spartacus Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Always good to see a horsebo11ox update, your prose makes for good reading Mr Bo11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timewaster Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Mojo has returned ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Snipes Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 On 6/6/2018 at 9:19 PM, Mr_Bo11ox said: I kind of want to build a house in it not piss about doing a 6-month weldfest so this is probably a bad choice. #6monthWeldFest Mr_Bo11ox, Datsuncog and Supernaut 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out Run Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 5 minutes ago, Sir Snipes said: #6monthWeldFest I read that as Fred West. :yikes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dozeydustman Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Good too see some moar progress Mr testes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 11, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 11, 2020 So I'm 1 day into my 4-day weekend and I've actually done some Hor5ebo11ox. Nowt spectacular yet but theres still time!! Job 1: Apply dinitrol Underbody Schutz to welded bits: Actually the first time I've used this shutz gun thing. Normally i associate these with suspiciously shiny old cars for sale at classic car shows and assume they are being used to cover up horrors. But in this case it did make a nice job of the wheelarches and assorted bits under the floor. Still got a bit of Dinitrol left too. £22 per can!!!! Next I had planned to put the new pads in on the front LH side and refit the wheel, which to my amazement has not been nicked even though I left it on the ground under the truck for ages. Turns out the caliper was seized to hell. Knew I was pushing my luck expecting something not to be knackered on this truck!! So i pulled the caliper off and got the pistons out Yeah they're past their best. Same calipers as a S3 landrover apparently so new pistons and seals now on order (for both sides), only £25 for 8 pistons and seals! So thats that job parked till they arrive. Reinstated the handbrake... I have had this transmission cover clogging up my garage for yonks. Lets get it outta here!!! I covered up the air brake holes with aluminium tape, stuck a couple of anti-drumming pads on the underside and put closed-cell tape round the perimeter. I know this thing is a swine to fit but I have had it in once before so hopefully I can get it in one last time without too much of a war. One hour later: How flipping smart is that!!! What a mojo booster. Looked like this not that long ago! My big plan was to pull the dash out and see what I could do with the bulkhead rot this weekend. I did take a small step by taking off the wipers then removing the fibreglass cover off the scuttle panel at the bottom of the windscreen: Quite a lot of grot in here: This is where the wiper motor bolts on, someone's been in here trying to patch it up once already Looks a right mess on the drivers side The middle looks just about alright though!!!! ha ha So after being waylaid today with 'eggbound terrapin issues' i am hoping to get a full day on this tomorrow, get the bulkhead stripped down and see if I can work out how to do a half decent repair on it. Fingers crossed!!! Andyrew, 500tops, puddlethumper and 55 others 58 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyrew Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Father-rew used to build these new up untill production closed in the 90s.. I may have written this somewhere on here before but I recall one story of a guy welding his old steel toe cap boot into the corner of a rear chassis crossmember. for someone to find further down the line. It apparently made it all the way to final inspection, painted chassis black with the truck completed and was left as is and sent out the door. There was an old lwb bus version turned into a chip van that used to plod around this way for years. Hope it's still around causing traffic jams. jumpingjehovahs, LightBulbFun, BlankFrank and 8 others 5 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beko1987 Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Thats mega, you'll be filling it up with stuff from the garden centre and using it to go to tesco to buy a pint of milk and nice scenic drives in the countryside in no time! GrumpiusMaximus and LightBulbFun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spottedlaurel Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 7 hours ago, Mr_Bo11ox said: So after being waylaid today with 'eggbound terrapin issues'........ ?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beko1987 Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said: ?! A massive poo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Huzzah! Good to see some further love for this old heap. mk2_craig and LightBulbFun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobblers Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Nice one man, I must admit I'd be pretty intimidated by the scale of things to do on this big old bastard, good to see some work being completed. Made any plans for the back half yet? Youtube has recently started suggesting a load of videos by blokes who live full time in converted ambulances and stuff, and if it wasn't for the wife, I reckon that's what I'd be doing, just pottering around between various fields of the peak district. Better than paying a mortgage. A bloke I know is in lockdown living in a trailer tent on a field in Edale, the poxy bastard. I keep looking at my welder and the crusty passenger sill on the talbot, but the 6 month MOT extension thing is giving me enough of an excuse to not get started. Mr_Bo11ox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 12, 2020 Author Share Posted April 12, 2020 Been removing more parts from the Hor5ebo11ox today, mainly the dashboard and some rust. The dash is fairly easy to remove on one of these thankfully and the wiring loom is pretty rudimentary so lets have a look. Start by removing the steering column and instruments. Didnt bother labelling any of this stuff, FREESTYLIN y0 Here comes the radio, splendid wiring on the back of that. loads of crimp connectors and wires going through holes without any grommets etc. Horse people and wiring I suspect is a venn diagram with ZERO OVERLAP. Radio hole enlarged with an angle grinder!! Found a couple of bits of heater ducting missing from behind here, square section mouldings so I will have to tray and get hold of some of those on the FB page. Might go and see the feller I got my windscreen off in Stafford actually. Eventually hoiked the whole thing out and chucked it in the back with all the other removed parts. Now lets have a look at the grot. Decided to look at the passenger side first, mainly cos taking out the pedal box and brake servo is a pain in the arse. Doesnt look too bad at first glance Removed the wiper motor and started pulling off the patches. Someone had actually done a pretty thorough job in here a few years back. It was all rotten underneath now but whoever it was had managed to get their mig tip into some very inaccessible spots! Seemed to find myself chopping more and more of it away. The trouble is its all internal corners and tight spaces with not much room to get the angle grinder and spot wedl drill in. By this stage I had chopped away most of the bottom side of the scuttle, the external grille thing (losing the bonnet hinge in the process) and a lot of the inner bulkhead. Starting to feel a bit deflated at this point but just got to plough on. I sit for ages looking at it thinking about where to cut, can I get this or that tool in, how can I remake this piece or that piece. I didnt really know how best to do it so just kept on chopping! Knocked off at 8pm with this side mostly chopped out. The cab is made with an inner side panel that goes from the front of the engine bay right up the the door hinge pillar. The bulkhead is then spot welded to that across the front of the cab. The side panel is rusty at the top - I think my plan is to slice off the top of it just below the zig-zag section in the pic, repair or re-make that and start building back up from that point. I think the sliced-off scuttle panel is going to provide some useful repair sections (even if it needs some repairs itself before I can use it) DAMN this thing is rusty though. All inside the wings, screen pillars etc, its all covered in rust man. The scuttle panel drains at the ends into the door pillars then presumably the water gets out down below somewhere. (Need to check that) I am not sure about blasting loads of waxoyl into it as I might well need to weld it some more in the future!!! I'm thinking I might spray a couple of sumpfuls of oil into its nooks and crannies though. Anyway weather permitting i am hoping for a full day on it tomorrow. Now if it rains, huge quantities of water are gonna gush into the cab so I'd better crack on!   Craig the Princess, N Dentressangle, SpareSnare and 34 others 37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 It's not so much the quantity of the rust as the location that's daunting on that. At least you don't need to worry about the end product looking pretty since none of its seen, just solid and watertight is going to be enough, so that's a small mercy. Useful it having a big shed built onto the back for all the bits you're having to remove too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_dyane Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Wow man you have balls of steel, I hate to say it but I fear that would have had me reaching for the hairy bodge... Stinkwheel, stonedagain, Zie and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 12, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 12, 2020 The Eggbound Terrapin is Maude, one half of Terrapin duo 'Harold and Maude' who came into my life as a freebie when the current Ms_Nutz rocked up. She's (Maude, not Mrs_Nutz) has been acting weird lately and I think she wants to lay an egg (first time she will have done that despite being about 8 yrs old). So yesterdays horsebox time was instead spent making an annex for her tank with a 'sand pit' in which she can lay her egg. I think they normally lay thier eggs on beaches and their instinct is to dig a hole in the sand to pop the egg in. I used to think these turtles were a boring waste of time (and a lot of electricity for their tank heaters over their 30-year lifespan) but now I really like watching them cruising up and down in the tank, climbing out for a bask under the heat lamp .and just generally getting on with their turtle business. They're always busy and much more watchable than say Coronation Street. We installed the new beach area today, Maude hasn't been up there yet, but if she doesn't lay her egg soon at least she can't blame it on lousy local facilities. KruJoe, Six-cylinder, Lacquer Peel and 52 others 50 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twosmoke300 Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Progress !! Better man than I that’s for sure . I doubt the callipers are the same as an S3 landy tho - weren’t they all on drums ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulplom Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 On 4/12/2020 at 12:21 AM, Mr_Bo11ox said: Â So after being waylaid today with 'eggbound terrapin issues'. Nothing worse than constipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Hunt Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Eggsellent progress with both projects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Dodge Terrapin It's got something Mr_Bo11ox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Hey Bo11, Mrs Spart says is that a Mississippi map turtle? You're going to need a medal or similar at the end of that weldfest, I guess if you can do a good chunk during omgcovidlockdown then that's a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colnerov Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020   Hi, Heater ducting options? Try tumble drier extractor ducting, they come in both round and rectangular flavours.  Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 13, 2020 Author Share Posted April 13, 2020 Been doing a bit of patching today Cardboard Aided Engineering (Lidl chocolate crunch if you must know) Made a nice big patch for the inner side panel. Before i could fit the side patch I had to repair this drainage channel. No photos as I was struggling with my welder.... well the mask actually. I'm used to welding underneath old bangers in mucky dark workshops but here I was outdoors in bright sunlight and i couldnt see jack shit through the mask! I faffed about with it for ages trying to 'see better' through it but the controls on it didn't seem to do a lot. Anyway I ploughed on but it ended up a bit pigeon shitty. Did get it on though and not too splattery thankfully. Fits like a glove as well!!! Next i had to refit the square of the bulkhead I'd removed earlier. It needed a repair to the top edge Went in nicely though To get any further I need to remove the heater box (it needs to come out anyway as its knackered, like everything on the truck) then I can see how much of that chopped-off scuttle panel I'll need to use. So better start getting that ship shape Started by drilling out the spot welds and removing the remains of the outer scuttle panel. Might need this later though so i wont chuck it away just yet! Came off quite successfully Next i needed to repair the rotted-out bit where the wiper motor bolts on, so drilled a few more spot welds and sliced out the rotten bit Started making a new one from 1.2mm Zintec I bought one of these cheap hole saws from eBay for another job (fitting a towbar on the Croma) but I havent used it yet so test-drove it here. I was expecting it to be made out of monkey metal (it was only a fiver) but it zipped through this like it wasn't there! Nice hole m8 The chopped out bit had a reinforcing plate on it, but instead I just welded dome penny washers on the mounting holes. Hopefully that will be strong enough. Just tacking them on here. Got my big hole a bit out of place! Had to file it out to even it up a bit. Ran out of time about 7pm when I was ready to weld the new section in. Will get on that tomorrow hopefully!!! Doesn't seem like a great lot but its taken me all day to do those few bits. What a treat to just 'do the horsebox' almost all day, (with a brief dog walking interlude). Should get another decent day on it tomorrow, I'm hoping to get the LH side finished (I'm planning to slice that new scuttle in half and do it one side at a time so i don't get too overwhelmed by the job). If that happens I might even roll the barrel out and book a couple of days off work to do the drivers side and get it all finished. In turtle news the new beach area is a MASSIVE SUCCESS. I put Maude in it this morning and she immediately started digging a big hole with her back legs. She's been up and down a couple of times today of her own accord so she defo knows where to go and what to do. Just got to wait and see if any eggs appear!!! @spartacus yes these are defo map turtles. They were the same size when Mrs Nutz got them, now the female is at least twice the size of the male. He's a bit of a sex pest so she'll be glad to be able to go upstairs now for some extra peace and quiet. rainagain, wuvvum, Semi-C and 29 others 32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 You certainly have patience, St Bollox. The truck is looking bloody good for all the work you've done so far. However, I reckon it could almost be the calm before the storm. Deep breaths when you delve further below the scuttle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve79 Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Great progress here ? Any news on this poor bugger? Â spartacus and Dick Longbridge 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 16, 2020 Author Share Posted April 16, 2020 Yo, the Maser still exists, last year I lost my garage space where I was stashing it so I sent it up to a proper car storage company just outside Manchester. I've never been to the place so i hope its legit as I have given them my car and send them £70/month!!! Here it is about to set sail, pic is dated October 2019. I don't know when I'm gonna do anything with it as the garage at my house is not really big enough to have it in and work on it. But, I don't want to get rid of it, so as long as I can afford it I am happy to shell out on storing it till something changes in my life and I'm in a position to get back on it. Isaac Hunt, andrew e, fairkens and 9 others 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_dyane Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Ooof! They do lockups here for £5.99 a week but I’m not sure I would risk it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mr_Bo11ox Posted April 16, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 16, 2020 Back on the lorry, I cleaned up the new scuttle and uncovered a load of rust (surprise surprise) I don't mind the odd pinhole, but that was too much. So: Thats better Next, because I had chopped it out, the ends of the new scuttle were missing. I had to extend it to replace the bits 'left behind' in the scrap cab: Made it over-long with the idea that I would chop it down to fit. Had to do lots of measuring to be reasonably sure the 'extension' would sit comfortably against the front wing, the bulkhead and the scuttle drains. OK that will do!! Right there was not a lot else I could do with it at this stage. Had to get ready to start slicing the old bulkhead out. Started by draining the coolant: This was fresh coolant not long ago, now its black! I think I will bin it and clean the circuit out with a dishwasher tablet before refilling it. With the coolant drained and the expansion bottle off, I could get a good eyeful of the grot: Took the heater out. Every single cable and lever on this is seized solid. Will see if I can free them off, if not I have a spare heater box from the scrap cab (dont know if that is any better mind you) Eeeewwww! OK now we have good access to the whole bulkhead. Started working out and marking up where to slice this thing down to fit. measured up and scribed all the cut lines: After a lot of chopping I had this. I chopped it in 'half' as I want to do the job one side at a time so as to not feel too overwhelmed by the whole truck being in a million pieces!! Looks useful though right? Started marking up on the bulkhead as well; Lots of measuring and scribing Ooohhh!! Thats the malignant tissue excised (Yes i know it has gone metastatic) Nice big gaping hole in the cab now Offered it up. Needed quite a lot chopping off the 'extension' and a bit of fettling but was not too bad a fit. Not great though. Those vertical stiffening ribs actually don't line up all that well. I've got it clamped on that rectangular fan duct in the middle, if I align that, the vertical ribs are out by about 8mm at the outer edge! I did read that the metalwork on these is all over the shop. I think the bits that were common to the yankee van, were pressed in the states and sent to Dunstable. The Dodge 50-specific bits were tooled up in the UK. They had loads of problems because the yankee parts were off tooling that was already ancient and the parts were nowt like the drawings. So tooling up new parts to fit with them was a nightmare and it led to never-ending panel fit and cab assembly problems. Certainly there is a marked visible difference between these two scuttle panels.  Anyway, after having it in and out half a dozen times I was happy with the fit Ias much as I was ever gonna be). I removed it and cleaned up all the edges ready for welding. Then I took a deep breath and stitched it in!!! Fucking BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!! After like 4 days of preparation it only took about half an hour to weld it in. I've still got to do the curvy bit at the outer edge but will get on that tomorrow. But, the bulkhead itself seems very satisfactory. Phew!! What a job!!! I can't wait to get it all cleaned up and a coat of paint and seam sealant on it. That will be a right mojo booster. Obvs I still have the drivers side to do but I'm hoping I can do that a little quicker now i've done it once already. Hopefully i will need less 'thinking time' on it. After all this high-intensity tat work over the last few days, the garage is looking like a total shit tip! I might invest an hour in sorting it out this weekend. Or I might not!!! More soon!!!  dave j, Saabnut, Coprolalia and 77 others 76 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 Bloody hell this really is a labour of love isn't it! The scary thing is that this was probably one of the better 50s out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Excellent work - logical and methodical  Just a bonus it looks Braw too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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