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The adventures of the FSO Campervan.

CYANIDE STEVE

By CYANIDE STEVE
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CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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PART 1,

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With the campervan only 80% finished on the inside, the deadline had arrived. It was time to catch the train at Folkstone to cross to Calais for 21.50 French time. I was going to spend 3 weeks touring around France before coming back home for 3 weeks to finish the interior then head off to Germany and Poland for a further 3 weeks.

We got across on the train fine with no problems and drove 15 miles south to our first Aires and parked for the night.

We woke around 8.30am and me and my friend in her camper were standing outside having our first coffee, when she said, "Have you got a bad oil leak?" I looked down to find where it had rained overnight, that in front of my Camper was a rather large patch of multi coloured water. Bugger. I opened the bonnet to find this......

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My heart sank, as I knew it was either the head gasket or the head itself had cracked.

I decided to drive back to Calais and catch the ferry.

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As it was still running I decided to drive from Dover to home and then on to my workshop the next morning. I wasted no time in stripping the engine and found that the head had cracked between an oilway and the water ways.

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Today I picked up a brand New head for it including valves and Camshaft so I won't have to fanny about with shims doing the valve clearances and yesterday the gaskets and bolts were delivered. post-5369-0-35704900-1460055240_thumb.jpg

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So now I'm going to spend the next 5 weeks finishing the Campervan completely before heading off to Poland and Germany.

stripped fred Rank: Renault 16

stripped fred

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Wow, that is one tidy looking machine! I admire your spirit. No point crying about it just got on with sorting it out. Respect! At least you'll know that part is sorted and unlikely to give you trouble again. Will enjoy reading about your progress.

Tamworthbay Rank: Talbot Matra Rancho

Tamworthbay

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What a bugger, plenty of time to get it sorted at least.

  • CYANIDE STEVE
  • Like 1
KruJoe Rank: Lancia Gamma

KruJoe

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Five weeks?

I know you're capable of having it on the road again in five hours!

  • CYANIDE STEVE and andrew e
  • Like 2
Timewaster Rank: Isuzu Florian

Timewaster

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Top marks for taking it on the chin.

And you got home so it doesn't count as ftp.

CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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Five weeks?

I know you're capable of having it on the road again in five hours!

Probably the engine I could but I wasn't happy about doing the trip in a half finished camper. When I go to Poland, there will be a lot of people wanting to see it, so I want it looking its best :-) It's only done 54,000 miles from new but the previous owner of the truck was too tight to put antifreeze in it and it had stood since 2011. Although I gave it a major service, unfortunately I couldn't foresee this. With a new head it should last a lifetime :-)
  • Cavcraft, skattrd and KruJoe
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anonymous user Rank: Isuzu Florian

anonymous user

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It's not just people in Poland who want to see it, count me in as well

  • CYANIDE STEVE, Tamworthbay and Urko
  • Like 3
Felly Magic Rank: Isuzu Florian

Felly Magic

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I bet you were livid Steve, but in a way, it happened when getting it back to base camp wasn't an absolute logistical nightmare. I think all shiters want to see this beast

  • CYANIDE STEVE
  • Like 1
KruJoe Rank: Lancia Gamma

KruJoe

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Aye, is it coming to Shitefest? It's ages since we've seen you.

 

It'll be like new when you've done, Steve.

  • CYANIDE STEVE
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CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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Aye, is it coming to Shitefest? It's ages since we've seen you.

 

It'll be like new when you've done, Steve.

Yes definitely doing Shitefest this year. The past few years it's clashed with other plans
  • anonymous user, Skizzer and chaseracer
  • Like 3
UltraWomble Rank: Talbot Tagora

UltraWomble

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I'd be gutted if that happened to me.

 

Respect where its due for just buggering on with this and fixing it.

 

mOar pictures of the camper van bit though.

  • For Fiats Sake and CYANIDE STEVE
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CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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I'd be gutted if that happened to me.

 

Respect where its due for just buggering on with this and fixing it.

 

mOar pictures of the camper van bit though.

I need to take some better and more recent pics but here are a few during the build

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UltraWomble Rank: Talbot Tagora

UltraWomble

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Thats a right good looking build going on there.

Im impressed. Mechanical skillorz and chippie-ing abilities too.

 

Christ, I bet you can cook and give multiple orgasms too :(

 

Us mortal men are not worthy.

  • CYANIDE STEVE, mat_the_cat, AlabamaShrimp and 1 other
  • Like 4
rml2345 Rank: Renault 16

rml2345

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That looks class! Hats off for sorting out the head as well, I'd have still been sulking about it now.

  • CYANIDE STEVE
  • Like 1
Timewaster Rank: Isuzu Florian

Timewaster

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I was wondering where you go to get a new head for an FSO?

 

 

FSO UK of course!

  • CYANIDE STEVE
  • Like 1
barefoot Rank: Lancia Gamma

barefoot

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Blimey thats a first, a shiter with a built in shitter!

 

I didn't know that FSO built a camper...

My life is now complete.

  • CYANIDE STEVE
  • Like 1
Cavcraft Rank: Matra Rancho towing a Tagora

Cavcraft

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Absolutely brilliant, can't wait for the updates.

  • CYANIDE STEVE
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spartacus Rank: Renault 16

spartacus

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Props for not crying and turning round to fix it. I would have thrown my toys out of the pram. Shittering at its best.

(Although I'm not sure about the word shittering, it sounds like it could mean something else.)

  • CYANIDE STEVE
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CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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I was wondering where you go to get a new head for an FSO?

 

 

FSO UK of course!

Although I have a good stock of heads for petrol engines, this one was an xud Diesel Peugeot engine so I got a new Peugeot head :-)

 

 

 

Blimey thats a first, a shiter with a built in shitter!

 

I didn't know that FSO built a camper...

My life is now complete.

FSO originally got a company to build 6 prototype campers and only one still exists in Poland. There are other conversions but very rare. I built this entirely myself. I would stick my neck out and say this is probably the only RHD FSO caro camper in the world. :-)

 

 

That's like a Starcraft for the nineties, with Landrover mirrors!!

Well spotted on the mirrors ;-) I fitted these so I'd have a good view behind the body especially as I will be spending a lot of time driving abroad on the wrong side of the road.

  • anonymous user and Cavcraft
  • Like 2
CYANIDE STEVE Rank: Austin Maxi

CYANIDE STEVE

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Quick Update: New cylinder head now fitted. I flushed the cooling system out with truckwash. Filled the system with water and 2 litres of truckwash. Took it for a twenty mile drive, then dumped out the cruddy water. Flushed it through again with water then put the antifreeze in. I now have a nice clean cooling system :-)

 

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I do have a slight problem though.

There is an occasional misfire. I've checked for air leaks but can't find anything. It has all brand new fuel hoses. It should actually have a bulb primer in the fuel line but this has always been missing. I know they have a one way valve in them. Would this make a difference?

Lacquer Peel Rank: Talbot Tagora

Lacquer Peel

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It must be nice working on an XUD mounted the correct way.

 

I don't think the bulb primer would make much difference when the engine is running. The plastic fuel filter housings are buggers for drawing air in.

  • CYANIDE STEVE and KruJoe
  • Like 2
  • 1 month later...
JohnDeere Rank: BL Wedge

JohnDeere

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I would stick my neck out and say this is probably the only RHD FSO caro camper in the world. :-)

 

Were you driving southbound on the M11 last night near Cambridge about 8pm?  If not, there must another one (though I didn't see if it was LHD or RHD as I was heading north)

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