Our Bodybuilding Expert Solves Designing a Mobile SPECIAL COACHWORK
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PROBLEMS
" HE furnishers in the Broad T
way. Stiles and Co., want a couple of special bodies," said Mr. Ashcraft, the coachbuilder, to his draughtsman, Daniels. " One is to be a complete travelling-showroom body and the other a two-purpose body which, although normally for delivery use, can be used partly as a showroom.
" With regard to the complete showroom," continued the coachbuilder, " the van is to have ample width and headroom, and with as much glass as possible in the sides of the body, in order to give the effect of spaciousness, as well as good visibility. A low floor is required, because the display will, be seen under more normal conditions the closer it is to ground level. Moreover, with good headroom, the furniture is shown to better advantage. Wheelarch enclosures will, of course, be necessary," "How much of the body side is to be glazed? " asked Daniels.
" 1 think that we might glaze the whole of it from cant-rail to floor, except for the corners around the wheel-arches. I am not suggesting that it should be glazed in one ,piece, like a ,shop front, but with a :side framework, much on the lines of a
3124 bus or coach. There will be three rows of windows on each side. The middle and largest section will be about the same size as the lights of a coach, but somewhat lower and immediately above the wheel-arch. All windows are to be fixed and of i-in. plate."
'Just the job for an all-metal framework, I should imagine," said Daniels, "so that the pillars and rails are narrow and obstruct the view as little as possible."
"I agree," replied Mr. Ashcraft.
" Now, about the wheel-arches," continued -the coachbuilder. "I suggested to Stiles that the floor between the wheel-arches should be made in the usual way, that is, with the floor the same level throughout. But Stiles thought that a piece of furniture would not look well with 9-10 ins, of the bottom of it hidden from view, so they would like the wheel-arch tops carried the full width of the body.
" However, Stiles finally decided that there might be occasions when the extra space would be valuable, so we are to make a couple of removable -boxes which will rest on the floor and fill the space between the wheel-arches. The van is to he loaded from the back, where there will be a pair of doors with a curved hinged flap above them to cover the rear dome of the streamlined back.
"The second job, the two-purpose van," said Mr. Ashcraft, "is to have a removable partition across the middle of the body. There is to be a pair of doors on each side in front of this partition, with, the usual doors at the back. When the whole of the van is used for normal deliveries, the partition is removed and all three pairs of doors are available.
" For special journeys the partition is placed in position and the front half of the loading portion is converted into a showroom. The
panelled doors on each side are d off their hinges and replaced by glass
panelled doors, which will have metal frames."
"Was anything said about a top light? " queried Daniels. "Although there is a large area of glass at the sides, the roof win sometimes ,throw deep shadows inside."
" There will be a generous scheme
of electric lighting inside," said Mr. Ashcraft, "but we might suggest to Stiles fitting one or more glass panels in the roof, protected by art interior
"By the way. Daniels, did you call on Jones, yesterday, about that special van he wants for carrying potted plants and trays of seedlings?"
"Yes," replied the draughtsman. " A fairly straightforward job and really a simplification of a confectioner's van, with sliding shelves instead of trays. Jones requires a van with three shelves extending for the full length and width of the body. Each shelf is to be made up of boards laid crosswise and supported on each side on angle-iron slides. All boards are to be removable, so that the whole or any portion of a shelf may be detached to provide more headroom if any of the plants is too tail for the normal headroom."
" Plain floor or wheel-arches? " asked Mr. Ashcraft.
" Wheel-arches, with the bottom shelf just above them," was the reply. "The space between this shelf and the floor will be about the same as between the other shelves, so the space will not be wasted." ' "What about the sides of the body? Open or panelled? Any back doors? " queried the coachbuilder.
"The sides are to be panelled below the top of the wheel-arch," said Daniels, " with a protecting side board for the shelves. At the back there is to be a pair of doors to thatch the sides of the body. To provide good headroom for the top shelf the underside of the top back rail is to be parallel with the curve of the roof, so suggest that we make this rail, also the rear corner pillars, of channel iron." .