Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rivet_101]

My cab was in a shocking state when I got it and I have been rebuilding it, piece by piece. This is a slow process because I have never done any metalwork or welding before....added to which, nobody near at hand has an original I can study, so whenever I see one I take loads of pictures and sketch and measure.

I am currently working on the driver's side, where the inner wheel arch was 60% present, a wing, which was riddled with holes and missing an internal fixing surface and a whole floor support, which I have had to completely re-make.

[Rivet_101]

sorry, must learn how top compact pictures so they don't stretch the page

Here is my inner arch. I figured I'd make it my first fabrication and welding experience, partly because a lot of nasty finish can be hidden.

I had to cut loads of rust out and weld in new section. It is rough, I know, but I am learning all the time.

And I reckon, better a rough Austin 101 than none at all.

[Rivet_101]

(Rick, how do you compact images)

[Rivet_101]

[admin]

Hi Rivet

Looks like you've got plenty to keep you busy there, but hats off for taking it on in the first place!!! great photos, good luck with the rebuild

Do you have any photos of when you first acquired the vehicle?

cheers
Rick

[added] I tweak pictures in Photoshop, but any paint programme will allow you to reduce the image size

[Rivet_101]

Hi Rick
Well, you have seen the one on the transporter. Here is the first picture I ever took of her.

[admin]

Wow!! wasn' there a J Type ice cream van like that in a recent copy of Classic Van and Pickup magazine? the side doors look quite distinctive

Rick

[Rivet_101]

Not sure about that; a milk float, certainly. But it is possible because many vans were coach-built for individual commercial customers' needs.

The doors are concertinas. They fold inwards. This is rather a nuisance because they take up lots of room inside and mean that you can't carry a passenger easily.

I dislike the doors for a number of other reasons:
1 They are shorter than the height of the quarterlights, so they look amateur bodges.
2 Because they fold inwards they can't have a sticking out swage line moulding...which breaks up the distinctive aesthetic of the van.
3 they mean you have a pillar in your peripheral vision, so looking out for vehicles at roundabouts etc will mean rocking forward in the seat.

so they may look interesting and distinctive, but they are a horrible compromise.

I am planning on extending their height so the window rubbers (black line) line up with the quarterlight. I am also thinking about reversing the hinge so they fold outwards and can be pinned back, so that I can put a moulding line across them and carry a passenger.