I had some bad/good luck today. After 2 visits to DVLA in P'boro they phoned this morning and said very sorry, forgot to take the fee yesterday. I said AAArrrGGGHHHH I knew there was something - it was too easy! - can I pay over the phone? They said no, send us a cheque and we'll post the stuff - we have it all ready to go. My ears pricked up - you have it there? If I come and pay I can have all the paperwork, reg, tax disc? Yes. That was my morning gone. Now the feckka won't run right. I'm pretty sure I caused an inlet manifold/head leak when I fittted a 4:1 header to replace the knacked silencer so I've got to take it all to pieces and fit new inlet manifold gaskets. It's in bits now, but I was getting hungry. I'll finish in the morning...
Hmmm. Finish in the morning? Oh no you won't! Cleared blocked manifold heat riser, re-fitted everything and still as bad but no air leaks. Cleaned and blew through carb several more times with no luck. My testing narrowed it down to massive air leak, which it wasn't or fuel starvation. Narrowed it down to the carb/jets/internals so I got some hyper nasty carb/manifold/valve cleaner which stung my hands and stripped the paint of my mates floor so that was looking promising. It worked and so I was finished by 6:30, home and showered by 7:30 and at techenders by 9:30. Someone may even have a picture to prove it... Now got big tyres on the back as I didn't fancy engine screaming slow cruising. 200 miles done altogether and no probs at all. A bit rakish at the moment, but the back's coming down another inch or two so it should end up looking more like I want. Steerings a bit slack in the cross-winds on the lumpy fen roads, but relaxing cruising up and down the A14 so it's set up right, but I think the box repair, though it got through the MOT, may not have been as good/tight as I thought. I'll double check everything when I get a chance. Also now wondering if I have a snapped torsion leaf or two in the front. Didn't see anything while I was lowering it but somethings not quite right and it's sitting a bit off square at the front.
;D glad your posting here, I dont have to sneak off else where for my fix ;D you forgot the bit about the black widow ;D
Thanks chaps. I thought I'd better crack on a bit in the evenings before I come home so I've been stripping the headliner. And started to fix the floor in the back.
I had to be honest with myself and admit part of the panel opposite the sliding door was not fit to go again. From floor level to 100mm above is so pitted it's through in a few places and damn near through right across. I suspected this when I bought the van, but had my fingers crossed. Now the floor's out of the way it would be silly not to fix it so I cut out a 4" strip out right across the panel. In the way they do the bottom boinged out, but I'll be able to clamp it all straight to weld in the new panel - bonus for having no cargo floor. Doing this floor level spanning repair with the floor in place is difficult so just had to do it now. Forgot camera, then forgot memory card for camera so a few pics didn't get taken. So..... That bleedin great swathe through the middle panel. It had to be done. Here's the worst part of the outside... ...and the inside - it might look like the edge of the floor is still attached, but that's just the part that hasn't corroded... ...after checking inside, the cut wasn't high enough to get the corrosion. Even at the new height here were still a few spots left but I picked them out with a die grinder. I had a bit of one of those all in one sill and lower panel repair parts so used that. How's this for welding without burning the paint. Inside... I didn't want any filler in the middle until after I've tacked the floor to it, but I wanted to feel the curve so I filled round the joins.
This corner is toast. Part outer sill removed... ...part inner sill and top-hat removed... and bolster through the middle sill. ...bulkhead... I've started picking it apart. The outrigger/jacking point is solid. Probably be easier if it wasn't so I could hack it off... instead of getting hacked off (see what I did there?). :roll: The end of the middle one is also rot and holes but solid where I cut it. More's got to go though, and the last 6" of sliding door lower track. This is like an expletive deleted British bus... The sharp eyed amongst you will have noticed there's not much connecting the bottom of the b-post to... well, anything. Fear not it won't collapse.
The rear hatch springs have gone missing so for a bit of light relief I had a look at it today. I have a late bay doner shell/hulk - it's almost bare but has springs. So I took them off. My bus has hinges and the next bit of the linkage, but the final pice is missing as well as the springs themselves. So can I use the whole lot off the donor? No - the door mountings wouldn't line up. The donor's two small bits of linkage are permanently attached by the hinge pin being peened over. Early's must have used a circlip as one part of mine has been neatly removed. As it turns out, the parts missing from mine + the springs are the only common parts. The brass bushes in mine were worn through, so I pressed out the bushes from the donor part I didn't need... ... and fitted them in mine. The actual hole for the bush is also worn, but it's going to be better. Also I swapped sides and inverted these links when I fitted them as all the wear was at the same end on each. And greased them! Then fitted the springs, linkages etc. Sorry is I might have made that sound straightforward. I bloody well wasn't - those springs are the devil themselves untill you work out how to remove and refit them - piece of cake then! That's one I'll keep secret - I earned that!
Looks quick when you post it all at once doesn't it? Also got the top hat and inner sill done. Just about to tack the outer half sill in place when the gas ran out. So I made these for the heater pipes. I'll just tack them in place after the floor's fitted and seam seal the joins. That way I can change my mind later and fit the vents if things swing that way.
That's better. Panels made from old shelving I use sometimes - I've got a stack. They're pretty old and the steel is a bit thicker than bodywork and hard as nails. Bit of cleaning up to do and fix the inner to middle sill underneath then I'm at last getting near fitting the floor.
Anyone know about Eberspacher heaters? I've got one and it's a B1L. There's the heater itself and the ducting for in/exaust and heated air in/out,all mounted in a steel box together with a "thing" rhat has all the wires connected to it - bare with me. ... ...a pump with 2 green wires - I'll just try that and see which way it pumps. Very obvious fused +ve and earth... ...and a thermostat with an on/off switch. Now - I think the block connectors wave been added for a remote switch or a timer. I have a sort of spare wire coming from here. What you reckon?
Cool, what you thinking of doing inside once welding etc complete? You keeping the colour -I quite like it myself.
yeah i liked the colour too i have eberspacher bits on my bus you can come rob if you need another thermostat control unit and a pump under which isnt doing anything and probably everything but the heater to be honest lol!
I thought this bus was rust free .........even mine (now) isnt that rusty ;D keep going mate your putting us all to shame with the speed your getting things done
