Hastings Brass

Long-time readers will know that my cargo floor and rear doors are a little improvised. Specifically, the rear cross member has a little wedge taken out of it, absent of which would mean the rear doors wouldn’t fit.

The only visible sign of this is when the rear doors are closed – the distance between the bottom edge of the door and the bottom edge cross member is about ¾ less than what it is on other vans. This meant I needed to have some “chummies” made that would anchor the door latch and lock on the bottom. Enter Hasting Brass Foundry (“HBF”), one of Vancouver oldest companies, founded in 1916.

HBF used to make parts for the many ships that we built in Vancouver, but that’s when Vancouver was a low-wage jurisdiction compared to those workers’ paradises like Belfast and Liverpool. Ships aren’t made in Vancouver that much anymore, but they still make a living. They had the contract for US Marine Corps amphibious armoured vehicles, I am told.

About 3 weeks ago I made a wood plug and dropped it off. This past Saturday I picked them up. Holes have to be drilled in them (both to secure them to the can and to receive the latches). Originally, I was going to get them chromed, but I now think maybe I’ll just leave them, or paint them black. Why three? Well, inevitably I’ll screw something up, and a third one only cost $5 extra!