Another step forward

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, after dodging the rain the main feed for the fog lights was taken from the relays fitted earlier when i was doing the main-dip beam-cooling fan and fog light relay now has the feed to the fog lights laid in place in conduit clipped to the front panel ready for connection.
The rain came down really heavy so i nipped into the cab to sort out an extra dash light that shines on my extra gauges which for some reason had stopped working , talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill well that's just what i had been doing struggling to take this very small classic type number plate light apart that i have fitted to all the interiors of my trucks did i simply check the bulb NO! for some reason because it worked before i started tinkering who would have thought it would have blown while not in use .
Anyway to cut a long story short the dash is now all up and running as it should apart from the map reading light but the bulb is OK in there honest so i will look into that another day so i can at least have the door open while seeing what stupid mistake i have made on such a simple job .
Anyway it was brew time and a bit of studying of my pictures i have compiled of what i would like to do with the back body and maybe get a bit more leg space for when i am driving and a bed along with an oven/hob type cooker along with a storage cupboard a tad different to my other 88 .
Anyway the fact i have a false floor in the rear of HEC my 88 that makes it level with the seat base although no head room if that is what is needed i either pull out the canopy or put up my OZ tent but if just a brew and sleep i just do what i have done before and crash out .
I mentioned the false floor well that was made to put things out of sight but i also have a draw made years ago that i put personal things in but we will talk about that another day because it was literally throwing it down and i got a tad wet.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[navyboyz]

Hay you silver back beauty
Nice to hear you have the strength to carry on tinkering with stuff you love to do.
Once again HEC looked and sounded good the last time we were down.
Don't forget to call if it gets too much and you need a hand and cake lol.
Stay safe
C,K,J,P

[romanyrose]

Thanks C,K,J,P, more to the point after your OP Chris how are you although painful it's got to be a tad better than before and as for my day i got off to a slow start but the new ex mod map reading light had just stopped working but as usual it was my fault having fitted an extra fuse box for other trinkets connecting the feed to the wrong terminal doesn't help .

I will be fitting free wheeling hubs again but they are in the process of being cleaned up ready for fitting but i want to fit a grease nipple to the top swivel pins first so while the wheels are off the front axle i will kill two birds with one stone so to speak but each to there own , as a lot of people say FWH are a waste of time but i know the rear of the front prop is the one uj that knocks out first but that's just my views and the fact i am tinkering away quite happy has to be a bonus.

My mind is now toying with the rear end sleeping quarters but as usual that's for another day .

Catch you later. R-Rose .

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well nothing is straight forward with what ever i try and do and because i have a dog guard fitted from when the days of having two St Bernards in the back i had also utilized the frame to fasten a main feed to an old stereo speaker box that houses relays that feed flashing beacons-work light-interior lights front or back that also has the switches on the face plate instead of the speaker.
To be honest the main feed that is in conduit runs from the dash illuminated switch that warns me of course incase i have left a light on at the rear or above this i will have to redirect out of harms way also my CB that is bolted against the bulkhead will have to be moved .
Because my wireless has seen better days i guess now is the time to renew with a digital one as i like my sounds at night while having a if on my own, i also have a CD changer but fitting that depends on whether i can get a modern wireless with tape player so you see nothing i do is straight forward and to me anyway takes more thought than building the camper side of things basically because i recycle everything where ever possible.
Of course realistically my wireless and CB can be done at a later date having now got a mobile phone that will at least give me some sounds or i can call for help which my CB was acquired for many moons ago but i am a devil for not moving forward with the times and prefer my little world i live in .
I always start planning my interior by placing my oven with two rings on top in the best place i think for me which is towards the rear of the truck body so i can reach and cook while stood outside the same goes for my sink so i can stand up and wash so i have answered my jobs that have to be done tomorrow which will be dig out the oven and hob and a sink unit and i will go from there also see what wood i have for frame work that will be covered with marine ply.

Catch you later. R-Rose .

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well i fired the old gal up today and turned her round in the street so i could get to the drivers side of my truck and make the final support for the canopy tube out of metal with all holes drilled ready for bolting up tomorrow that completes the front support for the off-side front tube and without ripping the head lining.
Of course i thought i had finished this stage of my tinkering but i am not thin enough or supple enough to get down the near-side without having HEC partly on my lasses lawn along with me paddling my size 12 boots it's also her garden that she takes pride in so she would not have been to happy but then we both love flowers and what they bring to ones garden so i don't blame her.
Before i start on the camping side of things although Jonny my helper has got himself ready for a bit of mountaineering {Patrick and Robin will understand } i noticed i have to lift the front headlining so the tubes are more or less level and that's only because i chose to fit extra supports once again making myself more work but as usual happy and satisfied which is all that matters .
Although i thought after drilling the holes in the side lip of where the roof bolts down that's it great job done i can fit the bracket i could not move and i was stumped again until my back went CLUNK shouting out words not in the English dictionary and the sweat pouring from my forehead along with legs that would not support my bulk of a body i perched back on the edge of the drivers seat grabbed my tin mug of cold tea and took time out till my body sorted itself out.
That's it Jonny time to pack up bless him and as usual my good old reliable helper packed away my tools motor cycle and noddy car got me back in the bungalow just in time for tea that my lass had knocked up so along with medication sitting in a hot shower hopefully tomorrow i should be able to do a small straight forward job if there is such a thing .

Catch you later. R-Rose .

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well i woke this morning and i am still above ground and yes i feel a bit beaten up but that's nothing new and at least i have my hobby to keep me entertained in more ways than one .
A good few years ago i had fitted boarding to the sides of the back body with the intention of a bit of thermal insulation when some came my way i had also fitted speakers but only the cheap type that were better than nothing so these will be used another day on something else even though the wireless is shot i throw little away .
By this time i had limbered up a tad so it was back to bolting in the bracket that supports the front of the canopy tube although a small job it took some doing but half of that was me being careful and yes i know slow but the jobs now done and i am at least happy considering late afternoon yesterday i was thinking a tad different but again thoughts of my hobby and achievements helped me at least relax .
Because of what i have done regards supporting the canopy tubes the four supports of the head lining need extending a tad so with my very old guillotine i cut four plats ready for drilling but left that job due to twisting to much that hindered me yesterday and although i was hoping to do a bit of cosmetic work then painting before fitment but as we all know Rome was not built in a day .
My day if that's what you can call it was finished up but fitting a couple of support P clips to the wiring loom to the inner wing all nice and neat using the same sort of small nuts and bolts Oh! and of course washers and to be honest it was nice to feel content at what i had achieved although not a lot she is taking shape and like most days i am smiling and happy and that's all down to my hobby and tinkering which of course gives me an excuse for a not that i need one .

Catch you later. R-Rose .

[gossamer]

Keep at it, old chap.

[romanyrose]

G'day Matt, thanks a few words of appreciation or understanding means a lot but for a good few years i have been known as a bit eccentric in my ways but i have also been called a few names not repeatable on an open forum but my happiness on a normal day is landrover shaped and on a good day engine/gearbox shaped so i guess eccentric is the proper word .
Having taken the outer wings off to do the work of the previous weeks/months a bit of panel beating where the filler had fallen out from years gone by the application of a thin skim of filler had the shape back again and has been left to harden so tomorrow i guess rubbing down and etch priming will be at least one of the jobs i will have a bash at if it is a dry day that is .
I have yet to measure and drill the small plates i cut to lift the cab lining which that to i hope to get done and at least primed i can then carry on with the cutting and shaping at least one half of the steal front valance above the windscreen that because of my chain pull for the horn and tubes for the canopy are far from straight forward but have nice curves rather than straight lines which again is my preference and certainly different from standard.

Anyway that's it for today folks my day although got off to a late start has ended by being a productive {for me anyway} means to an end that will be upon me sooner rather than later now .

Catch you later. R-Rose .

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well i am really chuffed to say the least with the drivers side valance above the windscreen although if you remember i did ask why it was i had three different types but i didn't want to mess the complete ones up so i used the 2 part also it's easier to measure and cut around looms that run up each side of windscreen with the smaller sections.

The bolts that hold the roof to the windscreen i took out and reversed the bolt fitting which are an extra 1/4'' longer than standard complete with plain washers i now have something to bolt to so with valance in place i marked hole centers and drilled then a bit of elongating the holes sideways made for a better fit but also allowed movement to help line up when the n/side one is done.

It was then i had a visitor so a case of down tools kettle on landrover conversation began in fact although nothing new when people come visiting it was soon past my tea time Jim my bud left as did my lass who was also late having got there after nearly an hours drive it was a waste of time her coming home and in freezing conditions it made even more sense to stay.

I was hoping to get some etching primer on the part of valance that's cut to shape but the bitter cold and i don't get on and there is always another day not started on so it's a case of pack up wash up and knock up some tucker and the most important thing a nice strong warm brew .

Catch you later. R-rose .

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well after looking at the weather outside that had frozen HEC white in colour i can't say it was very appetizing with the thought of working outside but it has to be done even though i could run her as she is after the last ride back from the MOT station i am not having that again .
Now i have clarified in my own mind why i do what i do and work so slow so first job is see to my old gal{my dog} which clears my mind of negative thoughts with a walk that gets the old blood flowing and warmed up ready for action not that i feel the cold i just have to be aware i don't {no sense no feeling } but with no heating in my garage i had wrapped the paint in an old coat so a good stir and i was ready for action but no spray gun just a brush the valance soon had a coat in fact it dried pretty quick and after a brew another coat and left it hanging along with a few small parts i had prepared earlier.
After a clean up the brush put away lid on the paint and tipped upside down it was time to go through my bag used but still good rubbing down paper and filler file just to get the rough shape i needed before going on to what wet and dry i could find hence the reason why things take so long to do using what i have till i have no more but by the time i had finished and the etch primer applied the weather was a tad warmer so maybe i can get a top coat on having bought two tins of the same paint meant no top coat all good plans go wrong sometimes but then to be honest i just go with the flow and don't always think ahead and if i do it's about something else but then it adds to the spice of life i guess.
Torrential rain today but i fetched my paint at least after having to push myself because i hate driving cars especially on the hectic roads of today where everyone wants that bit of road i am driving on.
Hopefully i will be able to get a bit more done tomorrow if it stops raining. Catch you later. R-Rose .