Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Let us all know what you are up to with your current restoration project. Get that Minor on the road!
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Keith 66
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Location: Benfleet Essex
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Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by Keith 66 »

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A long story with my Pickup. My first car was a moggy van back in 87, a few years later I bought this Pickup, It was the classic how not to buy a car scenario, It was at the bottom of a long driveway in a shed that we had to cut our way into through the brambles, no power, our torch batteries were on the blink & it was getting dark!. Of course i bought it.
A 2 1/2 year restoration ensued.
The original pickup rear was too rotten to restore & i built a semi custom rear for it that attracted a lot of favourable comments. In 91 it hit the road. I ran it as everyday transport for my boatbuilding buisiness for the next 17 years. It was laid up 8 years ago following a bad windscreen rubber leak & has sat under a cover on our driveway ever since.
My son has a real interest in engineering & im feeling guilty so its time it got restored. I was never happy with the bodywork, frankly the door shuts were terrible & the other panels didnt fit that well either.
I know for a fact that it had been written off twice before i got it, once when it fell in half in Canvey high street & another time in a heavy shunt, (this explains the bent door pillars).
So i have been amassing parts, two new doors & two good rear pillars are to go in & new wings as well.
This time i intend to get the panels fitting properly.
Interestingly after 8 years laid up the brakes worked perfectly a good advert for the dot 5 silicone fluid i put in back in 1991.
I expect progress will be sporadic but im pretty well kitted out with gear, I have arc, mig & tig welding sets, lathe & mill plus heavy lifting gear, Wish me luck
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irmscher
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by irmscher »

Looks good have you started work on it yet :)
Keith 66
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by Keith 66 »

Yes we have started working on it! Started with taking the kickplates & sill finishers off, seats & carpets are stripped out & wood trims removed, Rear door pillars are coming out for replacement. The door fits are not good, one of the problems was at some point the truck had been written off in a rear end prang (probably when it lost its original truck back) & the rear pillars were quite buckled with a lot of filler on them. I acquired a pair of straight ones from a van that was being broken up a few years back & these are being repaired ready to fit.
I am probably going to widen the pillars by a few inches and extend the cab same amount as both me & my son are big blokes & there isnt a lot of room in there even with the seats back as far as they can go.
Keith 66
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by Keith 66 »

Strip down continues, Having a big tidy up & clear out today, got the spare doors out from storage under the bench & find i have two Right hand doors instead of the pair i thought i had!
Now a question for anyone doing a Pickup, I am wanting to extend the cab slightly rearwards to make more room for the 6' 2" drivers, easiest way is an extended cab back, my background as a boatbuilder means a plug & mould is well within the realms of possibility, would anyone be interested? In either a standard one or extended version, im thinking about 3" deeper fore & aft.
Its quite a lot of work but doable if enough interest is there.
StillGotMy1stCar
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by StillGotMy1stCar »

Alternatively you could fit 2 door saloon doors, they are longer, just need to move the B post back, extend the roof, gutters , sills and floor, say it quick and it doesn’t sound difficult.
I’m not sure how much longer the 2 door model doors are but if it gives you enough room it could be an easier solution.
Regards John
Keith 66
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by Keith 66 »

From memory the 2 door's is at least 4 inches longer, Many years ago my other half had a battered old Moggy van, someone drove into a parking space as she was getting out & mashed the drivers door, we had a spare off a traveller & just swopped them over... until we went to try shutting it. Definately a Durrrh???? moment but it was funny at the time.
i reckon its too much work extending the roof etc.
More work over the weekend cab is now fully stripped out & rear bumpers & pickup box ready to lift off today. I am very glad that all bolts used first time round were stainless steel with nyloc nuts, everything has come undone easily.
Today i also took the tank sender out & pumped the fuel tank out. that will be removed elsewhere before i start grinding & welding. The pickup box needs work, It was built on fibreglass faced 18mm ply as used on box van bodied years ago. Very strong & hard wearing but water has got into the end grain of the ply at the tailgate & its rotten. No plywood this time it will be grp foam sandwich.
Keith 66
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Re: Secondtime around Pickup SAP281G

Post by Keith 66 »

Life & then death got in the way as my mum fell ill in February & died at end of march, So i was up in Lancashire with her till the end then arranging funeral & sorting the house, still got lots to do but getting there. The truck's restoration obviously came to a grinding halt.
Im back on it now & its largely stripped down, wings & grill off over the weekend & given it a good going over.
Not as bad as i thought but enough to do.
First time round I went to town on the paint scheme, all the chassis & underneath was painted in 2 pack epoxy zinc rich primer followed by two coats of 2 pack epoxy pitch. This has held up remarkably well & the only rotten bits are mostly round the edges where it got chipped or where original paint was left.
Worst bit is the right hand sill & both door pillars. This side was up against next doors hedge so got wetter.
List is now RH A post boxing plate & undersill panel, B post is also to be replaced & donor one is stripped all rot chopped out & new sections made ready for welding.
Left hand side I may replace the A post in order to get the door shuts right
There are a few small patches to go in on flitch panel & the front crossmember under the rad is rather rusty, it might be easier to chop it out & replace it than attempt to salvage it.
At rear of cab the lower cab back panels have rotted out at both ends.
All in all i think i have got off lightly. Using good marine spec paints all those years ago paid off handsomely, where i fell down was not using enough waxoyl in the sills & door pillars as its rotted inside to out!
Image
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