Roxy the '71 Panel - So That's What's Wrong With the Engine

[gvee]

1. Graham L - 6h30

 

[gninnam]

1. Graham L - 6h30
2. Gninnam - 1 day 3 hours 22 minutes and 10 seconds (approx)

 

[sparkywig]

Won't leave the drive.....

 

[gvee]

1. Graham L - 6h30
2. Gninnam - 1 day 3 hours 22 minutes and 10 seconds (approx)
3. SparkyWig - DNS

:lol:



So had a bit of time over the weekend working on the bus. Really need to get in the habit of taking more pictures as things go on though!

This weekend was all about electrics. Was going to get some more welding done but my mate who runs a garage selfishly took the weekend off

The buddy seat/box behind the drivers seat is easily removable so decided that this would be the place for all the electrickery to go.

Really proud of the work that went in to this - it's probably well over-engineered but I have built it so that it is [relatively] easy to remove the whole thing. It's self-contained and has clever connectors (e.g. M+F ISO headunit connectors for the sound and power to amp) and all boxed in neatly.

The idea behind making it removable was 3-fold:
1. I am going to be replacing the carpet soon
2. I may reupholster the buddy seat at a later date (anyone know where I can get some Westy veneer?)
3. I have further plans for things to wire in to this box at a later date :msn4:

Will take more photos of the finished article once it is done (just need to terminate the plug sockets and put the cover of the consumer unit on). Oh, and I suppose I should also run the loom up to the amp, or at least some of it.

Anyone up my way got a mains-to-hookup plug so I can test things?

 

[sparkywig]

Have you left yet?

 

[StuF]

Have you left yet?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[gvee]

Have you left yet?

What do you think?

 

[gvee]

Plug sockets installed (might swap for brushed steel ones at a later date):

Long overdue pic of the interior:

Westfalia continental, full-width bed. Buddy seat behind the driver, and a wee box between them. New cooker unit yet to be installed.

Never did like the green plaid so this is being replaced.
No pics of the new stuff [yet] but it is underway!
Anybody after some of the old material?

 

[gninnam]

Like what you have done to the place 8)

 

[gvee]

Got her back on the ground last night, sporting new rubber up front, new shocks and a slightly higher stance.
Bed has been recovered and re-installed too. Yet to get the side pieces of the bed done because I've yet to work out how to remove them :lol:

Aiming to leave work at 3pm which means I should be on the road by 3:45pm... Roll on Dubs At The Castle!

 

[sparkywig]

Well, you got there OK.
Have you got home yet after your hesitant start?

 

[gvee]

Just got in.
The van can **** off.

 

[gninnam]

Just got in.
The van can **** off.

:roll: :shock: :?:

 

[68_early_bay]

Just got in.
The van can **** off.

 

[StuF]

Just got in.
The van can **** off.

Oh no mate - what is the issue? :shock:
Was nice having a beer with you Sat eve! 8)
Hope its not serious

 

[gvee]

First up I want to say a big thank you to everyone at DatC - Lisa and I had a really great time there! Really great to put faces to names. EarlyBayers are a cracking bunch, eh :lol:

* * *

Yesterday I was completely ready to throw in the towel. If someone had turned up with even a small wedge of cash in their hand they could have had her.

After sleeping on it (I'm still knackered today) I feel a little less down about things.



I think it was around 3pm when we left site. I promptly had an issue and had to pull up at the side of the road.
The cause was an empty fuel tank but I should have had enough in there to make more than the 500 yards.
Managed to pootle it to the forecourt by pre-priming the carbs and keeping the revs up.

After we filled up we had a trouble free 150 miles or so back up north.
I was feeling a bit worse for wear (bit of heat/sun stroke I think) so pulled in to a service station for another break. Lay out in the back and fell asleep for a while.
That seemed to do the trick so hopped back in the van and barely made it off the slip road before the engine had trouble. We were going up hill and were fine until we hit about 50mph (according to my speedo) and then it started lumping and jumping along and ended up dying on me.

Cue fiddling about in the engine bay. The oil leak from the journey down seemed to be behaving (I had found the culprit before leaving and tightened it up as best as possible in the situation) and my levels and temperature were okay. I got it idling again and ******** the timing slightly which provided a slightly nicer engine note.

Trotted off again at a 50pmh average thanks to roadworks and continued another 15 or so miles when the problem started again. Because of the maintenance on the motorway there was no hard shoulder so much to the annoyance of the cars behind me (despite being on a fairly empty stretch of the M1) I slowed it down to 40ish and came off at the next junction. Got half way up the slip and pulled in to the hard shoulder.

I opened the engine bay and was confronted with smoke. Not loads of smoke, but enough to worry. Panic set in and I got Lisa out the van and grabbed both fire extinguishers. By the time I reached the back of the bus again the smoke was dissipating. I knelt on the floor behind the bus staring in to the engine bay, poised and ready.

Thankfully I didn't have to use anything and found that the source of the smoke was oil dripping on to J-tubes. Needless to say I wasn't risking a drive further.

Put our feet up and made a call to the insurers for a lift. This was at about 8pm, approximately 55 miles from home.

I won't bore you with the details but I didn't get home until 2:40am, knackered and thoroughly p****ed off.




Ultimately I think fuel [yet again] was a major culprit. I think those famous chocolate push rods meant I wasn't getting enough fuel and so when pushing it up a hill meant It was being starved. I'm done with mechanical fuel pumps and will be ordering an electric gizmo for the replacement motor. Also will be running heat exchangers on the next one which should help reduce the oil temperature.



Doubt I will be doing anything on the bus for a few weeks. Got a lot to clear at work before I have my surgery next week.
1 week today. By this time in the afternoon I they might just have finished! Looking forward to it, or rather, the result of it - should give me a new lease of life

 

[sparkywig]

You have pm, George.

 

[gvee]

Dust has settled a bit and feeling better about the whole thing.

Freshly powdercoated splash pans were dropped off last night which will sort my annoying bumper sag out and picked up my new engine lid too. Tickled one of the new wheels with a polisher too. It's coming up nicely so far but there are a few imperfections. Any tips on how to repair small nicks in alloys?

Chatted about the engine with a mate yesterday and have some ideas of things to try. I'm not going to be short of spare time post-op, so assuming I feel up to it I hope to get the other engine completely built.

Anyone after an engine lid? I found one in even better nick than the one I was planning to use so now have a spare.

 

[junglefacejake]

Never a dull moment. Wish you all the best mate

 

[gninnam]

Dust has settled a bit and feeling better about the whole thing.

Good

Anyone after an engine lid? I found one in even better nick than the one I was planning to use so now have a spare.

How much and would it fit a '72?