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Work continues on the chassis modification, which is being strengthened as well as elongated. Before the 3L engine and gearbox is mounted to the chassis, the opportunity to recondition it is being taken (though the engine is in working order). This involves a good deal of hunting for spare parts - some from generic suppliers and some from Toyota dealers. The donor vehicle continues to be stripped of anything useful, including engine mounts, a vacuum reservoir, and electrical parts. The steel carry frame for moving the engine is now finished. While planning construction yesterday, the idea of adding some small wheels arose. The carry frame will only be used once, but parts of it could also be modified into a mobile jig for the cabin body. There are sound logistical reasons for wanting to separate the body from the vehicle chassis, lift and move it about the workshop without distorting it. That also allows work to continue on more than one component of the system at a time. A good...

With clearance from the licensing authorities, work on chassis modification is now under way. Detailed design work in the AutoCad model is now being turned into detailed manufacturing drawings, and these are being distributed to a growing cadre of volunteer mechanics, engineers and materials specialists for realisation into metal and plastic. To better visualize the body shape, a 1/12 scale physical model was built (see photo). Meanwhile, there is plenty of work to do to get the refurbished 3L engine mounted into a steel carry frame and moved over to the Byfield's factory. We have also been shopping for more engine parts: a 3-core radiator and fan assembly, 4WD seats, air compressor, and a second alternator. Work has certainly picked up over the last few weeks and should continue to do so in the warmer months of Spring and Summer.

More detailed design work has been done towards vehicle certifications and manufacturing plans. Most of this work is done by project Engineer, Bruce Armstrong. We hope that by having everything planned in detailed from the start, we will save money by cutting down on labour costs due to uncertainty and mistakes. But a lot of precious time is taken up by the need for all this documentation; we must find ways to spend less time describing things and more time actually building them.

The Rover chassis was moved from the manager's carport in Fremantle, WA, where it had been undergoing inspection and rebuilding. During its time there, the concept and design work on the pressurised body shell was substantially reworked. An important development was a wooden mockup which helped verify design ideas and dimensions with respect to ergonomic fitting of the human driver to the controls, a complex but vital design issue for any vehicle. Once this was built and tested, measurements from the mockup were transferred into the AutoCAD design package we're using for the plans. Recently the mockup was dismounted and the chassis was shifted to a contractor's workshop in Cannington, where assembly of the real bodywork will shortly begin. This is a major landmark in the construction of the rover.

Night work on...