A bit more progress...
Bob just happened to have some appropriate flathead steel rivets in stock (maybe a gift from Gilles Chartrand?) so the footman loops that had been picked up at the Weare Rally (it was nice to see Phil Waterman again) were riveted in place. Square bar stock was formed to make the pivot loops for tailgate retaining hooks. Then Bob fired up his samll hand-cranked forge to form the end of the bar to a round section. the rounded section was bent to complete the hooks and they were fitted. The forward hooks to hold the dropsides in raised position were trimmed to length. It definitely feels like progress is being made. Some of these parts will end up being painted separately from the main part of the body to better reach all sides, to ease handling and to prevent the parts getting glued in position by the paint...
|