Area 52 - April 25-27. NEW PROJECT ARRIVING; OMG!!!!1!!

Get the wheels in line, GET THE WHEELS IN LINE ;D

November playday photos y0!

Friday night was mostly spent chopping up an enormous pile of firewood with a razor spoon-sharp axe.



Butterz recently dropped off this comedy, powered hacksaw... thing, seemingly converted from steam- or water wheel-power to this ridiculously large electric motor that produced more heat than movement. James knocked up a blade more suitable for cutting wood and away it went, cutting through it like a hot knife through... Well, wood.

Saturday morning:


BIaS brings the Shuttle in for some work on the exhaust, to make it... quieter?






The donor BMXs.

The Area 52 woodburner chucks out some serious heat. A serious apron was constructed:




Mystery Machine and BIaS get down to bicycle deconstruction







Jonovlov and Callum dismantling a knackered Volvo engine.



Joe76 grinds.




Erm...


...This is a small toilet seat framing a picture of Butterz. I would say you had to be there to understand, but I was there and I don't really get it. Nice wheels though.




Speedy88 welds up his exhaust.




The drift trike frames take shape

thats not pigeon at all

good stuff

mmm squeggs wheres the sqacon tho ;D

That Escort looks really nice! Is there a build thread or just more pictures?

i have read all of this from start to finish.. and i have decidedthat you really need more benches as most fabrication seems to happen on the floor ( not a bad thing mind, but a bench would be easier surely!)

and if i can wiggle it with SWMBO i would like to attend the next meet?

L

Thank you! ;D

Awesome write-up and photos Rich. Had me grinning from ear to ear just working my way back through what was an utterly brilliant weekend.

September felt a little strange, like something had been lost (I put this down to us all being burnt out after the Gathering) but October and November have really been incredible and truly back to the spirit & ethos of what Area 52 is all about.

December is looking even busier and I think we're going to struggle for sleeping space! Hopefully there will be lots to do to keep everyone warm...before we head out to try out a potential new drift trike spot.


You are correct, by day it's known as Bower Ashton and Aston Court, but at night it becomes the Area 52 drift trike downhill track and test facility.

If you think that's close to you, then you'll love the fact that Area 52 itself is located in a secret underground chamber hidden deep below the UWE campus at the foot of Ashton Court!

Accessed by a hidden tunnel network, the rest of the world is unaware of what goes on down there. We have even constructed an underground 'outside' yard lit to resemble the effects of daylight to give the illusion that Area 52 is in fact just a normal average, everyday unit somewhere in Bristol. Far from it.


Two things I must point out to you regarding Area 52.

1) You don't need to have a retro in order to come along to Area 52 and get involved. In fact, often it pays to have something more modern and anonymous because everyone is expected to park their cars out on the road (unfortunatley there isn't infinite room in the underground chamber for everyone to park ) and the more the car blends in, the less likely to draw attention.

2) There is no expectation or requirement to have any skills at all. It's about great people and great times....and cars! The range of skills and experience is diverse and enormous. Everything from zero skill and capability all the way up to guys who restore classic cars for a living...and everything in between.

That's what makes it work so well though. There are no egos, no one is ever made to feel substandard. Everyone just does their thing. Everyone just chips in as much as they can. People who have skills & experience pass it on, whilst people with little or none, learn, by getting stuck in and feeding off those who do have the skills.

It's so hard to define in words, but it just works. A prime example was the last play weekend when the seat on one of the drift trikes was broken. Rich (606) started to prep the seat ready for some welding then asked if someone could do the welding. I told him he could do it. "But I don't know how to weld" was his answer.

"You're about to learn" was mine. And with that, we set the welder up and got going. After a bit of a bad start for both of us thanks to a knackered tip, within no time Rich was left to his own devices and managed to weld a series of box sections together. At no point did anyone criticise his welding...a few guys stopped to give some further advice and pointers, but it was all 100% constructive and helpful.

What was the end result? Rich now has a burning desire to "weld MOAR stuff" and the seat bracket made progress at a time when everyone else was busy with other things.

I'll often stop and ask someone if they want to do a job. The answer is nearly always yes (normally only 'no' if they are in the middle of something else) and occasionally that person might respond with, "but I'm not sure how to do that" once they find out what the job is. 99% of the time, before I can say anything, someone else will pipe up and say, "I'll show you" and with that, they are off making or fixing something.

Having said all that, the ability to make a good cuppa (especially tea!) will get you far. Introducing yourself to a unit packed with a bunch of complete strangers might seem a daunting task, but hand them a cuppa and you've got an instant friend. Who you may well learn a LOT from over future play weekends.

It's awesome!

Couldn't agree more Dude. Cracking pics! ;D ;D