Ardea Camioncino - Unbelievably Cute !

[tzf60]

Hi Simon,
The Ardea looks great - I like the paint finish - the matting agent is very effective!
 
As you already said, the vehicle has retained it's 'used' look, while still looking very presentable.
 
Regards,
Tim

[simonandjuliet]

Waiting on the front wings to come back from Dog's paintshop, so I have put the brakes back together and refilled  the engine, 'box and diff plus I flushed and refilled the front suspension

The suspension is the same as late Aprilia with a pressurised, double reservoir for the shock absorbers and the screw-on oilers for the lower spring

Both bottom plugs were removed and the oiler as well, then it was drained (although there was not much in it ....) then blown through with the compressor.

I use a large medical syringe for filling the units because it is quicker and cleaner. Other things that I checked and cleaned were the oilers themselves and found that one of the sprung balls was stuck so it would not have been possible to fill using the proper syringe. It came unstuck easily enough

For refilling you put the outer plug back in and then fill until it flows out of the middle plug - it takes about 100ml per side (I used EP 90) - the photo is the central core to show how the overflow works

Rear wings being fitted this morning and then I will put the interior back together

Final picture is the brake reservoir, with the plunger staying up after 2 days, showing that there aren't any leaks !

[lancialulu]

The mind boggles as to what that syringe was used for!

[simonandjuliet]

I did buy it in France and the rumours are true ......

Fitted most of the rubber mats today , plus some of the interior panels etc. It all took quite a while ! The rubber mats are very good, the rubber is lovely and supple and it fits very well. The top sill trims need quite a bit of modifying because there isn't a specific camioncino rubber

Managed to save a nice service sticker from May 1963 showing KM's as 48589 and today they are 55271 km , so just 6682 kms in 25 years - it could have gone around the clock, but I doubt it when you can only travel at 5O mph top speed

It looks as if it was last insured/on the road in 1986

[SanRemo78]

It's amazing that sticker lasted so long but by comparing the writing (5 in the mileage) I read the date as 1963 - so that's 7000km in nearly 60 years! Wonderful that it'll see more in the coming decades? Will it reach 100k by the time it's 100 years old?

Guy

[simonandjuliet]

Thanks Guy, you are correct and I have modified my previous post - As you say it's not a lot 

100 @ 100 - not sure that will happen !

[simonandjuliet]

Finished the rest of the interior today and have started to "trial" fit the rear wings

They are not perfect because there has been a lot of body reconstruction prior to my buying the camioncino and the wings were not necessarily taken into account at the time

This is a very English way of saying that they don't fit !

I took the decision to work with what we have, otherwise there is no way we could get the car to Lyon, so let's see how they look when I have finished ....

I also made the door panel for the Cabrio so that is going to the trimmer tomorrow so he can finish it off - he promised to do it this week

Dog is going to paint the camioncino wings and running boards tomorrow so I'll have them back mid-week and then hopefully the Cabrio wings will be painted after that - all to plan so far , but getting tight

[simonandjuliet]

Bit more today .....

I have been fitting the rear wings and finishing details around the tailgates. Exhaust fitted and the weather seals fitted to the doors - this is a standard trim that I get from my favourite "Emporium" or the "rubber-shop" as it's affectionately known

It is one of those fabulous, old-school places that has everything - I love it.  "Dumon et Fils" in Narbonne if you are passing

The tailgate works much better now and has chains to stop it flapping down. I turned down some knobs for the rear door because I couldn't find any originals

Dog was finishing the prep on the front wings ready for paint tomorrow - so the Ardea is coming along nicely

And then there is the Cabrio .......

[simonandjuliet]

So the Cabrio .......

Papa F has finished the trims, so we can take the wings off and paint them. I was over at the workshop , chez Dog,  checking some details for the door trimming so I gave Papa F a hand to fit the bootlid and then trial fit the bumpers

It's all go - Will Cinderella go to the ball

[fay66]

Hi Simon,
Is that how long the original chains would have been, as usually chains would  hold the tailgate level with the bed?
Brian 

[simonandjuliet]

Hi Brian, I cut the chains to be horizontal, I think that the photo doesn't show it well. In fact the chains are not fixed because one of them is out side the flatbed and the other is inside so they can't be permanently attached - does that make sense ?? so you can hook them on at different angles

[simonandjuliet]

Quite a few things to update ....

The camioncino wings and running boards are being painted as I type so I hope to loosely fit them tomorrow. We are going to Marseille for the weekend so I won't have a lot of time !

Photo of Dog doing the final detail on the headlight frames

The Cabrio wings were primed this morning, ready for paint over the weekend or early next week, Dets is doing a final de-dust with a tack-cloth

I have been working on a few details for both the Cabrio and Ardea - firstly putting the bumpers together for the Cabrio. They have aluminium frames for rubber inserts but the rubber was rotten so I have adapted a standard moulding from my favourite rubber shop (see above). The profile needed to be cut down at the back and shaped at the ends but the final effect is very pleasing

If I was starting this project again, I would have welded up the holes on the bumpers before chroming - doing away with the inserts .....

Next job was refitting the handbrake after it was chromed. If anyone has dismantled one of these they will know that taking them apart for the first time for 70 years can be "challenging"

Then I made up a new running board trim from an off-cut of the Aprilia wing trim , it's the same profile unlike the rest of the Ardea wing trim which is slightly narrower

As a slight aside about balancing wheels - has anyone ever used this method of balancing ? It is done using a spirit level-type bubble. I might give it a try and see what the results are like and with some though MAY be possible to do the drum/wheel unit - I don't know

[simonandjuliet]

More ....

[fay66]

Hi Brian, I cut the chains to be horizontal, I think that the photo doesn't show it well. In fact the chains are not fixed because one of them is out side the flatbed and the other is inside so they can't be permanently attached - does that make sense ?? so you can hook them on at different angles

Thanks Simon,
Yes it does.
Brian
 

[Dikappa]

I think the rubber trim on the bumpers looks nice, very well done again Simon!!!