Started

[tommin]

Well my beast is a 1983 T25 Bus with a 1.6D engine (non turbo). Yeah okay I know slow as a slug, but hey, what's the rush!

I am just starting to make her look and run well again. I have taken out the inner wall panels and found that the left side has good air vents running through it, all along the top of the rear wheel arch??? Looks like someone had tried to repair it by welding a piece on the inside, so hopefully just a rub back and some filler should see it right. I have read with keen interest the paint by roller and have decided that is the route I will go, already ordered some vactan. The paint will follow later in the year, our summer here does not really start until the snow buggers off late May, so plenty of time to sort the rust issues out first.

The mechanics touch wood seem okay, urgent need of a decent service though. Wiring okay, found that the reversing light was not working, on further investigation, noted that one of the sender posts had broken, so that's one to add to my ever growing shopping list. The exhaust is another that needs to be renewed, like the idea found here of using motorcycle exhaust, that's novel. I also have to sort the heater system out, it works but it looks like some of the wire control lines are broken, so dash off I guess.

What else, who knows, each day will surly bring something else to light!

Now how do I upload pics of my beast?

[R0B]

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Mi ... g_pictures..

[tommin]

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Mi ... g_pictures..

Thanks appreciated

[tommin]

Well here goes hopefully these pics work.

[tommin]

Well got started on the rust today, mainly along the seems and wheel arches, could have been worse I suppose





I have a question regarding the dashboard and the speedo cable, I took the top box off and the cable just came out of it's socket, is this how it is, pop out pop in, or have I done it some damage?

[tommin]

You know when you start digging, you find all the low down and dirty stuff, well that's what I just did. I dug a little under some crap that was stuck on the back cargo floor and came up trumps, well not really, just two great dirty holes covered up by bodge job man

What do you guys reckon i should do, not having any welding skills myself and so rural out here in Finland. Can it be fixed (another word i guess for another bodge job), by galvanized mesh and fibre glass filler? That's the only stuff I currently have and am so tempted but thought I'd pass it by the panel (you) first. I have checked out the underside and the rest is fine, chassis is solid.

[boatbuilder]

Doesn't look too bad at all, some welded patches and plenty of rust treatment and paint should sort that out.
I had considered the fibreglass route on my own van (and many people do) but decided to grit-blast and weld instead...only a couple of hours work I reckon. Its up to you..... for the small amount of welding needed on yours, personally I'd pay someone to do the welding.

[CovKid]

Member 'Jonno' from the North of England is fitting a bike silencer to his - on a later exhaust system. I wrote the original WIKI article based around T25s with the earlier system but once Jonno has done his, we'll add that in to the WIKI. Makes a lot of sense fitting a bike silencer as they're cheaper (S/H) and many are stainless. I only went that route as I resented the prospect of having to replace a stock exhaust in only a few years time (around £100 mark many places) and a complete stainless system was well outside my budget. Average for a S/H bike can is £25 - no brainer really.

For reference in case anyone can't find it: https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Exhausts_Custom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - theres a video clip too.

As for the rest of your van - aim to do any work on it well. Pays in the longer term. Good luck

[tommin]

Member 'Jonno' from the North of England is fitting a bike silencer to his - on a later exhaust system. I wrote the original WIKI article based around T25s with the earlier system but once Jonno has done his, we'll add that in to the WIKI. Makes a lot of sense fitting a bike silencer as they're cheaper (S/H) and many are stainless. I only went that route as I resented the prospect of having to replace a stock exhaust in only a few years time (around £100 mark many places) and a complete stainless system was well outside my budget. Average for a S/H bike can is £25 - no brainer really.

For reference in case anyone can't find it: https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Exhausts_Custom" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - theres a video clip too.

As for the rest of your van - aim to do any work on it well. Pays in the longer term. Good luck

Thanks, will try my best. Regarding the combi-colour paints, as you may gather i am in sort of sub arctic conditions here, costs more to ship than the purchase. Is there an alternative paints that do same or similar that you know of?

[Plasticman]

With regard to the bike can, I am thinking of the same for my 1.6D, wonder how it will sound with the oiler
mike

[CovKid]

Tommin, on Rustoleum, try emailing Rustoleum.eu or rustoleum.nl and see if they an find you a local stockist

Metalmickey, no reason why it couldn't work but all silencers have a resonant frequency - in my case it seems to be at 30mph which doesnt bother me much but you might need to experiment (maybe fashioning your own baffles) to get things just right.

Must admit, having done it (and lots said it wouldn't work - bit like rollering) I wouldn't go back to a rusty steel one. Not a chance. When I turned up at Vanarchy last year a few commented on the great noise it makes - not loud, just a nice rumble. Perhaps see what Jonno comes up with on his as he has the later under-slung box (not too dissimilar to a diesel set up) and seemed confident he'd sussed how to fit the one he'd just bought. You being a welder won't have much of a problem though If you fit one and it works great I'll happily add to WIKI.

I know Jonno is busy right now but I expect he'll get around to it over the next couple of weeks. Once you've sorted the actual coupling, you can experiment with other cans - they're cheap enough providing you're not buying new. Sounds great when you fire it up without actually annoying anyone. Very 'GoldWing' or 'Norton' without rattling windows.

[Plasticman]

Thanks for that, a firm that make carbon cans send a good few to us to have the input tube opened up to take a larger pipe,
I suppose I could make a pipe heres some pipes I made to fit the hyabusa we built into a sigle seat racer


and then theres the V8's

making inlet manifolds

theres a nice fuel rail in there somewhere


The tears are not joy (mark) does the rolling road and he just banged his head
enough here as Im hijacking the thread
mike

[tommin]

Thanks for that, a firm that make carbon cans send a good few to us to have the input tube opened up to take a larger pipe,
I suppose I could make a pipe heres some pipes I made to fit the hyabusa we built into a sigle seat racer

enough here as Im hijacking the thread
mike

Yep you hijacked it but hey no complaints, some nice pipework, just sometimes wish i was back in blighty, easier to get the parts etc....

[tommin]

You will have to forgive the unworkmanship, we are trying to get the old girl ready for the fishing season (June). It will be no work on her then until the next winter time, that is of course the old girl passes the next test (MOT).

[tommin]

Satin black skirting on the go!