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David Choppin

@asuffolkpenguin

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Sibby, toolmaker, retired early. Husband, father, grandfather. Loves sheds & old cars.

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Well now, 2 month photodump incoming. Summer solstice and a bunch of beetle stuff.
We’ve also had a busy old time with a few family gatherings including our 39th Anniversary,
how does she put up with me!
You’ll have to check @gambolinglamb for pictures of actual humans..
In shed land I took advice from a man who knows and bought a pneumatic scraper which made light work of the underseal on inner wings and the underside of the pan. A bit of grinding later and we seem to have usable frame head and floors. Sure there’s some crusty bits and holes but looking good. Having decided that I want to run up the engine before stripping down for ‘beautification’ I have followed those who have gone before. Purchase one filthy, bus bell housing and adapt with a couple of plates to a basic engine stand. This allows for the starter motor and therefore running, out of the car. Once the good lady and myself had jiggled the lump into place I had to pinch the exhaust of our poor old bus for a temporary fitting. Last thing before sorting out fuel and sparks was a refurb on the fuel pump. When I last ran the car (to get it int the shed) the diaphragms were rock hard and turning to dust. Following a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner and a rebuild kit it looks good to go. Thanks to Kerry & Matt for input and Kelsey for my present!
With a bit of luck we’ll have motion soon..
#doyourthing
#vwlife
#rustyoldvolks
#backyardengineering by @asuffolkpenguin

Greetings lovelies!
Current activity includes further stripping of floorpan. Leaving the spring plates in place at the moment but everything else is off.
Transmission was very well balanced, a life on the highwire beckons! Most of the gear oil seems to be on the outside tho, wot a filthy pig!
Had a good scrape and poke around,theres a few holes but I might get away with local repairs. Time will tell. More to follow once I dig deeper. (There are the previously welded plates to remove as well)
#backtohisbirthdaysuit
#cleanuptime
#vwfloorpan by @asuffolkpenguin

Having just about parted body and ‘pan, I have spent yesterday and today inching the shell up high enough to assemble my trolley underneath. Using various non standard jacks, props, frames, posts, poles and ratchet straps we have got there🤪
Pan rolled outside & trolley assembled. Trolley is tall and wide enough to roll the pan under to take up less space. Height of the shell will also be slightly more comfortable for cutting out rusty metal..
All in all a successful few days. First task will be stripping the running gear of the pan and clean up what’s left 😮 think I might have a weekend off first, suggest you all do likewise, toodle pip.
#shedstripper
#beetlebashing
#drivingdowntheroadoneday by @asuffolkpenguin

A wee bit of beetle progress over the last week or so. Having removed the last of the floorpan fixings and making up some bolt in bracing, today I have cut or ground through all the previous rust repair plates that ‘bridged’ the body and floorpan joint.
A lot of people moan about this but back in the day a few plates bodged in kept the cars alive.
Said vehicles didn’t have much value and would have been scrapped off otherwise🤷‍♂️ so I’m not too bothered.
The gasket/gluey sealant stuck the rear bulkheads to the ‘pan with great adhesion, had to chisel and lever to part them, jacked up the body & used the floors weight plus me stomping on it to part the two. Then jacked up each end and put some packing in the gaps.
“Doing sketchy stuff carefully since 1964”
Next up is a diagonal to finish bracing and making a dolley on casters to slip under the shell so I can work on the pan first.
Had a gorgeous bird visiting the shed too (last pic) Toodle pip
#rustyheaterchannels
#beetlerepairs
#grindingandhammering
#myempireofdirt by @asuffolkpenguin

Wot a lovely day, even had the shed doors open. Todays task is continuing Brake service on the @rosieblackbird Passat mothership. Having done one side rear previously I had to deal with a broken screw when removing the handbrakes electric motor😖
This time round I enlisted @matt_pantaloons for moral & tech support (he has the service tool which allows you to rewind the electric handbrake at the flick of a switch, how sensible!) no broken fixings this time, also broke out the old piston clampy courtesy of @thrower608d (you sure you don’t need this back, bud?) and did the front pads too.
All in all took less time to do 3 corners than the broken shenanigans last time.
To the victor the spoils, a ghosty and a Rosie blackbird slice of coffee n walnut from @tiffins_long_melford_ Cheers!
#fixityourself
#helpfromyourfriends
#doneanddusted by @asuffolkpenguin

Well, the seasons are marching onwards as we work thru all manner of jobs and projects.
The workshop/clean area fit out is mostly done, some odd trim & paint to do, plus a bench in my hidey hole.. I may have gone a tiny bit overboard but if you’re gonna do anything then you might as well do it right.
Sometimes you also need to stop and think how far you’ve come. When we moved here 26 years ago it was a blank canvas in poorly condition, cold, leaky roof etc.
the pictures show door and window holes with an alarming lack of lintels and cracks galore 😗
After much grinding, bracing, lintel insertion, brick & blockwork not to mention new doors & windows we had at least a dry shell.
When the electrical works were finally done after 6 years, it was a standing joke at work that my parter in crime @gambollinglamb could at last have a ceiling in the dining room.. she never complains, she trusts the process🤪 including driveway concrete on your 25th anniversary..
love ya Hun♥️
#homerenovation
#buildalife
#madinthecountry
#wothaveidone by @asuffolkpenguin

What’s that, more sunset you say? Okay, here’s yesterday.
Then there’s todays activity; shingle replacement on the cabin, featuring ladder holding and general support from @gambollinglamb,
This top row are not really functional but are cut down ‘1/3rds’
Fitted for aesthetic reasons. The sun bears heavily on them so I now fix them down with a little slack to allow for expansion & contraction.
They are a little bit ‘Turkey Teeth’ till they weather down😆
#maintainancetime
#sunnyday
#upaladder by @asuffolkpenguin

Harvest dust and angry clouds, groovy sunsets😙#suffolksunsets
#ruralskies
#harvesttime by @asuffolkpenguin

Sunrise and sunset today.
Happy solstice folks!
#heightofsummer
#nightsaredrawingin
#bothendsoftheday by @asuffolkpenguin

I’ve been a bit slack of late for posting, lots going on along with some small wins to celebrate. As spring has burst and now burns off into full blown summer we spend a lot of time hiding from the sun as much as dodging showers! Incremental progress on the shed/clean room, maintenance on the frontage; decking scrubbed, fences painted & freshly oiled new chairs to boot.
Back in the shed, After much painting, the legend that is Alf completed the wiring up of, according to some, ‘too many’ sockets and lights..
I’ve wrangled some difficult timber into storage/display shelves and finally divided off the spaces with a wall/shelf arrangement.
Onto this weekend, we broke out the small tower and cleaned out the front gutters, where does all that crap come from, I only did them during lockdown?! At least the view is a bonus.
Sunday was a delight with the grandson paddling & a full on feast in the evening🤩 A beer and a sunset to round off a perfect day. #busylife
#notimeforpayedemployment
#countryhome
#doyourownthing by @asuffolkpenguin

Normal life going on here in the shire.
Old geezer ponders shed ceiling, he loves sheds & old cars, artfully captured by @gambollinglamb
Having moved on to finishing he decides, ill advisably, to roller on his tinted varnish. Horrible patchy overlaps arrive and stay even after 3 coats. Abandons plans for living in a varnished wooden box and resorts to standard ‘whiteout’
Much painting later we are ‘getting there’ tho some paint covers better than others…
With a gorgeous sunny morning he abandons painting duties and has a clear out/tidyup of the sheds whilst enjoying alfresco brunch, orange marmalade on brown toast & short double americano.
Back to painting tomoz, toodlepip
#oldtwitlife
#springishere by @asuffolkpenguin

Progress in shedland.
Using the supaprop 2000*, a coupla swively clamps and the assistance of @gambollinglamb, followed by loads of shoving & swearing we have insulated and ply lined the ceiling! Also borrowed a prof. Nail gun, highly recommended.
One final pic covering 40 years of VW family car tyre development
165/80x15 versus 235/45x17…
#inmyshedtimestandsstill
#livininaboxlivininaplywoodbox
#whatchaupto by @asuffolkpenguin