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Building Specific
Page 94
Page 95
Page 96
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MR. ASHCRAFT, the coachbuilder, had sorted from his morning's mail those items which required the attention of the drawing office and was discussing them with his draughtsman, Daniels. "Here's a letter from Prestwich, the bat manufacturers, who require a van, or a bus, as they prefer to call it, to carry hats, some unpacked on the floor and others in cardboard boxes. The size of box is 12 ins. by 11 ins. by 8 ins."
Unfolding the print of the chassis, Mr. Ashcroft continued, "This print gives two lengths of wheelbase and the longer chassis has been selected, because not only is a fairly large body required, but a side door is wanted between the driver's door and the wheel-arch,"
" Is any width specified for the side door and is there to he one on, each side of the body? " asked Daniels.
"No width specified," replied the manager, " but, as the door will often be open over the pavement, it should be of moderate width and the buyers would prefer it not to be cut over the wheel-arch. The door, however, in the centre at the back, is to be 38 ins. wide. Yes, the side door is to be repeated."
" What about the shelving?" inquired the draughtsman.
The instructions," said the manager, "are to follow closely the arrangement of • the vehicle they already have in use. You will have a chance to see it this afternoon. The interior is divided about the centre by a light cross-partition. The floor is dose to the chassis, with squared-up
wheel-arches, and there is a mid-way shelf of special shape. This shelf is recessed at each of the three doorways, so as to afford better access both to the shelf and floor, but each recess may he filled, when necessary, by a small sliding undershelf."
" With runners under the main shelf, I suppose," commented Daniels. "Yes,' replied the manager, "except that one of the runners will e36 be attached to the partition behind the driver's seat."
" Any special outline of body? " queried the draughtsman.
"No," said Mr. Ashcraft. "Prestwich want as much room as possible, so that, except for extending the panels below the chassis, recessing the cab sides and roof, the body is to have the usual side and back turnunder and a moderately domed roof with a cornice all round.
Special Ideas in a Body for a Caterer.
" Now, the next job," continued Mr. Ashcraft, "is for Smith's, the caterers, and like the traveller's vehicle, it has a sliding shelf, but, in this instance, there is only one and it is to act as a tailboard."
"To slide under the floor?" asked Daniels.
" That was the suggestion at first," said the manager, "but I pointed out that it would mean a somewhat elaborate bottom framework and it was decided that the shelf should slide above the floor between a pair of metal channels and, of course, between the wheel-arches. Smith says that he does not always want to use the tailboard and, with the usual hinged pattern, it has to be unfastened and secured again every time one of the lower trays is wanted.
"Also, a tailboard must be fairly large if it is to be of real use for supporting a tray lengthwise. The van is to carry two tiers of trays, one tier lengthwise and the other crosswise. Between the wheel-arches there is to be a pair of runners for a row of centrally disposed trays, with the tailboard shelf immediately below." " How long is this shelf to be? " inquired 'Daniels.
"At least as long as a tray," replied the manager, "plus about a foot to ensure a good hold When fully extended."
" This shelf must work smoothly, ventured the draughtsman, ." otherwise Mr. Smith will wish he had his usual tailboard. I suggest that we round the edges and bind them with sheet metal and have a couple of lengthwise battens underneath." " Something like that," replied the
manager. " It will be a fairly large shelf and we may have to make it of spaced slats to reduce the weight, with three battens and a• small channel screwed .under the centre _batten to engage with a guide rail running on
the floor." • " That should be better," said Daniels because there is only one bearing to consider, although the side channels should be retained as sup ports for the edges of the shelf. A simple method of retaining the shelf in position will also be wanted ; a small wedge on one side should be sufficient."
" The simpler the better, but it will be as well to have a wedge on each side, so that either may be used," replied Mr. Ashcraft.
Features of a Large Lorry Body.
" Now," continued the manager, " job No, 3 is something different—a large lorry with a platform to carry machine tools. The floor is to be built closely to the chassis, with the sides carried a few inches below the top of the chassis and high enough to conceal .the squared-up wheel-arches. The rear wheels are to be paddle-boxed, so that there will be 12 ins, or so of body side for writing display.
"There is to be a boarded front supported on a pair of brace irons. The sides are also to be high enough to enable a channel extending for the full length of the body to be bolted at the top inside it. These channels are to form guides for two or more cross-bars. which can he slid into any required position to keep any item of the load in position, and to which it can be tied."
" Is the channel to be drilled at intervals for a pin, or screw, to hold the cross-tie-bars in position? " asked Daniels.
" Yes," replied the manager. " About every 13 ins, These bars are to be of ash, ffitch-plated on one side and with the ends rounded, so that they may be removed easily."
" That's quite straightforward,'' said Daniels, " but this is not the lorry you mentioned yesterday for which you said details would be forthcoming to. day. It was for a shop-blind maker, if • I remember rightly."
" I'm coming to that now," rejoined Mr. Ashcraft, as he unfolded a rough sketch. , " More streamlining! " exclaimed Daniels.
" Well, just a little," assented the manager, "and to digress for a moment, I feel sure there will be plenty of this partial streamlining in demand • during the next year or two, and, perhaps, longer. The customer wants it and it is for us to supply the demand.
"Why, there have been at least a dozen orders that we have booked during the past month which would not have materialized . if it had been the question of a new body of conventional pattern. What I mean is, Smith, of the High Street, who is having this lorry, would have carried on with his old one for another yex or longer, but he has noticed that 13rightwell's have
something a little out of the ordinary. What decided the matter was the fact that one of Smith's oldest customers asked him if he had seen Brightwell's new lorry."
" The new lorry, you will notice," continued the manager, " like the old one, is to have the usual front and rear "gantries for carrying the rolled-up blinds, with a large locker built into the front of the body. The special feature of the body is really quite Simple, but I think it will be quite effective when painted in contrasting colours."
"Also." said Mr. Ashcraft, " the side of the body has an outside 'aluminium panel and its top edge, protected with a half-round iron, forms a gentle downward curve from front to back. Then the upper part of the side is painted so as to form a belt panel, which widens
out towards the rear."
"That's all clear," said Daniels, "and I see that the leading dimensions are given. Is that the lot, sir?
"All that is urgent," replied Mr. Ashcraft, "but while you are here you might take particulars of two other bodies, the drawings for which must await a decision regarding the selection of the chassis. . " One is a lorry for a glass-merchant and the other is a newspaper-distributing van. The lorry for glass is to have fixed sides, with the centreboard omitted and a fully boarded front. and tailboard. As the lorry will often carry a general load of builders' and decorators' materials, any glass carried inside the lorry will be on portable racks.
".But for the larger sheets of glass thereiS to be a fixed rack on the near 'side, with its bottom edge about 18 ins. below the floor lint. The uprights of the ,rack are to be bolted to the side pillars slid the. foot of the rack is to be stayed to the chassis. As the lower part of the rack covers the rear wheel, a portion must be binged to give the
necessary access.. " With regard to the newspaper van, an idea is 'wanted for a quickly-manipulated near-side door. Some of these vans have no door on this side, 'but it is found that "some protection is required in bad weather, without having a full-height hinged door." "Why not a sliding door?" re marked Daniels. • " I suggested that," replied the manager. "but it was considered too large for quick operation. Besides, objection was raised to any window, either fixed or adjustable, in the door."
"Well; then, perhaps a plain ballheight sliding door would be approved? " ventured the draughtsman.
" But how would you support it?" asked the manager.
Daniels paused a moment and then replied: " I would make the door long enough to enable the portion inside the body always to have sufficient • length to support the part visible in the doorway. I suggest a door of metal-faced plywood, with a ball-race runner On its top inner edge, with the hangers attached to a rail secured to the body pillars immediately above the top of the door. .At the bottom the door would rim on a guide rail."
"But you might not have sufficient travel for the door, owing to the obstruction of the wheel-arch," pointed out Mr. Ashcraft.
" Then I would cut away the rear lower corner of the door to fit around the wheel-arch," said Daniels, " for the length is wanted at the top."
" I shall be seeing the transport manager. to-morrow," replied Mr. Ashcraft, " and will let you know" what he thinks of the idea."