My '76 Microbus / Camper : Landyn

Bit frustrated with progress today, probably cos I was tired staying out for curry late and getting up early for the Grand Prix!!

Firstly I set rechecked the end float having bought new bearings. No pictures, but I'll offer my working out like a good student...

Flywheel installed with all three shims... approx 0.015mm float

Flywheel installed without shims... approx 1.015mm float

Flywheel installed with 2 shims... approx 0.35mm float

So aiming for between 0.07 and 0.13mm I'll be purchasing a 0.24mm shim to leave me with approx 0.11mm float!! simples?


Following that I had a play with the alternator.... gave it a quick brush and wipe down and it came up nicely. I'm a little unsure how much life there may be in the alternator so it hasn't been lavished with the aesthetic attention that everything else has. Installing it was a bugger tho! Having removed the adjusting rail and bracket to paint the fanshroud I didn't have any original location markings, plus, i think the cover may have been warped a little when being blasted.... long story short, i sheared an allen bolt in the tinwear by trying to manipulate it into the correct location! doh. I know I should've been more patient and less ham fisted, but hey.... I need to buy a few new, sharp drill bits to sort it out....



Sat down to watch Spurs capitulate against Chelsea and thought I'll just do the next 2 minute job... I decided to install the manifolds (especially as this means I only have 2 holes to protect rather than 4). The Tom Wilson book states that you should install the spacer then the manifold... which i did on the newly purchased head and it all bolted up nicely.



When i did the same on my original head on the other side the studs weren't long enough!



Which I'm now told is because the spacers are for FI engines, so off they came and replaced with the crush gaskets in the gasket set.

Two points of notes, the gasket seems to include lots of things you don't want and not include things you need!! and, it's worth noting the studs are too short if you do fancy stepping up to a FI set up.

You can also see the "practical classics" finish on the tinwear in these close ups!! it's very robust though.

And one parting shot... both manifolds installed correctly (plus a coat of VHT silver )



Got a busy week ahead, but i'll be aiming to get everything fitted with the exception of the rear tin, carbs and air boxes, clutch and exhaust parts... i think it'll be going out the door flywheel down so don't want to add too much more to it!!

 

Finished off a few bits... been off work with a stomach bug and between sleeping, cramps and daytime TV I got bored enough to do some little bits...

I drilled out the sheared bolt in the alternator cover... not an accurate process so had to use a loose nut to complete.... finished installing the alternator and surrounding tinwear, that over the exhaust and a new fan belt... and the stock idle pipework and the vacuum pipes for the servo with new rubber elbows!!



Hoping to have the shims for the crankshaft tomorrow, so I'll get that sorted before moving it all out to the van... it'll not get through the front door with the carbs on!!

 

Nice

 

That is looking very nice 8)

.............your giving HorTs a run for his money ;D

 

A quick update, spent some of the day flatting and buffing the paint in the engine bay... went well, but it only served to highlight areas of crap prep!! It does look good generally, so fills me with a bit of confidence to do some of the other body parts!

With the bad weather coming and going I didn't get a photo of the bay... but will do tomorrow.

I took the plastic bags off the vents and then spent half the afternoon trying to get the bloody masking tape off!! more lessons learnt... I'm not showing photo's of this!!

I did some indoorsy stuff while listening to Spurs throw away the season... and added this :



To the firewall...



It's actually a very good likeness for the stuff I removed (whether that was original, I don't know) and cost a fiver from B&Q. I put a strip across the bottom edge too, albeit, there wasn't one originally.

And installed the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and flux capacitor as well as renewing the hoses... they were done last summer but they were braided and laid out asymetrically... which is quite frankly sickening



Going to be a bit more productive tomorrow and try to get the wiring back in place, install the tank and breathers and finish a few bits on the engine.... and throw some waxoyl in the voids to the sides of the fuel tank.

Unfortunately I still don't have the fuel filler neck, which is due to arrive on Monday... then the rebuild really starts!!

 

Correct with the foam on the underside of the firewall.

I was chatting with someone only today about how you can manage to work on your van when you're ill and can't do any other useful thing.

You do know that work of art will ge dusty in the engine bay? Perhaps keep it in the house, it looks good there. 8)

oh yes - masking tape - that selophane wrapper you ripped off it probably said remove within 24 hours.

 

The outside is painted, gets wet and is fine. Same goes inside I think. Water runs through the cab doors. If you have a sun-roof, down the inside of the pillars once the plastic pipe falls off. Beetles are the same, the top of the bonnet gap drains down a shute formed next to the door post passing the heater channels. The little hole gets blocked and...Holes in the heater channels, water in the cab floor.

Feeling better?

 

Carried on today... starting with cleaning up and inspecting the electrics, adding a little insulation tape where the shielding had worn through in places. This also allowed the rear lights to be re-installed, which is a nice visual thing to have completed (but no photo)!! I thought it was a good opportunity to do before and after now, cos things should get covered up soon....

Before...



After...



Before...



After...


Some of the shielding is very discoloured, but I'm not in the mindset of replacing it!! I've removed the wires that go down to the flywheel timing sensor, but left the diagnostics box... for a bit of stock decoration.

I've also had to touch up a chip in the paint and a couple of spots where I wore through it yesterday... not happy!!

Gave the bell housing a good clean too, which I maybe should've done when i started this process rather than once the bodywork was done!

Should've gone to get some Waxoyl this morning, but didn't so I'll have to try to get that sorted during the week so I can drop the tank back in asap.

Came back in when it started raining to recheck the end float with the new shim, which was 0.12mm... happy days! lubed and installed with the flywheel oil seal.

I also went back to check the tappets as I realised I'd made another schoolboy error and gapped them 0.4mm inlet and 0.6mm exhaust, rather than 0.004 (0.1mm) and 0.006 (0.015mm) inches.... again, better to work this out before i start running the engine!!

Last thing was to put the leads on... just cos it means I clear them off the table!! I was a bit perplexed by the combination of cable lengths and the length of the plastic ends, which meant that No.1 had a long plastic end, while No.4 had a sort end!? Plus, the length of cable to no.2 seemed a bit short too! See if anyone else can spot any schoolboy errors....



Not so happy with the weekends progress, reckon there's a full weekend next week to get ready for the engine install

 

Try brake and clutch cleaner on the cable sheath, if not - thinners - mind your paint! A rag slightly dampened should clean them up in a jiffy.

 

Quick Tuesday night update...

Had a bit of a tidy up on Sunday night and compared the remaining contents of my engine gasket set with the Ratwell page... an activity prompted by finding an unfamiliar used seal in a tupperware box. Needless to say, two seals remained... the O-ring for the flywheel seal (which would've been easy to miss) and the O-ring for the fan hub... the already installed fan hub! pah!!!

So off with the fanbelt, lower tin, fan, hub... scratch paint on the fan housing.... install O-ring, hub, fan, belt, tin... beer. thread. bed.

Footnote... how many spare gaskets, seals and washers are there in the engine rebuild kit!?!?

 

Looking supernice !!

 

Right, been keeping this thread quiet for a couple of weeks waiting for the big one.... but, this is a story and they don't just jump around, so this is the middle bit

So... a couple of weekends ago I pumped the out of sight areas full of Waxoyl, loaded up the painted fuel tank, strapped it in, replaced the breather pipe connecions added some petrol clips, replaced the filler neck, wired in and bolted it al down....



I also tracked down the breather connection in the near side air vent and sure enough it was split!

Then popped in the fire wall, with it's B&Q foam door seal padding and ancillaries all loaded... This started to make me smile!



Bolted in a new battery (with the terminals in the right place) and a new clamp... then found the old clamp in a box the PO left in the back of the van, doh!



Also decided to sort out some other bits of crap wiring including the power feed to the fuel pump, and a few other bits.



Then moved the engine into the cargo area with the Mrs... which she didn't enjoy! This allowed me to bolt up the carbs and linkage and bolt on the flywheel. I opted not to buy a clutch alignment tool and leave this to the garage installing it as it's probably a 5 minute job for them with it all cleaned and ready for them!



Followed up by cleaning the air boxes thoroughly and blacking them up a bit with shoe polish!! I'm a massive hater of the big air boxes and yearn for twin 40's with nice polished filters (or equivalent FI set up) so these may not last forever!! Also, added the oil pressure switch grommet and some plastic ali cable separators... in chrome! Bling Bling



Then set about a mini project last weekend... the panels above the engine were due to let the side down badly...



So, got me some wire, some leds, some architectural aluminium extrusion, some solder and a badly vented room and got a bit heady....



Took some measurements off the old deformed panels and drew them up in AutoCAD (work has it's uses!) transfered to some sheet ali







and broke out the jigsaw and hole drill!! this is my first time doing anything like this with sheet metal so I was very happy with the cutting and disappointed with the drilling! all holes were punched, but the drill bit had a good wander for the first few, then I tried some different pilot holes and things got a bit better.



I pondered doing them again but would a) waste the ali and b) have to wait for new sheets to be delivered. The van is owing me a cruise along the seafront very soon, so decided to live with! (no one will see anyway!)

Next, hole flare swage tool action (likey) and prepped the surface with 800 grit...

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Primered... (high build then grey)



Then blue!!



This was then colour sanded and polished a bit... just as a bit of practice for fixing the body work in a few weeks! and wired up the aforementioned leds, a bit more B&Q foam...



and installed...



Not entirely happy with the breather arrangement, but it's a necessary evil! i've ponderd cutting off the breather curved end of the N/S tube and tidying it up, but it sags and I don't fancy drilling any extra holes in those new panels!!

Also realised after installing that I could have been a bit more generous with the areas i masked for painting... doh!!





The line of small drill holes is where I'll run either firetec lines or wiring for the leisure battery... either or....

Then a night shot!!



I put some thought to relocating the aux fan the same as the Prosign bus, but didn't really want to mess with the stock wiring too much so left it where it belongs.

What could be next?

INSTALL!!!

The local garage picked it up yesterday and installed the clutch, loaded it in the bay and breathed some life into her!!

All went ok... the oil pressure switch had bit the bullet so that had to be swapped. The rockers also made a bit of a racket and they identified that a few of the hexagonal mounts for the rocket shafts had been installed the wrong way round... they look symmetrical, but apparently they're not! Easy fix and SHE'S ALIVE!!!



They've also done the handbrake cables for me and tuned the carbs to the healthy engine.... The smile on my face driving her 200 yards home was immense!! she's responsive and feels great, the steering was fixed 2 months ago, which I'd almost forgotten about too!!

MOT tomorrow morning, so I'm going to go and check the lights are ok now and go to bed with my fingers crossed!!

 

Looks cracking mate ;D
Fancy making another set of the panels above the engine

 

So... went out to check the lights... the rears seem really dim (might be too much paint on the earth!), so I might be in trouble there, but the brake lights and indicators all work.

Couldn't resist a night shot...

 

Great work Andy, most envious. Looking brilliant.