Luckily had some spare time last month so now fitting up the interior .It has been like a long forgotten jigsaw puzzle with bits stored everywhere but having the Internet and The Late Bay has been a Godsend .The ply roof panel and roof trims I rubbed done and used a Shellac primer and then top coated them with a small foam roller and I am really chuffed with the results .Now trial fitting up all the veneered ply and armrests . Big headache next will be fitting a new poptop canvas but I do feel I can see light at the end of the tunnel and did tell the kids it will be in the road this year.
Just carefully fitted new underseat and side rubber mating and new front seat belt . Was really pleased with the quality and fit of the mats , it needed minimal trimming and holes cut for the seatbelt . I trial fitted it for a week with the rubber under the lips so it toke shape and was easier to glue into position .
View attachment 114434 Hi , I decided to go down to just one gas bottle in the bus , oddly it had two from new ? so spend some of this morning cutting out a plate to fit and will carefully weld it in place next week when I have someone available to fire watch underneath .I have been caught out before with unintentional fires with customers cars so would be gutted if I burnt the van to the ground .I do have a surplus gas bottle holder now if anyone is interested ? After this next step will be gas pipe to cooker ,wiring and then flooring .I guess I am 90% done on the bus and just need one last push to get it on the road this year .
Had a good morning tackling the flooring .I have copied what Westfalia done in the 70s .The 7mm fibreboard was easy to use and I just needed to remember to leave a gap for the gas pipe .It came in a box of 21 sheets and I used 6 so if anyone needs any just say . I am just trial fitting everything prior to securing it down . Pictures confuse what I am doing but it's basically green fibreboard first , marine ply and then bright orange carpet to top it off which I think I will staple down round the edges and these will all be covered by the cabinets etc .Gas bottle cage was looking a bit shabby so had it zinc coated .
Bit busy of late so bus has taken a back seat .Wiring all down under the floor.I tend to solder and heatshrink in new connectors rather than the crimp efforts .Gas pipe secured and I threaded some string under the floor if I should need to pull some more wiring through at a later date .All joints taped and top sheet of ply all ready to be carpeted next weekend .
Carpet down and feel I have taken a step forward on this long overdue project .I guess I am about 94% done and quite enjoying doing it of late.
Rock and roll bed now functions correctly and hob and fridge unit going in next .I think I am going to leave the wardrobe and sink unit out for now to give us a bit more space .
Ambulance step now on and working great after a few alignment issues but eventually rectified with just a simple washer .
yep, good idea. i removed the wardrobe when i re-did the interior on my westy - don't miss it at all, feels more airy, boot space is bigger and you don't have a huge blind spot, plus means i have two 3 point belts in the back now so its safer. same with the sink - made a rear facing seat initially (westy style with storage in the base) to get an extra seat in there for a family wedding, anticipating that we'd build the cooker/sink unit and fit that at some point later... well, its been 8 years now and i really don't think i'm going to get around to it cook outside, wash up either in a simple foldable bowl we travel with, or just use the facilities on the campsite (or eat at the pub etc). i find the increased space preferable. bus is looking great btw -
Thank you !. I kinda have a philosophy of doing it properly and hopefully I won't have to do it again in a few years time .
Interior is almost done now time to get onto engine work which I much prefer .So to be able to run it in and out of the workshop daily I just quickly fitted the new ict carbs and mechanical fuel pump . After a few months I noticed it was using lots of fuel and the engine oil level increasing ! To cut a long story short ict's like to run at a low fuel pressure and mechanical pumps are okay unless fitted with a regulator . I am now fitting it up to run a low pressure Huco pump (that does not require a regulator) and a fuel cut off relay .While I was at it i gave the carbs a clean, fitted new needle valves , rejetting , reset the float levels etc so hopefully this will stop the overfueling . Nowadays when I service cars there is no tuning involved but years ago it was almost a daily routine and it was quite satisfying to get the engine running sweet . I hear old classic cars cough , splutter ,pop bang and smell way too rich so determined to get this on song .
you should be fine with the huco - had mine for a few years now (with ict's) along with a cut off valve and i have not had a repeat of the overfuelling/ drip through / fuel in the oil issue i had before. I fitted afr gauge/ lambda sensor temporarily to see how the engine was running and did a bunch of testing and re-jetting to get it as good as i can - now have 145 mains, 160 airs, 175 needles and f6 emulsions and its the best it's been with this setup.
Hi , Thanks for reply .I have same jetting apart from 150 needles .Weber Jets are so cheap to experiment with !
Pump now fitted and cut off relay all wired in . I am a fan of these Huco low pressure pumps! Super quiet , nice solid feel to them and you can adjust the fuel inlet and outlet positions .I did initially mount it to the bulkhead with two rubber cotton reel style mountings but it was a bit wobbly so just made aluminium bracket to support it .The pipes on the pumps are 8mm diameter so rather than use a 6 to 8mm reducer I fitted a inline filter which has both options .Fuel cut off relay from Eurocarb was well made but just a bit pricey .Started up nicely and just need to spend a morning giving the engine a fine tune up
