The Blue Rebel Van! - Engine Rebuild Content. p3

[coalnotdole]

Yes i know, another bloody thread about small shagged fibreglass cars

The following photos are of the 500 mile round trip to collect it from Lancashire in the Scimitar, My first time towing in the winter and at night!
Quite how i ended up buying it i'm still unsure I have no money to fix it and have had to rent a second garage to store it.

The intention is to get it back on the road on a minimum budget for the time being, Then once the Red Rebel Saloon is fully finished the Van will get the same body off treatment, sort the chassis and completely rebuild the suspension, replace the rear side panels which have been chopped out to make it an estate/van with windows! etc etc.



Scimitar and trailer about to leave Home.





At the Services heading north.





After a nights sleep in the car we loaded up the Rebel.





Few photos looking at the car taken on the way home.





Inside was a mix of spares, 4 Engines 3 850's and a 750'







The trip home on saturday took about 5 hours, With the Rebel safe in the garage we started to take a look at what we'd actually got and start to remove some of the accumulated shit.





Unloading.. (the tailgate was removed as it was mostly held on with gaffa tape!)







We got the bonnet open to discover that the engine bay had been painted in black stone chip paint for some reason..





With the van cleared of spares and shite we started stripping out years of owner modifications,





In the front there were two layers of carpet one on top of the other, Looking at the manual the Van was supplied with a painted floor and over-mats so would probably have been quite a loud drive!





Cleaning the engine bay,









Interior with carpets removed, revealing the original speckled paint,





Rear View

[AeroNautiCal]

Great stuff!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing More, More, More!

 

http://youtu.be/ZvxLRwZEx1c

[Pete-M]

+1

 

Your job on the Rebel saloon was inspirational. Hopefully this one will be similar. Great stuff. Carry on!

[Vin]

Crikey. You don't hang around. You certainly get stuck in. Good work

 

I assume the GKT 736L number plate is it's reg. If so, then it's returned to the south as KT is a Kent registration.

[dollywobbler]

Blimey. Already submitting entries for Autoshite Calendar 2013! Is that first shot handheld? (rather than tripod). It's remarkably sharp if it was.

 

I want a Rebel now. Well, more than I did before, which was already quite a lot...

[garethj]

Good work - the more Rebels around, the better.

 

I really wonder why these Rebels didn't catch on as much as they should, were they noticeably worse than contemporary offerings? Anyone seen a road test?

[Skizzer]

Blimey. Already submitting entries for Autoshite Calendar 2013!

That's just what I was thinking!

 

If this thread shapes up anything like the last one, I can't wait

[dieselnutjob]

You seem to have quite a plastic perversion.

 

Perversion is a concept describing those types of human behavior that are a serious deviation from what is considered to be orthodox or normal.

 

oh dear

[coalnotdole]

Bit of an update and some more photos.

 

With all the parts unloaded we started working out what we had and what parts were needed,

The clutch master cylinder was missing, Radiator was holed (and a later type), Handbrake cable had been cut, Front brake shoes were missing, Taillight and indicator bodies were rusted beyond repair.

 

We then took the wheels off and the car up on axle stands for a decent look at the chassis. The main rails appear to be in good condition, but the outriggers are a real weak point on the Rebel and could do with replacing.

 

 

Drivers side Front, Notice the bolts have been removed on the towers, it looked like someone had prepped the car to remove the body.

 

 

 

Passenger side front

 

 

 

Outrigger,

 

 

 

Chassis general view

 

 

 

Gearbox Mount area,

 

 

 

Front

 

 

 

Mount for Brake master cylinder

 

 

 

Drivers side rear,

 

 

 

Propshaft, axle and diff.

 

 

 

Seatbelt mount point

 

 

 

Petrol tank, This has been drained and appears not to leak.

 

[coalnotdole]

When the van first arrived we ordered the first lot of parts and so far the Rebel van has had the following bits:

 

Handbrake cable, - Supplied but the Kitten Register thanks Brian

Radiator, - bought a new one for a mini

2 New Master cylinders - bought off the shelf from my local classic oriented motor factors,

A tail light, -

A starter solenoid,

Cylinder Rebuild Kits,

Replacement front cylinders - (turned out to be badly made pattern parts which did not fit,

Front Brake shoes, - Which still wave not arrived

 

Everything else we've uses is either stuff that came with the car of spares that were in the garage. or have been borrowed from the stock of bits intended for the other rebel.

 

Few Photos,

 

Master Cylinders, I think we were lucky to find these and they were the most expensive Item bought to date. They are not thought to be a common part with this combination of bore and sideways fixing. It would be possible to make adapter plates up to take more common land rover style master cylinder should availability be a problem in the future.

 

 

Exaust was removed to get a good look at the outriggers, It turned out to be stainless which was nice.

 

 

One of the 850's that came with the Van was dropped in we don't know much about any of the engines that came with the car except that this one was the most complete and seemed to have good compression. Old Rad being trial fitted to see how it should be mounted.

 

 

Dropping the engine in has revealed a difference in the engine frontplates between the Rebels and their 3wheeled cousins, This rebel was missing its original engine and so we are short of a Rebel front plate.

 

 

So for the time being temporary adaptor plates have been made, We're now on the lookout for a front plate to suit a rebel.

 

 

Engine with new Radiator, The bracket over the rocker cover is the support for an improvised throttle cable, it was later cut down.

 

 

There was no starter motor on any of the engines we got with the car and our spare was to fit the later type 850 engine and had a different mounting bracket and 10 teeth in stead of nine.

 

 

Photo of Dave's custom made radiator mounting bracket.

 

[coalnotdole]

This last post brings the Rebel Van photos up to date with the van running and moving under it own power.

 

Rad filled with water, a borrowed battery off a Scimitar

 

 

Checking the Electrics, Temenals were cleaned and some modified wiring removed and everything came back to life, The fan motor switch is dodgy, and a new wiper switch would be nice but virtually everything else electric works.

 

 

The front brake pads never arrived in time to fit them bleed and check the system but we decided to try and get the engine running anyway. Photo Here shows Dave priming the carb

 

 

 

 

We were missing the starter so it took half an hour of pushing up and down to get the engine running, after a few false starts it fired up... Just as well as really as rebel with hard crossplys on the front and slightly flat radials on the back is quite hard work to push!

 

The Video:

 

The Carb is wrong as its a Zenith and it should have an SU, As a result it doesn't want to idle on it current settings. A decent play with the idle screw will probably make workable in the short term. It sounds fooked but its probably just the timing chain tensioner, It needs a new water pump as too as the current one pisses water everywhere.

 

The MOT Jobs list is something like this:

 

Replace windscreen - (current one has severe scratches, new one came with the car)

Fit new seatbelts - old ones are a bit frayed

Starter Motor - Because push starting is too much like hard work

Water Pump - May borrow this off the rebuilt 850 sat on the bench in the garage to save £££"S

Timing Chain tensioner,

Proper Engine mounts making,

Replace rubber filler pipe - Old one had dissolved.

New Tyres, - The van will probably inherit the Rostyles off the Red Rebel as Dave doesnt like them the red rebel will then get something different.

Replace Rear door, - Requires a repair to one of the hinges

Source new numberplate and test numberplate light.

Fasten remaining chassis bolts down - needs more 1/4 inch unf bolts

Probably paint the rest of the chassis as some against protection against the winter roads.

[Felly Magic]

This certainly isn't a rebel without a cause. Top postings. Amd Merry Winter Gifting Period to you

[John F]

Top work as always, I'm amazed at how quickly your projects get done (and a bit ashamed at how long my Maser rebuild is taking...)

[coalnotdole]

Spent the morning getting the blue Rebel MOT'd and have now clocked up 20 (painful) miles...!

 

Early start... our first attempt to reach the test station resulted in us heading back home having only covered a few hundred yards! The Zenith carb and 850 engine combination proved to be un-driveable...

 

 

 

After spending some time swapping Jets over we finally made it to the test station.

 

 

 

It passed, with a few advisories: Bit surprised about the wiper blades as they were brand new, most of the other points were quite minor so all in all very pleased.

 

 

 

 

A few photos of the van taken on the way home, (wheels, tyres, starter motor, battery and petrol filler neck are on loan from the red rebel!)

 

 

 

 

Tools and assorted carb's in the back, In total we stopped 4 times to attend to carb issues, Accelerator diaphragm burst resulting in changing it for a spare perished one and disconnecting the operating cam - made for a slightly gutless drive home!

 

 

 

 

Front view, note the slightly improvised choke cable... This rebel came with two windscreens- both were scratched but we've swapped for the spare as it is at least usable! New windscreen seal fitted too.

 

 

 

 

New seatbelts, these take some getting used to compared to modern inertia types!

 

 

 

 

Rear door, Hinges have been repair'd and a temporary doorlock striker plate fabricated up

 

 

Theres a very short video of the journey home here:

 

There a few bit still to be done - Tax class needs changing which will have to wait until after the bank holiday, Its currently registered as a Disabled Vehicle, Needs a SU carb to suit the 850 engine and possibly a 850 distributer too instead of the 700/750 items currently fitted. Engine front-plate still needs proper feet making up. The LUK clutch ultimately destined for the red rebel which is currently fitted wants swapping for a standard one which is on order along with a new starter, a proper choke cable would be nice as well as a new wiper switch so the self-park feature actually works!. All that should make it a bit more usable.

 

After getting those bits done we'll probably make up some panels for the rear to turn it back into a proper Van and sort out the other bodywork bits. Major suspension/chassis overhaul is not a current priority and will happen in the longer term.

[dollywobbler]

Unbelievable progress. Though as I well know, an MOT pass is just the start! I think I'd like a Rebel. I'm odd like that.

[Espacetic]

There's something really alurring about these Rebels and the Kittens, doesn't take much playing with to wipe the smile off the average boy racer either.

[mk2_craig]

Amazing effort!

 

 

Is the front plate a deliberate mistake...?

[trigger]

I think Craig's got a point!, I see you've moted it as 737 as well, which isn't on the DVLA database yet 736 is, listed as a blue Rebel Van, I think you may have made a slight FUBER!

[Skizzer]

I can't believe you got that through an MOT in a week. Astonishing. Respect.

 

Edited to add:

I can't believe you got that through an MOT with the wrong number plate in a week

[coalnotdole]

There has been a quite a bit of progress getting the Rebel van to a reliable state this week as it was needed to move a cargo of Teak and Foden engine Cylinder heads to the Isle of Wight!

 

The first step was to remove the engine again:

 

 

While it was out it was fitted with a new clutch pressure plate and the correct engine mounting feet for a Rebel. It was also given a small service, including points, condenser, plugs etc.

 

 

An 850 Carb, inlet manifold and were bought.

 

 

At the same time the front brake adjusters were replaced from a handy kit bought off eBay, Its Girling approved the photo shows one of the old ones looking a bit fooked (they were seized)

 

 

Old ones were ground off with a grinder, The packet recommended use of a hammer and chisel and a saw as options to remove old adjusters, fortunately we didn't need them! Photo shows Comparison Old and new adjusters:

 

 

The following day the van rewarded our efforts by blowing a head gasket on the A23 . It was towed home by the AA who in an unusual show of efficiency sent a tow truck straight away! We spent the next day changing the engine for the rebuilt 850 we had on the bench and had been intended for the red rebel. Sorry I've no photos to showing this engine swap... it was a long day!

 

by that evening we'd tested the new engine and had the van ready to go to the IOW... you can fit a suprisingly large amount of stuff in a small van!

 

a few photos at the ferry terminal:

 

 

Teak is quite heavy...!

 

 

Teak on the left, Foden cylinder heads in the boxes on the right!

 

 

I'll write up the creation of some side panels in a bit...!

[John F]

Whats the story with the number plate?? I see it's still got GKT 737L on the car...

[coalnotdole]

Whats the story with the number plate?? I see it's still got GKT 737L on the car...

 

Never heard of photoshop? I think blurring number plates in photos looks a bit shit so I alter them instead.

[coalnotdole]

While on the Isle of wight we took advantage of the use of Dave's bosses' workshop to create some moulds for some new side panels. Creation of moulds is much easier with access to a decent workshop with space to work and the use of bench saws etc!

 

I've not got many photos of the woodwork. Essentially they were made from pine strips screwed to a sheet of hardboard. The wood underneath gives the hardboard a slight curve to matches the slight curve in the body of the van. The corners are made of body filler as it was quicker than making them out of wood. If you were making a mould to be reused many times it would pay to do these in wood too.

 

 

The moulds were fared in filler, creating a radius and also filling in screw holes and imperfections in the wood.

 

 

Corner section closeup

 

 

Filled sections were then sanded down and the moulds were clamped to the bench to prevent distortion.

 

 

The moulds were then coated with 5 coats of release wax this is the minimum needed, ten coats is a good target to get the best results.

 

 

The wax was then buffed with a fresh cloth.

 

 

The moulds were ready for Gelcoat, given the cold temperature in the workshop we were using a 2% mix of hardener. Resin was weighed to calculate hardener mixes accurately.

 

 

Gelcoat was then applied to the moulds

 

 

These were then left under the heat lamp for a few hours to until touch dry

 

 

the lay up could then begin, each mould used 2 sheets of medium density csm. any additional thickness will be added when the panels are fitted.

 

 

resin was applied by brush and laminating rollers were used to ensure there were no air pockets.

 

 

Rolling out

 

 

With 2 Layers applied to each mould they were left under the heat lamp until the resin had properly gone off.

 

 

Waiting for release:

 

 

Panels out:

 

 

In a couple of places the mould filler is stuck to the gel but will sand off nicely.

 

 

A trial fitting,

 

 

Hoping to be in a position to fit them later this month,

[John F]

Whats the story with the number plate?? I see it's still got GKT 737L on the car...

 

Never heard of photoshop? I think blurring number plates in photos looks a bit shit so I alter them instead.

 

[coalnotdole]

Whats the story with the number plate?? I see it's still got GKT 737L on the car...

 

Never heard of photoshop? I think blurring number plates in photos looks a bit shit so I alter them instead.

 

 

As an interesting side note no one has ever noticed on any other forum except this one!

[coalnotdole]

The van now has side panels!

 

We spent the last 2 days putting the panels in and giving a rough coat of paint generally very pleased with the result, the fine fettling on the paintwork will be done in the future when the whole van will be repainted.

 

In other news the van is now tax exempt which took a while to sort the paperwork out with the dvla.

 

 

 

[vulgalour]

That looks far better with the panels in, top work and great to see it still working as it was designed to shifting large amounts of stuff.

[coalnotdole]

Hard to believe that this thread has not had an update since March...!

 

Its easy to let updates slip once a car is on the road but hopefully this post will fill in some of the gaps I've failed to talk about during the past few months. Since returning to the road and getting its panels the van has been in regular use clocking up the miles....

 

As seen here In Birmingham:

 

 

 

Rebel Van with dated architecture (petersfield)

 

 

Rebel Van in Grimsby:

 

 

and as documented in another thread recently... Stoke on Trent:

 

 

This year its done 4400+ miles, In the time since the engine swap its needed a fuel pump and a different dynamo to replace parts that were long passed their prime. But other than that its been a faithful workhorse that has repeatedly exceeded my expectations. To the point where I'll happily over look some of its very real faults like the inability to see out of the wing mirrors, the huge amount of transmitted road noise when doing 50+mph and the tendency to get blown about by high winds or high sided vehicles when traveling at speed .

 

With the one year ownership mark fast approaching my thoughts recently turned to securing the next MOT and addressing some of the problems that had been deferred when the van when back on the road. These really needed to be sorted to guarantee the little rebel van a chance to stay on the road in the longer term.

 

With this in mind I took the van over to the isle of wight where the plan was to make and fit a set of replacement chassis outriggers. Heres a look at the old ones:

 

 

Passenger side rear, The rusty hole is actually the seat belt mounting point hidden beneath a large washer .

 

 

Passenger side rear outrigger profile view, This shows the basic construction, steel pressings spot welded together which has left a rust trap between the surfaces. This had then been very badly overplated in a previous repair.

 

 

The front Passenger side outrigger, which had again been overplated

 

 

The front drivers side outrigger, the whole in the middle is caused but water accumulating between the 2 spot welded sections over many years,

 

 

Despite the appearances the reliant outriggers were surprisingly solid still and did take some effort to remove, the previous repair work leaves alot to be desired and while it was hiding the problems of the original design it wasn't actually providing any real strength.

 

A new set of outriggers were put together, These were fabricated out of 3mm steel plate which is slightly thicker than standard. They are made to the same pattern we used on the rebel saloon we did last year. This design includes a wider top which can be used to fasten a B-pillar roll bar to the chassis if one is fitted at a later date.

 

Photo Shows a set of outriggers before final trimming, rears at the top fronts ant the bottom.

 

 

For the Mot the Van needed 3 Dust Boots for the track rods, a nearside Tyre and the front brake balance sorting (turned out to be a sticking piston in a cylinder)

 

The following pictures show the van up on the MOT lift and the new outriggers fitted.... Sorry about the lousy Iphone pictures I'd left my good camera behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally a couple of post Mot shots Which show the van as it currently is with its correct tail lights fitted and chrome bumpers fitted.

 

 

 

Plans in the new year include sorting the interior out with some carpet / insulation fitting some door mirrors to replace the wing mirrors and working on a high ratio axle swap. The mid term plan will still be to get the body off and get it nicely painted etc but in the meantime I'm now happy that its now all solid and the fine details like nice paintwork can wait until the weather is better.

 

Joe

[coalnotdole]

Been a while since I last wrote about the van, but that's mostly because its been driven more than it has been worked on. It goes up and down the country regularly, carries huge amounts of stuff (given its size) and is generally a very practical thing to have.

Back in the summer it was treated a brake overhaul. Including new wheel cylinders, all new cupro-nickel brake lines and flexi hoses. A new 3/4" Girling master cylinder has given the brakes a firmer and more responsive pedal (I highly recommend this mod to other rebel owners.) At the same time a front anti roll bar was fitted, its a slightly tidier job than on the red rebel as it didn't need any welding to fit.

Only a couple of photos of that work:





There have been other improvements too, its currently running with Electronic ignition, I've bought carpet, paint and door cards for the interior. I still need to order a headlining to replace the polystyrene tiles which have been stripped out. I also plan to fit the folding rear bench seat, This was a factory option on the van and will hopefully make up for the holes in the loading bay floor.

When the Rebel estate was sold some of the money was put into getting 2 sets of GAZ shock absorbers made up (one for the van and one for the red rebel. The shocks have passed 2 MOT'S but had been getting progressively worse, resulting in a very bouncy ride and somewhat unpredictable handling. We went for Adjustable all round, the rears have been made so that they can be converted to coil-overs at a future date.

Fitting the fronts:







Rears:


 


The old ones (seen better days!)





I'll finish with a few photos of the van on a recent trip to Devon...

[wackywacerwill]

Top quality vehicle this. Good to see it getting plenty of use too, keep it up lad.