Jump seats - Yeah!

I'm just super pleased with this project! I made jump seats using parts from a vintage camping bed. It's all custom made. I even made the cushions from scratch and I can't even remember the last time I used a sewing machine. But here goes!

It started out with the bed that I found at a thrift store. I chopped off the ends, took off the springs and trimmed the legs and moved them from the sides to the end.
The base of the seat was made from a plywood table top. I cut that to match the outline of the bed frame and glued one layer of rubber foam and one layer of sleeping pad on to that.

Made more Tintin clocks!

Whenever me and my wife visit our daughters in Oxford, England I usually go to Blackwells Bookstore. They always have a good stock of Tintin postcards and posters. This time around I bought some postcards and a big poster. I wanted to do a really big Tintin clock so I bought "the Red Sea Sharks" poster. I already had a really large wall clock - IKEA - so the plan was to attach the round part on to it. Turned out to be a perfect match!

Check the glasses for a size reference! It's BIG!

Time for some fresh gaskets

A small oil leak has kept me puzzled. My latest idea is that it might be caused by a leak in the water pump gasket and that the leaking cooling liquid might have messed up the the timing plate gasket below. Perhaps...
I didn't have the tools to change both gaskets so I started with the water pump.
I'll do the other as soon as I have bought an impact wrench.

I'm still amazed by how easy it is to work on this little truck. Everything can be taken apart real easy, just like a large meccano set. I took off most off the front for an easy access.

Military Daihatsu Taft

I just had to show this picture of a 1980 Daihatsu Taft in a military version.
Never seen one like that before. It looks so cool!
It's for sale in Thailand. Go get it!

Headlight headache

Days are getting darker as winter is moving in on us - wish it was moving away. So, good headlights are as important as ever. One of mine thought it was time for a break, so it did. No problem, I'll just go get myself a new H4 light bulb and that's that. Right? Turns out fate had other plans. As I parked outside the auto parts dealer I popped the hood and was about to remove the broken lamp. That's when I found out that this vintage ride wasn't built that way. The light, reflector and glass was all one unit! I had no idea.

So that meant that I would have to replace the whole thing. Went searching the web and soon found out that it would cost way more than just changing a simple light bulb. Way more.

My new wheel cover - Beware of the Higuma!

I've been thinking about getting a spare wheel cover but haven't found any that I liked.
That was until I found this little gem at amazon.co.uk.
At first I just thought it looked real cool but it got even better as I zoomed in on the writing, that sealed the deal. There's no way I could resist something that quirky and at £12.99 it was a bargain!
Here's what it says:

The story behind my innovation

The film company that we work with - called "Image" - has just finished our latest video about my innovation - the Bannerbow.

This video is about how I got the idea for this product. You can check it out here:

Cut down my Hi-Lift a bit

As you all know by now I'm really pleased with that Hi-Lift farm jack. Works great whenever I need to lift my truck. Really impressed. But I guess you need to have an older truck, like mine, to have real use for it. It doesn't work well with modern cars with plastic bumpers and such.

Anyways, I've had it for a while now and I have come to the conclusion that I think it would suit me even better if I trimmed it down a bit.
I searched the forums to hear about any experiences with cutting down a Hi-Lift. Some people seemed to think it was a bit tricky and even risky to do that.
So, let's do this!

Before the surgery. Standing 60" tall.

My latest find - a vintage roof rack

I've spent a lot of time looking for a roof rack that would fit my Daihatsu. Seen a few that would have been almost what I wanted. Not the perfect style, size or price. I was just about to give up, thinking I would have to try and build it myself. Then I found it, the perfect roof rack. And it was orange - my fave color! One problem though, it was located way down south, in Kalmar and that's a 5 hour drive with a modern car. That means something like 6 hours for me.

So I hesitated for a couple of days. But it was quite obvious that this was it, the perfect roof rack! So I spent more than 11 hours in my little bumpy and noisy truck to bring it home.
Was it worth the trouble? OH YES!!! It's just perfect. Love it!

Interestingly it had never been used and the brackets where wrapped in newspaper dating from 1965!
It's quite possible that it was originally made for the national telephone agency here in Sweden - "Televerket". All their vehicles had that bright orange color.

Spacers - Getting a wider stance

B E F O R E                                                    A F T E R

It's been way to quiet on this blog for a while now but here's something new.
My wheels have what you call a "high ET". That means that the center of the rim is not placed in the centerline of the wheel, it's placed a bit outward. This has caused some problems. The rear tires have been real close to the leaf springs and during hard turns it actually rubbed against them - not good.
Also, the front wheels has been rubbing the inside of the tires against the top mount of the shock absorbers.

Finally got me a Hi-Lift jack

In case you didn't know, a Hi-Lift is a super clever tool for lifting, tightening and pulling all sorts of things but it's mostly used to lift tall vehicles, like off road trucks and tractors and such.

The Hi-Lift's predecessor was invented as early as 1905 and it was called the Automatic Combination Tool. The original jack was commonly known as the Handyman or Sheepherder's Jack, and years later it was renamed the Hi-Lift Jack.
The design has pretty much remained the same since 1921 since there's no need to change it - now that's good engineering!
You can read all about it here: www.hi-lift.com/company/

I've been wanting a Hi-Lift jack for some time now since my standard hydraulic jack just doesn't match the height of my Daihatsu Taft. I used to build a stack of bricks and stumps of wood to get a proper reach - rather frustrating (and plain stupid).

I wasn't to keen on getting a brand new Hi-Lift since they're not cheap over here in Sweden and I didn't want it all new and shiny. I bought this second hand from a nice guy in Sigtuna. I got a good deal on it and he even threw in a restoration kit and a brand new mounting bracket - Thanks!

It's real tall so there's no way I can keep it inside the truck. One idea was to clamp it to my front bumper, horizontally. But the jack is taller than my truck is wide!
I decided to mount it on the rear left door instead.

I thought I would have to drill new holes but I soon found out that it would work just fine if I used the bolts on the hinges.

Daihatsu F50 Taft in Costa Rica

Now this is really cool!
As you might know I offered a taillight to anybody out there who might need it and here is where it goes, on Brians yellow F50 in Costa Rica. That light gets to travel! First from the factory in Japan, onward to Australia, half way around the globe to the northern part of Sweden and now way off to Costa Rica - Wow!

Brian was kind enough to send some pics of his ride.
I think it looks real solid. Those mirrors are nice - from a Land Cruiser perhaps..?
I'm sure the four wheel drive gets to good use on the rough roads over there.

In the LAND of ROVER

Greetings from Oxford, England!

We're visiting our daughters here in Oxford.
Lots to see around here. Visited one of the best designed skateparks I ever seen.

There's also a lot of cool and interesting 4x4's, mostly Land Rover Defender.

Here's a vintage ride that I spotted the other day. Looks to me like a Land Rover Series II 88 inch. Now there's a project for someone with a lot of time and enthusiasm.
Looks like it had been standing there for some time. There was even moss growing on it.
Quite charming. I'd really like one just like it but in a slightly better state.

A third brake light - coolest ever!

A while back I found this old flashlight. It's got this cool feature where you can change the colour of the light. You just shift these three sliding knobs to choose between a green red or blue lens.
I don't know it's original purpose but I guess it's from the fifties or sixties.
I got an idea on what to make of it as soon as I saw the red lens.

Rear bumper off and new tail lights on

I've had plans to improve the tail lights and rear bumper for some time now but it hasn't happend until now. A dutch tourist inspired me to get started. He inspired me by crashing into me! So my crooked rear bumper got even worse and the left tail light cracked. I wasn't to upset about the whole deal - much to his surprise. I was actually quite excited because it helped me to get started!

New exhaust pipe and custom made mud flaps

Everything on my Daihatsu Taft looks pretty fresh now, at least from a distance. The only things that I have not put my hand to yet is the exhaust pipe, rear bumper and tail lights. So today I took care of the exhaust pipe.

Got a new air filter and gained some space

One of the first things you'll notice when you pop the hood of a Daihatsu F50 is that big black tin jar to the left.
It contains the air filter and it's designed to handle some pretty brutal conditions, like sandstorms and river crossings. Thing is, it's a bit of an overkill for my daily riding conditions since there's not many deserts around here and I tend to use the bridges. So I took it off.

Toyota Blizzard - Vintage illustrations

The Daihatsu Taft was also sold as Toyota Blizzard - I think that was from 1980 to 1984.
It was made in the Daihatsu factory in Osaka and it was pretty much identical to the Taft except for the engine, badges and some minor details. Also, I don't think they where ever sold as a left hand drive.

Made two clocks

This post is about clocks, a rather sensitive subject to me. You see I didn't figure out how to tell time until I was fifteen, and I still mess it up from time to time (Oops, unintentional pun, I promise).

But this post wasn't meant to be about my childhood, it's about these two clocks that I put together today.

Have some stickers

As you might have seen in an earlier post I made a new set of stickers for my Daihatsu F50 Taft.
I made the logo at the front of the hood to match the original, both in font and spacing.
The others, Taft and F50, are my own versions of the originals. The diesel sticker was a redesign of the one that came on the 40-series Toyota Land Cruiser.
If you want some I'd be happy to share.
You can either have stickers - I have a few extras - or you can have the (vector) files sent to you by e-mail.

Time for a facelift

Before - - - - - and - - - - - After

I have a tendency to get hung up on details. Sometimes in a really stupid way and sometimes in a semi stupid way. This post leans towards the later, I think.

Bannerbow the movie - Featuring me and my Daihatsu Taft

I am so excited about this! Our first promotion video for my invention, the Bannerbow,  just arrived.
A big THANKS to the crew at Image in Stockholm who did an awesome job filming and producing.
My Daihatsu Taft even got a part in it. Check it out!

And the Oscar for the most handsome beard goes to...

My mobile office

We just got back from our daughters wedding in England - best times ever!

There's a lot going on with my company "Bannerbow" right now.
We are just about to start filming some promotional videos for that and it's loads of fun.
Yesterday my wife needed to take care of some things in Stockholm. I went along and left my ordinary office for my super flexible mobile office - the back of my truck!

Working on a storyboard for the new video. Some powerful creativity going on right there!

It worked out real good. Just need to install an espresso machine and I will be all set.

Creative parking

We live quite near a sweet little town called Mariefred. It's got a very rich cultural life with all kinds of things going on.
We needed to go there yesterday to do some shopping and to eat at our favourite sushi place. As we came close to town we soon became aware that something was going on. My wife recalled that today was "steam day" and that means that loads of tourists has invaded the small town to ride the historic steamtrain, the steamboat and all sorts of steam related gizmos. It also means that all streets that lead to the center of town is shut down.

Welding and strawberries

Here's the deal. As a kid I had somehow decided that I should never try strawberries. I was absolutely convinced that I would not like it. My family tried all kinds of tricks and persuasion but I wouldn't budge. Strawberries just wasn't for me. Then came the day when my parents finally defeated my stupid boycott. I opend my mouth and had a strawberry. And just as I expected, it was awful - Nah, it was great.

Today I experienced something similiar. Only now it's about welding.

Refurbished turn signals and Cousins in Australia

I found this clear orange spray paint at Biltema. It's like a colored clear coat.

The purpose is to refurbish the glass of the turn indicators. Mine where a bit dull. I guess the years under the australian sun had taken its toll.

So I thought I'd give this a try. I took them apart, wiped them off, masked the clear section with some tape and gave it a couple of coats of paint. It cured real fast and the surface seems to be very scratch resistant. Good stuff. The indicators looks way better! It's all in the details.

Disassembled and ready to be masked and sprayed.

Self adhesive silence

I remember the first ride, when I was driving my Daihatsu F50 all the way from Lappland. It was totally different to any other car I ever had before. One of the more noticeable things was the noice! Now, since this is actually my daily driver - no kidding - I have set out for a quest to make this car as silent as a Mercedes S-klass. Or at least less noisy, let's settle for that.
So, here's what I have added earlier on.
- Bitumen noice reduction mats to the inside of the doors.
- 30mm foam padding to the sides under the rear side windows
- Covered the rear doors with MDF-panels and a piece of bitumen mat.
- Wrapped most of the trunk area with mats.
- Attached sheets of bitumen in the footwells.
- Put a cotton ball in the glove compartment ;-)

Skateboarding - My new portable ramp

Here's my latest ramp.
It's a tiny quarterpipe that fits perfectly in my Daihatsu Taft. It's 90cm wide and 26cm high. It's got steel coping and epoxy paint used for garage floors and such. I'll get back with some "action photos" later on. Haven't tried it yet.

Just invented the cordless screwdriver that never needs to be charged

Oh what a day! I have just invented this revolutionary tool. Toss your fancy rechargable screwdriver in the bin because this is the new deal!

I like to build portable ramps and various obstacles for skateboarding. I have made all kinds of shapes and constructions over the years.

Two weird problems and a good laugh!

I always try ty fix things myself. It's not that I don't trust real mechanics but rather that I want to spend my money on something else - like sushi and a new shirt - and I find great pleasure in learning new things. But this time I was just about to give up.

Daihatsu Taft - PRADA Edition

I recently made a trip to Stockholm since my wife needed to do some shopping. I found a parking spot that was almost legal so I decided to wait in the car.
Imagine my surprise when I look to the right and see that Prada had a Daihatsu Taft on display!
And it was almost identical to mine, except theirs was a left hand drive, mine is right hand drive.
Wow. I knew they where classy and all but I had no idea that they had reached to such extreme levels of refinement.
Prada, I salute you for your exquisite taste in automobiles and I also think that your handbags look alright too. Keep it up!

I didn't see any pricetag but I'm sure it was way to much for a regular Joe like me.

;-)

A tribute to Tintin

I guess you are familiar with Tintin - right? Well, I'm (still) a big fan.
A while back I started on an illustration of my Daihatsu Taft. I drew it in Adobe Illustrator, just for fun, had no plan with it.

Storage solutions

  

I bought this vintage toolbox while visiting our daughters in Oxford. I had this idea about having it stand on end and making a cabinet out of it.

Zigzagging between castles and runestones

Today is a beautiful sunny day here in Stallarholmen so I had to take a ride on the island.
Yes, we live on an island called Selaön and it's quite large, situated in a lake called Mälaren. I love to follow random roads and see if I can find something interesting. That isn't to hard since this part of Sweden is jam packed with old castles and runestones. Today I headed for Mälsåker Castle, it's just a few minutes away from our home and it has become one of our favorite places for a picnic. You can check it out at www.malsaker.com if you like.

- Sir, your Daihatsu is ready for you at the gate.
- Oh, thank you Jeeves. Don't forget to wash it when I get back.
- My pleasure Sir.

One thing that makes Sweden special is its vast woods.

Adding flair and functionality to the back doors

This car is so easy to work on, it's almost as if it was made of Meccano.
There are no flimsy plastic panels and almost everything is bolted together rather than welded, so almost everything can be taken apart and serviced or repaired.

Mmm.. looks cozy.

Here's a little something about some details and improvements I've done on the back doors.

Nice car, but where's the cup holders?

Yup, this ride came without cupholders. Actually, it came without pretty much any gadgets or fancy extras, and I think that's part of the beauty. Just a bare bones rugged 4x4, created to cross deserts and climb mountains.
But you got to have your cupholders, right?

Since I am a product developer/inventor by trade I find great pleasure in making my own stuff. Although, the main obstacle wasn't how to make it but rather where to put it?
After a while I came up with a pretty cool idea. I took off the ashtray - don't smoke anyways - and decided to use the sliding rails that held it in place under the dash.

My Hopps cupholder

I just love to incorporate stuff that gives me that feelgood vibe, like skateboard parts and vintage bicycle components - preferably Campagnolo.

New mirrors

Before and after. Styles for miles!

This car came with just one exterior mirror when I bought it - don't know if that's common in Australia?
The original mirror was clamped to a steel rod with a plastic bracket bolted to the door. That bracket wasn't very sturdy so the mirror would start vibrating at higher speed. It should have come with a message printed on the glass - "The ten cars you see are actually just one" ;-)

New paint and stickers

In its original state.

Time for some TLC.
The apperance wasn't exactly mint. The hood had been sprayed with a grey rust protector and then a second layer of the pale yellow. I guess the paint came off during the harsh winters in Lappland when they scraped ice off the hood. It was primerly used with a snowblade to clear a track on a lake, so the look wasn't top priorety.

How we got ourselves this amazing little Daihatsu Taft

One sunny day we were just riding along in our Renault Modus when a cab driver got distracted and hit us by the right side - boom!
The car got smashed up so badly that it had to go to the scrapyard. Well, that led to the obvious need for a new ride. My wife - Pernilla - and I decided that the criteria for the next car should be that it should be fun to ride and it should make you smile when you look at it, that was pretty much it.

Photo from the ad.

It was Pernilla who found the 1979 Daihatsu F50 Taft on the web. It was for sale way up north in Lappland, a thousand kilometers from us! Even so, we both decided that this is exactly what we wanted.