Manky's Pop.

[Manky Monkey]

Just to give you something to look at, the fuel tank frame is finally primered. I've also been crawling about under the cab, touching in various areas of black & green paint & taking off over-spray with cutting compound, but it's not worth photographing that.
Just got the date for next year's Motorama show in Holland -the revamped, traditional hotrod version of the Rocking Jalopys show that Loony & I took the Pop to 6 years ago. It's now organised by Miles of Jackhammer hotrod supply in Farnborough. His shop's 10 miles from me & I have to go all the way to Holland for the show!
It's now invite only & although I got an invite last year, (wasn't ready in time), I'm not sure I'll get in next time around as there's more demand for entries & Miles is very strict about what vehicles he accepts, friend or not.
It's on the 4th & 5th of April '2020. I'd really like to go back with the Pop completely finished, so even if I make nothing else this year, that's my final, final deadline.
Don't you just know it'll end up as a mad scramble to get finished the night before the show!

[Manky Monkey]

.

[stinkey]

I like it there, be good to go back and see a show, assuming it's open to the public 😁 and if you keep at it Andy it can be done?  Get my son to help, he's fast 🐆..

[Manky Monkey]

Yup, public show at the Autotron, Rosmalen.

[Archie]

hurry up and book it so I can start paying you back for the accommodation

I didn't mind the badger this year, but it might be nice to stay in a Deer

[Manky Monkey]

You realise that means absolutely nothing to anyone else here?!

[Manky Monkey]

Finally got the rewelded, filled & repainted fuel tank cradle back on tonight & dropped the tank in place. Now it sits reasonably flat & level. Only took 3 weeks to get back to where I was before

[stinkey]

You missed a bit 

[Manky Monkey]

 

[Manky Monkey]

Fitted the weight tube across the back of the chassis. Possibly temporary. Possibly permanent. It'll be filled with 15 stone of shotblasting grit, which will mimic the weight of the massively over-engineered pick-up bed to make sure the rear tyres & brakes have some traction. There are crush tubes through the chassis for the mounting bolts to pass through, to help take the weight. Amazingly, the tube fitted without any damage to the chassis paint! It completely hides the fuel tank frame I've just spent so long on!

[Manky Monkey]

The rear lights bolt to captive nuts welded into the end plates of the tube & there's a numberplate mount too, making it a nicely self-contained unit. The stainless bodied fog & reversing lights hang from the main rear light brackets. When the pick-up bed's on, all the lights mount directly to it. I want to put the bed on again, but it needs a lot of refurbishing & I haven't even looked at it yet, so maybe running without it for a while.

[Manky Monkey]

The towing hitch bolted to the bottom of the fuel tank frame is purely for my brother's benefit. He races a nostalgia drag car & has used my Pop to tow it to the start line a couple of times, (dragster don't have cooling systems, so are towed or pushed to the start line).if I'd wNted a proper tow bar, it needed to be fitted & wired at the time of the SVA test. Not supposed to fit one at a later date. I have no intention of ever towing anything on the road, so the shackle means Steve doesn't have to tie a rope to the chassis like he did before.

[Manky Monkey]

Like everything else though, the tube needs some modification. When I had the parts welded together, the number plate mount was welded at the wro g angle, so it tilts upwards. I knew it was wrong at the time, but still got it powder coated. No idea why. So now I need to make a 2nd plate that'll bolt over the top of this one to alter the angle -now it's coated & fitted I'm not cutting this up again.

[Manky Monkey]

Just needs some reflectors now. I'd hoped to use these Lucas ones, but they're too long, so will have to go Ebay shopping for some.

[Manky Monkey]

At least the tank sits flat now.