Toomanyprojects' workshop / garden / *Insert other* projects

Ummmmm..... yeah , ok.

fear not it's already been removed 😆

Yes , do tell.

Been a while since I updated this thread. However true to my username there have been many, many distractions happening 

Suffice to say the visiting 'Cobra' has since left the building, a thorough going over and replacement of fuel lines, coolant pipes, missing bushes, clean of carb and a dismantling of the fuel tank with all new filters and rust treatment did the trick to get it through the MOT.

Wheels, tyres and a general overhaul of the interior and seating are next. That was duly transported south one weekend and to its new home where the works can continue


Next on the hit list, and long overdue a bit of tlc, was the car trailer. My original 'temporary' fix of some marine ply to infill the centre in order to collect the Austin '7 (it's front wheels are narrower than the 1m gap), had lasted over 4 years and in that time had battle scars from the aforementioned Cobra exhaust, a 'ahem' lowered Celica on it's way to the NEC restoration show, as well as many other things it was never designed for... including a forklift (ask johnnybravo about that one!), as such the boards were splitting and were generally in a poor state. Certainly not fit for purpose should I have needed to put the '7 on the trailer for any reason.




The hardware attaching it all, including my modified ramp holding bracketry was also looking worse for wear


Time to go shopping then, this time for the right stuff for the application - Phenolic Plywood, also known as Buffalo or Rhino Board depending on who you get it from and whether you can pronounce the proper name (oh and didn't my wallet know it - this stuff has got expensive in the last couple of years! ), still needs must, and I still needed to cut it down to size...


then lay it out on the bed to ensure it fitted


This involved multiple test fits as well as with the other board in situ before I was happy that it fitted as it should.

Given the abuse the previous boarding suffered on the rear edge (see top of the board in the fist photo), I decided to make a slight addition from some old checker plate I had lying about from a spare Celica shell I cut up - think it was a makeshift parcel shelf (see yet again these things always come in handy one day! ), cutting and folding it to give a protective edge


I could then use the old boards (just!) as templates to drill the holes and treat any cuts and holes with some bitumen paint to ensure it was waterproof once more, before bolting everything together with new hardware.


Simple things I guess but I'm quite pleased with the outcome (spot the celebratory beer), and it should serve me well for a few years yet... well until it meets another forklift

Minor hedge find addition to the workshop


Because... errr... there is one 🤣

So as mentioned in my recent wanted thread, last weekend was rather A35 heavy (excuse the pun but you'll see why in a minute!)

First was the sorting of SWMBOs regular project and getting it tilted so the weldathon can continue



Result number 1. Secondly was sorting the 'other' spare shell we had lying about


Realistically it's too far gone to use as a complete car; the floors are shot, it's been played with in the past and we don't have a V5 for it, whereas the other shells we do. So it was either destined for a Car-B-Q, sofa or bar. As it happens it will be none of those, well for the time being anyway, and is instead off to serve a purpose elsewhere. However for that it needed to meet the butchering tools


Which after a worryingly short amount of time resulted in


and the heavy part... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣


However that wasn't the end of things. It was pushed into the workshop to go on even more of a diet...

give everything a liberal dousing of Deblock oil and cue the A-team music (in my head anyway). I'll let you count the various 'persuading tools'



Yup I made a right mess

More on this one soon as it now needs to go on a road trip, and if all goes to plan and the car gods are smiling, will be joined by a chassis... but first to the NEC.

So as you may have seen, the above A35 front went on a bit of a journey this weekend. Firstly via Woking where it met a chassis for the Herald (more on that over there in a bit)


With a bit of help from grumpynorthener and I it then climbed on top to ride round the M25 (thanks again for your assistance Chris - that all worked out rather well!)


then to its new destination of johnnybravo 's work towers where it was swiftly picked up and carted away by the forklift responsible for the last round of the trailer modifications 🤣. Good to see it still going strong though.


I left the chassis there too as we were then off to v8ian to collect a certain small van... which when you have a sloping drive such as Ian's it proves challenging for loading and exiting. The scraping as I left the drive indicated that it was the underside of the number plate holder I modified this time then! Anyway we were successful in our endeavours and the tea and biscuits supplied was much appreciated after a few hundred miles on the road by this point.

Loaded up with only two straps on the van though as there wasn't room enough between wheel and arch to get the others on the rear!


Once clear of the drive I think someone's engine plans were getting some thought, either that or he was realising just how little room he has to play with 🤣🤣


Onwards back to chateau Bravo to drop the van off (it did go in the garage eventually with the aid of some plywood!) but not before it too had left its mark on the trailer thanks to a rather low exhaust bracket


Lastly back to Bravo work towers to collect the chassis before heading to the parents place in Kent for a shower, takeaway and a beer (ok several!). Just under 300 miles down so felt it was deserved in readiness for loading up once more the following day.

Thankfully I didn't have to venture far for the additional load, instead it was a few trips up and down to the garden sheds to extricate some VW parts that'll be heading to mine for sorting and selling to help fund some of the works currently in progress.


Not a bad weekend's efforts, a few hundred miles, full lap of the M25 completed and a stacked trailer that's now sat ready for unloading another day but with some crucial project parts now in hand. Good times.

🥳🥳

Well it started off looking like this



With a bit of assembly required



😉