380 replies to this topic

[miniallsort]

nice update lewis

[olds_kool_lews]

cheers mate, had to make a new quadrant pin, as one was missing, and the one that is fitted is an extended one to bring the hand brake cable down, so i made on of of some steel bar i had laying around! just need to drill the hole for the split pin!

[minidream94]

Missed abit lewis na good work though dude, im planning to have a look at the estate again tomorrow as i have half day at college so opefully going to see and mark where needes cutting

[minimissions]

Ok can i just say i have read through all this and i am very jealous i love clubby estates and would defo do the van sides if i had one. Good luck with the rest of the car keep the pics coming by the way keep the colour its well nice.

[minidream94]

Wouldnt it be easier to get a van and clubman front the van instead minimissions?

[minimissions]

Wouldnt it be easier to get a van and clubman front the van instead minimissions?

Yeah i can see that i would be easier its not just the clubby front or the van sides because they are nice with the glass still there. Its just that an estate is a fraction of the price of a van these days. But yes in an ideal world a van would be better and easier lol

[olds_kool_lews]

yeah there are a few bits i need to touch up on the radius arms lol but that was just the 1st coat i think its easier to do the clubman estate with van sides, than it would be to put a clubman front on a van! n also its only a clubby estate, like you say cost a fraction of a genuine van, using a proper van to put a clubby front on would be a shame (plus i get the advantage of wind up windows!)

ill definitley be keeping the colour vermillion orange, it wont half stand out when its finished!

[minimissions]

yeah there are a few bits i need to touch up on the radius arms lol but that was just the 1st coat i think its easier to do the clubman estate with van sides, than it would be to put a clubman front on a van! n also its only a clubby estate, like you say cost a fraction of a genuine van, using a proper van to put a clubby front on would be a shame (plus i get the advantage of wind up windows!)

ill definitley be keeping the colour vermillion orange, it wont half stand out when its finished!

Love it cant wait to see it done, i will be watching this

[olds_kool_lews]

finished refurbing my radius arms tonight, bought some radius arm kits from ebay after checking the condition of the arm shafts for wear, which there was none, but one had some thread missing from over tightening at some point, so i whacked in a new set, just have to remember to grease them up when fitted to the car!

also contacted spax about my coil overs, turns out the collar thats on the top of the spring is missing, so they gave me a part number and the number for a supplier who can order the parts i need to get them complete and ready to fit!

ALSO tonight, i have made a start on making my own sills up... i had some sheet steel from work (came from the remains of an old gas analyser that tells you whats happening inside a cremator!) heres a few pics and a brief description...

this is what the side looked like from the gas analyser (the lines are from where i measured the sills on the car, and where i need to cut/bend)


now i have a piece of steel ready to make into a sill shape..


after "scoring" a line along the steel, i use a piece of angle iron as a dolly and start to bend the sheet into more of a sill shape



as you can see im starting to get something that resembles the bends on a sill


i have yet to make the vents in the sill, but these are just rough markings of where they need to be, they will be abit longer than shown in felt tip, but that was just a rough area where they need to be made...

Edited by olds_kool_lews, 17 February 2011 - 09:18 PM.

[minidream94]

sills look clever mate shame you didnt live closer as i could have probs taken them into college and used the benders and punches and stuff to get a perfect bend and stuff i might acctually make my own cross member at college if im allowed, i need a new one so may aswell give it a pop

[olds_kool_lews]

cheers for the offer mate, but i like to give making panels a go for myself, with what tools are available, and the materials that are to hand! that way i can say i did ALL of the work myself! (i know ive cheated a little using some after market panels, but hey, i aint no black smith! lol)

[minidream94]

lol mate, you should make your own little furnass in ya back garden and start producing panels yaself :L although there pressed arnt they :S

[olds_kool_lews]

tonight i have been finishing off the sill i have been making up for valerie... i know i can buy them off the shelf, but wheres the fun in that!

heres how i did it...

i started by marking out the basic shape of the drainage vent using felt tip


i then slit the steel up until the furthest most line, and "scored" the steel with a thin cutting disc to aid acurate bending


as you can see, once i had bent the "scores" it gave me the basic raised section of the sill vent


i then cut out and fabricated the infill sections that go on each side of the raised vent section to make an original looking sill



i then seam welded all the way around each of the sill vent holes



after grinding back the welds, and re-welding any thinned areas, im left with this..


i then gave the new home made sill a quick coat of paint to stop any rust forming


so thats one sill virtually finished, just needs trimming up and fitting on valerie! hope you enjoyed this update!

[minidream94]

Dude i think you should go into sill production :L noting else just sills :L whats the thickness of them? and why did you decide to make them?

[olds_kool_lews]

there abit thicker than standard sills, so i know they will last alot longer! i decided to make them just to see if i could, and turns out i can! so ill be doing another one for the other side, and once the rear subframe is off and thrown away, i can get the heal board sorted, and then put my home made sills on! im really enjoying this build, its full on fabricating this, making that, welding this etc which i really enjoy! and it WILL be ready for london to brighton!