Ted the Traveller

[panky]

I've been at this for about four years. Ted looked great until I decided to do some timber frame repairs then oh dear I started poking:( Not only was most of the frame rotten in one place or another the car had been badly bodged and I fell for the nice shiny paint job
I started cutting and welding, stripping and dismantling and got completely disheartened and closed the garage door for a year (figuratively speaking), it does that to you when you find the front spring hangers held on with rust and filler. Since then I've spent a few hours most days repairing or replacing just about every panel underneath and on top until this happened.

Good grief I'm done welding and painting









The engine is fine, good and strong but crank and bores were checked and a Mini timing cover conversion done so a tensioner could be fitted and the timing marks placed in a sensible position (where you could actually see them).



Then, once the electrics were sorted out

We have power



First attempt at starting, spot the deliberate mistake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kS6OwW0Is8

Second attempt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTMGwH1izJg

And a proper run once the radiator was back in, coolant added and new plugs and leads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELUKNYU19rE

I've had to curtail re-assembly for now as the garage roof needed replacing after a mini tornado (yes really) whipped though the area followed by two big storms. That's all done now so work will continue soon
Thanks for reading

[KeithL]

It's looking good. I do like the colour, as well as your extra dials in front of the driver. Very neatly done. It'll be great to see it finished and on the road.

[philthehill]

Looks good.
Deliberate mistake(s)
1. You have put the wiper switch where the ignition switch should be or do you have a column ignition switch.

2. No fuel.

[ManyMinors]

I reckon it is a very late Traveller to be that colour and so probably has the ignition/steering lock. I think I can see the keys hanging down in one picture

[Classiccars]

Wow sounds like our traveller bought from a scumbag in Birmingham.Keeps me off the streets as they say busy busy..

[panky]

Looks good.
Deliberate mistake(s)
1. You have put the wiper switch where the ignition switch should be or do you have a column ignition switch.

2. No fuel.

Have a look on top of the battery in the first vid

[panky]

It's looking good. I do like the colour, as well as your extra dials in front of the driver. Very neatly done. It'll be great to see it finished and on the road.

Thank you. The colour is Bermuda blue and it's a '71 car, I love the colour too I chickened out wiring the ammeter in as it seems a lot of power going through one gauge. I've had one fail on another vehicle that left me stranded on a garage forecourt, took me ages to figure out what the problem was.

[panky]

Wow sounds like our traveller bought from a scumbag in Birmingham.Keeps me off the streets as they say busy busy..

I actually got it off a retired mechanic, a friends uncle who they said did a fantastic job Not that they are experts

[panky]

I reckon it is a very late Traveller to be that colour and so probably has the ignition/steering lock. I think I can see the keys hanging down in one picture

Yep it's an Adderley Park traveller with the steering lock in glorious Bermuda blue

[jagnut66]

Looking good.
I have to admit that because of your very animated signature picture, in which your car looks to be in good condition, it never occurred to me that it might be off the road undergoing restoration.
Hopefully you'll be back on the road soon.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[panky]

Thanks Mike. The animation isn't mine unfortunately, my son found it on tinterweb ages ago so I adopted it The car looked great before I started digging but I soon revealed bodges and rust galore

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Great work, now it will hopefully repay you with many years of trouble-free service.

[panky]

This how Ted looked not long before I took him off the road
All innocent and fairly shiny but a few bubbles had started coming through on the door and wing and dark patches showing here and there on the wood.



It started off as a few repairs to the frame as I had done previously on the other side



But things developed





I did have a go at a few repairs





But I just seemed to be chasing the rot so I decided to buy new waist rails and rear corner posts and started removing the side.
Then I found this





The weld on this patch hadn't even stuck to the original panel



Typical 'repairs', patches over original rusty panels. This is after I'd cut the patch repair off and it was much worse than it looks here





This was the front spring hanger on the drivers side, spot the filler I counted seven layers of patches on patches in this area



It got even worse as I moved forward but at this point I thought I'd better start welding in some new material - and wait a bit to replace the woodwork

[duddlebug]

Yikes! It's amazing what horrors can lie beneath a great looking Traveller!

I'm about to start on mine (and expecting similar). I'm hoping my floorpan can look like yours in a few months time.

[panky]

Thank you, hopefully he will look as good soon
Good luck with your restoration and here's hoping you won't find too many horrors.

[Meggie moggy]

Good luck with the repairs it us scary when you startbpeeling back the layers and find all the horrors that appeared over the years. My Maggie's floor is a patchwork at the moment and worries me every time I crawl under her.
As a matter of interest what make is the rev counter you have used as I tried to do the infill that have but have had to mount the panel on the outside edge of the trim due to it being to large to fit inside with the trim?

[panky]

It's a Jaeger I got cheap off Ebay. The bezel was black when I got it but a wipe with thinners and a polish revealed it to be chrome under the paint - and it works

[panky]

A question for those who have replaced the traveller timber frame.
I've assembled and treated the timber sides and will soon be permanently mounting them on the car, are the rear pillars screwed and glued to the ladder section or is it just the coach bolts that hold it in place? Similarly is the rear top rail held in just with screws into the pillars and nails through the roof edge?





Thanks in anticipation

[panky]

I'd forgotten the ends of the rear floor support bracket were rusty and knackered so they needed repairing before I could continue with the frame.
I'd bought new ones ages ago so the were dug out and dusted off.

Old and knackered



Too many spot welds drilled out later



And the new ones welded on and painted

[panky]

Then I stood back, took a deep breath and went for it

The frame is on, sealed, screwed and secure









Time for a big tidy up to find the tools I've lost then offer the doors and roof up