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

[mat_the_cat]

We had a couple of days over in North Yorkshire, somewhere we started to explore last October but the holiday was cut short. We'd always skipped past the area in favour of the Lake District, but are having second thoughts now!

I was reminded why I switched to HID headlights, driving it back at night with the old H4 bulbs refitted. But now LED technology has moved on, I decided to replace with warm white versions.

First impressions are that they seem indistinguishable from a decent halogen headlamp. Nobody has flashed me yet, so no sign of dazzling anyone.

Last weekend I noticed a weep from the power steering 

Turned out to be the rigid pipe had corroded and become very thin!

Still available from VW Classic Parts, handily.

It runs across the bottom of the radiator, to the steering box, so gets a bit of salt and shite no doubt. Fairly easy to replace, although the union was a tad crusty and took a bit of loosening. All done now and leak-free.

[mat_the_cat]

Nothing much to add, but we're getting in the odd night away still in this - current spot rather nice!

Guess the film?

[Minimad5]

Looks good 

My missus has hinted at doing similar, but vans are beyond my budget atm.

Speaking of which, your van just looks 'right'

[Ian_Fearn]

I always enjoy an update on this thread. I just love mid mounted 6 cylinder turbo vehicles 😎

[MJK 24]

Really enjoyed reading this from start to finish!  

[mat_the_cat]

Just been away in the Peak District, where we had rather a nice time.

We camped on a site for a couple of nights, and you may be able to tell that the ground isn't perfectly level here. Now that is normally not a problem, as the van naturally sits with the rear end slightly higher. On a level surface this isn't enough to be annoying, and if there is a slope I can position the van to cancel out the slope to some extent.

But not here. I drove in nose first, to level up the van as much as possible, only to be told by the site owner that all doors had to be on the same side, for fire regulations! I couldn't find a thing that prescriptive online, so I'm inclined to call BS. Not the best night's sleep because of this: -(

[mat_the_cat]

For an embarrassingly long time this has been seeping diesel from the filler. Not enough to be a hazard, just enough to leave a permanently oily stain around the cap   It seemed to be coming from the seal between the flange and filler neck. This is still easily available, as shared with the T25 - happily available as a genuine VW part marginally cheaper than the pattern parts listed on eBay! 

This attaches to the tank fill tube with a jubilee clip, within a boxed-in section just behind the rear wheel. You can't actually see it, but just about get your fingers on it if you reach upwards. 

I sprayed some penetrating fluid up there, more in hope than expectation, and manipulated a 7mm socket onto the hex head. That span uselessly, so either 28 years of corrosion meant the head was a rusty mess, or maybe it's a 6mm? Yes, that seems to fit - I'll just try and turn it, as no point trying to fit a ratchet up there if it's rounded off! 

To my amazement, it only went and loosened off!!!

Then just the simple job of reassembly, and hopefully all will be dry, although I need to touch up the Rustoleum where the diesel has attacked it.

 

At the same time of getting the seal I was able to pick up a couple of bargains from a dealer clearing out old stock. Pattern clutch cables are around £30, and I'd been meaning to get one just in case, as a RHD cable would be slower to source in Europe. For a tenner a genuine one was a no brainer!

And I don't know how much a new headlight should be, but I'd wager more than £20

I'll finish up with a photo from a decent trip to Northumberland, where we passed through a village sharing my surname!

[mat_the_cat]

A pot of gold?

[BlankFrank]

Pot of beige more like.

Lovely old bus, nice to see it earning its keep.

[mat_the_cat]

It was actually being used as a work vehicle yesterday. Had to replace a gatepost, so loaded up with tools, cement and ballast. Handy having somewhere to cook some cheese on toast!

This is the post by the way, from the size and density I reckon around 200kg.

I had to roll it to the hole and it was all I could do to lift one end, to slide it in! Oak, soaked in (real) creosote, so I honestly think it should outlast me!

[mat_the_cat]

Around 3 years ago I found a bloke selling a rare LT part, so I agreed to collect it next time I was in the area (it's around 5 hours drive away). Sadly he changed his mind and decided not to sell, or so he said.

I was fairly surprised to get a message from him to say that he's leaving the country on the 30th, and did I want it for nothing as it was going to be binned. Hence why I'm currently heading south on a long trip! All well so far, but annoyed by the number of people who you pull over to let them join the motorway, then they match your speed exactly. At 65mph there's only one direction my speed can go!

Not a bad place to be:

[dollywobbler]

Ah yes. Get that a lot in the 2CV. I'm a lot grumpier these days and tend to hold my  ground. Too many people think they have right of way when joining a motorway though!

[chodweaver]

Darn! We must have passed on the M6/M5. Not that i was in my LT, but I'd have kept an eye out for your pale green brick if I'd known. Just caught up with your last two year's worth of updates, and very pleasantly surprised how many parts still seem obtainable, even originals. I was starting to worry 5 years ago that the supply would dry up...

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[mat_the_cat]

I wasn't sure which vehicle to take for the trip - the iLoad would have made more sense, as it's quicker and more economical. But given the late time of setting off, I though best to give me the option of camping over on the return journey. As it is, I've still got over 100 miles of A roads to go, so called it a night for now. 

The 'seller' is shipping his LT over to Australia, and flying out there on Thursday. Planning to live there for a few years, and then drive back. So having to get rid of a load of stuff - but my gain!

[chodweaver]

Overland back from Australia? Try and encourage him to blog it.

Even better, get him on the beige, first

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[mat_the_cat]

I admit I'm slightly jealous, especially that his girlfriend is actually keen on the idea too! Whether the appeal would fade though is another question! Theres something nice about driving for a while, then just finding a nice spot and pulling over for the night. It seems almost a shame to turn off the comforting thrum of the engine and climb in the back - I could listen to it all night!

So what was worth a 500 mile round trip at 23mpg? TBH, in an objective way it wasn't worth it, but I've been after an undertray for the engine almost since I bought it 15 years ago. I managed to find the rear section a few years ago, but  never even seen the front section anywhere! Until now.

Complete with the rear section I already have, but he basically just wanted me to take it away. After he'd spent time cleaning up, fibreglassing repairs and stone-chipping them I almost felt guilty taking them, although I did get him to accept a bottle of vanilla vodka in return.

[mat_the_cat]

I confess that I've been bodging something on this for years. Between the fan shroud (mounted on the engine) and the radiator shroud there is a small gap, where a rubber seal normally sits to accommodate movement. It's never had one in my ownership, so I've used duct tape to provide some kind of seal for the airflow.

This is a PITA when changing the cambelt, so when I found one for sale I snapped it up.

A bit fiddly to stretch into place, although still easier than tape which does its best to stick to everything other than what I want it to stick to!

Once that was done I bolted up my new undertray. It's still missing the piece linking the front and rear sections together, but that will be easy to fabricate from an aluminium sheet.

[mat_the_cat]

Service time on this! Oil and filter, which would have been slightly easier if I'd done it before fitting my new engine cover.

Also fitted a new alternator belt, as there's a few cracks visible after 5 years. Pretty heavily reliant on the alternator unless we stop at campsites! 

I also put in a couple of rivnuts to replace the self tapping screws used to hold the cover in place. It pleases my OCD to use 4 matching fasteners!

The rear timing belt was also (slightly over)due for a change, so after fighting with a stuck bolt down between the side of the pump and the block, that's now on. Still need to time it up more precisely, but it starts easily enough and sounds OK. 

Needs new rear tyres and a starter battery, as although it starts it OK normally, it died very quickly cranking over to prime the injector lines.

[mat_the_cat]

Proof that things just aren't made like they used to be!! I got 8 years from my last starter battery - this one has only lasted 7

Still, I can hardly complain, so out with the old and in with the new.

Happy cranking once again! 30 mile test run went ok, so hopefully no imminent problems this year.

[mat_the_cat]

This has always been missing the correct grille badge whilst in my ownership, so I think it must have been replaced at some point. It's been a minor annoyance, but never seen one come up for sale. Next best thing is to get a sticker made!

Another owner did the donkey work a while back, so I contacted the seller and they still had the design, fortunately. It feels like somewhat of an ironic claim, when compared with a modern van, but was pretty impressive for the era.

I've got a few of them so when I tidy up the plastics I can put a new sticker on then. But for now it's an improvement

[mat_the_cat]

I've had my first electrical problem in 16 years with this recently! Main beam would only work intermittently on one side, which was slightly inconvenient as I use it more than dipped beam given our rural location. Turned out to be the fuses and contacts were slightly oxidised, so a high resistance connection. I suspect that with halogen bulbs they would simply have been dim, but the LEDs I have must cease to work below a certain voltage.

So I've spent a strangely satisfying 15 minutes cleaning all the contact surfaces with wire wool, and protecting with silicone grease. I only had four spare 8A fuses, so I've replaced all the ones for the headlights (one per 'filament') too.

 With that all sorted I did something I've been meaning to do for a while, and that is set up an old phone in the van as a mobile hotspot, and link up the Afterburner controller. Despite not really knowing what I was doing, with the advice from @cobblers it was really quite simple. 

So assuming both I and the van are in mobile reception, I can control the heater over the internet wherever I am!

[mat_the_cat]

This has been earning its keep again! We're building a log shed - actually converting/extending a corrugated iron garage into a wood store, and to allow the rare Welsh sunlight to raise the temperature, I wanted a clear roof on the extension.

So, I needed to go and collect some roofing sheets. Couldn't find anywhere local with stock (unless I wanted UPVC, which only lasts a couple of winter storms), so needed a 300 mile round trip to collect some keenly priced sheets from Huddersfield. They were too big to fit in the iLoad, so LT it had to be! I prefer driving at night, so set off and camped over nearby. 

I had a few compliments from the sheet seller on the van, and once I'd loaded up it was as if I'd designed the layout around them!

Dropped them off at the cottage where they're going to be used, and one of the German guests staying there said it was a 'nice old Bus'

There's a few jobs which have cropped up on it recently - firstly the clock had stopped working, with no evident cause. I'd bought the extra gauges from a scrapped Porsche for only £25, but no the only place I could find a matching clock from was a specialist Porsche breakers, at specialist prices! Still, it's done now.

Second thing was the LPG filler cap, which has stretched over the years.

The new one looks much neater no bulging outwards, but I notice that the skim of filler I'd used on the panel has cracked, presumably due to the metal flexing.

Another job which I haven't yet done is the front brake pads. They are thin but still have some life in them, so just waiting for them to arrive. I last changed them 68k miles ago, so can't complain on longevity!

Lastly, the sliding door has seen better days. It was dented when I bought the van 18 years ago, and the lower corners are rusted. Looks a bit tatty on the photo below, and even worse close up. (The same could be said about the owner!)

Trouble is, most replacements are in similar or worse condition, but I've tracked one down in Cornwall. So I'm treating the Mrs to a holiday down there

 

[mat_the_cat]

Just returned from a week away - campsite was pretty quiet for an Easter BH weekend.

Clear skies, plenty of sun, but a cold wind.

And lastly, the reason for the trip!

It was a bit cramped with the door inside, but only the one night like that fortunately! Looks in pretty good condition, although the exterior paint has what some people would describe as patina. I'd say it's  very thin and starting to rust stain, so not quite a bolt-on swap.

1000 miles, and I'd like to say it didn't miss a beat, but there is something not quite right. You might describe it as a misfire, or surging perhaps - at certain rev/load combinations it doesn't run perfectly. 

At 2k rpm under load it will chug a bit- varying rpm with a constant throttle position. If you ease off from full throttle, or drive through the problem to higher revs, all settles out again.

Similar at 2.5k rpm, but only with a light load, i.e. cruising at 50mph. A light load at other revs is fine, and if you accelerate, it stops the uneven running.  So it's fairly easy to drive around the problem, but it's not right. I'm puzzled as to the cause, but probably wise to get injectors overhauled,  and possibly the pump. I realised while we were away the the May MOT I clearly remember last year was in fact April, so it ran out if test mid-trip!  Not using it for a couple of weeks will give a bit of time to sort out any reliability issues. 

I've ordered a few more bits and pieces for it, as it's amazing what you remember when you're actually living in the vehicle for a while.

[High Jetter]

Almost a Door-mobile?

[twosmoke300]

I’d be looking at pump timing fine tuning if that running issue is since the pump belt has been replaced .

[mat_the_cat]

14 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’d be looking at pump timing fine tuning if that running issue is since the pump belt has been replaced .

It was doing it before the belt swap, but I think is worse now (or is gradually deteriorating!) It's difficult to tell as it's not severe, just a less than smoothness under those conditions.

I'd been leaning away from that as it starts easily, and doesn't seem to get better/worse if I pull out the cold start advance knob, plus doesn't seem down on power. But equally it can't be anything fundamentally wrong I'd have thought, as it's fine anywhere else in the rev/load range. It kind of fits I suppose, as if the timing was ever so slightly out it would presumably be more noticeable at the extremes - light load and higher revs, heavy load and low revs. And I don't know for sure that it was correct before the belt change, so it's certainly something I need to check.

Next step would be getting injectors and pump tested I guess...

[mat_the_cat]

Putting the mechanical issues on the back burner for a moment, and onto the bodywork. This is the picture which sold me the door!

Am I mad, you might think, to drive 700 miles at 25mpg for this! Quite possibly, but there is method in my madness. Firstly, the door is very straight. Secondly, there is no crustiness around the edges. And it still has the original stickers above the handle, suggesting factory paint. I'd much rather treat a bit of surface rust than rot, or who knows what behind a load of filler and a shiny paint job. I'm painting the lower half anyway, so not a massive deal to sand back the thin paint and rust.

Here is the door in all its glory!

You can see what appears to be a rust trail below the window, and my heart sank slightly. Was the whole frame rotting out and leaking?

So I started to clean away the grime to see how bad it was. It's taking a helluva lot of elbow grease, but it's starting to look like the 'rust' is actually just lichen!

Still a long way to go, but I can afford to be more aggressive with the lower half, so I may use a sanding pad. Has my gamble paid off?

[mat_the_cat]

I think I'll call that a win!

One small spot of rust, and that's it 😀 Although half a day to get to this stage...time for bed now.

[mk2_craig]

Lucky outcome! Looks like the donor vehicle had been sitting there for some* time - was there anything else worth having off it?

[mat_the_cat]

Not at a quick glance, although afterwards I keep thinking of things I should have checked for! I did get a couple of the plastic centre hub caps, as apparently they are prone to going missing (and quite sought after). I've never lost one in 85k miles, so wonder if it's more a case of not putting them on properly?