla driving license saga.. goes quiet for a couple of years then it's back in ya face again  ::) ::)

Every step forward is one in the right direction Shaun  ;)
I know it`s easier said than done, but keep at it mate.

Wot he said.  ;)

cheers guy's   :-* :-* OK the wheel/tyre combination is like this Model A, I'm aiming for a more vintage look to the truck, something like an old farm truck that has mutated into this hotrod thingy...

Cool!
Ian of Wyliez Autos is building an A sedan at the moment -hoping he'll bring it along to the Basingstoke show in May.

would you believe I can't find one picture that represents the idea in my head... bit of a cross between this A and....

this...

That'd be a cool look.

i think so as well

having fun shaun?!!!!!! ;D

(http://www.dirtybobbers.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1177.0;attach=16729;image)

 ;D ;D ;D

 ;D  :D   ;D 

Not much left to do then.

Ground clearance may be a problem Shaun.  :P

Hes got the scrub line about right  ;D

now thats the kind of build i could manage

dont think the brake,s will work too well    looks like they are only good in reverse   ::)

 ;D :D ;D showing off my new rear wheels  ;D

This is the colour I plan to do my wire's, the blue not the red....

that to me looks like an old ford colour

as used on the corsair,s in the late 60,s early 70,s  ford called it  mid blue and the colour code was  C.G 

Similar coloured wires on this sedan at the Phoenix Green New Years Day meet. Nice.

Shaun's new wheels.
Sent via his camera phone.

cheers matey  :-* :-* purchased a Suzuki Vitara back axle of ebay yesterday as the diff ratio should suit the taller tyres and the stud pcd is the same as the 35 Ford wheels I'm using... result and all for 20 squids...

Perfect. Can't see any mounting holes on the rear ones. Excuse my ignorance, but how do they mount & what's the big 'ole in the middle for?

(http://imagehosting.rodsnsods.co.uk/97764f76281307bda.jpg)

Pssssst!   You turn it round!

i likes them,s wheels

Ahh! I've never dealt with wires. They are indeed nice.  :)

:D :D :D :D :D :D classic

well the Vitara axle has been temp fitted and the wheels are on, rear shackle mounts cut off and repositioned. With the front end jacked up to the height the new front wheels will be it sits quite level. Rear axle is now closer to the chassis which looks better.... what do you think guy's???

 ;)

 ;)

looking good

yes yes and yes!!!

Very nice Shaun. Your bodywork's looking a lot straighter than mine at the moment. Have you added new roof gutters?

original gutters Andy, will need leading though  :-\ body isn't that bad really if you stand miles away  ;D but I'm not too worried as I'm not building a show car, more a mutant farm truck so a little "Patina" won't hurt  ;)

know what ya mean Shaun that lead is a pain in the butt was welding the roof on my pop the other day, big blobs of lead dropping of all over ,Nothing filler ;) cant fix  ;D

That is looking smart Shaun.  ;)

cheers Mr Byzmax..
had a productive day in the shed yesterday and I managed to tack weld the 2 rear corners o the cab and the 2 repair panels at the front. I used an old hotair heater cowl for the cab rear corners as it had a nice curve, surprised myself how easy it was and quite pleased with the result....

 :D

 ;D

 ;)

thats  cummin, on,,

scene from the shed.... My truck's and my mate's Ford zephyr/zodiac type of thing...

Very cool.

looking good shaun.

Opened the latest issue of "Ol' Skool Rodz" this morning, (issue 52), & there's a feature on fitting support rings & adaptor/spacers to '35 Ford wire wheels.

http://www.olskoolrodz.com/home/

will have to have a look mate, see if I can get me a copy...

are these the adaptors rings shaun?

(http://www.mtcarproducts.com/wire_support2.jpg)

http://www.mtcarproducts.com/Support-Rings.html

yup, there the ones Chris.. Miles at Jackhammer has them as well...

If you went down to the farm today you would have been in for a big surprise  :o :o yep I made it into the barn again  ;D ;D ;D big day today as we decided this was it d'day for the doors... 2 hours later we have fully operational suicide doors  ;D ;D I'm guessing the way I did it was more hillbilly than engineer, but at a total outlay of around 50 squids which includes the cost of hinges and bearclaw latches I more than happy with the way it has turned out..

basically we fitted the hinge to the body, marked the door and removed that portion of the hinge, opened the door and drilled and bolted the door portion into place, wrestled the door back onto the new hinges and then attacked the old door hinges with Mr Angry. On the first door I tied the door shut just in case it all went wrong but it wasn't needed...

http://youtu.be/1aLj7BOgVeI 

neat,
so what hinges did you use?

Nice one Shaun Hillbilly enginering must be a Southern Boy ;)

Rick, yup Southern born and bred mate.... Chris I used these off ebay, 8 quid a pair...

same style as used on Land Rovers in the early day's.. the one's on my Land Rover have lasted 50 yrs so I'm hoping these will do the same...

How cool is that!

good times are here, after all the prices I've been quoted for getting adapters made to fit my Ford Y wires onto my Triumph hubs  :o :o :o :'( I have just got the bargain of the year off evil bay  ;D ;D ;D picked up a pair of front hubs for a Y that have had the brake's converted to twin leader hydraulic along with the back axle... all for 50 squids.Well I'm hoping to sell the back axle for around 25 if I can so that will leave me with front hub's that take my rim's for 25 squids  ;D oh and did I mention that I got a complete front axle, wishbone, 2 shockers and the rear axle arms included in the price  ;D ;D ;D

what back axle is it shaun?

Ford model Y Chris, have offered it to Archie to see if they can fit the hubs to his Bug, just waiting see if he want's it and likes my price  :D ;)

See tother Fred!

seen and replied to mate  ;)

well the cosmic supply company has been kind to me yet again.. bid on a pair of Ford Y front hubs as this will save me loads of work and money... they came with a whole pile of parts including brake plates converted to twin leading shoe.... so off came the front wheels/hubs and on went the Y's....

btw the Spitfire hub's converted to Ford 4 stud are for sale on ebay as we speak if anyone is after some??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hotrod-Ratrod-custom-Triumph-spitfire-front-hubs-converted-Ford-stud-pattern-/190686834888?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Rims_Car_Wheels_ET&hash=item2c65d230c8

also got the back axle up as well...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Model-Y-rear-axle-hotrod-ratrod-custom-classic-trike-/190686823362?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c65d203c2

 8)

You lucky g*t!
Lookin' good Shaun.
How's your doors hangin'? I bought the same hinges as yours, but will mount them at the front for conventional door opening. Trouble is the hinges aren't very wide so will only bolt right on the outside lip of the door. We'll have to beef up the door edge somehow as the whole weight will be hanging on a very narrow lip.

same as that mate, they are hanging fine with no flex at the door edge....

them wheels look excellent fitted shaun, you gonna convert pop drum brakes to hydraulic?

Chris, I got these in the deal mate.. already converted to hydraulic  ;D jammy git as Andy said....

like the look, stance of this.specialy with the doors

I know Shaun's busy with other matters at the moment, but here's a pic of his pick-up, recently posted on the Rods n Sods forum.
So is that grey paint on the cab Shaunus, or have you really managed to smooth it out that much? (deeply jealous if you have).
And what's going on with the cut up fuel tank in the back? (next to the Francis Barnett motorcycle).
I read that you're aiming to drive this to the Basingstoke Festival of Transport in May. It'll be great to get yours & mine side by side & compare!

fuel tank is solid sir, the cut up piece it is sitting inside was an old heater cowl that has been attacked and used as cab corners.. that is a mix of grey paint, filler and bare metal.... probably rust now  :-[ yup the Basingstoke show is my aim  ::) :o doubt she will be ready but as long as it is street legal and safe then I don't care  :P
change of plan on the paint.. since I lost Hayley, Mrs Panthershaun been thinking about that... Hayley didn't do hotrods but if money hadn't been an issue she would have happily driven a Ledsled in satin purple, so the Mutant will now go satin purple in her honour... I have also picked up a couple of 1967 american license plates and I plan to use 1 as the glove box door on the passenger (Hayley's side). small things I know but at least I will have a little more of H's influence in the truck when I drive her.....

 ;) Sounds good mate

Soooooooooooooooo jealous of this, and Andys Pop also! Wish I had the ability you all have!!!

what ability Clive  ??? it's all suck it and see with me, if it work's cool if not go back and try again.... the only thing i do seem to be lucky with is my eye for balance/form or so i am told...  :-\

Balance/form, I reckon I have too..............putting it into practice, that's all gobbly-juke to me unfortunately!!

2 of my favorite things a pick up and suicide doors ,  ;D i was going to do tha to my minin pick up years ago but i was young and had to borrow alot of experiance form others and a welded and someone to weld as i could back then , so as with most projects when you are relying on the help of others it got scrapped  :-[

I'm borrowing experience from others on this Blair, and if I can't find that experience anywhere I just make it up  ;D I couldn't weld when I started this and some would say I still can't  :P

If muppets like Shaun & me can build a rod, anyone can!  :P
Love the choice of colour mate.

so true oh Manky one  :D looks like mr Looney will have a paint job to do  ;)

That's great! Satin purple for you & satin green for me.

I had a bit of a road trip today.
Left Basingstoke in Hampshire at 8.30 this morning & headed to Dorking in Surrey for the Harley swapmeet.
Then over to Guildford for the Newlands Corner Sunday morning bike meet & to check on my Dodge Charger that's stored in a barn nearby.
From there it was across to Popham airfield, near Andover in Hampshire for the Japanese bike jumble & lunch in a nearby diner.
As I was munching my sausage, egg & chips I thought I wonder what Shaun's up to?
A quick text message or two & I was paying my bill, jumping back in the car & pointing it towards Tonbridge Wells in Kent.
An hour & a half later, after a suprisingly easy drive up the M3 & around the M25, I was pulling into Shaun's farmyard workshop.
Great to see you mate. He was hard at work, making new engine mounts to mate the 1.8 diesel Pinto motor to the original Pop chassis. So of course, I chatted, got in the way & generally slowed him down. 

The wire wheels & higher ride height give Shaun's Pop, (actually both his & mine are Anglias, the export version of the British Popular), a completely different look to mine. His seems much more vintage, which is just the look he was after. 

The smaller, inline 4 cylinder engine means Shaun's been able to keep most of the original bulkhead panel, whereas I had to cut mine out to accomodate my bigger Rover V8 motor.
He plans to fit a roll back canvas sunroof.

The "suicide" doors fascinate me. The hinges only bolt through a thin lip around the back edge of the door skins. By rights they should sag under their own weight & fit really badly. But they don't. I'm jealous.

Shaun's mate Mick was just leaving as I arrived. He travelled up to Hampshire with Shaun a few months ago to have a look at my own Pop. Hi Mick.

This was Shaun's daily driver for a while until it failed the MOT on the brakes recently. Powered by a Ford V6 with auto box. I love it.
Really good to see you today Shaunus. I promise somehow I'll get mine running right in time to drive to the Pendine Sands speed trials with you in June. See you again soon. Look after yourself mate. ;)

good to see you mate.. god I've got some crap!!! you didn't take a pic of the "new" motor mate  ;) Basingstoke is my (unrealistic) goal but Pendine is the ultimate aim...

brilliant, great. not much else to say.

god I've got some crap!!!

But it's quality cr*p!
New motor. Straight 6 Oldsmobile "flathead" engine & manual box.

Studebaker old boy... not some common old Old's motor  ;) :-*

Just proves either I wasn't listening when you told me or I really have got the memory span of a ...one of those little fishy things.

 :D :D I know I'm boring but hell mate  :'( :'(

lol

I was overawed by your collection of tatt, valuable automobilia.

OI,, who says that olds, motors are common,, :o :o

COMMON :o who you calling common ;)
-Olds

 :D

Bugger  :-\ April 09  :o :o :'( I think I need to either finish this bugger or sell her on!!!!!!! damn model T's have diverted all my thought's....

Hiya stranger!
Don't sell 'er -finish 'er.

Decided that if I can ever shake this complete lack of motivation I have developed I am going to get the Pop on the road, it will take far less work than trying to build a T Coupe from scratch and be a blast to run around in whilst I decide which way I'm going to go with all my bikes and stuff.....

Are you sure about that ? I know of one Anglia pickup that has taken some time to build  ;)
Beginning to think it might have been easier to build the speedster totally from scratch.
Hope you can find your motivation again. It's strange what can get lost in the workshop, but should turn up again eventually.

oh so true  :P but mine will be just about finished and not all flash like  ;)

You've lost your Mo Jo? Have you looked under the bench? That's where most stuff I lose ends up.

I have sir  :-[ looked everywhere......... still it will be damn cold and wet up the farm soon, bet it comes back then  ::)