yoeddynz

its too fucking soft!

but then get caught with a little bit of weed and if the cop has had a bad day you get fucked

Big day today!!! we have finished the first section of roof. And its the harder one to do. Very very windy and quite tricky- the tar paper kept getting blown about and ripped etc. But just as it started to rain we had the last section up. luckily for us (but not the farmers) it stopped raining and the Blenheim sun came out again

I'm quite happy now because this section is up high and had awkward shapes at the front to cut and place. Not rocket science but just tricky. Plus we decided to fit a couple of skylights in the roof- one over the bed end so we can look up at the stars So we started using some of the rimu bits and pieces we've been collecting- the thicknesser really coming in handy for this! Rimu being used because it'll be visible so its got to look pretty.

me checking out the view...

We also picked up 10 sheets of 12mm ply tonight which means tomorrow we can start putting some floors down in bedroom and spare room plus finish the veranda. With a floor down in the spare room over the back we'll be able to easily put the rafters and roof up there.

On a roll - well for now...

Lots of bloody good points here!

I didnt start drinking till late- 22 was when I first got pissed- mum was an alcoholic and my brother was a bit stupid on the piss so it all sort of put me off. But when I started boy did I play catch up- getting home to a plastic sheet on my bed sort of shit. Now at the young age of 35 I have not been properly pissed for 4/5 years- last time I got pissed hannah and I did a runner from a resturant in italy. then i spued up pizza in the tent. so that ended that.

I agree with some above- i'm happy now to walk or bike into town and have a few on the way. Bikings fun when pissed and I'll only end up killing myself eh.

So I'd be happy for total ban- would make it easy- you either drink...or drive.

But it would be a pain to enforce and we in NZ are drinkers- it just wouldn't ever happen.

And I find it fucking hard to swallow that boy racers who might be having a laugh but not putting others at risk can still have their pride and joy crushed whereas the rich wanker will get away with multiple drink driving convictions and still keep their car

As for that link earlier- how the fuck is a bloke who has had 14 convictions for drink driving still bloody out there doing it? fucking crazy!

Cheers dudes,

I am actually quite careful with the chainsaw- always try and keep away from potential kickback etc.

Jusst scored three big slabs of walnut or something so there will be more sawing coming up

Frame work- over cab is about 3m from headboard to front. height of bedrrom walls is 1.3m and a .3m pitch. max height is about 4.1 at front. rear will be a bit higher- almost max at 4.25.

deck is 6m long. rear over hang at veranda is 1m and a further .4m up high. so max rear overhang.

Every so often I start getting all stressed thinking about its size, speed and overhangs but I have to sit back and remember that its not going to be a truck we tiki tour about here and there like a van- its going to be a big bloody house that just so happens to move. And its still nowhere near as big as some truck out there. I'll just take it easy and cruise- sit back and relax

me tnk dats gd idea 2. Me hates txt shrthand and sht spling on such places as trd me.

To actually try and type in short hand takes me longer than typing normally! Maybe I'm too old for it?

But what is it with this bloody text speak eh?

getting back to main subject...I watched the news tonight and people seem more concerned that it might have been a another 'police chase'

which it wasn't...she took off after having been stopped and I think crashed into the other car before the police even put their donuts down and hopped into their cars.

And If you dont want to be chased by police then dont do a runner...simple.

I can remember being chased when younger- my car was 'overloaded'... (i didn't think 8 was to many in a datsun sunny wagon..) and I raced down a side street then hid up someones drive. The police car raced by, I pulled out and drove back out on to the main road- at exactly the same time as the police car pulled back onto it too!

I gave up and got more of a ticking off than had I just stopped the first time round.

First bit of wood on truck....woo hoo!

Also yesterday we started getting the first lot of rafters up. They are sequoia or redwood. Lovely patterns on them. Its been tricky putting them up as its a bit tall up there plus we are waiting till our source of cheap(er) ply arrives on tuesday so we can get the floor in place over the cab. Till then its a balancing act around the frame work.

heres the first lot of rafters up...

Today we finished the front rafters and managed to get the front roof sections in place which took a while as they are funny shaped little sections.

I wanted to get the ply to line up perfect so I can later seal the joins well and have a smooth join for our magic roof coating to be added later.

Now that these bits are done tomorrow we start heading back with big sheets easily. Then hopefully start on rear rafters... plus allow some time for a spot of mountain biking in Marlborough sounds....

this happened last night....

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3 ... checkpoint

I like to drink.

and I like to drive.

but not together and i fucking hate drink drivers. doesnt need to happen and shouldnt happen.

I think NZ is far far to soft on drink drivers!

I also think that if you get caught way over the limit you should lose your licence FOR EVER! No fucking second chances- you already shown you cant control your life and that your a risk to others.

my opinion- discuss...

cheers fellas. glad your enjoying it! Shit its gonna take ages though now. I'm not exactly a wood worker- you wait- your in for a giggle from here on now.

I'm going to try my best but the workmanship will not be pretty that's for sure. The woodwork will look better if i gave the cat the job to do.

I'm really hoping to get some rafters up today- maybe even some of the ply roofing too.

yeah- its good little machine- i'll heed your warning too as we dont wanna break it. Its not as noisy as I thought it would be either- in fact the ryobi table saw is far noisier!

Its the first time I have ever used a thicknesser and man its cool- beats a sander any day!

amongst other jobs today I made some steps. My uncle in chch gave me a slab of imported Oregon left over from a building job- i think it was a big rafter.

Nice to be finally doing some woodwork- and I now get to play with other tools.

I got to test our new 'secondhand' thicknesser...

Which is a wicked machine- boy oh boy are we going to keep the neighbours happy with this one.

the steel frame work is pretty much done now. we still have to build the pop out frames though but all the climbing up ladders to weld is over. Now it will be climbing up ladders to drill, then glue, then screw, then varnish etc etc

I have made the veranda bar in the corner removable so we can find a nice piece of drift wood in the future and replace the ugly bit of metal. Its just bolted in for now.

Hannah has started painting the top coat on the frame- with our cheap bargain paint. It looks too nice to cover up now.

We have started to get the ply for the roof and some floors- $600 worth! Ouch its expensive stuff, plus more steel for the pop outs and polystyrene. Thats expensive too. Its all really expensive but oh well-we are building a house for many years of living eh!

Just reading this thread- are you from essex?....

Cool to see some Brit style escorts on here - its like reading Classic ford magazine! When I was living in Uk I couldnt get over just how nuts people are for escorts! It does mean that old Mazdas etc were cheap there which was fine by me.

Did you get lumped with lots of GST when you bought all those bits over to NZ or did you hide them better than me?...

Our van....

Its been soooooo useful!

space...

Diesel. $35 blenheim to chch. $13 blenheim to nelson. Doesnt have an electronic speedo that has to be connected....

4WD hi and low. burns oil. It sounds like a bag of nails in the same way a transit Di does but in that happy 'it'll get ya there but slowly' sort of way. And it is slow. But it came with a sub between the seats and a small bag of weed so we never notice.

Had to pay rego today though- 6 months $190. what a rip!!! so we will sell it in the near future and looking to buy a 1970 cf and go for cheap rego. I would wang ld28 into it of course.

Cfs rock- i'm surprised there aint any on this thread.

and heres something funky. Its not really a van but is sort of in this region still cool...in a 'I'm scared on every corner' sort of way..

soda crystals? hows that work?

I'm gonna try rarespares tomorrow- apparantly $3 a nut? that seems ok- about the same as in the UK. will PM ya now...

In chch now sourcing more windows and wood. But before leaving blenheim we moved truck back to get some photos of it after a good last few days building.

Its almost all done framework wise. Some steps to build and some extra bracing to go in here and there.

So last night we worked till it was too dark to see. I had a wasp climb down my sleeve on my hoody while I was upside down welding the varanda- I felt something crawling on my arm and thought 'i hope its not that waspfrom earlier' and then it started to sting me! Hannah has never seen me move so quick as I shot out and removed my tops!

Hannah managed to get paint on while welds were still warm as it began to rain- and rain it did hard but we are happy as the wood work will begin soon!

when you re-register/re-vin a 40 year car does it stay applicable for the cheap licence/rego fee of $80 or do the wankers class it as a 'new vehicle' and lump ya with the full amount?

getting my little 1kg bottle filled at $9 a go. using it for lots of big long welds right now and it last ok. So I'll stick to it now- plus its a easy enough weight to cart about attached to the welder- which is getting moved a lot right now- up and down all over the truck.

Still cant get over what people charge for a bloody gas bottle though!

":37jj593t]yeah got a set of these for the cortina... they are one of the best period wheels you can get.

Im having some centre decals made up if you want i can get a cost for another set to be done?

Yeah- please find out!

As for the steering wheel- its a bloody good steering wheel lock I brought back from Blighty. I have not seen any here like it.

yeah- i'm well chuffed!

Repco want $20 per 4 nuts! they have them on the shelf but that seems a bit steep. I'm gonna keep hunting. no rush.

As for tyres- probably 185 60/13s.

They should suit it well, fill the arches enough without clearance problems and be easy to get.

I liked the 175 50 series like on my old rx3 ...

...but the Viva aint lowered so would end up with gaps above wheels plus its low geared enough already.

Classic period Dunlop D1's from the late 60's. Just like what I had on my RX3 in the UK. I love these wheels so much and was stoked to find them.

13" x 5 1/2" and 4" PCD!!!! wicked! so happy. Its also cool that there are 5. One is slightly curbed so that'll be the spare then.

Bought them from fellow Viva nutter in Nelson. they were surplus to him so He sold them to me on proviso that if I sell them in the future he gets first refusal.

tyres and wheel nuts next. Any good ideas on wheelnuts 7/16 unf and what is a fair price to pay here?

sunday monday we were in Nelson. looked at land up Motueka valley- amazing area! just right. but alas no money for that right now....

On way back through we stopped off at Plankville to get some rafter material. Brent at Plankville suggested cuts from a Macrocarpa trunk. So he fired up the mill and we ended up with some delicious cuts- really nice wavey edge and amazing grain patterns. We also got Redwood for bedroom rafters.

The mill is a cool machine to watch!

Back to steel work..

and its not raining!

When the rain stopped just before we did this....

At 500 mm drop for the varanda 1metre out we have 245 mm clearance. cool. So we might go up another 50mm for 'just in case' moments but otherwise its all good.

A note... on our road people race up it and boy it was funny seeing cars coming racing around to find me and hannah in the middle of the road with a truck taking photos measuring things. he he. some of these people need to chill out and take some slow pills.

cheers mr crazytim. I will remember that. I dont think it will drop a lot though. We will ere on the side of caution anyway. In the future if we end up with a particularly bad gutter to enter we might carry some blocks of wood to fill it with. But hopefully it wont come to that.

Started on the back section today and have worked out a solution to the rear door area. Just got last welds finished as it was getting dark and a spot of rain hit my hand. Out with zinc spray and covered last few welds still bare. Hannah had finished painting all the front frame luckily. by time had recovered the wood with tarps it was pissing down and still is! Hope its fine tomorrow though Blenheim desperately needs some rain. I hope Kaitaia gets some eh....

cool picture...how did you draw it so it doesnt have smudges and rubber marks all over it? I want to know or is it a secret? I like the plants. Must have plants. Illegal ones of course.

once you have a trailer then it doesnt need to cost a lot if you take time sourcing cheap materials. steel is the most expensive bit for us but so far it has only been $1500 split between two people.

Overhangs...see here....

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/facts ... a/13a.html

For a truck you can go 3m in front of drivers seat!!!!! We are going maybe 1 meter and thats enough.

Out back we are going to the limit of 70% wheelbase hence we wanted as long a wheelbase as possible. Height we are going to 4.2m