Crossed up Deluxe

[Danbury Doug]

Was that yours at Stonor? If so took a pic of it for the missus to give a better idea what Niagara blue is meant to look like!
Haven't investigated motor much yet, supposed to be a 1700 but only got as far as noticing that it's got a nasty weber progressive on it! Current mission is seals to try and keep the weather out...

No I didn't attend Stonor, but I know of a couple of tin-top Danbury Crossovers like mine that are absolutely mint (one restored and the other low mileage all original), so perhaps it was one of those two. Also I know of a beautiful Devon Crossover, again in Niagara, which is droolworthy mint original. 8)

With regard to doing the seals, probably not a bad idea, given the weather of late, and the forecasts for the coming days! :lol:

 

[Geeze]

Ok, so been a while since I updated this but hey it's been a busy summer 8)

Been enjoying having a bus again, brewing up in it on days out, letting the girls take everything they own on trips to the park, providing shelter at steam shows and camping out at a fair few places with friends and family, like this lovely site down in Sussex with a freeform camping field (always a favourite!).

Have also been doing a fair few bits and pieces on the bus to make it a bit more together (mostly endless seals, hey it's a cali bus :lol: ) before we finally loaded up for a big hit out for the full-on holiday thing.

The observant amongst you will notice that hadn't quite got around to fitting out the interior, hence the freestyle packing!

Started out with a summer camp out nearby to Glastonbury with a big bunch of friends and their kids (mostly Lo'E'Nuf folk, clubs are for life, not just for car shows!)

before heading down solo to Cornwall (to stay in a nice comfy wooden lodge just inland from Bude, but hey we booked it before we bought the bus!)

Once there, managed sunny beach days, wilds of Dartmoor and a fair few other good bits. So onto the traditional bus on holiday snaps montage

before heading back in the rain on the old A39 (boy that's a bit little for an A-road!) through Lynton and Portlock. Not a route I'd recommend in a fully loaded bus on drums, we cooked the servo'd discs on our crossover :shock:

before eventually getting back in the wee small for a gratuitous road warrior made it shot 8)

Bus did well for over 1000 miles clocked up, dicky speedo (sat nav to the rescue) and gaffer taped windscreen seal aside (the only seal that had already been changed before we bought it :roll: ).
Handling was getting a bit, erm, interesting on the way home in the wet though and discovered once back it's eaten the insides off the front tyres. Which is a git cos we checked the tracking when the burners went on just before the trip after noticing the treads on the old steels weren't wearing evenly....

Oh, and it did use a drop or two of oil. Luckily I finally remembered to check it on the first stop of the trip home and caught it just in time on minimum . Even then, the bus looked after me, I checked it after getting oily fingers opening the tailgate :lol: .

 

[ZedBed]

Might be worth getting the camber set if your lowerer's didn't. I notice that NONE of the big boys advertise doing this as part of the process, though they all set the tracking so it's not like they forgot to mention it. Merely setting the adjuster nut dimples dead centre is not enough. I just set mine and one wheel had to be on max setting to get the camber correct. With camber, tracking and new tyres you should be able to let go of the steering wheel at 65mph.

Nice bus.

 

[Airtime]

Now that's a nice update!

GB's look great on the bus. 8)

 

[Geeze]

Now that's a nice update!

GB's look great on the bus. 8)

Ta! Just got to tweak the beam so it sits like it does fully laden, then will be v happy.

Might be worth getting the camber set if your lowerer's didn't. I notice that NONE of the big boys advertise doing this as part of the process, though they all set the tracking so it's not like they forgot to mention it. Merely setting the adjuster nut dimples dead centre is not enough. I just set mine and one wheel had to be on max setting to get the camber correct. With camber, tracking and new tyres you should be able to let go of the steering wheel at 65mph.

Nice bus.

I know for sure that the camber wasn't set when we swapped the wheels on so that's on the list to check. But reckon it's the tracking to rip the tyres apart like it has. Have spent enough time with severe camber on the back of beetles to know that even massive amounts don't rip the tyres apart in only 1k.

I think it might be load induced toe out from the arc of the steering arms. Unladen, the top torsion arms rest on the limiters (so at least my front torsion leaves are fighting fit and healthy ) and fully kitted out for camp it runs about 2 inches lower static. So other option is to put toe in on it empty so it works ok laden. But didn't think that the toe setting moved that much with the suspension travel.....

 

[ZedBed]

Hmm.. that was quick wear! Did it drive ok?

 

[Geeze]

Hmm.. that was quick wear! Did it drive ok?

Nope, drove like a swamp donkey with a hangover (massive understeer, slow steering) so knew something was wrong just didn't want to waste half a day holiday finding somewhere to track it (again) whilst down in cornwall. Didn't figure it was going to be bad enough to trash the tyres that quick though :|

 

[Geeze]

Ok, embarrassingly huge number of months later, finally get around to a quick update...!

Big plan for this winter was (patina fiends look away ) shiney new paint.

As you can see, that one didn't quite work out....! :lol:

but look inside and we have posh new interior!!

can't claim any credit here (except for shuttling it about), after my wife took exception to my kack handed woodwork skills trying to finally get around to building buddy seats on the patio , it got booked into Dunk at VanMotion for a professional job.
As usual, things escalated from the original buddy seating and decided it made sense to get it all done, which meant ditching the original bench and wobbly z-hinges for a proper rock and roll so Rusty Lee got a hurried order. That then meant the floor being redone (last year's had big cutouts for the z-hinges) plus it would all need to be trimmed and, well you know how it goes....

Anyway, well pleased with the outcome as it makes it all a much more useable bus and looks excellent

Quick whistle top tour

Rusty Lee rock n roll in full trim. Nice substantial bit of kit, thoroughly recommended 8)

and all laid out, finally somewhere stable to kip!

the all important storage (plus more under the buddy seat and the rock n roll, spoilt for choice now!)

and got the front seats trimmed too. Went for tweed centre panels for comfier summer cruising (scuse the carp photo - this is the best one I have at the mo!)

It's like having a whole new bus :mrgreen:

 

[sparkywig]

 

[Airtime]

The interior looks fantastic! :shock: I really love the tweed center panels of the front seats. Well done! 8)

 

[Rusty Lee]

dude that looks fantastic.bet your well stoked.cant wait to see it in the metal.so whens your first show?

 

[Geeze]

Cheers all between the interior and finally getting adjusters in the beam (did I mention that? may have forgot ), feeling much happier about the bus than have in ages!

Lee, first show may be Sandown but if not will defo be Big Bang, not sure if there's owt in between. You?

 

[Rusty Lee]

Yep sandown here to dude

 

[Geeze]

Ok, so figure it's about time for another irregular update...!

So after the winter's latest round of lowerer, the bus now sits like this (taken in March, last time it was sunny :lol: )

Been using the bus mostly for day trips (great having somewhere to keep all the stuff to brew up now the interior is done 8) ), places like Whipsnade where there's some animal shaped things and scenic bus photography spots

First camping trip (well sleepover) with the new interior was scheduled to be big bang.

If things don't look to bad there it's because we'd only just set up. Things quickly got transformed although Dconstructor's ex-army crossover crew looked happy in it

Discovered that in heavy rain those figure of 8 strips leak through the gaps and remembered just why our proper family tent has a sewn in groundsheet :| then bailed on the saturday

Sorted a few bits out on it and finally got tunes in before the next big camping trip in half term at the start of June.
Drove down wondering if we should turn back as the rain was torrential and it was a bit windy as the flag shows...

If the campsite looks kind of empty, it's not that it was a bad site (our friends who we met up with down there said the site had been packed with no space left on the Saturday!), it's just that the forecast was really that bad

Maybe should have listened to the weather man too. 3 or 4am and the awning (where we were all sleeping) died in the gale force winds as the bedroom section ripped itself out. Woke to it collapsed on top of us and rain hissing in through the tear in the seam where the fixings ripped out . Fortunately was one of those so bad you laugh moments and managed to get all four us, all the stuff that wouldn't like being wet and anything else that seemed to fit into the bus in a big hurry and slept four up on the rock n roll bed! Very glad it's full width :lol:

Next day was surprisingly lovely (if still quite breezy) and we spent it at Corfe Castle and then fish and chips by the beach

Was such a good crack, decided to do another night four up on the rock n roll :shock: was much comfier with a bit more planning and slept much better in the morning as we had improvised curtains this time 8)

Yeah, that's our full camping set up! :lol: Didn't seem worth leaving the trashed awning still standing, especially as the forecast was for more gales!

There's been some other stuff too, but that means my being more organised with downloading photos. Bus has had a few bits and pieces but mostly been using it more than fixing it, which is probably a good thing

 

[Geeze]

Ok, so really really behind on this one

Time for a whistle stop tour to round out 2012... :lol:

Lots of day trips and weekenders and stuff, including modelling the steels for Bug Jam after the Big Bang slipperiness (chunky treads FTW )

the only other eb in our club... Sometimes goes places without pause for minor breakdowns now too!

before back to the burners in August for a long stay down in Cornwall

As we were down for a good long stay (and the awning was still dead from the adventures in June :| ) we took the full on big tent extension house thing 8)

Turned out to be a good thing as after a gorgeous start the first few days, the weather mostly did this

had three solid days of unrelenting wind and rain too. That outwell tent is stout as hell though and took it when folk camped around us were taking damage. Quality stuff 8)

gratuitous moody skies with buses shot

Quick tip / recommendation for anyone heading down (or back!) to Cornwall this summer. The Fairground museum on the A30 in Devon makes for a cracking stop. Plenty of room for kids to stretch their legs, lots of amazing stuff and (best bit) a whole warehouse of vintage rides which are up and running so you can play!

some of those old rides move at a fair clip too :lol:

There was loads more but this far after, it's probably a bit late to do the whole holiday pics slideshow thing so we'll just skip right along to the bit where it got tucked up for winter storage (it normally lives outside ) and this kinda happened

:msn4:

 

[creationblue]

Nice update, whats the plans?

 

[Geeze]

Fresh and shiney 8)

It's moved on a bit but I need to catch up with sorting pics out so I can get this thread into 2013! :lol:

 

[Dave.P]

great thread , lovely bus, and a great read so far Geeze..
so whats the name of this fairground place on the a30? (been to cornwall last five yrs and aint heard of it )so i know for this years outing ?
8)
Dave

 

[Geeze]

Thanks 8)

Name of the fairground place is Dingles (really should have mentioned that! :lol: )
http://fairground-heritage.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We went there on the way home from the far end of cornwall, with the usual site checkout time around ten and the speed of bus travel, it worked about right for a long leisurely 'lunch' (holiday doesn't end til the motorway!)

 

[Geeze]

Right, so before I let this one slip for another six months :lol:

* Government health warning: Patina fiends look away now. Contains scenes of bare-metalling and shiney paint *

So... Last winter, we intended to sort out the paint on the bus. And then fitted an interior instead. Turns out it was a very good wrong plan as it made the bus so much more useable than the old z-hinge and innovative (?!) red wagon as a cupboard set up that we had been using before.

Time for paint this year then? No. Coming back from cornwall, it became obvious labouring out of Devon that the tired old engine really is getting very tired and is long overdue a refresh. And I know where there's a much peppier lump hiding under a workbench. But there was no escaping that the paint wasn't really doing it's main job (protecting the bus from the elements) very well any more, especially as it lives outside and there's no way it would fit in the garage, even if I turfed my beetle out.

Which meant it was only inevitable that it would end up in a mate's unit for nice protected winter storage. And a fresh shiney coat of paint, what with him being a bit handy with a paint gun and all that

First job was to assess what we got so under the harsh lights of the booth it went

Not too good really. OG paint fans can relax a shade, while the paint was old and definitely had patina (lots, check the lovely green shade on the roof! :lol: ) it mostly wasn't original. All of the white was respray and the whole passenger side had had a very light scrap at some point, resulting in a respray.

So the deal was that I'd go up for the dismantle, then leave it for the prep and paint type bits before reappearing to do the where did this go mission. Especially the doors. My mate hates doing doors. Can't say I blame him :evil:

So it pretty quickly looked a lot like this :shock:

Baremetalling the nasty dent in the rear vent and roof ready to try and get it back to something like the proper shape

The roof turned out to need a lot more work than planned, being a mess of dents. We also caught it in time, where the white respray had crazed and cracked over the years, it had started to let water get under it and take hold :|

But the good news is that no nasty rusty bits that were going to require new panels were found, even in the usual import suspect areas