1959 Commer Superpoise MkIV Tipper

even without the check arms failing vehicles do crack like that, particularly hard used commercials, the hinges react a equal an opposite force to the check arm.

looks good now.

Hopefully the link below works, but something I forgot to mention last time was that I have actually been able to test the tipping body, and after some jiggery pokery with the various levers on the cab floor, I worked out what was what, and was left with this...



The video does go on a bit without a great deal of change, but it works nonetheless!


There hasnt been a great deal of progress since the last post. I did paint the inside of the door, with a roller... I was terribly unhappy with the outcome of that, so stripped it back to bare metal and intend to spray it instead now. But in the mean time I have been cleaning up the mechanisms, the chrome, and doing some general tidying of the door components before reassembly. As you can see in the photo below, I did have to repair the "track" the window sits in. I was worried about getting the fold angles on this right, as the window winder arm has to fit into a channel between the window track and the bottom of the frame. But luckily using works electric folder, then a hammer, it rolled to a perfect shape, and operates perfectly. All I need to do now is to order some new rubber for the door.

However getting quarter window rubber looks as though it could prove tricky.

Good move rationalizing your fleet. Working vehicles are the coolest.

Excellent work you do.

John

Evening everyone,

The door is now back home for some final touches before being sat into "storage" for a while. Using the link supplied above, and some google searches, I'm looking to get some new runner ordered in for the door, and I'm also looking to put some sound deadening inside the door. With no door card to speak off I imagine it to be a very loud, and cold driver, so a little unseen addition may help a tad.

My plan is to continue as I did on the cab repair. Do all the unboltables in my spare time at work, then wrap them up and store them while I do the work on the chassis and main tub at the yard. It obviously makes zero sense to repair and paint a door to then bolt it back on before repairing the footwell for example! It may not seem the most logical step, but its the best way for me to keep things moving and manage my time best.

I do have to make some adjustments to the shed too. Ill call it a shed, as it is a very primitive lean-to I constructed to protect the truck (see a few pages back) but I need to encase the truck a bit more. There is a space next to the truck Dad uses for his various jobs, this does however leave the truck dusty most times I visit. Ill blame Dad but the weather contributes a fair bit too! But I have some more cladding from work so I plan to put up the berlin wall between his activities and mine!

There has been another development too ...

After the minx left for pastures new my general feeling was that I could begin to really start hitting the tipper with the hope of having it ready for the Detling vintage transport show in early april next year. We visited it this year for the first time, and found it an enjoyable show with plenty to look at. Being local too it seemed a good place to start. Its a punt none the less, but I feel a target gives me, personally, something to work towards.

This was until the yard owner propositioned me. Whilst I repaired the cab at the start of the thread, my friend repaired the chassis for the same truck. And he in turn took a vehicle as payment. Now, said vehicle has sat since its collection maybe 3 years ago and done nothing. This has now been offered to me as "I'm the only one down this yard that would do anything with it" So I find myself in a situation again.







Its another Commer! This time a VC. And as you can see, its another welder-upper. But this one does benefit from a fair few new panels included. And as the second pictures show, this served its time as a Milk lorry for Nestle. So much so that you can clearly see the ring marks from the urns worn in the aluminium body! I had gone from always fancying a classic lorry to now potentially having two! The nature of the offer couldnt be turned down. But I did make it clear I was focusing on the tipper first and foremost to prevent any brain fog and pressure occuring again, which he understood and accepted. So here we are...



I then did the usual internet snooping and found this archive photo of one chugging away loaded, Which looks absolutely awesome!


The lorries are multiplying...

Has that got a TS3 in it?

You are correct. It is indeed a perkins!

And the exhaust under the bumper.

Evening chaps,

I'm not the most regular updater here, but work has been continuing. The cab has now been fully stripped of all unboltables, as I have now made the decision to remove the cab from the chassis to allow me better access to some awkward areas that need repairing.







A few of the affected areas I have immediately spotted



Seeing the truck like this feels like things are getting further away from completion, and Id be lieing if I didnt say it has disheartened me on a couple of occasions, but unfortunately I find it hard to just brush over the surface of problems. I have to try and do it as properly as I can.


I took the top section of the passenger side wing in to work next. The only area of concern was the returning flange that bolts to the outer wing, a clear and obvious water trap.














This was another nice easy job, made easier by the access to the workshops guillotine! Ive cut 4 strips of 2mm plate into 35mm x 2m strips, which should be plenty to allow me to do all the flange repairs necessary.

Despite my concern and later upset at having to cut the column and steering wheel, I did find myself presented with a solution rather swiftly.

Id placed a wanted ad in the great "classic and vintage commercials" magazine for any superpoise parts and spare glass for the milk lorry. I recieved a phone call from a chap telling me he had both sat in his yard, "come have a look and take what you want". Sounds good to me! I havent had any other leads or contact info for any other Superpoise's my shape, so I wanted to have a look at thos for reference as much as anything else. Unfortunately it was about 5 hours away...but Dad, myself and my oldest boy made the day of it, managing to take in a Gillingham FC away game on the stomp back home!

On arrival to the yard there wasnt a great indication of much actually being there, other than and old Iveco and a Mk3 Transit chassis cab breaking its back, lots of long grass, and various lorry bodys. After waiting around for half hour or so, an old jcb backhoe came chugging up the road, and correctly, we guessed this was our man. We were lead around the yard to this;










A VERY sorry looking truck indeed. I did manage to gain a few bits though. The steering box column and steering wheel all came out with ease this time...as I was allowed to cut the chassis and bulkhead apart to take it out as one lump! I hope to get it on the bench and ease everything off a lot smoother than my first attempt. I also came away with the remaining glass, and the door handles. There wasnt a great deal more of use to me really.

Whilst I set about removing the parts from the Superpoise, Dad was lead off to get the glass out the maxiload. This was the better of the two jobs, as he smugly told me later a little push and they simply fell out the rotten cab!







Its a very cool Maxiload tipper, but unfortunately it appears laying under a tree hasnt done it any favours. But its a very cool looking truck.

The yard was very impressive, the sort of thing us anoraks enjoy mooching around. There were a few other Rootes trucks dotted about too;







A very cool Q4 was opposite the maxiload in the trees and there was also an earlier superpoise front end dumped in a different area. Despite being a veeery long day, it was very worthwhile in terms of spares collections. And very enjoyable in terms of snooping round rusty old junk in the fresh country air!