ardea pickup.........THING!

[DavidLaver]

....in time...

More important to do "real stuff" than search through the shoe boxes of old photos.

Got my admin done so off to get some splinters!!

David

[DavidLaver]

Something I've been meaning to ask - I can see the little patches are shaped prior to fitting, my guess is you bend them with gloved hands against a solid bench or something.  Is there any hammer and dolly type stuff going on after they are welded in or is it grinder then straight to filler?

David

[chugga boom]

simple panels like that are easy to make as they dont really have any compound curvature in them, those 2 panels i actually beat around the gas bottle on my welder  when tacked in used a hammer and dolly to tidy them up, shrinker stretcher turned up today so absolutly landed now i can crack on with the back end, wont be doing much to it this weekend as saturday i'm hoping to be picking up an air dryer for my compressor and sunday going to pick up parts for a future project, on the plus side i have odd headlamp glasses for the truck and just won another on ebay

[chugga boom]

having a serious change of heart and rethink about the pickup.......NO I'M NOT GIVING IN!!!.....i want to use this everyday for back and to to work , i'm seriously worried about lack of power though, 28bhp is erm...... useless! especially concidering its weight, supercharging would probably give me another 15bhp ish so that would take me to 43 bhp, respectable but i feel probably putting the engine to its limit, as between myself and father we have approximatly 5 spare aprilia engines and boxes 48bhp in standard reliable tune is looking more likely, going to measure up both enginebays and see if it will shoehorn in, keep you posted 

[DavidLaver]

Is it that you've just worked out how many kilos of filler and welding wire have gone into a "very light" truck since you pushed it through the door    

Am keeping my fingers crossed you squeeze it all in...otherwise the next sequence of photos will be "take the front end of an Aprilia, cut here, weld to the rear 2/3rds of an Ardea pickup that was cut down from a van that's now been split lengthwise and widened to match the Aprilia bulkhead".

The only other combo I can think of is a Gamma engine under the rear deck 

David

[DavidLaver]

...or keep the Ardea with its standard engine for local service, and convert the Evo to a pickup for the express deliveries...

David

[fay66]

...or keep the Ardea with its standard engine for local service, and convert the Evo to a pickup for the express deliveries...

David

Now There's a good idea!!!

Brian
8227

[chugga boom]

pity i've just sold the EVO 

[Dilambdaman]

Just to say that I've seen it in the metal! and a fine job it is too.

They'll have to resurrect the 'Odd Ball Trophy' at next year's AGM - sure fire winner this.

Robin

P.S. I'VE SEEN THE INFAMOUSE TROUSERS TOO!     Scary or what! 

[chugga boom]

thanks robin  , quick update, been busy with other things (moving house and work ) so haven't had much time for the beast the last few weeks, anyway started again today making the panels to finish the sides off (boxing them in) shrinker stretcher works a treat, my aim is to get all the fabrication done by the weekend and spend saturday afternoon and sunday welding, fingers crossed shouldn't be long before i'm ready for the next major problem TAILGATE!!!, will post photo's when i've got enough significant progress to show

[DavidLaver]

Glad to hear you're back on it...and if you could put in a picture of the shrinker/streatcher as well that would be great...

David

[chugga boom]

PICTURES............

[DavidLaver]

It LOOKS like that tool worked like a charm.  Any problems or tricks?

David

[chugga boom]

No problems at all worked a treat  , amazingly every panel fitted 1st time , really pleased worthits weight in gold!!!

[chugga boom]

bit more...