nigel

Got a bit bored this week, I had an old disability scooter kicking about and found this old jeep on the dump, so I’ve cut 9 inches out of the chassis cut the jeep up abit, and I’ve got a start to an 8 mph tot rod
 
 

So I retired in 2011 and built a new shed to house the Carlton to make space for all the bits that I would need to remove from the Gloria to gain access to all the rotten wood. The correct way would be to remove the aluminium skin from the ash frame and repair the frame but I just don't have the skills to undertake such a marathon job as it would have entailed removing hundreds of panel pins, prising the aluminium from the frame and then replacing it with all the panel beating and then a full respray.
By this time my partner Alison was in poor health and required more and more help around the house until she passed away in 2016.
I now needed a project, rather than just want one, and set to planning how I was going to achieve it without everything going belly up.
I am not very skilled at carpentry so to make life easier I purchased a few woodworking tools,
 

small band saw, bench sander, planer-thicknesser, dremel, grinder, multi tool, router and a rip-snorter.
I already had a small bench saw and my brother in law had one with an adjustable table so I thought I would be able to make all the bits I needed.
A neighbour who had worked in the lumber business for many years gave me some lengths of ash trees that he had cut several years earlier and I thought I was on my way but after making a couple of simple flat pieces that bolt to the chassis (4" x 1 1/8" x 12") I came out the following day to find them curled like bananas.
Obviously you need to slice your timber and leave it to dry out for several years before it can be used and I wasn't about to wait for this lot to dry out.
Found a sawmill beside Huntly that had some 1" and 2" thick well seasoned ash slabs about 10 Ft x 2 Ft and went off to pick them up, should have taken about an hour but got back 4 hours later as the 85 year old owner of the mill was also a Jaguar enthusiast and about 3 hours were spent talking cars and looking round his Series 3 V12 E Type.
I had also done some research in to what glue should be used when assembling the frame and found so many different opinions that I ended up using Araldite 2 pack epoxy (the long setting time type).
Since I was going to be working in some very tight spaces, using standard slotted head wood screws did not appeal as I would have found it difficult to work even the shortest screw driver so I opted to use torx headed stainless steel screws and a torx bit that I could drive with a small 1/4" drive ratchet or a 10mm ratchet ring key.



I managed to get 200 off each 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50 an 60 mm screws for under £100 and bought about 12 double syringe packs of the araldite so that I didn't have an open pack sitting for weeks and slowly going hard.
A few test samples of ash were cut and either screwed or glued together and pulled apart to confirm that these methods were going to be successful.
This is the offcut of the 1" ash that i was left with.

Yep turned out quite easy in the end Alan , it’s now sold, so some little person will be happy this christmas

Well it goes like shit off a shovel 😂
 
 

Now that the tractor is done, here are a few pictures of it with the deck on it. The first picture was taken November 5th 2020, and this is the day we actually took it out for the first time for a ride since reinstalling the deck and the engine. We actually mowed the grass with it too for the first time in about 30 years too.
 
Well that is all for me right now, please stay tuned until next time.....

Well it goes like shit off a shovel 😂
 
 

Got a bit bored this week, I had an old disability scooter kicking about and found this old jeep on the dump, so I’ve cut 9 inches out of the chassis cut the jeep up abit, and I’ve got a start to an 8 mph tot rod
 
 

Well it goes like shit off a shovel 😂
 
 

We had another day on the project. It was a day of cutting, drilling, milling and welding. Video update of progress
 
 

Next bits have arrived, I picked up a pair of 4.00-4 tri ribs to try on the front for the bargain price of £12.50 delivered.
 
these might not stay long term but should look much better for now.
 
 

Happy birthday Doug

Hi all
 A  great day at the Workshop on Saturday morning resulted in this Tractor coming out to a great cheer , It has been quite an interesting Project to get running with a big learning curve for me on diesel engines and Clutches  ,
Some more work to do on the Tracks and wipe it down with a oily rag i think and finally enjoy having it  hope you like i ,I think its superb 

I took the flywheel off to clean the points. When I reinstalled the flywheel I was tightening the nut with about a 6" long combination wrench. Suddenly it didn't feel like it was tightening anymore or like something was yielding. I didn't know the torque spec but was nowhere near 90 inch lbs. Anyway I fired it up and it ran fine for a minute or so while I measured voltage and frequency and then the engine quit. I noticed the flywheel had slipped and sheared the aluminum key. After making the new key I reinstalled it and used my torque wrench, this time set to 90 inch lbs, and the stud broke at about 70 inch lbs. Examining the break, from the color I could tell it had been partially broken long before I got the generator. Since then I have drilled and threaded the crank for a stud. The crank seems to be hardened and is difficult to drill but I got sufficient depth to install the threaded stud. Tomorrow I'll probably try reinstalling the flywheel and running it again.

This great reference book arrived from the USA today, lots of Ohlsson Rice info on the smaller engines in it...
 
 

This one now in the shed with the other O&R machines...
 
 
 
 

Happy birthday Ewan

Appropriate decals arrived from the USA yesterday to finish the job off...
 
 

Whoops, looks like one has already found its way into another custom project...
 
 



 

Now on the shelf with the other O&R machines...
 
 
 

Happy birthday paul

Well that’s some collection you have there now paul 

Got a bit bored this week, I had an old disability scooter kicking about and found this old jeep on the dump, so I’ve cut 9 inches out of the chassis cut the jeep up abit, and I’ve got a start to an 8 mph tot rod
 
 

Not quite a Tot Rod but a Black Hood Wheel Horse look a like, sort of.  Based on a Pride Celebrity scooter bought cheap as a non runner.  Info said 6.25 MPH.  Larger rear wheels make it faster.  Steering wheel in place of the tiller with a dummy V twin engine to hide the scooter steering column.  Chain and sprockets from column to wheel.  2 x 12 volt 75 amp battery's so should give a good run. Still needs decals. Only had short test run so far.  Photo's of Grand daughter  having a play.  She loved it.

Got a bit bored this week, I had an old disability scooter kicking about and found this old jeep on the dump, so I’ve cut 9 inches out of the chassis cut the jeep up abit, and I’ve got a start to an 8 mph tot rod
 
 

Got a bit bored this week, I had an old disability scooter kicking about and found this old jeep on the dump, so I’ve cut 9 inches out of the chassis cut the jeep up abit, and I’ve got a start to an 8 mph tot rod