Shortie shortening :)

[makeitfit]

Here's the old girl resting, as it has for two years. All we've done is get the engine out. Sold that and set about undoing the body mounts. Undid the looms and ripped off the rotten fuel pipes. Welsh winters salty roads

Plan was to lift the body up and pull the chassis out from under it. So we made a frame to support the body onto. A few metres of 50mm box and a welding boy produced this in about an hour or so

I've made it adjustable so it can be lowered down etc if needed.

One of the guys in the neighboring units has a telly handler thing, so bribed him with 20 minutes of sheep action for a quick body lift

While the body was aloft we put the cradle underneath and then plonked the body back down onto it.

Then it was simply a case of pulling the chassis into the workshop via the pressure washer. For this I did a steering mod

Cleaned many old adventures off the poor thing

On the lift and first look properly suggests it's not too shabby amazingly. This is a retaliative term here in wild west wales

The tail ends by the tank are rotten but not needed any more so off they go

Shortening the front next , see you later

[PeeBee]

I am going to enjoy this journey. Keep going, great stuff.

[happygu]

Looks like a bit of fine work to pass the time ..... a bit of rust kill and paint on the chassis will go a long way to making it look a million dollars again....

[makeitfit]

Here be some more goings on.
Chassis chop 15cm off the front end. Aiming for a more aggressive attack angle .

Then relocated body mounts

Years ago in preperation for this very job, I bought some swivel recovery points. Amazed myself by finding them in my heap of things
So I made up a template and cut the 6mm plate to suit the inner chassis section.

Here sprayed in weld through primer.

Cleaned up the inside a bit & close enough for welding .

Boyo has done his magic again closing up with typical toothpaste weld

Close up weld porn anyone

Next up I'll tell you all about making two barn doors into a drop down taigate

[rusty_nail]

Yer those welds are neat mate! I reckon@MudRunnerTD would have done a far neater job. I'm kidding but those welds are bloody neat!

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[makeitfit]

Yer those welds are neat mate! I reckon@MudRunnerTD would have done a far neater job. I'm kidding but those welds are bloody neat!

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

I wish they were mine but they are in fact my son's work. I taught him everything I knew in about 5 minutes .... my eyes don't help . The boy always asks if I had the gas on when he looks at my welds lol
I'll pass on your kind words though

[makeitfit]

Here in deepest darkest west Wales we still have plenty of feckin' rain .....
So in a kind of out of sequence job we got on with making the barn doors into a tailgate, as you do
Incase I hadn't made it clear, I'm cutting up the old girl into a pickup. Extending the wheel base , shortening front and back overhangs.
Part of the job was cutting up the barn doors to make them into a drop down tailgate.
Sooo, I set about the door strip down .

Then repeat on little door . Pushed together for a trial looksee at gaps etc

Happy with that so welding it is then

Many hours disappeared on this job, but as it was pissing down big style we didn't mind so much.

Eventually a little bit of origami metalwork and another small hole filled

More spray weld through primer and jigsaw piece done

and on and on filling hinge holes etc till we eventually got this far

Got a few little screw holes to fill then body filler then prime etc etc
Loads more to do just on this bit, like find some hinges ??
Hardly any patrols round here , never mind pick ups, so finding hinges could be fun

[Cuppa]

Goodonya boyo, I'm enjoying this.

Btw -the proper name for a 'pickup' is a 'ute'.

[makeitfit]

You say UTE, I say pickup.
You say guard, I say bumper.
What ever it's called we both call it fun
Now then, the rain has stopped and so I got my ladder out to chop the top, of my pickute

I spent many years trying to decide where I would go with the Trol and at last I'm marking out
As they say, the first cut is the deepest , so time to chase the white line !!!

I welded in a brace just incase things moved .

9" grinder time, up a ladder , in the mud Nothing to see here
Then boom , D posts gone .

I'll be using this bit later, best put it safe

Then back up me ladder and repeat

Quite like it as it is but there's no room for the seat like this , so now I need to add the rear end again.

First go at fitting it.

Then many fiddly cuts later the gutter is pretty close

More wallop stick action and getting closer again

I've got to the point of reasonable roof line but the gutters are slightly narrower from the rear end.

Tomorrow's problem solution session will be fixing this width issue !

Answers on a postcard please

[Fireblade]

this is cool, wish i had your skill.
got me hooked cant wait to see the next update