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Andre wrote:I've said it before and I'll say it again... restoring a truck is no simple task. But what you're doing is re-engineering an entire platform for a designed purpose. That doesn't happen overnight. Stay the course. It's coming together great. Don't beat yourself up with self imposed deadlines. Eat that Elephant one bite at a time and be pleased with your end product. Because what you have done is already impressive and I look forward to seeing this truck in person one day to celebrate it's completion.

I think i'm down to consuming the last leg of the elephant. Everything else consumed. I'm not rushing trying to make it look finished and done once I do not want refits after I finish the truck.

My to do list is down to 40-43 items.

18 November 2017

Roll out of home 6:03am I try to sit on 140kph however my mind is not on driving and I have the Apple x launch issues going through my mind as I whizz past the known speed camera 90k from home at 145kph - damn rats. Arrive 7.30 am for a long breakfast. Then start work at 8.30am.

I am presented with this box of air cond parts. Your mission Jim should you choose to accept it is to assemble the air conditioning piping ready for connecting. I get an air cond diagram from the internet and commence work.


Then I go out and collect the knee pads. They look good





By 8.30pm I have all the hoses layed out ready to crimp during the week and make a bracket up to hold the drier behind the cabin and been out and bought a new cordless drill. Time for dinner.

19 November 2017

Todays task drill out the headlight locking tab as the top half of the clip has been broken off due to rust etc.


The right headlight now hangs properly on the ring, The left will not as there is not enought lip for it to grab onto. Moew issues sigh.


Then help arrives and I get assistance from the boat builder who drops in for lunch in tacking in the indicator plates




I make up new headlight locking clips and put in a rivnut. The workshop can weld these in next week.


Hometime almost the headlights look like they will work eventually.


I mount the air cond blower but it will not bolt to the newly painted brackets damn.


Home time and 8.03pm I head home 190k to go. I don't get far 40k in one hour the traffic is crap and i'm exhausted I pull over for a 3 hour sleep and eventually crawl in home at 1.30am

Blowing past a speed camera at 140kph can't be good for your licence :?:
Oh well...didn't you say Volvo 2 is closer to home?

Saturday 25 November 2017

Assist the boat builder looking at a Volvo 4 hours away from home so no work on my Volvo.

He makes the offer and he is the proud owner of the worst Volvo I have evr seen. Bent up front of the chassis. Cabin smashed up 3 inches shorter on the right side. Smashed in rear of the cabin where the czrgo rammed the Cabin and oh yeah its running Toyota BJ40 Axles

Sunday 26 November 2017

Todays task drill out the headlight locking tab as the top half of the clip has been broken off due to rust etc.



Then the boat builder turns up and helps me by welding in the indicator fillers then grinding them down.




The headlight rims are almost ready


The headlights finally are bolted in I still need one more clip on each to finish them.


Side view


The two workers for the day

Friday 1 December 2017

Public holiday so up 4am and reach IPOH 190K away 22 hours later as I have the pocket rocket 1.5litre Suzuki Swift while Adam borrows my Isuzu to collect his "Volvo" and will drop by when he has collected it some 8 hours later. Later I realise I have left my mobile phone at home so I head back to wonderful Kuala Lumpur 7pm.

They have not got back to KL with the Volvo till late due to the traffic hell which is public holidays. So it becomes a bar session instead. The Volvo is outside my house on the trailer.

Saturday 2 December 2017

I head to Penang with Adam in the Isuzu towing his Volvo.


Unload time at the boat factory.


We rebuild the fuel tank for the Volvo it will be tig welded during the week.


Then it's time for Kuala Lumpur 365k away and return the trailer and hit the bar before 12.00am. Then the crap starts. We have to repack all the trailers wheel bearings there goes over an hour. Then the lights fail on the trailer and we blow a fuse in the Isuzu more lost time. Then a fast 10k test on the trailer makes the wheel bearings hot. So it's a slow trip back to KL we arrive in the time at 1:53am to be told bar closing lol. I sleep in on the Sunday morning no Volvo work.

Saturday 9 December 2017

Long Weekend again - I'm up and on the road 5am and miss the traffic the 190k zips by fast on 140kph

The new tank (3mm 5053 alloy) is delivered to me from Penang all TIG'd up we have to cut 22mm out of the filler to make it fit without hitting the pullout step.


Air cond pipe is recut and recrimped with 6" removed.


The indicator holes are welded closed and body filled and sanded down by the boat builder/




The Centre Console is progressing


Then it was dinner time and I crawled out of a bar with the boat builder at 2am lol.

Sunday 10 December 2017

The body filled parts are undercoated and top coated.


Mr Brown supervises the operation.


At the end of the day I have the headlights mounted with one clip in each still required to be obtained. The speaker panels are in the powder coating shop.


The fuel tank is bolted back in, just the tank protector to go.


16-20 December Holiday on Lake Kenyir - we lived on the Boat factory junk boat and camped on it and cooked etc on it - the perfect holiday. My boat well the boat factory still to install the 2JZ 2220hp engine and the JET unit. It's booked to be finished by mid February as wife has demanded a trip away together in it.

Part 1

The drone followed us during our trip - it missed the 3 hour night cruise however.

https://youtu.be/uxi4JTUuL2k

Part 2

https://youtu.be/gxkcKcC3hto

23 December 2017

Up 4am and on the road to avoid the traffic. 7am I'm sitting having breakfast 190k has whizzed past with the help of ZZTOP and BLONDIE.

The speaker panels are back and I test fit them. Still have to get the smoked Perspex and the LED light for the gecko fitted.


I finish 8.30pm and find a hotel - really expensive like 4 times the rate I normally pay.

Sunday 24 December 2017

I get some help and we fit the 50" LED light then we realise the bottom panel needs to be remade with some more reinforcing it drops 5mm in the middle. Rats!


The speaker panel is bolted down with 1 rivnut to replace.


It's 3pm time to head back to KL for XMAS dinner. Mr Brown will not let me pat him as I leave. 6pm I’m sitting back in KL getting cleaned up for XMAS dinner.

30 December 2017

5am on the road head off to Ipoh again actually the drive is getting to me. This is bad damn motor bike groups thousands of them heading north on their 150cc scooters then it rains making it even worse and I need new front tires. The mighty little Isuzu since I have started 2 years ago reassembling the Volvo has done 98,000 killer meters

I work on the roof panels by lunchtime I have carved one out. Meantime Brett comes in and starts making the bracket for the wiper motor. He has also made the left side of the air cond ducting only the right to do and made the new top for the blower. I realise I have also left my phone at home again.

I start on the rear panels also and get long ways then realise I need to fix up the design a little.
7pm home time back to KL I cannot be bothered with the excessive overnight rates for a holiday weekend. I end up in the bar with my mates and it’s a long night.

31 December 2017

6am I wake up late and just step on it to IPOH the 190k goes past not so nice I need new front tires and it gets dicey rapidly after 120kph in the rain.

The right roof panel is done.


The finished wiper motor. Just need the arms and the wipers completed.


I toil away all day and get the rear panels ready and then realise I need a little redesign on the top portion. Doing big panels by myself is not easy on the guillotine.


Final pics of the year before I head home.

6 January 2018

I wake up late 6am I'm on the road and I have a set of Volvo axles in the rear to deliver to Penang tonight.

9am at the workshop fed and ready to go.

Lunchtime it’s down to get new front tires and a visit to the bolt shop for 150 rivnuts to fit the rear panels.

Bolt down the gearlever cover - it's marked ready for final cut and prep. The rear panels are now split into 3 parts a top 100mm piece (4"), the middle part (in the next pic) and the bottom piece.


8.30pm I finish up after spending 4+ hours making the top rear panel twice - first one ended up as an alloy template.

7 January 2018

Mornings work, make the middle panel.


Mid afternoon I have the bottom panel bolting down started but I need a double fold done to finish it.


The middle panel fits finally but needs the bottom panel and top panel bolted in to finish it.


I bolt in the centre console and slip the steering wheel on and the engine cover. Gear lever cover is cut and trimmed and the holes all drilled to test finally bolt down


It actually looks really good.






Time for home its 6pm

Part 1

The drone followed us during our trip - it missed the 3 hour night cruise however.

https://youtu.be/uxi4JTUuL2k

Part 2

https://youtu.be/gxkcKcC3hto

Andre wrote:I've said it before and I'll say it again... restoring a truck is no simple task. But what you're doing is re-engineering an entire platform for a designed purpose. That doesn't happen overnight. Stay the course. It's coming together great. Don't beat yourself up with self imposed deadlines. Eat that Elephant one bite at a time and be pleased with your end product. Because what you have done is already impressive and I look forward to seeing this truck in person one day to celebrate it's completion.

Welcome anytime Andre I watch and admire your work I hope I'm getting to your lofty skills level slowly.

Was your a/c drier open upon delivery? If so, replace ,it's job is to absorb moisture and you are in a humid area!

It just occurred to me that your steering wheel is on the wrong side.

There is a misguided part of the world that are lost, we must save them! Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated!
Seen both sides, LHD wins!
Mark