Club 80-90 Forums

Thanks for that RJES - i knew i had seen a "proper" one at vanfest.

When do you start to plan selling this then? I couldnt see it on your website.

Cheers,

Ringo

Apologies Richard. Your bespoke column couplings look so like OEM parts it's impossible to tell them apart at a glance. The mark of good design.
I didn't appreciate the extra element that you have built into the upper column;
maybe displaying a cutaway/sectioned column, highlighting these features, would help potential customers to appreciate the extra lengths that you have gone to and how they ultimately benefit.

This is exactly what I expected from Richard Jones and his followers however I would like to say in my defence I have watched the rjes video from u tube and found it interesting because 6 weeks ago my wife was involved in an accident In a Peugeot and this is what happened.
At 30 mph she went round a blind bend in the dark and hit a Volvo with a tow bar straight up the back the Volvo was stationary at the time.
Well the air bag went off and the steering wheel cover detached from the centre and hit her with force in the chest breaking three ribs and cracking her sternum.
It took 1 hr before they could move her and she is still suffering.
Now that’s an up to date product fitted in all cars today.
As with the video which has been posted by rjes I would like to say the steering wheel used in the video is a standard wheel and is designed to fold in a collision if it comes in contact with your chest.
Well how many people still have the same steering wheel??? The vw design was an all round design so the column and wheel was to work together in harmony.
Most people know if you have a hard hit in a t25 at speed you will be dead and don’t matter whether the steering Colum is collapsible or not you not coming back.
The design I have produced is a very reliable product hence 12month guarantee and as with the build quality well all I can say is it might not be an rjes product but it will do the job fantastically and is very safe and the quality is fantastic for the money .
As with stealing the idea from Richard well that’s totally unfair to say I have been a loyal customer to Richard and have used his products and spent about six thousand pounds with him over 18 months and I told Richard over a year ago that I was looking at converting the steering on a t25 I have had the product for a while now since I spoke to some one at van fest 08 who gave me some good ideas this was not Richard he keeps his secrets and designs close to him.
This is not something that has just been pulled out the bag I have spent lots of man hrs to finally get a steering to do the job and be very safe it might not be collapsible but it is built to last...
All products have there problems even rjes, I am running around with an exhaust that sounds like a dragster at 50mph with less than 500 miles £575.00 this is the second I have had with this problem.
Also speed sensors in the quad cams keep failing noisy full pumps error messages on my 2.5 single cams when there is nothing wrong with the van and told to unplug the error code light. I have not once made an issue about this because I understand there will be problems with products new or old. All I have done is resolved it myself.
Back to the steering the new ford transit which most people drive daily has a knuckle joint at the bottom of the steering column which is designed to snap in the event of a heavy impact same as mine this is why it has a reinforcing bar below the knuckle to allow the joint to give and snap in the event of a hard impact.
This is a premium rate number ford technical £1.00 a minute
090655334471 find out for yourself

As for my spelling and English I might be dyslectic but certainly not thick.
What you need to understand in this world it is nice to have choices and variety and maybe not the bitterness that comes across from people you don’t have to buy the steering if you don’t want to, you might want to wait for rjes that’s fine that’s your right as a customer I have never been discourteous to Richard and certainly never stole his ideas so I hope you read this Richard and give me a call and apologise for such a harsh remark and remember I have been a good customer to you.
Every body has a right to sell there product and good luck to all of those who try at least it gives people a choice.

Many Thanks

Barry
VWSUB

This or any forum is not the place for discussion between me and my competitors, apart from to quote "Most people know if you have a hard hit in a t25 at speed you will be dead and don’t matter whether the steering Colum is collapsible or not you not coming back." Astonishing! Hey, why don't we all just stop wearing seat belts too?
Barry has a recorded delivery letter on the way immediately terminating all previous connections between him and my company and products.

I will defend a couple of points though regarding my products:

Faulty Subaru conversion speed sensors:
I'll happily admit that I made a faulty batch. I actually damaged a batch of perfectly good sensors because of a design fault in the system which I use to test each one. As far as I know I have replaced any which people had a fault with. If anyone thinks they have a faulty one, you've only got to ask. They are easy to test if you are OK reading a current on a multimeter, and there is a visual difference between potentially faulty and OK ones.

Subaru conversion error codes:
I have never, and never would advise anyone to disconnect their error code light. If somebody wants to do that, then it's up to them. Depending on the type of gearbox management systems used in some auto Subaru's, it is possible to get at least one error code which I do not know how to get rid of. I have only ever come across this code once, in my own conversion. I am certain that there will be other codes I have not come across, as I don't regularly drive one of every engine option available, but I'm happy that I can sort out the large majority.

i for one have never met,spoken to,or bought anything from rjes.so i am certainly not a "follower" of his.as i stated before i think it would be a good idea for anyone going down this route to check with their insurers as to whether they are happy with this modification.(yours or rjes)

This is exactly what I expected from Richard Jones and his followers

May be followers was the wrong word as I have stated I am dyslectic may be loyal customers is the appropriate word however this wasn’t pointed at you directly and I hope I haven’t offended you or any other parties as I would not want to do that
I was a loyal customer to Richard but I can assure you he did not inspire me to do my own steering and I think he must feel the market should be all his there is enough room for every one and as I said choice is a good thing not every one can afford rjes products but I know Richard has spent a long time developing these but so have I
Thank you
Barry
VWSUB

This has, once again, turned into a bitter row between the main parties concerned with the rest of the forum looking on in astonishment...
Let's all just remember: These were vehicles designed in the early-mid 1970's, with minimal updates to their passive safety systems during production. Anyone modifying their vehicle would do well to improve on safety if they possibly can (informing their insurers, naturally) but has anyone actually impact tested one of these modified columns in a laboratory?
What about one fitted to a vehicle? With hidden rust in the front crash beams or bulkhead seams?
Of course not.
While on the subject, what about brake system changes? How many of those are properly tested? We are now driving these vans faster than they were ever designed for and well past any intended design life. Were they even supposed to last this long?
I for one have rather gone off the column that I bought that does not have a collapsing element. So where does that leave people like me? How can I now make it reassuringly safe, in the knowledge that one day I could have a "big one"? I guess that I'm just out of pocket and have to live with it.
Caveat emptor.

I will not be continuing any discussion with Barry or discussing his products on here or on any other forums. As I've said, it's not the place. That side of this discussion is offline as far as I'm concerned. I have just sent him a letter.

I don't mind continuing discussing engineering and safety in general though if other contributors value my opinions?

Blimey the toys really the left the pram this time!
(E D I T)

I am involved in many forms of T25 customisation for myself & customers Richard and safety is high on my list when I do so - i.e the amount of rock n roll beds/seat belt combos which can cripple if in an accident are enormous.
The collapsible steering column is one of only 3 crash safety devices these vans have upfront so I wouldn't fit one to a customers van without that part -if it's ur own vehicle it's ur choice. So an RJES one maybe more but then ur down to 2 safety devices upfront...
And BTW I have never met Richard nor used any of the RJES products (sorry I dont like mixing cats n dogs.. vw & subaru = ugh! this week anyway.. ) but I appreciate good engineering when I see it.
Peet

I've never fitted one, and would refuse point blank if asked.
Same as the rear bed systems I was asked if I was interested in buying last week.
Product liability insurance, especially for design and manufacture of safety critical parts is expensive, so much so that my premium doubles if I want to sell the the US/Canada due to their highly litigeous society.
There are lots of parts I could make, or have made that people want to buy, I choose not to, mostly on safety grounds.
Remember those heath robinson syncro trailling arms not so long ago? scarey biscuits.

Hell at least you guys did'nt just tack weld a few bits of ole bike frame together ala Williams F1 lol

dugwiththevwbug wrote:Hell at least you guys did'nt just tack weld a few bits of ole bike frame together ala Williams F1 lol

Well, I know I didn't.

If only these were motorsport parts in the 1960's or '70's, not road vehicle parts for sale to the public now. It'd be so easy then. No safety rules and drivers who accept a very high chance of dying. Don't know about Williams, but the Porsche 917 had something like a bit of fibreglass and five 1" tubes to support the pedals and radiator in front of the drivers feet. His feet were ahead of the front wheel centre line. Behind him was 1200 bhp.

Well our units are built as good as you need not over the top and wont break your pocket you have to remember theses vans are thirty years old and are still on the road and the amount of rust these vans hide especially in the crash bars in the front of the van and the seems are very week compared to when they were new so know matter what steering you put on it you still stand the chance of serious damage in a collision
Our units are built to a high standard not tack welded
Many Thanks
Barry
VWSUB

sorry guys i was teasing no offence intended I think all corners have been valliantly defended and allthough minor disagreements over design conception and safety the overwhelming concensus has been that both products work well and half the cost of 2nd hand fluid p.a.s.
I know damn well that if i front end my bus i am history as i would have been in my split, bay and many other classics i have owned. I would rather go out of this world without popeyes biceps.
So gentlemen in the style of dragons den you have my vote.
ps my admiration to all the engineers of products that keep my V-dub alive kicking and slightly modernised.

ps and i am as dyslexic as gordon brown is stupid lol