So the first outing for the project team since lockdown is tomorrow at Tatton Park for the American car show. Will post some pics but previous years we have been it been a cracking show.
On a side note here's what's been going on with the project lately
Engine and gearbox installed on the car
Most of the electrical wiring is done
Front 2 piece windscreen and rear curved window installed
Dashboard completed with trim switches and glovebox
Fuel filler is now fitted
Trunk hinges installed
Most of the engine accessories fitted
Steering is now connected
Wheels have been aligned
wind lace around the front area partially installed
pedals installed
rear view mirror installed
12v fuse box installed
Glass was cut with templates for the rest of the windows
So because of the pandemic and not going out to on adventures with the team its been a while since a proper update has come out. The 3rd member of the team has now started to coming around again to assist with the project after a long wait
The Car was prepped ready for painting over the lock downs and sprayed olive drab. The roof was also worked on to remove the ripples and dents found it was rolled out in April 2021 to assess the paint job and address any problem areas to the finish to touch up
It has recently seen the dash and steering go into the vehicle alongside some gearbox work in preparation for potentially upcoming mating of the engine back into the vehicle. Templates for the glass have also been made and have gone off to the glass cutters as of last night using the excellent ones sent over from the states by Mike Nichols. Various other small items are being fitted back onto the car last week saw the fuel filler pipe fitted to the vehicle and the start of the trunk hinges. Small bits n bobs have been worked on and painted in preparation for upcoming jobs.
A video posted on my YouTube channel shows the day we rolled out the vehicle for paintwork inspection which found some tic is needed for the camera and the vehicle in places
Today we had a trip over to Barnsley area to discuss and start a job on the Fords gearbox which meant leaving around 0830ish. The box was loaded in the day before and our routing would take up Stockport - Denton - Snake Pass and finally to Burnley where the ex Thomas Cook Captain lived upon leaving the traffic was light all the way there with stunning scenery along the snake pass with its rolling hills and many reservoirs with the road snaking its way through the scenery.
The Captains house was quite a moderate size from the outside as the Porsche greeted us in the driveway alongside another vehicle as we knocked on the door. Inside is not too cluttered as we chatted for a few minutes in the kitchen before returning to the van to retrieve the gearbox box and bring it into the garage where the toys hide. Lots of fancy machines and CAD machines lurked inside as the door was opened. Also joining us was another ex Thomas Cook Captain this time was based at Newcastle for the flying.
The lads discussed various ways to do the job of milling down the gearbox to tolerances and processes/tooling and told stories about the past at Thomas Cook.
After a while he showed us the toys and explained what they did and such then showed off the CAD machine talking a lot about it
Its quite an impressive machine the way he explained how it works and what it does and the various cutting tools and such that are with it also explained the story of how he acquired it. Then it was back home in the rain yet again over the snake pass seeing more of the scenery as the cloud base was higher this time with a heavier flow of traffic and the roadworks again it was a nice trip over to that part of South Yorkshire and through the peak district
So the start of the month we decided to go up with a friend and his car to Rudyard near Leek on the 4th to rent a trailer for 30 quid it even had a winch and then head to a farm near Holmes Chapel for to retrieve the body from storage.
We arrived at the farm to be greeted with a large storage shed full of caravans and campervans. The body had been sat here for quite a while on its makeshift trollie awaiting mating to the completed chassis it was warm and overcast with a few light on and off showers of rain as we ventured inside. The farmers telehandler at the front entrance to the storage shed had been removed before we arrived and we made our way inside to find the body shell nestled between 2 caravans
It was then manhandled out of its spot between the 2 caravans into the middle of the shed to be pushed outside
It was then pulled out into the centre of the shed and inspected before we dragged it towards the trailer awaiting outside hooked up to a friends Ford Fiesta
With the inspection complete it was time to move it outside to be loaded onto the trailer and return home with it to be able to mate it with the body
Now outside it was time to ready the trailer to receive the body we had to lower the ramps to each side and extend the winch to be connected to the trolly. After some slow winching it was finally on the trailer in its position to be taken back home
it was time to lash the body shell down to the trailer using some straps and then make sure it was safe to move forward. Whilst the other 2 where lashing it down I took the opertunity to take shot of the whole rig together with the friends vehicle
With the body shell now lashed down to the trailer it was time to head back to base and do it all over again and mate the body to the chassis. We arrived back home and offloaded the body but due to technical difficulties encountered because the chassis had wheels on it was decided it would not fit over so it was left outside with a tarp over it
The rest of the team tinkered with getting things squared up to receive the body over the chassis. It was almost in place before 1700 so we downed tools for the day. The next day the chassis was properly positioned and mounted down to the chassis with the dolly being stowed elsewhere after removal with our regular member of the team now back helping out things have progressed.
On the 18th there is a trip to Barnsley, South Yorkshire to meet an ex Thomas Cook Captain to see if they can help us with the gearbox issue. From photos seen over WhatsApp they have some cnc 3d printing machine and some fancy toys there going to help out with
So today we got up the weather was cloudy and was not raining so we decided to risk it and head out to the event via Poynton to pick up project member 3 in our newish I20 and head over the moors to Saddleworth. We hit the motorway from Poynton to be greeted with a light shower of rain but cleared up as we got closer to the event with the slight drizzle as we approached the Tesco superstore at Greenfield.
The Saddleworth moors are quite picturesque with lots of old mills and a certain style of building material coupled together with the lush moorland and hills make it quite a gorgeous place to see on a sunny day but it was still overcast. We walked up to the event from the carpark to be greeted with a long que of military vehicles all lined up for the parade at noon through the town
Then it was a nice stroll down the Saddleworth high street quite a rustic town with the canal going through it on our walk down to the school located down the other end of the town. A lot of shops had decked there display windows out with the old fashion or items of the period which made it more alive. It was six quid to get into the show at the school and had vehicles and reenactors on the outside with small displays in the hall with a stage from period wedding dresses to a miners display. We had a poke in there before looking at the vehicles outside before going round to the sports hall.
We then headed round to the stalls first located within the sports hall where it was mostly full of 40s fashion stalls such as this selection of men's clothing quite a variety of men's and ladies fashions from jackets, trousers, waistcoats, hats, gloves, jewellery, dresses and undergarments quite a nice collection
We ventured up the steps at the school towards there Astroturf pitch were you passed ladies and gentlemen dancing various dances to music and then onto the pitch where there are a lot of stalls more clothing and other items. We looked round here for maybe 30 minutes before heading in the opposite direction to the reenactors field. It had rained most of yesterday and was a mud bath in the field so a quick poke through the door and we decided to walk back to the car passing a nice 1941 Ford car
We walked back down the high street and stopped at a pub that has a band playing music
We stopped and listened to about 2 songs before they started to pack up and we decided to try and walk back via the canal to the car
Having left the music at the pub we ventured down to the park to see what was going on there where lots for the kids to enjoy and a bubble blower making massive bubbles for the kids to enjoy before a short work along the river
We then headed down towards the local museum to try and get onto the canal having a poke in the window of the museum we went round the side to try and get onto the canal without luck but we spotted this memorial on the wall of the museum as you walk up to the canal
Then it was the stroll back to the car and home via Poynton getting lost in the centre of Oldham whilst the satnav tried to pick up the satellite to work. Id have to say Oldham has some rustic appeal to it from the buildings we saw from the car but apart from that it was a cracking day out and is one to put on the calendar for next year and we highly recommend it
So I was informed by Dad on Friday a lad from the hangar had been chatting to a work college of dads on his Thomas Cook shift at Manchester about The Yanks are back in Saddleworth up near Oldham and dad asked a few questions and decided we might leg it in full dress to the show provided its not raining. I had previously a while ago had a flyer for this event but due to work commitments sadly we didn't go but this will be a first.
The work colleague from the hangar explained its the whole town of Saddleworth comes out to play for 2 days and there are vehicles everywhere and reenactors even the town get dressed up which is just a 50 minute drive from base as it the Stockport side of Manchester. The fee is 6ish quid at the school for the event and was also informed that it was featured in some war film or something and that it is expected to be as always as he lives up that way a cracking event. We where advised to park in the Tesco superstore upon arrival tomorrow and we are looking forward to it with the 3 of the team going.
So Friday we checked the weather and rang team member number 3 to see if they wanted to go with us. An ultimatum was reached if we ring on the day (which is Sunday) we are going if we don't Sunday becomes another Project day to work on phase 2 the chassis which the body is now in storage so we can start phase 2 and then mate the two together later
