A was for Austin, but now B is for Bedford

PDU,

Better to sell the vehicles a bit cheap than have them hanging around depreciating.

Also gives you more shed room, not to mention the Dollars.

Zuffen - More space was a priority also :blink: and another two at least on borrowed time, but not actually advertised yet.

cobbadog - What? :blush: My hearing never bothered me when I was working with 600 ton presses bashing around me for years. Hmmm? Better turn up my radio a bit, I can't hear it . . .

Meanwhile, the one hours worth of welding turned into two hours of grinding as I converted Ernie's mountain range into a flatter contour. When that was done the ends were derusted and the whole thing painted with some Hammerite anti-rust paint (blue will definitely be painted over later). I used some on the bonnet top months and months ago but that didn't come out blue, no idea why? But, as that isn't showing any signs of surface rust (like much of the other sheet metal) I decided to use it on the bumper bar. Mounting brackets yet to be created and a step plate added (lower step at back of tray). Ignore the holes, they will be eliminated probably, and the slot in the middle is where the a square tube for a slip-in tow bar will come through.

Looking into the back of the tray it is clear how I wander from one job to another, with much mess laying about, such as the inner wheel arch mountings (laying together near the front right corner) which had to be removed for further welding as they are only tacked at the moment, and the lift-up roof mechanism which has to be sorted for placement, and mountings.

At the front of the tray are some small pieces of metal I have made up ready to fill tube ends when Ernie returns, and a slightly better view of the wheel arch inner mountings.

So, considering I also went into town to cash in some bottles and cans, refilled the trailer at the garden centre with some bark chips (for the garden!?), and managed to find time to take the dog for a walk around the doggy park, it was a reasonably productive day.

Men's Shed tomorrow . . . :huh: . . . more to do there than in my own shed!

It's moving along, gotta be happy with that I reckon

Paul

I've actually made some progress today with the lift-up roof frame cut and ready, plus the four lift-up mechanism locating pieces also in place (welding required on all of these plus some screws at the bottom of each). Once these are securely mounted I will be able to locate the four floor sections of the mechanism.
At my current rate of progress this might all be accomplished by Christmas!? :pinch:

Sounds interesting to me, I gather that the springs reduce the effort to lift the roof

Christmas isn't that far away now, that is providing you are talking about 2021:unsure:

Paul

Not really Paul, they are a tightly wound spring with no bounce in them, but they allow the spring to do a ninety degree turn from the floor into . . .

. . . the telescoping lifting post. The winch pulling on the cables to each lifting post is what makes things easy.

Before taking it out of the donor caravan I tried it out and was surprised just how easy it worked, even though one spring was travelling through a severely bent turn where something had probably hit the back of the caravan and pushed the lifting post out of position.

The original roof was 3.7 metres long and 2.4 metres wide; whereas mine will be 3.5 metres long and a wee bit over one metre wide. This doesn't sound like much (?), but will gives adequate space to move around between the sides The lifting posts will be hidden by a cupboard in each corner until they actually lift the roof up, and the horizontal tube holding the spring,winch, cables, etc will be hidden inside a bench along each side, and a bench across the front. :huh:

I think Im gunna have to watch this space to figure this out :huh:

Yes I'm a bit slow at times

Paul

Me too, Paul.
PDF I think maybe I understand some of it. Does the blue frame that is now on the floor sit near the top of the rigid body and then lift up on your command, or how does it work?

As the top will be a little over one metre wide those benches along the sides will have to be fairly narrow so that you and MRS. PDU can move around!

Whenever you mention Ernie I immediately think of Benny Hill and Ernie the milk cart driver.

Sorry can't get the image out of my head.

Now where are the scantily clad girls for Benny to chase?

Morris and Mrsmackpaul, after looking at various methods of lifting the roof as evenly as possible, I then had to get my head around how each worked. Mind boggling experience! But eventually the Jayco system seemed to be the most cost effective method, especially when a damaged caravan turned up on Marketplace. Perhaps my description was not as clear as it could have been so I dug the following extract and diagram from the net for you:
"The Jayco system has the cable attached to a distribution block, which is located in the body of the vehicle. From the distribution block the individual corner cables operate through a number of pulleys to cause the push rods to raise the roof. The push rods operated inside the square telescoping tubes that extend as the roof is raised to the full open position. This system does not require any lubrication of the pulleys at any time."

Zuffen, you and many others think of the elusive milkman, :lol: but do not confuse Ernie with . . .

. . or . . .

. . . he doesn't even drive the fastest milk cart in the west, :blink:
BUT just for you Zuffen: