Cherry blossom, a welcome sight in the yard this week...

... signalling that warmer weather is on its way, Yahoo!

I've added diagonals and some side bars to the scuttle and even without bolting the frame to the chassis, it's very rigid. I had to cast about for a piece of thinnish ply for the dash and remembered that the shelf under my welding table would do the trick - it was originally the board that I used in the back of my Mercedes estate, so this will be its third life.

A handy sized pallet was around the corner which I chopped up for a replacement.

I then turned my attention to the bits that will be attached to the scuttle. The cockpit heater matrix needed a box and plans were available for the patterns to fold up. Naturally, this would take two attempts, the first missing a tab and also 5mm short on one side.

I made up a couple of bars to go in the vice making the folding of these reasonably complex boxes, trouble free - provided I worked out the order of folding before getting too carried away.

Loosely assembled, the second prototype all fitted together as expected. The holes for the pipes were originally round but needed some adjustment as they somehow contrived to be somewhere other than where they should have been.

This is the back of the box and faces the bulkhead for the fan to draw heat through to the cabin...

... via an aluminium tube rivetted together with my air rivet gun - every home should have one; it saves struggling with those awful hand rivet pliers.

The air intake will be rivetted to the front of the box and an oval tube attached to the top will, with a rubber seal, sit up against the underside of the scuttle panel to draw in fresh air. There's a lot going on in and on the scuttle: wipers, washers, windscreen frame, electrics, pedals, hydraulics, steering, door shuts and dashboard. It might be the most complicated part of the build.

The simplicity of this wiper arrangement caught my eye whilst at The Great Collector's the other day. I shall try and replicate this for the Hillman Special as it's a nightmare in the rain. Even when it's misty you often need to stretch over the top of the windscreen with a cloth to see where you're going. The Bedford lorry is now running very sweetly, and the AC fuel pump is keeping up with demand. Unfortunately, the clutch plate is seized solid to the flywheel so we couldn't take it out for a spin.

The little 6-cyl Talbot has come to me for a new hood. I have the patterns from the old one which is a bonus.

Whilst Counsel and I were waiting for the Talbot to warm up, I looked again at the Donnet. It's all there and would make an excellent contender for the oily rag run. The thing on the roof is not a camping accessory, it's the body of the Cushman Package Kar Special, made from a drop tank. With all these projects, I'd better spring into action.