My 69 Deluxe - Lady Novice Attempt Amateur Mechanics!

[Merlydog]

Having recently joined EB and bought my second (previous was a late bay, but long gone now ) bay I thought it only right to start a work in progress thread. Pictures & all for you piccy fans. I bought it from this site about three months ago now, knowing that my first task was to get the ride height sorted.
As you can see from the pic below, it's very low, looks cool but just not practical.. Cue Clem..

Having dropped my van off with Clem a week or so ago he & Paul started work straight away.. And as ever seems to be the case with me, things weren't going to be simple.. The previous owners had certainly lowered the van, welded dropped spindles and adjusters = very very hard and scrapey ride..

FROM THIS.....

LOOK AWAY NOW ALL YOU SLAMMED FANS, TO THIS....

Thank you Clem & Co, floaty light

Work in progress..

Spindles Welded/Stock..

Now onto tackling the back, from this... Also, not as simple as you may have expected.. The rear dampers are too short as it will be going higher and the rear springplates have been cut (notched), so new springplates too..

Lets just say the interior is work in progress, I have an interim at the moment, but it looked like this in the first instance (when the previous owners had it).. ..

I've opted for blue & cream so keep looking for more pics..

 

[Clem]

:shock:

Yes, no slamming round these parts :lol:

Front overiders were hitting the ground and it was all quite harsh. The front beam has been lowered with the top tube being slotted and an adjuster on the bottom. We set the adjuster to the maximum height and it was still very low. The van had Wagenwest welded spindles fitted, so weighing up the kind of drop required, and taking costs into the equation we elected to swap these for stock spindles and acheive a subtle lowering job by way of adjustment. This has re set the front end at a much moredriveable height - we will swap the tyres for standard profile ones too ... the ride quality should improve somewhat then! Front hoses are perished and track rods bent, so these will also be rectified.

Wally started dismantling the back end at the weekend and discovered a two spline drop and heavily notched springplates .... we dont like these
So, they will be swapped for stock springplates set on a one spline adjustment ... the dampers will also be swapped for stock items .... this is a combo that Ive driven thousands and thousands of miles on in my vans (before I started going down further ) and its pretty much unbeatable imo ...

We have realsied though, when dismantling the van, that lowering on a budget to these levels is NOT a good idea :roll: 3-4 " can be acheived and maintained easily, but after that it gets expensive and for very good reason!

Mike 8)

 

[sparkywig]

Are you selling the dropped spindles?

 

[Merlydog]

Yes, but I think they may already be sold, Clem?

 

[Clem]

You can have second dibs Sparky Proceeds to Sarahs fund!

 

[Clem]

So, to the back end. It was lowered two splines at the rear .... and had the springplates notched for clearance -

So a third of metal removed and nice sharp edges to diffuse the chance of stress fractures (not) :?

Compared with a stock springplate -

When we removed the hub carriers, one of the beefy bolts had been lost along the way ... and this was the replacement!

Nice!

And the dampers will now be too short, so swapping them for stock length ones -

 

[Clem]

A bit more progress ...

Rear brake lines were pretty shot -

Front flexis likewise -

And trackrods were bent -

So all that corrected, we swapped the 60 profile tyres up front, the van now has 195/75 x 14 on the back and 195/70 x 14 up front, the van was sat down again and 'settled' but the new raised but gently lowered stance is thus -

Front is -

and the rear -

 

[mattd1984]

Some good work Clem 8)

 

[sparkywig]

You can have second dibs Sparky Proceeds to Sarahs fund!

Any news?
BRMs now sold.

 

[Merlydog]

You can have second dibs Sparky Proceeds to
Sarahs fund!

Any news?
BRMs now sold.

Hi Sparky,
As far as I'm aware there all yours, Clem PM'd me to tell me we were just waiting for u to sell your BRM's..

 

[sparkywig]

You can have second dibs Sparky Proceeds to
Sarahs fund!

Any news?
BRMs now sold.

Hi Sparky,
As far as I'm aware there all yours, Clem PM'd me to tell me we were just waiting for u to sell your BRM's..

:mrgreen:

 

[gninnam]

Those notched rear spring plates look well scary :shock:

Looks like a very good job has been done by the boys and the ride height looks like a good one

 

[Merlydog]

Just as a matter of interest, what would have happened if the integrity of those springplates had given in? :?

 

[sparkywig]

Well, if they had given way the only things holding the hub to the van would be the driveshaft, shock absorber, handbrake cable and brake pipes....

 

[windsurfer]

You went what..................higher :!: :lol:
Do you always go against the grain :?: 8)
It does look a lovely bus :mrgreen:

 

[Merlydog]

Well, if they had given way the only things holding the hub to the van would be the driveshaft, shock absorber, handbrake cable and brake pipes....

:shock: oh!

 

[Merlydog]

You went what..................higher :!: :lol:
Do you always go against the grain :?: 8)
It does look a lovely bus :mrgreen:

I have been known for it Simon yes

 

[sparkywig]

You went what..................higher :!: :lol:

So that I can go even lower.....
Thanks very much Sarah.
:mrgreen:

 

[Graham L]

Sarah

Looking good and I hope to see it again soon,

 

[Merlydog]

You went what..................higher :!: :lol:

So that I can go even lower.....
Thanks very much Sarah.
:mrgreen:

Your more than welcome Sparky... Good luck with the spindles, post a few pics once it's done