Archie's Toylander

[Gavin B]

Hello everyone,

My name is Gavin and I am building a Toylander 2 for my 2 year old son Archie, and his little brother or sister who is due in June.  I have been building it on and off since June 2009 but have only just finished the body tub and ordered all the mechanical parts from Richard last week.  I am determined to have the toylander fully completed before the decent weather comes so that Archie can make the most of it this summer.  I'll also probably have even less time once the baby arrives so the pressure is on to get it finished!  So in order to spur me on even more I am going to keep those of you who are interested updated on my progress and come running to you with any questions I may have.  If I don't seem to be getting on very quickly feel free to give me a hard time and chivvy me on.  Hopefully with your support I'll meet my deadline!

I'll get a couple of photo's of progress so far posted although to be honest the build is pretty standard so far so probably not that interesting.  I've posted a question about door handle dimensions, but I also have a few more floating about in my head which maybe someone can help me with:

1)   I've seen a lovely red toylander in the gallery with aluminium capping down the rear corners which has been shaped to the profile of the body.  Firstly well done to the person who did this as it looks great, and secondly how do you do it?  Is it welded from two pieces or has it been beaten into shape round a "mould"?  I'd love to do this on Archie's toylander as I think it looks great and should also give some extra protection around the rear but not sure if I have the skills, tools and time to do it.

2)   I am thinking of re-cutting the rear seat/rear wing tops into a one piece unit that goes round in a U-shape.  Has anyone done this or think it is a good idea?  At the moment the rear seating area is at different levels. I think doing this might make it look slightly better and make it more comfy for anyone in the back but would appreciate your thoughts.

3)   I have cut all the body panels using a router and am pretty happy with the results as the body lines up perfectly and all the edges are nice and square, however I am now looking to use the router to do the shut lines on the doors and the vent panels under the windscreen.  Cutting the panels with the router was straight forwards but I am not sure how to go about doing these.  I have a router bit which will do the job, but my queries are how do I guide the router over the curve at the top of the door panel and how do I go about getting slightly curved corners on the vent panels like in the pictures?  I am not an expert on using a router so any guidance on how to get a good result would be most appreciated.

I think that is it for now.  Thanks in advance for all your advice and support.

Kind regards,

Gavin

[Tombraider]

Gavin,
I know what you mean about the seating being on different levels and I thought the same. However, consider the following:-
I did not hinge the seat back because I preferred to have it slide in some channels I made from mdf (there's one in cream shown in a photo on the back page of the T2 manual). The bottom of the backrest butts up against the front of the rear seats for support. If an adult is driving, you will need to remove/fold the seat back out of the way for more legroom. As the seat backrest only folds forward (and I have a thick foam seat) I thought removable was better and I then sit on the padded backrest. If you fold the seat forwards, your backside won't have anything to sit on!! You won't be able to make the front seat and rear seats out of one piece (it's difficult enough to remove the front seat anyway without scratching the sides of the painted tub). However, it is a good idea because when used a seat, my backrest rests on the rear seats and bends in the middle to touch the rear of the front seat. I guess you could make them the same level and put a small piece of mdf on the front of the rear seats to support the backrest (as also shown in the photo in the manual). I would recommend increasing the height of the front seat instead of lowering the rear seats because there is so little legroom in the rear anyway and it will only make it worse if the seats are lowered.
regards
Mike


 



 

[Gavin B]

Hi Tombraider,

Thanks for the advice.  I have just been out in the garage trying out different options and think I might have a plan.  How about if I remake the rear wing tops but in one piece so that the rear seat is all one level (a U shaped piece).  I would extend this piece by 12mm towards the front of the car and then shave 12mm from the bottom of the seat back.  I could then put hinges on the back of the seat and attach it to the top of this rear seat/wing top panel allowing it to fold flat backwards.  It would be supported all the way across underneath due to the one piece rear wingtop stopping it sagging in the middle with my weight!  It wouldn't fold forwards as the angled edge along the base of the seat back would prevent it from folding forwards too far.  The only thing I can't work out is a method for stopping the seat folding back when i want to keep it upright.  I would need some sort of quick release stops that could be removed easily and allow the seat to fold back when I want a shot of the toylander.  My thoughts at the moment are to insert a t-nut into the side panel giving me a threaded insert.  I could then screw and unscrew the standard stops as and when needed without stripping the thread in the wood.  The downside is the t-nut would need inserted from the outside and then filled in to hide it but shouldn't be too big a job.  Is this a daft idea or has anyone done something similar?  Otherwise I thing the slot idea like yours Tombraider looks the best option.

Hope this makes sense.  It does in my head but I may not be explaining it very well!

Cheers,

Gavin

[Tombraider]

Gavin,
Sounds like it would work. Just to throw another spanner in your works, I used a mobility scooter transaxle, not only for more speed but also so I could move the front seat rear vertical support panel forward and shorten the rear of the front seat to give more legroom in the rear. If two kids are sitting in the rear, one on each seat, it's their legs that get in the way.
Of course doing this, it's then worse for adults who need the front seat to be further back!
Also, for adult drivers, don't shorthen the steering column too much as I did or you will be leaning too far forward (not that you will be going long distances in it). 
Regards
Mike

[Gavin B]

Thanks Mike,

Yep - I am thinking it looks pretty tight in the rear foot well for leg space but I am going to be using the standard motors from RLT so I guess I am stuck with the positioning of the vertical support panels. 

I have done a (very) quick sketch of my plan.  The only bit I'm not too sure about is the "quick release" stop which isn't very quick release!  I will need to carry an allen key with me and unscrew the stops to allow the rear of the seat to be folded back.  I'd like to think of a neater and quicker to use solution but haven't come up with anything yet - anyone got any ideas?

Cheers,

Gavin

[Gavin B]

Great excitement last night as the parts arrived last night from RLT.  I fitted the rear axle and started fitting the front swinging axle but spent most of the time just hold in parts in situ to see what they would look like.  Can't wait to get going with it and think I will be spending every spare minute in the garage until it is finished

Here is Archie and me with the car so far....

[Richard]

Seat hinges and some good seat alternatives.
The above subject in Toylander 1 build section.
BW's Richard

[paulr]

   Looks good, can't work out though who has the bigger smile you or Archie.  Keep up the good work.
PaulR and MrsR

[brian]

Remote steering eh Archie, isn't your dad a clever fellah, none of us on here have thought of that one.

Regards,

Brian.

[Gavin B]

Cheers guys

Archie loves it already - not sure I need to finish it as he seems to be getting so much fun out of it already.  He was taking the "remote" steering wheel everywhere with him - in the car, round the house, on the toilet!!!  I've fitted it properly now so that it doesn't get lost! He is now going out to the garage every morning to wash the car with the bucket and sponge.  Just need to make sure he doesn't get any water near it until it is sealed!

Haven't done much this week as I've been tiling my mum and dad's kitchen but should get back to it properly tonight.  I fitted the steering on Saturday with some help from Richard at RLT (thanks Richard) as I cut about 10mm from the bottom of the outer steering column.  It all works great and feels lighter than I thought it would even at standstill and is no problem for Archie to turn.  I also put the windscreen together apart from the steel hinges as I am going to paint them silver before pop rivetting them.  

I was in B&Q and noticed aluminium solder so I am planning trying to use this to make aluminium capping for the rear corners as per the red toylander in the photo gallery.  I'll get some 2mm aluminium sheet and cut to size then attach to the body with rivets then solder down the corner.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Gavin
Thanks Gavin.

[markh15]

Hi Gavin,
I think the Red T2 with the 'ally' side pieces you've seen in the gallery is my build.

The pieces you mention were originally made (in two parts) from aluminium, but I couldn't find anyone who could weld them together, so they were re-made in steel and welded with a 'T.I.G.' welder. Once filed into shape, they had a light coat of body filler, sanded smooth, then primed and sprayed with 'Aluminium' paint, simple.

I had to make these in order to fit the lights from the 'Shoprider' scooter, as these mount through a thin metal plate on the scooter chassis.

If you are following Richard's build manual, then you could simply make the rear section (where the lights mount), and glue a thin strip of ally down the side. Alternatively, you could simply paint the panel on the car, nobody will notice.

Sorry for the delay, I've been a naughty boy and have been absent from the forum for a while (detention and 100 lines, I know).

Hope things are progressing well,

Regards,
Mark.

[brian]

On the naughty step Mark and no rolling marbles down to the bottom.

Regards,

Brian.

[Gavin B]

Hi Mark,

After being inspired by the pictures of the capping on your Toylander I set about making some myself.  My original plan to "weld" the aluminium myself with some "Aluminium repair rod" from B&Q failed miserably and after some reading up I found that welding aluminium is a pretty specialist job not to be undertaken by a novice like me!  The 2nd attempt I got some 2mm aluminium sheet from the local sheet metal workers and cut out the pieces - a rear piece and a strip for the side.  The strips needed formed to the profile of the body so I first bent it out at 90 degrees then heated it up and bent it round the curve of the body.  I then went back to the sheet metal workers who tacked the pieces together (they were worried if they welded the whole joint that the material would deform with the heat).  I then filled the corner with body filler and sprayed them.  I fitted them at the weekend and hopefully as well as looking good they will help give some crash protection to the rear corners of the Toylander when Archie and his new little sister Katie who was born 9 weeks ago get their mitts on it!

Progress has been slower than I would have liked what with the arrival of Katie and stuff but I had a mammoth session over last weekend and made some real progress.  My wife Shirley took the kids out and about both days so that I could crack on with things.  Archie loves to help me building the Toylander but bless him everything takes 10 times longer when he is helping me!  On Friday after work I got the bodyshell sprayed at the bodyshop of the garage where my dad works.  I was hoping to spray it myself but the guy in the bodyshop said it was very easy to botch up the job with the modern paints that they use so I left it to the professionals.  Glad I did as he made a cracking job.
I then spent Saturday and Sunday painting the metal parts black and silver and fitting them as they dried.  I now just have to do all the wiring, fit the drive chains/sprockets, and fit the seats and do a few finishing touches (such as the badges I have ordered from other Gavin) and it should be good to go. 

Here are some photos I took on my phone, but when it is finished I’ll take some better ones and post them up.










Thanks for the help and advice.

Cheers,

Gavin

[multisync]

Hi Gavin
That all looks pretty good! The ally corners look great. The finish on the paint is super, and the detail touches like door habndles, fuel filler set it all off. Great Job!!

For the benefit of others, who can't get the ally welded, I made my corners from body filler!
Mask up the area with several layers of tape, I used gaffer tape as its quite thick. In fact you can be quite inaccurate with the edges, and then cut them to shape with a craft knife and peel away the excess. This gves a lip so that the filler will be a set thickness. Then apply the filler over the area where the ally panels are needed, after a bit of sanding and re-filling, take off the tape and the panels are in situ. You may want to paint them before removing the tape.

Thats not to say that filler is a substitute for a nice ally job, but it's the cheats way forward if you're stuck!

Best Wishes
Walter

[markh15]

Hi Gavin,
Glad I could be of some use!
 
Most of the little 'finishing' touches I made for Harvey's T2 (fuel filler trim, door handles, rear corner pieces, etc.) were made when finances were low, just to keep me busy.

Don't let the painter fool you, he just wanted to paint the car!

You say that you're about to fit the chains and sprockets, but don't mention what size (pitch) you're going to use.

When I first completed Harvey's T2, I used cycle chain (as I have a friend who runs a cycle shop) so it was cheep (free).

It worked fine, but due to the torque of the transaxle and the 8 ins trailer wheels (large diameter), they needed tensioning quite frequently.

In the 'winer re-fit' I upgraded to 3/8ths pitch chain & sprockets from 'Technobots' (www.technobots.co.uk).
This was almost two years ago, and I've only had to re-tension them once so far.

Hope this has helped a little,

Regards,
Mark.