Thanks very much. I'm getting really frustrated with my bodyshop at the moment. I've been put back another week. At this rate I'm thinking of pulling the front beam & welding in some adjusters.
looks goo d. i have a 79 from oregon. Lots of work, but its a far cry from the uk rust buckets ive seen. Good luck. If you do the adjusters, please do a good write up as i have read a few and still have no idea!
Spoke to my bodyshop/welder mate & unfortunately he's got very busy. I decided then that I was going to start on the mechanical side of the bus. So today I jacked up the front & removed the axle. Next job is to strip it down & weld in some adjusters.
I've been chicken to try to get my front beam out. I have a full rebuilt one waiting in the garage but can't get my figure out to take the first step. Was it difficult to get out? Your van is coming along nicely.
Thanks for the reply mate. It was done on my own in about 2 hours or so. Once jacked up, remove wheels. Undo brake lines to calipers. If you have a servo remove linkage to brake pedal & brake lines to master cylinder & any vacuum pipes. Removed clutch cable by removing side cover on the chassis & undo the clevis pin. Remove steering arm from steering box to pitman arm. Undo the pin that holds the handbrake cable to the handbrake lever. Remove shocks to get better access to the axle mounts. Loosen all axle mounts. Support axle with a jack, undo & remove axle bolts. Lower axle, you may have to tap with a copper hammer as the axle has obviously been in that position for a while. Hope I haven't missed anything.
Stripped my axle. Both tie-rods are bent,all the torsion arm ball joints are knackered & the steering damper is bent too !! The calipers need a stripdown & rebuild & all the brake lines are perished. On a positive note the beam is rust free. I'm getting the adjusters welded in tomorrow.
I had the adjusters welded in to the front beam at M.A.D workshops in Kingswood before Xmas.While there I got them to press in all new torsion arm ball joints. Today I regreased the torsion springs,cleaned everything up & began the rebuild. Just need to fit the brake servo & after I've rebuilt the calipers they can go on to. I have some alloys to fit but need to get tyres.
Nice fella ,how low u down on the adjustersdid u go ,did the exact same job to mine last year and maybe went 3/4 of the way down but it's a bit harsh on the standard shocks. I do love a blue and white bay .
Looking good so far. I`m another one from around your way and you may have spotted mine recently with all his lovely Chrimbo trimmings on. Mines a 70 and he`s white with leopard skin bumpers, sometimes he has a wolfs head on the roof at the front, at the moment he has Mr Santa with a couple of reindeer on the front of the roof, I likes subtle you see. I live behind the Tennis Court pub so not far from lots of other air coolers. I`ve been chasing the rust out of mine for about six or seven or maybe more years so I completely understand your going down the import route, if I was to start again I reckon I`d think about a lefty with a little less metal termites as well. Your Bus is looking pretty decent already and we`re bound to cross paths sooner or later , so I hope nothing interferes with you getting it on the road for the summer. If you leave it as a micro bus, you can convert the rear seat to lay down and act like a rock and roll bed, however, I`d try one out maybe at a show or something, because most peeps say they are not that comfy as a bed , but they are all great for sleeping on, just depends how many Stellas you can rinse down your throat. Just try one first before you decide if you can.You`re more than welcome to peruse my old bus if you like but it`s catching me when I`m around. If you can`t get me on here, then try the EarlyBay site. Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Good luck with it bud (have you named him yet?)
At the moment I've got it sat on it's arse until I fit the adjustable spring plates. My aim is just one spline down on the rear with a little bit of adjustment so it sits between one & 2 then level the front to match. Haven't seen you around which is a massive surprise as I live in exactly the same place as you!! I live on the A420 going into Kingswood by the speed camera. I've got the z frame adjusters to convert the seats into a bed.I bought them off the prototype bay a few months back. Oh & I'm a Thatchers man, no wife beater liquid for me.
It sounds like I live exactly in the middle of you two. Next time I go past that bloody camera I`ll give it what for on the klaxon. It`s the nearest camera to me and he pinched me a couple of years back overtaking a push bike up the hill, I was so impressed with our road safety system (not). The main reason people don`t see my bus around is just because it`s so so so subtle. I`m going out in the garage in a bit to strip off all the Chrissy decs and put them away for next year, then you`ll be able to see the leopard skin bumper bars (see,,,,,, subtle) Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Might give him a rinse too
Can do, but I just read this. If I`m (allowed) out tomorrow I`ll give you a blast, maybe late morning ? Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Need to be excused shopping duties
Well,,, I escaped for a bit and parked up opposite the camera and blasted the horn and rolled a ciggy but no one about so I went for a spin by meself Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Any excuse for a run out in my little bus
