traveller restoration

[rich0343]

Hi everyone, I have a '63 traveller that was previously converted to a pickup & is registered as such, alot of work has been done in the past but I'm going to strip it right down & go over every last inch, what I'd like to know is, when I remove the wood, aluminium panels and doors will I need to add cross strenghening first to prevent body twist? I did see some pics on JLH web site showing their dipped process but didn't see any bracing.
this will be a slow project as will be done on the drive & will be teaching myself to weld at the same time, will get it checked at each stage though.

Thanks for any & all advice Rich[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

When you remove that lot - you will be left with a very floppy floor assembly. Are you restoring as a Traveller? If so - you may be interested in the rear assembly for sale on ebay!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/morris-minor-trav ... 27b2372ebd

[rich0343]

ok thanks for that, will have to have a re think.
I'm keeping it as a pickup as thats why I bought it to start with, am going to redo the rear screen but not going the fibreglass pickup cab back route ;-)

[jonathon]

No great need for bracing when going for the acid dipping, depending on just how bad the structure is. If its going to have new floors, sills, A and B posts then its simply a case of building the car square. Measurements you take or bracing you do might not be correct anyway, and if used as reference points , then you will simply be building a 'new' out of shape car.
I'm pleased that you are humble enough to have your welding checked at stages, especially on structural assemblies. Far to many 'learners' on here think they can weld, when all they are doing is laying weld onto steel with no strength at all. I'm sure you won't , but dont rush into welding, make sure you have plenty of practice not only on good steel but also scraps of used steel to help you judge amps and wire speed.
It will be a good idea to add some form of steel structure to the rear of your trav/pickup and maybe strengthen up the point between the B post to rear arch. I'd treat the timber as a 'dressing' rather than a structure.

[rich0343]

Hi Jonathon, thanks for those tips, because of what I have planned with the cab back I'm going to be replacing the 2 ali panels with steel ones I recovered from my saloon then put the wood back over the top, also thinking of using 1x1 box between the b pillars at waist wood level. the floors are solid as they've been done, the rear floor doesn't need anything, just the bottom 3 inch of the rear wheel well where the rear bumper bracket goes. the rest of the arch has been done. it seems the worst of the welding is in the engine bay now.
also nearer the time I'd like to talk to you about your zetec fitting kit and disc brake conversion for a mk2 axle
thanks again
Rich

[chickenjohn]

The best thing you can do before starting to weld on your car is to go on a course, preferably a restoration course or welding course if you can find one in your nearby evening college classes.

Get some help and guidance from a professional qualified welder if you know one, and have a look at the tutorials on this excellent website http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

And get lots of ~1mm steel and start practising!

[alex_holden]

Are you sure the rear floor was strengthened properly when the upper half of the woodwork and rear roof were removed?

[jonathon]

You could really do with greater strengthening of the arch at chassis level being tied into the B posts. preferably with CDS 11
1 3/4" tube or 50mmx 30 mm box. also tie the n/s and o/s rear legs togeter with a cross brace, at the same point as the arch- B post strengthening.
Zetec no problem, but I really wouldn't bother with rear discs as the Ford 8" or 9" are more than adequate

[rich0343]

doesn't look as though the floor was strengthened at all!! will put the bracing in as Jonathon suggested, had another good look around the rear half of the Traveller & is more solid than I first thought, will do this first then move into the cab then do engine bay last. am really looking forward to getting this done, has been stood for 18 months while I was in Iraq

[rich0343]

would it be possible to remove the section from the cab back without bracing so I can start prepping patches?

[bmcecosse]

Yes -I would say so!

[rich0343]

fantastic, job to do after work tomorrow

[rich0343]

a couple of hours & help from a neighbour got the back end off. sorry for cutting through the b-post wood but needed the strength there & won't need it when I do the rear screen.. not too bad rust wise shouldn't take long to do this bit.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame] the first pic shows the worst, the rust on the floor is just surface & just needs a wire brush.

[chickenjohn]

Make sure you cover the vehicle with something to keep the rain off- we have been forecast a wet and cool June!

Oh, and personally if it was my project I would buy a 2nd hand roof and some new wood and restore the car as a Traveller. Those traveller pickups never look quite right and are a less useful vehicle than a Traveller with a roof and rear seats.

[rich0343]

got a new tarp for it, thanks. it won't really be used to haul anything, will be more of a different pickup, panelled with some nice wood & a hard tonneau cover. I haven't seen anything like what I'd like to do so look forward to comments when done ..

[bmcecosse]

You must have very 'understanding' (or long suffering?) neighbours!

[rich0343]

long suffering lol, they do ask when I'm going to get it done! would like to get it done this year. then I can get a 2 dr for my son for when he starts driving in 2 yrs.

[rich0343]

bought a new roll of 0.6 wire today, will get some sheet steel on saturday, what gauge is best? then start making up some patches while practicing my welding on some off cuts. hope to spend all sunday working on it..

[rich0343]

finally got some replacement parts for my welder, 3 sheets of steel & filled the gas bottle, now all I need is for it to stop raining so I can do something.