Project What has two seats, a mid-mounted 6 cylinder engine, and a turbo? Time for windscreen number 5!

[mat_the_cat]

Spring is in the air! And that means time to MOT the van, as we're off to Holland in a few weeks. I pulled the cover off and thought how nice it looks in the evening sunshine:

 

 

I took it for a quick test drive tonight before the test on Wednesday, and the only problem I noticed was a slight scraping from a front brake. Turns out the dust shield has corroded through and was dragging on the disc, so I'm on the lookout for a replacement pair.

[John F]

I'll be waking my LT up in a short while... I went to see it a month or so ago to turn the engine over, it smelt a bit musty but seemed generally OK.

[jonny69]

^ My car smells like that every morning. Nothing to worry about

[wuvvum]

I'd love another of these vans, but the chances of a useable one turning up now at sensible money are pretty much zilch.  I don't know if it's scene tax or export tax or a combination of both, but they seem to have gone daft (and rare).

[dollywobbler]

If anything, I'd say it's the lack of scene tax. Stupidly high values mean all the Transporters seem to get saved. There was never as much love for the chunky, great LT, but they were still just as good at rotting.

[mat_the_cat]

I'm a bit out of touch with the prices, but every time I catch one for sale it seems more and more! I'm not liking the fact that a scene seems to be starting, but the only consolation is that bits might get re-manufactured if demand is there.

 

This makes me sad

 

 

But on the bright side I've got two disc shields on order - easier than I thought to find a set!

[mat_the_cat]

It passed

 

 

Although it got an advisory for play in a ball joint, but only £18 for a Febi Bilstein replacement. Might wait for drier weather before fitting as there's no huge rush.

 

The brake shields arrived, and I managed to pull one of the old ones off by hand!

 

 

I'd noticed they were looking a bit thin when I greased the front wheel bearings last year, and that would have been the ideal time to change them whilst everything was apart. But I needed to use the van shortly afterwards, and then forgot all about it

[John F]

Nice one, Mat!

 

My LT's due for its MOT shortly, hopefully it'll all go as smoothly as yours. I still need to sort out the gearchange linkage at some point though.

[uk_senator]

Sounded superb and felt massively robust, in just the way a Fiat Seicento doesn't.

A Seicento doesnt sound superb? You sir, are a philistine.. If you want to describe cars that sound less than impressive, mainstream Japanese cars are most fitting..

[mat_the_cat]

Nice one, Mat!

 

My LT's due for its MOT shortly, hopefully it'll all go as smoothly as yours. I still need to sort out the gearchange linkage at some point though.

 

I got a bit worried a few years ago when people were saying they couldn't get hold of the bushes for the long rod any more, so did a bit of searching and managed to obtain just one. So as I needed a second I got a batch made up, but unfortunately they've all sold now. And to make matters worse, nobody seems interested in making up more.

 

 

But...one of the guys I sold a pair to is pretty clued up, and has made some more. I can pass on contact details if needed? The ball at the bottom of the gear lever (where most of the wear occurs) is shared with the T5, so is likely to remain available for a good while. The short rod bushes *were* still available, but not sure any more.

 

Part nos. for info:

 

Ball - 015311544

Short rod - 282711119

Long rod - 281711209

[John F]

Is that LTCamper98 on Brick Yard that had the bushes made? I think I might have read something on there about it.

 

TBH I've not even worked out how the linkage set-up operates yet, I need to get the van onto the ramp & have a good look at it.

 

I'll probably make some time for it in early to mid-May, is it OK if I drop you a PM for contact details (if needed) around then?

[mat_the_cat]

That's the one, yes. Met him a few times and he's an all round decent chap.

 

Drop me a PM whenever

[mat_the_cat]

Last night was dry (at least when I started) so I had a play with the van. First job was disc shields, and the mounting bolts looked a bit crusty:

 

 

Fortunately all undid without sheering, although one needed a torx bit hammering into it to get a grip.

 

 

Shiny shiny!

 

 

The other side was much the same, but I also had to undo the upper ball joint. Unfortunately it is bigger than all 3 of my BJ splitters, so I had to improvise. By loosening the top nut, it pushes against the bolt and spacer, which is hard up against the lower BJ. So the upper joint is pushed apart.

 

 

Job done!

 

[mat_the_cat]

We had a weekend away in the flatlands of Holland, and it all went well. We caught an overnight ferry so only slept in the van one night, but it was good to have the space for bikes, cooking and getting changed etc.

 

 

 

Not quite the oldest vehicle on the ferry!

 

I must admit after doing a few miles in a modern car recently I've been spoilt by the sound insulation. So I'm researching soundproofing methods and materials, in the hope that I can improve the refinement before the summer holiday.

[mat_the_cat]

We're going away in a few weeks, so I've bought some sound dampening material for the van. It is insanely heavy for the thickness - a 6 metre roll weighed around 45 kg! It's a rubbery, stretchy material but whatever it is it blunts cutting tools very quickly.

 

I've covered the whole can floor and engine hump with it, as well as extending it up the front panel to the dashboard.

 

 

Then the inside of the doors, taking the opportunity to soak the seams in cavity wax again.

 

 

I've not been for a drive yet as I discovered the gear lever gaiter has a split, so as RHD ones are unavailable I've repaired this with superglue and will reinforce with PU adhesive tomorrow.

[dollywobbler]

Weight is a shame. I'm determined to quieten the 2CV once it is rot free, before my hearing suffers any further damage.

[John F]

I look forward to reading your feedback on the soundproofing, Mat - my LT is noisy too.

[twosmoke300]

 

 

 

I've not been for a drive yet as I discovered the gear lever gaiter has a split, so as RHD ones are unavailable I've repaired this with superglue and will reinforce with PU adhesive tomorrow.

 

Yeh I couldnt drive a van with such an horrendous defect either 

[dean36014]

When I built my LDV camper I went overboard stuffing every cavity with insulation and sound deadening. The result was the quietest, rattle free van I've ever drove. If you thumped your hand against the side it just went a solid thud. god help the poor sods who owned it in later life if they had to do any welding!

[John F]

dean36014, on 11 May 2016 - 1:29 PM, said:

When I built my LDV camper I went overboard stuffing every cavity with insulation and sound deadening. The result was the quietest, rattle free van I've ever drove. If you thumped your hand against the side it just went a solid thud. god help the poor sods who owned it in later life if they had to do any welding!

 

[dean36014]

An ex citylink pug powered convoy no less. It ended up with a full conversion with shower, cassette loo, cooker, heater etc. Just wish I'd painted it white! In my defence it was many years ago, and a rusty transit didn't appeal...plus the convoy was bigger! Wish i could remember the reg number and see if iy survived.

[Jifflemon]

Flashing tape (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Self-Adhesive-Hi-Tack-Flashing-Strip-100mmx10m/p/243009) is pretty good for the insides of doors, not tried it on floors though,

[3VOM]

Flashing tape (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Self-Adhesive-Hi-Tack-Flashing-Strip-100mmx10m/p/243009) is pretty good for the insides of doors, not tried it on floors though,

The audio types don't recommend it as the bitumen will soften and melt, and the tape will slip down or fall off.

 

What is the damping mat stuff mat_the _cat has used? Link?

[mat_the_cat]

It was Tecsound SY50; more info here:

http://www.domesticsoundproofing.co.uk/soundproofing/t50.htm

 

Delivery is the killer, as it was almost as much for that as for a roll!

 

But I'm pleased to say it's made a difference. More for road/tyre noise rather than engine noise I would say. I wish I'd done a before and after decibel measurement to quantify it, but it was certainly easier for a handsfree call today. 

[mat_the_cat]

We're 800 miles into our England/France road trip now, and currently at a camp site near Orleans.

 

Before we set off I loaded up with fuel due to the strikes, and a very heavy transformer which I had sold on eBay.

 

 

The fuel has not been needed yet, as the panic seems finished over here. But I met the transformer buyer on the way down, and he turned up in possibly the least suitable car for the job...

 

 

It took 4 of us to load it into where the passenger seat had been, and it didn't fall through the floorpan!

 

We stopped overnight in a scenic car park on Saturday, and decided to have a barbecue as the weather was so nice. Then this happened.

 

 

Fortunately the awning kept the rain off.

 

The tunnel crossing went smoothly, the only point to note was seeing this in the car park.

 

 

We've had a bit a a wet day today, and loads of roads are closed due to flooding. We're camped next to the Loire and it looks rather full!

 

 

But at least the can us going well and doing a reasonable 25 mpg. Seeing as this is supposed to be a blog about the vehicle, have a photo:

 

[mat_the_cat]

Minor update...been used for plenty of weekends away this summer - here is a photo from down in Herefordshire last night:

 

[dollywobbler]

The first Autoshite vehicle I saw in my new Rover. That was a nice surprise on the run home.

[mat_the_cat]

It's been a while since I updated this - in the meantime it's been going well but not used much over the winter (although was very welcome after my work's Christmas do, 40 miles from home). We had a nice weekend away in it a couple of weeks back, visiting Ludlow. Parked in a quiet car park in the middle of town, only to be awoken at 5-something AM by the Sunday market setting up

 

We've booked our French holiday this year, which will be fairly far south and in July. Last time we went in midsummer the temperatures were scorching - worryingly so for our dog who was panting quite a bit during the journey. Not too comfortable for us either, but at least we can sweat to regulate our body temperature!

 

So I've decided to bite the bullet and fit air con to the van; it's one thing that really makes a difference to me on a journey. Maybe I'm spoilt by driving the BX? So at the moment I'm researching and pricing up retro-fit systems...watch this space!

[mat_the_cat]

Question is, do I go for something like this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-air-con-kit-DAF-truck-excavator-forestry-agricultural-camper-/302215603153

 

Which would be great whilst driving along, but of little use on a campsite. Although the van is reasonably well insulated (meaning it takes a while for the sun to heat it up), the downside of the cab over engine is that heat soak after a journey warms the inside for hours. Some nights it's a struggle to sleep, and I can't really leave the engine idling all night, even when wild camping.

 

Or something like this:

 

 

Ideal while on a campsite and connected to the mains, but no good whilst driving - even if I hammered the inverter (which would probably need to be a hefty pure sine wave type to run the motor) and alternator, the cool air is going to be chilling the back of the van leaving us cooking up front. Plus all the weight is high up so not ideal in terms of weight distribution.

 

But two separate systems could be considered overkill! I think that some fridge van systems run either from an engine-driven compressor, or hooked up to the mains. So a dual purpose system would seem to exist...

[mat_the_cat]

A lucky find on eBay, and a 300 mile trip in the BX to collect (which cost me almost as much in LHM as fuel thanks to a leaky PAS ram) resulted in this!

 

 

A standalone AC unit, together with a matching inverter and all manuals & wiring. The cold air is ducted to wherever I want it, and the inverter is a pure sine wave output with enough surge capacity to start the compressor. It will draw about 55 amps @ 12 V when the AC is on, so seeing as I fitted a 90 amp alternator a few years back to replace the standard 55 amp unit I should be OK.

 

Problem is space! Underneath one front seat is a leisure battery and various wiring, which was the initial installation when I first kitted out the van. And underneath the other is a pair of leisure batteries I added about 6 or 7 years ago to increase capacity.

But I reckon I can shift the batteries around, and in the process neaten up the wiring seeing as there have been a few additions over the years. First job was to shift the batteries behind the driver's seat. Once they were out I started to dismantle the seat and it looks like it should fit!

 

 

Could have been made to measure