More Sidecar Work

I now had a new frame for the sidecar and a pile of original aluminium panels. These comprised a wrap-around nose panel, one full right hand side, two parts for the left hand side, the roof, the rear bottom panel, a boot lid and the door. I decided that the non-original roof panel made the inside rather claustrophobic so I cut it on the line of the seat back with the intention of fitting a fabric roof. I also cut an elliptical window at the back. I knocked out what dents I could and set about fitting the panels to the frame. Generally they went on fairly well; both the side panels had to be trimmed a bit at the front as the frame seems to be about half an inch shorter than it was originally. The sides then butted nicely against the nose panel which has a flange wrapping onto the sides. The join is covered by an aluminium trim strip.

         I used fixings as originally fitted; that is flanges wrapped round at the bottom of the sides were pinned using stainless escutcheon pins (with small heads), The windscreen panel, the bottom rear panel and some trim pieces were fixed with pop rivets, and the roof was screwed down using stainless screws with raised countersunk heads. The joints were made good with filler which was also used on some of the damaged areas. The hole for the heater I filled with an alloy disc epoxied in place to an internal plate.

          The door proved quite difficult to fit as the opening was slightly tight but it went in eventually using two hinges as per the original. I found that one four inch hinge cut in half gave two hinges of exactly the right size. The boot lid was also fitted.

          The new roof opening needed a gutter moulding at front and back and I found the right aluminium section locally and this was screwed in place. I also put one on the bottom of the boot lid as it was apparent that water would run down the lid and go straight inside.

           I always intended to spray the body and bought the paint locally, etch primer, primer filler and black top coat. This I applied over several warm days with little wind as I had to do it outside.

 

Etch primer

Primer filler




Top coat.

         Once the paint had hardened off it was cut back and polished. The finish is not brilliant as even with many coats of primer  the pattening of the original paint shows through. I probably should have stripped back to bare metal but it is too late now. The original aluminium trim strips were in good condition although filthy so they were cleaned up and refitted using new stainless screws.          

         While waiting for the window Perspex and the rubber moulding to arrive I started on the internal panels. These were cut from 3mm plywood and were varnished for the inside of the boot and covered in vinyl for the cabin in a tasteful shade of burgundy.

Boot lining panels

Right hand cabin panels

Left hand cabin panels.



          An internet search revealed a 1950 Swallow Sidecar advert and this confirms that this sidecar is indeed a Swallow as suggested by the Jaguar that was fitted to the bonnet. This jaguar is now to be regarded as a Panther. Built as a child/adult the sidecar is now has a single seat. The photos here are later than the advert as they show a Swallow on a Panther chassis.



              Swallow Sidecar Company, Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company, and Swallow Coachbuilding Company were trading names used by Walmsley & Lyons, partners and joint owners of a British manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars and automobile bodies in Blackpool, Lancashire — later Coventry, Warwickshire — before incorporating a company to own their business which they named Swallow Coachbuilding Company Limited. Under co-founder William Lyons its business continued to prosper as SS Cars Ltd and grew into Jaguar Cars Ltd. The sidecar manufacturing business, by then owned by a different company, Swallow Coachbuilding Company (1935) Limited, was sold by Jaguar to an aircraft maintenance firm, Helliwell Group in January 1946. Sidecars produced at Helliwells' Walsall Airport works were built in the same way as the originals and used the same patented trademark. They closed shop in the late 1950s.