An Introduction: Chris Collins and Morris Tilly Project

[jack neville]

A couple of other modified pieces from damaged roofs were also removed to be fitted into the new roof. All the timber pieces will need to be replicated from the intact originals. Then all the pieces will be sand blasted before being reassembled. So out of four authentic Tilly rooves, plus the car roof I can salvage and complete two Tilly rooves. Next I moved onto relocating the B pillars. The car pillars are simply relocated back to accommodate a bigger door. I cut the sill around the pillar, wiggled the pillar until the internal spotwelds gave and removed the whole lot. The gap is filled with a patch just as the originals were done. I did cut the right side a bit too long so an extra patch will be required. I wil grind up the weld so it can't be seen. The rear curved section of the pillar is cut away to square it up.

[jack neville]

As I was completing the A pillar joints I noticed the 1946 car was finished off with nicely applied lead filler around the door frame and guttering. The wartime Tilllys got no such treatment so I melted all the lead from the entire door frame with the oxy torch. I didn't like the look of the rust behind the guttering so I unpicked the spotwelds and removed the guttering. It wasn't rusted through the body anywhere but I can now clean the guttering in my electrolysis bath and sandblast the body properly before reattaching the guttering.

[jack neville]

Another area that requires modifying on the chassis is the seat mounts and passneger floor. The car was fitted with an under floor toolbox. Strangely that appears to have been a feature of the prewar cars as well but was removed from the Tilly. The floor was patched over. As the wartime seats were different and simpler the mounting is different but can be simply swapped over from the rusty Tilly. I would have thought leaving the toolbox in situ would have made more sense for a military vehicle.

[jack neville]

The B pillars on the wartime Tillys have six caged nuts inserted in the rear of the pillar to attach the rear body. Converting the car pillar required the same but as it is a sealed peice I had to open it up to insert the cages. I folded the cages from 2mm sheet.

[jack neville]

Forgot the photos

[jack neville]

The cages were welded through the holes drilled each side and the cuts rewelded.

[jack neville]

The tops of the B pillars are modified to join the roof. Crush tubes are inserted in the pillar with small pieces of pipe and the trafficator opening was welded over and the pillar capped.