So yesterday I had a day out - delivering one project vehicle to a specialist processer and collecting another en-route home
This is a all original van - stored since 1952 with a engine fault - 22,000 miles from new recently acquired by one of my fellow Jowett Car Club members
Its with me for a new fabric roof - the original one has long since departed
Currently a non runner whilst works are undertaken to the fuel tank / electrical system
So the plan is to retain the patina but rebuild the drive train & van to running / legal road use - much of this has already been completed
Rebuilt engine
The rest of the van has been fettled - new brakes / clutch / exhaust etc
What can left original shall be - no plans for any paintwork etc
But this hole needs sorting
And ideally I need to remove & refit the original roof gutter & panel beading which is made from a soft alloy - worse still its secretly nailed to the ash body behind a even softer / delicate alloy flap on the guttering / beading
The terminating edge of the roof fabric is retained under the guttering / beading which why it needs to be removed
I'm half hoping that the rusted nails will yield to a thin scraper blade tapped against them down the rear of the gutter / beading
And sometime later
And much later I had them all off
Carefully straightened them up where required - but lots of care required in order to not loose the patina on them - they are going to have be secured by drilling / countersink and then screwed - but a slotted screw - ideally with a black head finish - this method of externally screwing them on is not that unusual and its how most of the Bradford vans are now presented
Spent a load of time cleaning up under the beads / gutters & de-nailing - then replaced the roof supports and gave the very rusty quadrant panels a going over with the DA - these all get covered with the roof fabric but I did not want to leave the panels covered in rust
Hydrate 80 liberally applied should do the job
And this dent in the bonnet is just a bit too much of a patina finish for my client
Can you get that out without losing the patina - I'll have a look - no promises I said
This is a all original van - stored since 1952 with a engine fault - 22,000 miles from new recently acquired by one of my fellow Jowett Car Club members
Its with me for a new fabric roof - the original one has long since departed
Currently a non runner whilst works are undertaken to the fuel tank / electrical system
So the plan is to retain the patina but rebuild the drive train & van to running / legal road use - much of this has already been completed
Rebuilt engine
The rest of the van has been fettled - new brakes / clutch / exhaust etc
What can left original shall be - no plans for any paintwork etc
But this hole needs sorting
And ideally I need to remove & refit the original roof gutter & panel beading which is made from a soft alloy - worse still its secretly nailed to the ash body behind a even softer / delicate alloy flap on the guttering / beading
The terminating edge of the roof fabric is retained under the guttering / beading which why it needs to be removed
I'm half hoping that the rusted nails will yield to a thin scraper blade tapped against them down the rear of the gutter / beading
And sometime later
And much later I had them all off
Carefully straightened them up where required - but lots of care required in order to not loose the patina on them - they are going to have be secured by drilling / countersink and then screwed - but a slotted screw - ideally with a black head finish - this method of externally screwing them on is not that unusual and its how most of the Bradford vans are now presented
Spent a load of time cleaning up under the beads / gutters & de-nailing - then replaced the roof supports and gave the very rusty quadrant panels a going over with the DA - these all get covered with the roof fabric but I did not want to leave the panels covered in rust
Hydrate 80 liberally applied should do the job
And this dent in the bonnet is just a bit too much of a patina finish for my client
Can you get that out without losing the patina - I'll have a look - no promises I said
