Interior Side Panels and Engine Leak

Firstly, and most importantly, following a good washing of the bottom of the engine after fitting the new starter motor, there is no evidence of oil, having driven a 50 mile round tip to work yesterday, so perhaps, fingers crossed, there is no leak. The sump oil level is still staying up at the “MIN” mark.

I bought the materials for making the interior side panels today. I have two sheets of 6mm exterior grade ply, some Velcro straps for attaching the various bits and pieces afterwards, some Plastikote aerosol heavy duty carpet adhesive (much like Evostik Impact adhesive), a length of steel bar to make the top brackets, and a pack of countersunk screws and pressed screw eyelets. The grey vinyl was supplied by Exmoor Trim to guarantee a match with the seats.

The ply panels have been marked out, ready for cutting. The lower half of the panel will be secured to the hard top’s horizontal reinforcers using the self tapping screws, while I’ll use the steel bar, cut into four pieces, to make small brackets that will allow the top of the board to sit below the roof gutter channel, using the head lining screws to hold the upper end of the brackets to the vehicle and the lower ends being screwed to the backs of the boards. They’ll be bent with the vice and club hammer to have two 90 degree bends, so that the horizontal rebate matches that of the of the lower reinforcers. It’ll make more sense when I photograph them on fabrication. I also had a quick play at laying out the items to be fitted to the panels. The left side panel will get the two map pockets (they will be fitted such that the sides are square), while the right side will get the Velcro tape secured First Aid kit and some elastic hoops to hold the glowsticks.

I also had a look at the 12mm exterior ply at Homebase to have cut into a 1250x1250mm square for the roof-top tent cover, but given how severely warped it was, I’ve decided to buy the base for the roof storage elsewhere – their quality looks shocking.