First of all the roof of the fighting compartment was dismantled. This took a lot of time, because according to the project, we were to raise the roof. We had to extract the front armour with the help of a plasma cutter.

Simultaneously we cut off everything unnecessary from the body with the exception of one detail, but more on this later ☺

The first layout of our future addition is on the photo. We’ve built them to estimate the height and interior space. Initially I planned to make it 40 cm, but reduced to 35 cm after appearing inside.

The rave rail passed crosswise. The opinions of its functionality and carrying capacity badly vary, so we were even considering some time of its cutting. But at last we decided to cut it and to mount temporary power braces.

Thus, the fighting compartment becomes not large but quite spacious for four men. There will be enough space for boxes with the stuff and way down. Honestly, I haven’t thought yet about final configuration of seats and how it will be look like. Definitely, it is necessary to mount a false floor and insulate walls; then it will become clear how much space left inside and how it can be filled.

The very front armour with periscopes. It is incredibly heavy stuff!

The project supposed to preserve manholes and mount them on the front upper angled face. The problem is in the point that its square lessened due to convergence of the side walls and it turned into a trapezoid. For some time we were thinking whether they fit or not. We had to cut out manholes almost along the outline and weld them in a new leaf.

A sparkle ☺ Actually, the BRDM is incredibly fouled inside and outside. Possibly, I will have to write another post about its cleaning!

Several men take part in the work, because certain technological procedure can not be accomplished singly. Assistance is needed.

The base of additional structure is a load-bearing frame, welded of such c-rails. They are additionally strengthened with cross bulkheads. Sheet metal, which tightens the construction, is welded on the surface.

Sometimes the sheets creep so it is necessary to rigidly fix and keep them for the right positioning.

All the joints are necessarily welded on both sides for additionall strengthening. In point of fact, the structure becomes a rigid monocoque that will withstand considerable load. It is done with the aim that the body remained safe in case the vehicle is overturned or hit by a tree.

Another week has passed and almost finished view comes before us. Let’s see what we managed to do.

Frontal 10-mm armour was extended to the point of convergence with the sloping portion of the roof, featuring two manholes. It was decided not to do anything with the front sheet, because it greatly reinforces the front part of the framework and it would be wrong to cut this sheet. The skirts of front windows were also cut out and they seem to be finished.

The hatch will be mounted on the roof. It is welded to the roof, where it will be assembled. The hatch on the back of the roof is mounted so as to freely lean out and come out and that people, who get into vehicle, do not disturb the crew.

On the back verge I decided to cut a window. To be honest, for a few days I’ve been rotating the model of BRDM in a 3D application. But I’ve thaught out nothing good with windows. There is a lack of light in the vehicle because of small windows. So I decided to cut out one more on the back of the armoured car. It looks good and it will lighten the compartment.

Our hatches on the inclined plane. We were to fiddle with it a lot but finally they got into. They are mounted exactly on the middle of the vehicle.

The driver view now is much better; there are no interfering skirts. A 32-mm bulletproof glass will be mounted on all embrasures. The glasses will be pasted in mounting brackets.

Generally, the additional construction will look like this. The BRDM has not lost its dynamic and there will be more space in the cabin.

Each side will feature miniature stairs and additional safety rail. It will slightly diversify the vehicle appearance because flat empty sides look quite frustrating.

Of course, a lot depends on a line of sight. For instance, I don’t like the back on top view: the vehicle is too high, angular and bent.

But at the level of ordinary human the vehicle looks great and beautifully. We’ve managed not to spoil military appearance and perform all the assigned tasks.

Now, a few words about the detail I mentioned above that will be cut at the end ☺ It is a fastener for a coil with rope, which excellently fits for connection a welder )))

The works with the body are almost completed. There is not much left:

1) To weld and sand junctions 2) To weld in frames for armoured glass 3) To weld stairs and safety rails 4) All sorts of stuff!

Approximately within one week the armoured vehicle will come back to Vista Motors, where it will be painted, repaired, cleaned and and new equipment will be mounted. There is a special story with the painting. Within a few days I will announce a contest that will define the best variant of painting. Winner will get a prize and I will get several interesting variants of painting.

The expedition to Crimea and crossing Kerch Strait was moved to the beginning of the summer, because winds and waves at the strait are very strong in spring. Preparation for it, as you see, is in high gear, and no one is going to retreat ☺

I will answer the most popular question “How much does it cost?” right here. Currently, the repair costed a little more than 200 thousands roubles. I hope not to exceeded one million total cost and get a spaceship))) The other questions to ask in twitter, I will answer them all ☺