A new project is always fun, repete one you already done, is just boring!
Someone said if you are the smartest person in the room, get out and find something new to learn. Meaning if you know everything your brain dont get enough training and slowly stall.
Thats about what Ive done in my life.
One of my friends Lasse Haking, a brittish car and stuff collector has been a pro on deliver me strange projects. Im probably the only one who takes them.
He had got an Opel Blitz Van, completely empty except for chassie, front and back axel with breaks and wheels. In some exchange with other car guys. Painted partly orange. But no rust what so ever.
I was going there with the bike once a week to check out his garage and cars. It was almost no place left just to pass trough. He had garage doors to the street and garage doors in to his garden. And the street outside had two or more cars parked
This day it was like five cars. A van, a volvo, and some Austin in different style and years.
He came out and smiled, great can you pick them up now! He pointed at the "black swans" Opel and Volvo 164 in his collection.
I hate Volvos. But the van is cool, had one of these before, a Bedford. He told me this one was empty and the volvo was just for parts.
Aha thats cool! never done that! was my thoughts..
A week later they where parked next to my garage and I started to ripp everything out from the volvo, from engine to the last electrical wire system. Then I took the volvo body out to the scrap.
Empty car, quite easy and fun installing, wiring, dashboard, steering rod and inside heating parts. Swivel seats in front. Interior was home made. Double bed in the back with a hammock diagonally over for our son. The daughter slept in the front seats rotated pointing each other and a madrass on.
Then I took the engine apart and rebuild it with new cam and a weber 36 from Ronwill Speedshop. Made some engine mountings and got the drivetrain with manuell gearbox connected to the rear axel.
Last all other stuff you find under the hood, brake cylinder, tubes, relays, water, cooler, etc.
If you know you know.
An extra battery for camping, kitchen, sink and refrigerator, soft carpets and much more.
Finally we rolled it in matt black paint and added new breaks and wheels.
I first took it for a 15 minutes test ride around our hood. Told my wife and kids to prepare for a weekend trip to see how it worked.
Thursday afternoon we head south down to Barsebäck where we stayed over night. Day after was hot and blue so I decided to take a longer trip. So we went for Helsingborg. My wife told me my passport was out of date just as we went for the ferries.
Lets stay in Sweden she said. After a 5 seconds mind break I took of to nearest police office. Walked in and got a new passport within an hour. The ferry, Denmark, Germany and finally Paris France was a piece of cake.
The car was running fast and perfekt.
We actually parked right under the Eiffel tower and 50 cm in front of a park bench full with senior people. A guy in yellow took us there waving. It was a temporary parking full of cars.
And +200m queue to enter the tower.
Took a walk up to Champs-Élysées, bought some burgers at Mcdonalds and eat sitting on the sidewalk, in a line, with our feets on the road.
Summer in Paris. Rain in Stockholm.
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