Jcr's thread. 38k mile Convoy ex-minibus

[wuvvum]

5 hours ago, Talbot said:

Did you see the video that Richard Kitchen (Up-n-Down on youtube) did when he put it on the Dyno?

Frickin' hillarious.  It's making about 35hp at the wheels!

I hadn't, but I've just watched it.  I don't think it was losing quite that much at the wheels when I had it, but 60-odd bhp at the flywheel sounds about right given the way it performed*.  That was the first time I've ever seen the speedo needle go over 70 too...

[mat_the_cat]

5 hours ago, Matty said:

Sincerely hope you advised to the poor old lass afterwards !

Do you mean the van, or my wife?

[jcr]

I shall get a 0-60 time in once the new solenoid is in place (if that is the issue).

At the moment, top speed is about 40mph

[mat_the_cat]

On 09/01/2024 at 01:41, wuvvum said:

Sounds a lot nicer than an XD3 though!  I actually found with my LTs that it was quicker to set off in second gear with a bit of clutch slip

That's what I did too,  as first runs out of revs at about 5mph anyway! If you look at the rev counter it probably appears that I'm shifting to second but in reality I've just stopped slipping the clutch a little too abruptly.

[chodweaver]

11 hours ago, mat_the_cat said:

That's what I did too,  as first runs out of revs at about 5mph anyway! If you look at the rev counter it probably appears that I'm shifting to second but in reality I've just stopped slipping the clutch a little too abruptly.

Glorious noise that 6 pot makes. I yearn to hear mine running again.

First really is a crawler gear in an early LT - even with the enormous coachbuilt body on mine, it'll still pull away in 2nd, and the clutch isn't on fire after.

Edited to add: we owned a very similar ex school minibus, ex rental LDV Convoy (medium wheelbase) for a bunch of years. Despite all it's rustiness, and the harshness of the neglected suspension and kingpins, we loved it. I actually couldn't bear to be there when the scrap man came for it...

[jcr]

Ranking my vehicles in order of brokenness:

1. Volvo V70. No real issues (!). Stuck a scrapyard door on so it doesn't even look that bad any more. Window switches are the main gremlin. But after shimming the compressor clutch with 3 cable ties, even the aircon works!! Pictured on the left immediately post collection 3 months ago, my mate's one on the right 

2. CraigRK's old Nissan Terrano. MOT booked 0840 tomorrow. Scruffy, but moves forward when asked. 

3. My k11 Micra. 154k on the clock now, so nearly 30k done in my ownership. German garage butchered putting a new sump on when I was over there for a year and so it is not wont to retain its own oil when running. Hasn't moved for a year but theoretically would run if asked. Blocked in by vehicle 4... Pictured 18 months ago pre departure for Berlin.

 

4. The convoy. Ran for about 10 seconds about 6 months ago. Needs a new advance solenoid on the pump, new fuel filter housing (lucas style) plumbing in, welding to rear valance, welding to rear quarters, welding to front arches, welding to front corners, welding to gutters, and a small amount to the sills. Hilariously the most expensive vehicle of them all. And also the very most worst. 

 

Plan is #1 goes into hibernation, use #2 for a few months for the towing I need to do, ignore #3 and invest all my time into fixing #4. 

[jcr]

Big race to fix the van before I need it for a trip next week.

Got this off today and confirmed it has shorted. So correct diagnosis I hope. Trouble is, not too many UK suppliers and all replacement options seem very expensive.

Any chance someone has an advance solenoid for a Bosch VP30 in the shed??