Steve's 1971 Dormobile

[VeeDubMan]

(Just noticed the Dropbox links aren't seen correctly in Tapatalk. Will see what I can do to correct this)

 

[gninnam]

Nice mod with the spring 8)

 

[VeeDubMan]

Cheers...although it needs modding some more as it popped out over the weekend

On the up side, these arrived today



Very pleased

Door cards etc. due to arrive soon too but got not got a chance to fit everything before the MOT on Thursday. Will be pacing around like an expectant father as it's been 10 years since its last one!

 

[gninnam]

Nice seats 8)
Look like MGF seats ??

Fingers crossed for the MOT

 

[VeeDubMan]

They're the Newton Commercial Suffolk Recliners...which won't be reclining much because of the bulkheads but they should be comfortable.

 

[VeeDubMan]

Got some pics onto Photobucket now. Here some of the latest (yes, still not finished):

Split charge relay setup and hooked up to Zig CF-9 too:



Interior in (seats need recovering):


Front seats in:


Sound proofing layer and mat:



Cab area (too much green!)

 

[cunning plan]

Super nice seats. arty0021:

 

[VeeDubMan]

Progress this week.

New floor laid (not stuck down yet though and edges need filling/smoothing off):


Rear top box finally in. Just need to finish off the headlining. Going for a covered hardboard similar to original Dormobile:


Ugly but necessary fridge flue outlet. Didn't enjoy drilling massive hole in the side of the van! Sorted out the gas supply too so fridge can now operate on gas/12V (when moving) and 240V (if electric hookup is available):

 

[VeeDubMan]

Off to Voodoo VW for pre-MOT work

 

[VeeDubMan]

Still not quite sure how it happened but it turns out the van has just got its first MOT in 10 years. I'm still in shock!



Couple of things to sort out before I pick it up though - headlamp alignment and need better performance from rear brakes.

 

[VeeDubMan]

Last week, I had to remove the engine to get the problematic gearbox out, so while I was at it I removed the 'tank too so I could weld in the mounts for the seatbelts. Got one side finished today (well, it was father's day after all )

As I said earlier, I'm rebuilding the storage area behind the seats, so these seat-belts will be hidden away when the bed is up. They're normally roof mounted but work just as well rotated the other way. The beauty is they completely un-clip so will coil up nicely under the bed.

Here's what I got. About £25 each from eBay and a local scrap yard:




Step 1: Mock up position and mark where the captive nut on the mounting plate need a recess in the bodywork:




Step 2: Cleaned up the area and drilled a hole large enough for the nut to sink in to and to take the thread from the bolt. Had to cut the plate down a bit so it didn't rest on the rib:




Step 3: Welded the plate in place (wire feed was playing up on the MIG so excuse the inconsistent weld):




Step 4: Do the same for other hole:




Step 5: Apply some primer to prevent the rust coming through:




Step 6: Stand back and admire your handy-work:







I need to get some extension pieces so the buckles are long enough, but they don't need any welding as I can use the original mounts under the seats. Pretty pleased with the outcome though. Kids should be safe now. Plenty of length on the belt for their car-seats.

Steve

 

[wallyvan]

Did you by any chance keep the cooker shield, but want to sell it?
I'm just after one of those!
cheers

 

[VeeDubMan]

You missed it by a couple of weeks I'm afraid. Sold all the old interior stuff on ebay.

Easy enough to get some stainless, cut to size and rivet/screw together though to do the same job

 

[VeeDubMan]

On the way to Airey Tuning to get the van on the rolling road, doing 55mph at 3000rpm on the A34...and sudden drop in oil pressure, smoke billowing out behind and a fire! Scariest thing ever and completely foolish of me not to have a fire extinguisher on board. Fortunately, a passing doctor pulled over, grabbed one of his and put it out. Must have been on fire for less than a minute.



Wasn't fuel as all new R9 lines fitted last week so I'm assuming oil from somewhere, yet to be determined.

Totally gutted

It's in at Voodoo VW now for an assessment of what's wrong.

 

[cunning plan]

F**K!!! :shock:

I hope you bought that guy with the fire extinguisher a very large cold beer, he could be the reason you still have a bus! :shock:

Have you thought about fitting a FireTec-type system?

Let us know what it was when you know. :?

 

[VeeDubMan]

Yeah, not sure Firetec would have worked as fire wasn't in the engine bay but underneath. Looks like it may have been oil spraying on to the exhaust wrap then catching fire. I'm hoping I killed the engine early enough to save it!

Sadly, the doctor with the extinguisher left as the fire brigade arrived so didn't get a chance to thank him properly

 

[71Dormobile]

Sh*t hope your ok and there isn't to much damage done

 

[VeeDubMan]

Still at VoodooVW but insurance covering it. Between 5-7 k's worth of damage (insurance pricing) but could be new bottom end too. Need to check engine for damaged bearings as it lost oil pressure when the oil pipe went. Only for a second or two but you never know.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[gvee]

Shit.



The main thing is that everyone came out okay, but that really sucks.
Thank goodness for the doc that assisted and I'm pleased to hear that the insurance is coughing up.

You'll be back on the road soon

 

[VeeDubMan]

So, the saga continues....

...I had the fire damaged van shipped by the RAC recovery guy to VoodooVW to get assessed and finally this was all sorted out, repairs authorised, completed, engine rebuilt and all paid for. NOTE: you are within your rights to ask for a 'cash in lieu' settlement from the insurer who will pay the estimated repair cost directly to you (within days but minus VAT) as opposed to paying the repairer a couple of months later after the repairs have been done. This worked well for me and Voodoo as they didn't have to wait to get their money. I could've taken that money and done the repairs myself too (but my wife wouldn't let me )

I got the van back a couple of weeks ago and after some local confidence-building-test-drives, I headed down to see Pete at Space Roofs (http://www.spaceroofs.co.uk/) and get the new roof canvas fitted. This was a 300 mile round trip so a good workout for the new engine and following Rich Moon's strict rule of 45mph max on the new engine, it was a long, long drive. Still, got down there no problem at all, left it with Pete for a few days, public transport back home and then the same in reverse a few days later.



Really, really pleased with the new roof. However, things went wrong though on the return journey. I was doing my fuel gauge-oil pressure gauge-mirrors check when I saw smoke billowing from the rear vents again, just as I was coming on to the A303. I killed the engine, pulled over (fire extinguisher at the ready this time) to see oil pouring out of the pump area. Something had obviously come loose or broken, so I had to get recovered. Again (think I've now done more miles on the back of a recovery truck than I have under its own steam!)



...then it was off back to VoodooVW again to see what had gone wrong (looks good on the back of Rich's LT transporter though):



Turns out one of the 45 degree brass adapters coming off the oil pump (for the full-flow system) had cracked (never heard of anything like this before) enabling the high pressure oil to spew all over the exhaust. Hopefully there's no long lasting damage to the engine.

Hoping to get it back again this week so I can continue with the interior. Completely missed all opportunity to go away in it this year though