Spring 2026
The left side (from the outside) opening cargo doors were constructed without too much hassle, but the mating right hand opening doors were more difficult. To get the width right involved trial fitting the LH doors then measuring the gap which was to be occupied by the RH door. The 2 vertical frames where the doors meet are handed, so the LH one is widest at the outer face whereas the RH is widest at the inner face. All the boards which line the inner face had to be made from scratch.
The cargo area interior planking has been completed, brushable filler applied, then the whole sanded down ready for painting. The underside of the ceiling has been scraped free of old paint as have the carriage lines - the metal hoops which support the roof planking. The ceiling was then undercoated in white primer/undercoat.
Starting at the west end, the remaining upper teak panels and presentable framing has been scraped to remove the pink undercoat which used to adorn the entire exterior of the vehicle. Many parts of the framing have large screw hole recesses in them. This will be disguised by removing the outer 10mm thickness of teak, then glueing on a 10mm strip of "new" teak which is hole free.
The landing zones just inside the cargo doors have been smoothed down and look much better.
