Project Cobbler's's Talbot Express - Time to move it on?

[Des]

That's some waterpump, leave it on the wall and see if you get a knock from planning. If you struggle to find a pulley then a few mins in a lathe could turn the old one into a boss that a plain pulley can bolt onto.

[cobblers]

 If you struggle to find a pulley then a few mins in a lathe could turn the old one into a boss that a plain pulley can bolt onto.

 

I cracked the center boss too - Once I'd chipped the outer edge I stopped being "gentle" and just beasted it off.

[cobblers]

I've got the waterpump and alternator fitted now. The waterpump went on easy cos it's designed to fit this van, and I got the engine back on it's mounts. That mount on the left is well past it's prime but replacement will be easy peasy now that I've got new bolts with copper grease all over them.

 

 

 

I didn't put the thermostat back in or fill it with water yet because the stat gasket is knackered and probably original.

The thermostat is also original, but it works perfectly so I'll put it back in - New ones are absolutely shit,

they open early and slowly.

I can't find my stash of stat gaskets so I'll take it down the motor factors after work tomorrow and see if they've got owt.

 

 

The new alternator is fitted, it went on a treat. I swapped the pulley off the old one, and with a longer (140mm m10 10.9) top bolt and 5mm of spacers either side it's fine.

 

 

The holes in the alternator are 12mm not 10mm as in the original, so I've ordered a couple of brass bushes to tighten it up, but it's fine for now. Same goes for the spacers - I used washers, but I'll replace them with some spacers when they arrive.

 

The original tensioner lines up perfectly, but theres a 17mm hex recess in the alternator as it'd normally have an M10 bolt through there. I used a slim m10 nut as a spacer, it all works fine.

 

The wiring is easy, just replace the spade terminal on the exciter wire with a 4mm ring, and slightly open up the hole in the terminal on the main power lead that goes to the starter motor - It's about 7.5mm but needs opening to 8mm for the M8 main terminal on this.

 

 

I briefly ran it up (no water in), and I'm very pleased to say it charged at over 100A with a few revs on - The alternator dyno sheet it came with reckoned it peaked at about 110, and it wasn't a lie.

 

The best I could get a picture of was 95.5A - By the time I got my phone out all 4 of the batteries had charged up a bit.

 

Now I just need to fit the water pump pulley when it arrives, and pour all the coolant back in.

[cobblers]

The water pump pulley arrived at work yesterday, I chucked it in the ultrasonic cleaner for an hour to knock the flakes off and gave it a coat of paint. No reason really other than there wasn't a lot of work in and I like painting stuff and was curious as to how much the ultrasonic cleaner would do to flakey rust - I didn't think it was very powerful but last week I forgot I'd left a PCB in there for two hours and came back to find half the components had fallen off and it'd blown all the copper to pieces around the through holes.

It came up OK, not that it matters really.

 

Fitted it all on last night and ran it up to temp for a while -  no leaks and the batteries charge nicely on fast idle, it's a bit crap on low idle though, maybe 15 amps. 100A+ with the engine at 2000RPM so it's fine while driving and I can always put the choke on a touch if I need to charge the batteries when stood.

 

 

This morning I took it for a run over to Rotherham, First of all to make sure the coolant was bled up properly and to give it a test before I need to use it for fun, but also I forgot to drain the water tank when it was stood over summer to do the welding, and now the water smells pretty funny when left in there a few days. It's a flipping massive tank (150/200 litres or something?) so I drained everything, flushed it all through and then chucked a full tub of Bruclens stuff in left over from when I did homebrew. I took it on all the back roads slosh it all about, and then did a few jobs in Rotherham - The usual bit of DIY for my mum and then go and do the 6 monthly "reset all the passwords on my nans computer after she clicked on something she shouldn't have"

 

Since I was over there, I had another Kebab.

It was better than it looked but lunchtime on a Saturday is a bad time to eat something like that.

 

All in all, an hours job completed in three fucking weeks. Poor show.

[brownnova]

At least it’s done now and you can get back to the best bit of van ownership...

 

Camping!

[cobblers]

yep, I'm off away tomorrow. The fridge is on and it's stocked with bacon, beer, bread, coffee and milk.

I've booked a couple of days off work but I'm in a mind to just bugger off for the week and deal with the fallout when I come back. 

[brownnova]

I know after mine was out of action for three weeks this summer I couldn’t wait to get back sleeping in it!

[cobblers]

I've missed driving it never mind sleeping in it.

[brownnova]

They are oddly alluring to drive!

[spartacus]

Hey Cobblers, you probably know but be careful what you wash the water tank out with, apparently some cleaners can corrode the stainless of the water heater.

Good job on the alternator/water pump.

[cobblers]

Hey Cobblers, you probably know but be careful what you wash the water tank out with, apparently some cleaners can corrode the stainless of the water heater.

Good job on the alternator/water pump.

Yeah, I read that in the instructions for the water heater just after I'd drained all the cleaner stuff out. It wouldn't light (kept tripping to the red LED) and it turns out it's just because I need to wait 5 minutes between "tries" after changing the gas bottle.

The stuff I used is pretty gentle - you can clean home brew stuff with it and you don't even have to rinse, so I reckon it'll be OK. It's warming up now ready for a shower later on and doesn't seem to have exploded or owt.

[cobblers]

Righto, I'm out and about in this now. I was going to go for a bit of a walk but it's absolutely lashing it down. No bother though.

 

Someone earlier was asking for some pictures of the interior, and I realised I'd never taken any, so I did.

 

 

Both front seats swivel, the drivers side is more awkward so I don't bother when I'm on my own. They lay flat and form part of the "big bed".

There's a weird kickstand bit that goes between them to fill the gap.

 

The side cushions drop into the gap in the middle and it makes a massive bed, like super mega king size - full width of the van and 8ft long.

It's a bit lumpy but it does the trick. Short people could probably sleep sideways to save messing about with the front seats, but on the drivers side the bed extends right out to the outer side panel and there's no insulation other than a skin of lining carpet, so it can get cold.

 

There's also a bed up top that folds down and a few pieces join together to make it up. It's flatter and probably a bit more comfy, but it's a bit claustrophobic and you need to climb up and down a ladder for access.

I never use it, all the boards are at home, I use the space to store my bedding. It'd be alright for a couple of small kids but I wouldn't want to try and sleep 4 adults in this for any length of time.

 

 

In between the front seats you can put a table, which is where I'm sat now while writing this post:

The table clips inside the wardrobe.

 

Both side seats fold up and make forward facing seats with lap belts. I wouldn't really want to strap kids into them though, they're pretty basic. You can also put the table between a rotated front seat and forward facing side seat.

 

 

At the back passenger side there's the loo/shower. It's pretty small but does work as both. 

 

It's not as grimey as it looks, the pictures make it look awful but in reality it's about as pleasant as you could expect. Saves walking across the campsite for a wee at 4am and there's a flipping cabinet in it FFS, it's ace.

 

 

Opposite that is the fridge and sink, and a nice little cupboard with mugs and glasses in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cobblers]

Under the wardrobe is the gas heater which is OK but not fantastic really - If it's actually genuinely very very cold, Unless you've got a full bottle of gas, the bottle gets too cold in the gas locker and there's not enough pressure to really warm the van all that much. It's OK for defrosting the van before driving to work though.

 

Next to that there's only a flipping wine rack!!

 

And a double hob with a little oven and a grille. I've never use the oven for owt, but I've got a load of bacon for on the hob tomorrow, it's actually pretty good too, a lot better than the ones I used to fit in VWs. I had a single hob in my T25 and it was flipping useless - it was that slow that by the time you'd done the rice, your chilli had gone cold.

 

Anyway I see these in all kinds of configs, some have things on opposite sides etc. Personally I reckon they should have put the wardrobe on the passenger side next to the bog and pad the sink and hob next to each other - that way you'd have better view out of the back window and could have another side window too, but TBH it works pretty well as it is so I won't mither. 

 

Right I best get moving because the pub stops serving food at 8 and it's about a 45 minute walk. Adios!

[DodgeRover]

That gas heater should have it toasty in there in minutes.

Are you using blue or red bottles?

[cobblers]

When the bottles aren't chilled it works well enough. I'm using a blue bottle cos it came with one, I don't know much about gas.

[Richard]

Butane doesn't work well at low temperatures, you need Propane (red bottles) for that.

[DodgeRover]

You also need a different regulator, they're only cheap, try and pick up a small red bottle to use for the colder months, skip companies are a good place to try and pick up an empty FOC as they often get them chucked in skips and they are then a pain to get rid of.

[brownnova]

Exactly the same layout as mine, except that someone’s taken out the gas heater on mine so we resort to a little electric one in winter.

[cobblers]

have they put a cupboard in its way? I was thinking of that, I could do with a big cupboard for boots and tools and stuff. That said I've only once had this on a site with electric hookup, so a fan heater isn't going to work for me really. I could always just put the hob on for a bit and try not to fall asleep.

[Guest]

have they put a cupboard in its way? I was thinking of that, I could do with a big cupboard for boots and tools and stuff. That said I've only once had this on a site with electric hookup, so a fan heater isn't going to work for me really. I could always just put the hob on for a bit and try not to fall asleep.

Please don't! And fit a CO alarm!. Those heaters are pretty good,and have an external flue so ae ok to sllep with lit., take the front off and give it a good hoover out, they get really clogged with dust and hair. Butane (blue) bottles are only good down to about 3-4 degrees, below that you need Propane- it's fine down to -20 ish. These Chinese fuel burning heaters seem to be getting popular, and seem to work pretty well at less than half of an Eber or Webasto. Might be worth looking at.

[brownnova]

have they put a cupboard in its way? I was thinking of that, I could do with a big cupboard for boots and tools and stuff. That said I've only once had this on a site with electric hookup, so a fan heater isn't going to work for me really. I could always just put the hob on for a bit and try not to fall asleep.

It’s sort of a storage gap thingy... I use it for bits and bobs which works for us.

[spartacus]

Nice write up Cobblers! It's pretty nostalgic for me to see the inside again, I had some good holidays both with my girls and Mrs Spart. We did indeed used to sleep across the camper, as we are both short!

I slept in there once when it was frosty out and it was pretty chilly, even with the heater on all night. I'm guessing that the gas bottle issue is part of the problem, the other is the poor insulation. I think the internal roof panels have a foam core but the sides only have a rudimentary layer of rock wool type stuff. I've found that a simple internal cover for the windscreen and side windows, made from the foil bubble insulation, is a start on keeping the heat in. Happy camping dude.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Hey Cobbs - thanks for the interior shots - it was me that bothered you. I was wondering about the layout, now they maximised the space. It looks proper nice in there to be honest. Being a bit chilled is all part of the camping experience though ain't it! 

I need to start the overhaul of the trailer tent October I reckon, couple more weekends away kayaking etc... with munchkin and then modern type installation plans to get on with.... it'll all go horribly wrong of course - hence wanting to see how a camper fairs. I may end up getting one for next year! 

 

Top write up and photo's fella - really appreciated.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I’m 6ft and slept across mine every night for nearly 2 months!!! I didn’t have the between-the-seats bit to make up the big bed, and also didn’t have time to cobble summert up before setting off on my voyage. Luckily, spinal corrective surgery is available on the NHS so it didn’t cost me owt.

[cobblers]

You could have got them to take a couple of links out then you'd be able to sleep in talbots easier!

Couldn't you just sleep lengthways with your legs on the front seats and ignore the gap? that's what we usually do, one each side. Occasionally a dog will fall down the gap. 

I slept sideways/diagonal last night, it wasn't bad apart from one of the corners of the cushions sticking in my spleen. I'd be a good height if I was a chinese girl, so I honestly don't know how you managed it for so long. No wonder you sold the fucker!

[cobblers]

Please don't! And fit a CO alarm!. Those heaters are pretty good,and have an external flue so ae ok to sllep with lit., take the front off and give it a good hoover out, they get really clogged with dust and hair. Butane (blue) bottles are only good down to about 3-4 degrees, below that you need Propane- it's fine down to -20 ish. These Chinese fuel burning heaters seem to be getting popular, and seem to work pretty well at less than half of an Eber or Webasto. Might be worth looking at.

 

It was a bit tongue in cheek but it doesn't come across on the internet very well! I've got a CO alarm, it's even got batteries in it, New ones too. 

TBH I should get my gas man mate to have a shufty round it all with his gas detector and whatnot. I started off a bit paranoid and turned the gas bottle off every time I'd finished using it but soon got complacent.

 

I fancy one of those chinese heaters on the next thing I build, they do water heaters too. After bumping into a mate from school who had a massive american motorhome with a flipping bath in it I've decided I need to a least have a proper shower that I can stand up straight in.

[Zelandeth]

Hey look...same taps, same fridge, same light fittings!

 

Blue border around stuff on the instrument cluster? Can't say I've ever seen the one in the Express (sorry, used to be and still am a bit of a nerd about dash design, always intrigues me when I see one I don't recognise).

 

 

If things get themselves back in order we'll hopefully be out in our van again soon.

[cobblers]

Yeah, I dunno if this is just a MK2 thing? it seems different to the others I've seen.

 

Back from camping today cos I knackered my foot up yesterday, I couldn't walk at all this morning so I cut the camping short and decided to make use of the day and take the scenic route home via Hebden Bridge to buy some trousers.

120 miles up and down some MASSIVE FUCK OFF hills, it's driven great! I even overtook a pineappled VW T4 up the Calderdale way, I was flying man!

I remembered to drain the water tank before setting off home which seemed to make quite a difference.

 

Here's one for all you "where's wally" fans:

 

 

I'll use this picture of the van if I ever have to put it on gumtree.

 

 

[Guest Hooli]

Is it behind the tree over there?

[cobblers]

Away again it this for the last few days, off to Bakewell and then a nice drive up to Edale for a couple of nights.

 

First thing I found when I got there was the fridge wasn't working - No power to the igniter. It was running off 12V while I was driving, so the fridge had power.

 

I had some tools so I took it out. No multimeter (doh!) so i disconnected what I thought was the main power lead to it (2mm2 ish wires going to the left hand side) to test them for power using a bulb out of one of the lights. Taking this out made a relay click up above the back door, and all the 12V electrics went off.

So I reconnected that, and checked over on the other side where the 240V goes in, along with the 12V feed from the ignition. Seemed fine.

So I just screwed it back in, and it fixed itself. Lit up fine.

3 hrs later it's not cold. Bugger.

I think the PO Spartacus did the old "take it out and leave it upside down for a while" trick, so I might try that again. Doesn't explain why the ignition wasn't working though, I need to familiarise myself with how a flame sensor works.

Bonus shot of the van this morning up on some moors looking a bit shonky:

I promise I'll give it some love once I've got a unit.