12: A Deadline Looms
...Continued from previous page
At this point things were getting tense - my 109 was still far from finished and the guys needed space to work on the racer, so my truck was relocated to my back garden which was 50 miles closer to home but also lacking in a roof.
So, this was my lounge…
This was my sofa…
This was my dining room…
And this was my back garden:
Great! 
Right you are!
Before leaving the lab the engine & clutch had been dropped in which meant all the major mechanicals and fabrication were done.
To make room for the PTO for the winch I had to raise the middle of the rear floor - again, this was somewhat planned as I wanted the LT230 to be on standard mounts and not hanging down below the chassis.
Custom copper radiator from Wessex Rads with a “caterpillar” core - very open, heavy tubes, repairable in the field:
Twin fans were from a Saab but Freelander ones might fit - see the Defender Twin Electric Fan Conversion we did on the ambulance.
I was now getting the bodywork together, sort of…
A coat of U-Pol thingummywhatsit universal primer seemed like a good idea - it supposedly helps any new paint stick to any old paint although my awful prep and being applied outdoors at night with a roller probably doesn't help…
Hmmm…
Now, I didn't own an air compressor at this point, nor did I have enough money to buy one, or the time to faff about taking the truck somewhere to be sprayed… so £14.99 at Homebase got me an electric garden fence sprayer and away we go!
While that lot was drying I rebuilt my oil pump with new gears because I'd bought them:
And fitted a Mocal remote filter takeoff:
Sun's out, let's spray some more bits:
These were just rattle-canned satin black.
And then attacked with top coat while I was spraying everything else.
And here's the everything else all sprayed red!
Masking tape off, glass in, lights in, it's looking like a thing!
A lot of piss has been taken over the years about my paintwork skills (or lack of) but honestly this went far better than I expected for a fence sprayer and it's stood the test of time reasonably well too. So 
to the lot of you!
I do want to re-paint it a bit better one day but honestly not too well because I still want to be able to drag it down a green lane.
Onward to Back To The Lab Again!
