Hi To All

[markh15]

Hi Guys, Mark here. I have been reading the notices and looking at all of your pictures for a while now, and I must say how impressed I am. I finished my Series 2 six months ago, and my 3 year old grandson (and I) have had great fun driving it.
I thought mine was over-engineered, but looking at the posts on here, I realise that I am not the only over-indulgent grandfather building these things!!
I will try and add more info as I go along, and will write a better description of my build soon.
I used a motability scooter to power my S2, and found that almost all of the parts could be used very successfully.  The Drive unit and motor fitted beautifully into the chassis, and all of the wiring was used with only minor modification.  This meant that all of the scooter's functions, lights, indicators, hazzards, horn etc could be utilised.
I will close now, but will leave you all working hard. Have fun, Mark.

[Gremlin]

Hi, any pics??

Grem

[multisync]

Hi
Yes I'd luv to see some pics too, especially the motor unit set up. I might go that way myself. Did you use a complete drive unit with diff?
Best Wishes
walter

[brian]

Hello Mark,

I too am using  a motorised wheelchair motor I got off ebay, I can power the motor direct to the brush holders to check it works o.k, but it also has other electrical connections to the motor as well which could either be a forward/reverse switching circuit, or better still, a speed control circuit.

Other than testing the motor does actually work, I have not checked any of the other circuitry as I have not got around to the wireing yet but it would be a bonus if there was a speed control.

Do you have a wireing diagram for your motor control to save me reinventing the wheel or at least save me some investigation time.

Many thanks,

kind regards, 

Brian

[markh15]

Hi Guys, thanks for your questions. I have sent some of you replies to your queeries, as for grem, I have posted some pics of the car (the red S2) in the gallery. I can't figure out how to add pics to the posts yet, but as soon as i do I will.  I have also been keeping a personal record of the build, so I will modify that and post it for all to see what kind of probs I had and how I built the car.

[brian]

Hello Mark,

thank you for the pm, I will have to go to plan "B" then and work it out for myself.

With regards to photograph posting.  Any photo's you might want to post you will have to reduce in size, the limit is 128kb.  I find it easier to reduce them to a pixel size of 400 x 300 in photoshop and store the reduced pictures in a special file in the "My pictures" section of "My computer".

If you then start or reply to a post, when the box opens, look to the bottom left of the typing box and you will see "Additional Options".  Click on this and an empty smaller pale blue box will open with a browse button to it's right.

Click on this and go to "My computer/ My pictures/ Reduced in size pictures" and click on the photo you wish to display on the site.  It's details will be displayed in the empty pale blue box.

You can only display one picture per post using this method, hence my long whinded posts with one photo per post.

Having got you photo selected, type you message into the dialogue box and post it in the normal way, your selected photo will be included with your message.

Hope that helps and look forward to some photo's.

Regards,

Brian.

[markh15]

OK Brian, thanks for the info, will give it a go. If you want some pics in the meantime, let me know and I could send them to your e-mail addie if you wish, Regards, Mark.

[brian]

Hello Mark,

I have just been studying the pictures on the gallery, your Toylander looks well.  I am going to paint my Grandsons Toylander red and try and make it a bit like a fire tender.

Can you tell me, are your front ventilators and door shutlines painted on or are they scored/routed and then infilled black?

How did you make that very good looking petrol filler rebate, is it a very nice piece of metal work, as it looks, or have you used a more amenable and easily worked material like plasticard painted silver.

Keep up the good work,

kind regards,

Brian.

[multisync]

Hi Brian/Mark
I know the question was aimed at mark, but I thought you might like to know how I did the lines and filler cap.
The body lines were all done with a router, following a clamped on straight edge. The vent lines were done, again with a router, but in a router table, no gaps were left for hinges, Small pieces of dowel were then stuck on to represent the hinges.
For the filler area, first I cut it out with a jigsaw, then inserted a sloping MDF block into the aperture from inside. When the glue was dry, I cut away the surplus MDF to below the internal surface area, then filled with car body filler and rubbed down. From the inside theere is no sign of the filler unit. On the outside I then covered the area with 3 layers of "gaffer tape", and cut away the area around the filler, about 10 mm wide. This area was then given a coat of body filler, and rubbed down to the level of the tape. Once the tape was removed, the raised area is left. Its had a coat of primer, and you can see it wants a bit of finishing. Filler cap is held by a screw, with head cut off, set in back of cap , then screwed into body. Will be glued as well eventually.
Regards
Walter

[Images lost in forum update]

[markh15]

Hi Brian, the shut lines around the door were done with a router and a straight edge. I used a 'V' shaped cutting bit, and then I set the depth to just a couple of millimeters. Once painted, they didn't stand out enough for me, so I painted down the lines with a pin striping tool that I have had for years. I also painted the front vent lines with the striper tool, and I just placed a piece of masking tape where the hinge should be to leave a void. As for the filler cap fillet, that was made from an off-cut of 2mm alluminium from the bonnet. It was bent over a piece of round bar to get the shape of the body, and then bent at 90 degrees to form the top part. Once I had the right shape, I cut the centre hole out with a hand-held mechanical hole punch, nibbling around a line scribed on to the metal. I then filed the edges flat. I dont know if you can see them on the photo, but the piece is mounted to the body with 2.5 mm 'pop rivets', as are the alloy body finishing strips.
The rear plates around the lights were born out of a problem. because I was using the lights from a mobility scooter, the wood on the body was too thick for them to mount into. So I initially cut out the shape in thin steel, with the intension to paint the edge line onto the body. But I was at a financial disadvantage one day, so I made the edge pieces from sheet steel (the same way as the filler cap piece), and TIG welded them together. Once thh holes for the lights had been cut and filed to shape, the two parts (left and right) the welds were ground and filed to shape and then they were finished with a thin smear of body filler and sprayed silver. They are mounted to the body with 2.5 mm rivets.
A lot of the detail pieces were made because I had usually run out of finances, and was scratching around for something to do! 
I am currently trying to set-up a web space on Hotmail, so I can post a detailed blog of the build, with all of the photos I took. Mean-while I have posted a couple more photos in the gallery for you to look at, keep smiling, best regards Mark.

[multisync]

Hi...I,ve just seen mark's detail pics on gallery...very nice...might have to do mine all over again!
looks great
Best wishes

walter

[markh15]

Hi Walter, don't start changing things now, you'll never finish it! This is a problem I found! You have to draw the line somewhere, details can be added later. Just get the car finished before your grandson is old enough to have a real Lanny! I made bits like this when funds were lacking. Keep busy, Regards, Mark.

[markh15]

Hi Guys,
Just to keep you all up to speed, I've stated the re-fit of Harvey's S2 this afternoon.
I have measured up for the new steering column, drawn out the plans for the 'Steering Boss' and made the plate to mount the new, slightly bigger, Steering Wheel to the 'boss'.
I have also made the plates up for the front axle modifications, which will strengthen it, and stop it 'rocking' around it's transverse axis, due to the steering swivels being below the centre line.
This will, I feel, eventually weaken the chassis and may lead to failure in the future, if a large enough item (kerb) is hit hard.
I need to get the car back up onto my trusty 'Workmate' to remove the axle for modification, will have to wait for some assistance for that!

I also internd to fit the Brake Calipers to the back, and install the 'Pendulum' brake pedal, and the cables.
Finish trimming the seat cushions in Black Vinyl.
Fit the new 'Sliding' steps to the underside of the car, and anything else that I've missed or omitted in the rush to finish the car for spring of this year.
That's if I don't freeze to death in the shed first!
Ok now you know what's planned for me,
Keep busy,(and warm!),
Regards,
Mark.

[markh15]

Hi All,
Finally managed to get some work done today. Have had a little trouble with my car recently, the alternator went, so I've been scouring the breakers yards for a decent one, got one now so that's sorted.
Bought a Calor Gas cylinder so the workshop's been nice and toasty, enabling me to get the finished bits painted up.
The new steering column, the modified axle and the sliding step components have all been re-painted, they all look nice and shiny, just waiting to be re-fitted.

Still working on the brakes, have been cutting and drilling the metalwork for the calipers, one side is completed, will do the other side later in the week.
Have been looking at other problems, some will get resolved, some left for later.

As I have said elsewhere in the forum, I'm going to replace the cycle chain and sprockets with some from Technobots (cheers for the heads up on that Brian) in the New Year, as the cycle products are a little weak for the task in hand.
I have found so many things that I am not happy with, I want to change them  and put them right this time around (Brians Hindsight again).

Not much else to report, I am at a financial dead end again, so will keep going with what I can for the moment. Just wait until after Christmas!
Keep Busy,
Regards,
Mark.

[brian]

Keep up the good work Mark, apart from making the pendulum pedal arm [photo to follow], and devising a brake light switch from a micro switch, I have not done any work on the brakes yet so a piccy or two of what you've done might give me a crib.  No point in inventing the wheel twice is there??

Sorry to hear of  your alternator problem, they don't come cheap new do they?

Tarah for now,

regards,

Brian.