INCREASING THE SIZE Of
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EXISTING BODIES
MR. PARSONS, the works .manager,. walked. briskly into . . , the repair shop and stopped ,at the bench of Bob Wheeler, who was rehanging the back door of a van.
" Leave that door a minute, -Bob," said Mr. Parsons, "and have a look at a van in the yard."
Having arrived at the vehicle in question, the works manager continued, "As you see, this outfit is run by a• laundry. It was bought • brand new six weeks ago, but the owner finds that it is too small. He wants to be able to move about more easily inside the van and to have more room for a. shelf. above the hampers for parcels, so we have agreed to raise the roof by 12 ins."
"Over the cab, as well? "
A Flat Front Above the Cab.
"No, only over the body; make a flat front above the cab roof. It's a fairly straightforward job, once you've loosened all the .upper parts. We can use the existing roof if we cut carefully and just rebuild upwards from the present roof line."
Both men entered the van, " Steel side panels; aluminium sides to the roof ; bbarded in the centre; partition fixed from the front," was the manager's comment.
" Shall I cut all the standards under the cant-rail, bore out the tenons, and then splice and fit new tops? " ventured -Bob.
" Yes," said Mr. Parsons, " I'll :get Wilkinson (the sheet-metal worker) to loosen the water gutter= ing and side panels. The most .portant part of the job is to cut across the top of the cab 'roof in the :Tight place. We'll have a look the cab."
• Suiting the 'action to the word, the B2C.
works manager opened the door of the cab. " Good' stout rail. at the top of the partition, with the partition let in at the bottom of the rail," he said. " Mark the face of this rail outside, across the roof. Then draw another line parallel with it, f nearer the front of the van.
" If Wilkinson cuts the roof here, there will, be a f-in. lip of the side roof pieces, which can be turned over and fixed on to the front of the rail, after you have cut back to the face of the rail the f-in. projecting rodf hoards, roof rails and cant-rails. Take but the partition and insert a new, set of boards. We could put on a batten and add a fresh top to it, but the boss wants a good job." "How about making up the in., that has been lost On the cabroot?1 Are you going to have a new •arnli; rail across the front, wide enough
to carry the shorter roof? "
"That's the idea," said. Mr, Parsons. "Here is a rough sketch.:. Have an aluminium panel fitted on the face of the partition rail to meet the f-in. turnover and to carry it down to the new arch rail, leaving it
long enough to finish on top."
"But." pointed out Bob, " we're forgetting the roof cloth. When the roof is cut, the f-in. projection of theboards will have on it the strip. of cloth which is wanted to turn down, with the metal. It will be a fancy.. job to separate the cloth coveting• "
from the wood. If it is good thick stuff, I. may manage it with a sharp chisel."
replied Mr. Parsons, " if it can't be 'done, it will mean placing a moulding over the front of the roof, instead of one along the top of the partition rail, or a fresh roof cloth.
" Now, about the back of the body," continued the works manager. " Take off the back doors; which are not wanted, make good the pillars, fit a tailboard 18 ins. deep :Ind get the smith to fit a rod for a pair of curtains. I'll get the van shifted to your bench; this afternoon, and, before you do any more to your present 'job, make out a list . of the timber that you will want from the mill."
Transferring a .Van Body.
The two Mon walked 'back to the repair shop. The works Manager; on the way back,. pinked, up a drawing from his office 'and went to the other end of the shop, where Tom
• Sanders was reftooring a lorry. Mr. Parsons tried. to lay the drawing on the bench and Toip hurried around to clear a space.
This is your next job," said the works manager. . " The Buttercup Dairy have a large four-wheeled boxyan, and they want the' body transferred to a six-wheeler and made 3 ft. 9 ins. longer."
" The draughtsman," continued Mr. Parsons, "has measured up the framing and compared the two chassis. The existing wheel-arch starts an inch or two forward of the position required for the new double arch and it seems that the present position of the standards is suitable. Three of them will have to be shortened for the new Wheel-arch and one of them spliced at the foot,'so that it reaches to the bottom of the body. Then, with practically the same spacing, one new full-length standard and a corner pillar will be required to make up the extra length."
" Much depends," said Tom, "on the state of the framing when it is knocked apart and where' the new laps are to come. The existing corner pillar will have to come right out—in fact, all the back fra.kningand it will have to be reduced in size to match the standards after all the. ironwork has been remood."
• " Have a new standard, if necessary. In any case, the uprights will be a fairly straightforward job. The ,chief problem is to find the best place for splicing the cant-rails and raves. The body has metal-faced-plywood panels 6 ft. wide, the edges of which are concealed by these mouldings," and Mr. Parsons pointed to them on the drawing. "The first thing will be to take off the vertical moulding over the wheel-arch and remove. all . panelling between it and the corner pillar, also the corresponding section of the boarded roof."
"I would suggest splicing the cant-rail between a pair of hoopstick bearings," said the bodymaker. "Then stiffen the joint with a plate on the inside, which has a flap running down a pair of standards. The splices for the raves can be between the standards.
" With regard to the roof, unless the hoopsticks are wide, F could frame in a hoopstick up against another one, so as to increase the width of the bearing for the boards. The existing back doors and tailboard are to be rehung, I suppose?" concluded Tem.
"That's what the job card says," ' replied the works manager.