More Plastics Van Bodies Ordered
Page 58
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AGUY OTTER pantechnicon with a body framed in light alloy and skinned with plastics material has proved so successful to its operators, Fibreglass, Ltd., St. Helens, after covering 35,000 miles, that two more vans of similar type have been ordered.
The transport manager of the company has reported that whereas vans with aluminium panelling sustained a fairly high amount of damage, the Otter had no damage other than small scratches which were reparable with one of the many repair kits now on the market. Plastics wings were knocked several times: had they been made of steel, they would have had to have been beaten out.
The chassis is a standard passenger type, except that the wings, front valance and bonnet top are made of glasspol. The body panelling is of Cascelloid sheeting weighing approximately 8 oz. per sq. ft. and is attached
c20 to the metal frame by aluminium rivets, Silastic bedding compound being used.
Front and rear domes and the roof rolls were moulded from polyester resin and chopped-strand mat. The roof was made from translucent sheeting, supplied by Ashdowns, Ltd., being butted and riveted to the roof sticks and then covered with a layer of Fibre glass woven cloth impregnated with polyester resin.
Body panelling, domes and rolls were painted, but the roof was left translucent. It is 28 lb. lighter than a normal metal roof. Maintenance costs are held to be appreciably lower for the vehicle than for vans of traditional construction.