Measuring Up

I've concluded that the preservation of Victoria is a bit more than I imagined it would be.

However, one of the better parts of the experience so far is how many people are helping me and offering encouragement. For example, long-time readers here will remember that "Jack" sold me his old MGTD wheels which, as it happens, are the same as early J-Van wheels. He also helped me with the earlier square Lucas 470 lights and revealed lastly, that the brake system for J-Vans is the same all around as it is for an MGTD. Well, Jack came out to see Victoria this weekend. It was a two-hour roundtrip with about 20 minutes of looking at the van, so I was grateful. After dropping him off I used his work bench in his garage to change my baby's diaper

On the following day I came out again on my own and did little more than make measurements. As you can see in the photos above, the structure that supports the cargo floor in Victoria is in poor shape. It includes two lateral members that run on top of the frame lateral members. They're basically to u-shaped pieces of sheet metal that are then stop welded together. The upper part has captive nuts. I've decided to replace the whole smash, but to do it, I'm going use extruded metal. I won't use the captive nuts either -- I've devised an alternative that will preserve appearances, but that is technically superior. Thus the need for all the measurements.

Basically, I need two 4.2x4.5cm extruded pieces measuring 138cm (front) and 147cm. I then join them with two 106.5cm channel pieces that support the inner rear fenders.