browndog

wow long time, good to see it is still progressing! I think the 4 cylinder could be trouble, just jam an RV8 in there!

RH side getting there, panels tacked in and looking good! https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

Some more progress pics. RR panel all welded up now. The mid panel, behind the drivers door had up t0 20mm of filler in places, and was quite stretched. So it was decided to cut this out and make a new panel. https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

RHS rear panel held in place with toggles and screws, and about to be welded in. Pic of the new filler panel for the window behind the drivers door. https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

More progress pics https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

little update, RR wheelarch was quite a mess, needs a lot of love!............. https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

LHS all done, so on to the RHS. It is much worse, but we were kind of expecting that! Some bodgy repairs done it it, probably in the 1970's. Looks like it had taken a hit in the RHS just behind the door, and extending rearwards. Bash the dents out a bit and fill it full of filler seems to have been the order of the day! We will replace the wheel arch with a repair panel that Ralph supplied, which will deal with a lot of the ugly. A new panel is being folded up to replace the whole panel behind the door, to delete the window https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

some good progress today

https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

Good progress already! I am getting the rear pillars replaced so I can refit original tail lights. Also replacing side panels to delete the windows. Some tidying up of old repairs needed to LF fender and RR quarter panel.

Yes the badge came with it. You can buy the caps separately though. I bought the steering wheel from this crowd in the UK. Shipping cost more than the bloody wheel! https://www.retro-uk.com/

Off to get some new panels fitted today https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

I think you are right! I have BFG's on one of my Transits, I bought them new a few years ago. Absolute shite in the rain, and average in the dry. Tyre technology has come a long way since these were introduced!

Oh, and I also fitted a repro Springalex steering wheel, same as what was fitted to the AVO Escorts back in the day https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

Hi Gordon, yep chrome wheels are a pain in the ass, actually chrome anything, as it has to be maintained well or else it rusts! And really costly to get rechromed properly. It was $1000 to get teh front bumper done on the Transit! I didn't want to go too tall in the tyres, so went 265/50x15 on the rear and 215/60x15 on the front. Rears are really tight, and I need to do a little bit of clearancing on the inner arch! They are chinese Vitour tyres, so white lettering facing inwards Unfortunately BF Goodrich no longer make these sizes, or I would have bought them instead. But the Vitours seem to be okay grip wise.

yep they were 14x7 Gordon. What style of wheel you thinking of?

Treated the old girl to some new shoes a few weeks ago, it was about time as the old Bridgestone tyres and wheels were 40 years old!A nice set of period US Indy's, 15x7 on the pointy end and 15x9 at the blunt end, very shiny! https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

Just finished the first week in lockdown, and I have been out in the garage working on the Mk1! Managed to get a lot done, and took it for a test drive yesterday. ( to Pak N Save for groceries of course! ) First impressions are good, it feels much better than before. The steering box conversion has transformed the way it drives - previously it had a tendency to wander around a lot, and the steering felt very "disconnected" from the steering wheel, there was no feel or feedback. It tracks nice and straight now with no corrections required, it has a reasonable amount of weight, but is easy to park. The Merc electro hydraulic pump which feeds hydraulic pressure to the steering box is getting noisier, so I will swap that out with another one I have tomorrow. The new exhaust sounds so much better! No overly loud, but has a beautiful crisp V8 rumble. ) The trans was playing up a bit, it was leaving in second gear sometimes. I adjusted the bands this morning, and that seemed to fix it. Brakes are still very average, solid pedal but requires a very hefty push on the pedal to stop. I think the brake booster is still playing up, so I will get another one when the lockdown is lifted and try that. Carb will need some tuning, it was a new Edelbrock (Weber) straight out of the box, so might need some rejetting etc. but it is fairly close. So still a few things to sort, but getting there, and overall very happy with it https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/45289-browndogs-1972-v8-transit/page/4/

no worries Gordon, I was an auto sparky in a former life, so feel free to ask electrical questions Yep must admit I was really pleased when Jacinda announced the lockdown. We are ahead of the ball at the moment, and better to take a bit of pain now, than be dealing with a fuckin huge disaster later by dragging our feet. I have never been a Labour supporter, but the way our PM reacted to the Christchurch massacre, and now to COVID-19 has been really impressive, and I am full of admiration for her. Can't believe Trump is going to ease the lockdown and send people back to work! What a moron! This really is history in the making, and with the wide range of reactions from governments around the world you just know that some of them are going to get it so wrong. I feel really proud to be a Kiwi at this moment, and think we are in the best place in the world to deal with what is about to unfold. I have just been to Supercheap, BNT etc and stocked up on parts. I'm actually looking forward to getting some solid time to spend on the projects without interruptions!

Hey Gordon, I can answer that one mate. Ballast resistor does not care which wire you put at which end. So terminal "A" going to coil + is correct. Terminal "B" goes to ignition +12v, ie. the ignition switch. Some people fuse this, I never do. You run the risk of melting the wire if you ever short it out. But more likely to give problems if you run it through a fusebox. Manufacturers have done both over the years, although I would say most are fused now. Also, if there is a spare spade terminal on the starter solenoid, this is the "ballast bypass" and can be connected straight to the coil + or terminal A in addition to the above wiring. This gives the coil full battery power while cranking, instead of the 5-6 volts it would otherwise receive via the resistor, and gives it a nice fat spark while cranking. But don't be tempted to bypass the ballast resistor permanently, you will burn out the points in a very short space of time. Hope this makes sense P.S. I am doing my last run into town this morning for some parts before NZ goes into full lockdown mode. Lots of work I can do on the Mk1 while this is happening. Conrad

yep the Astra pump is a good option too, a little shorter and fatter than the Merc pump.

Mount it under the floor somewhere, and just put a little removable panel/access hatch for top ups?

it is 350H x 140W x 80D. You can mount it pretty much anywhere, I have seen race cars with them mounted in the boot! Due to hydraulic fluid being fairly incompressible there is little to no lag. Unlike rear mount turbos! …………..

No the reservoir is the black part on the top half, the bottom half is the pump and electronics. Really easy to mount too, one M6 bolt into the mount on the side, and the base locates in a rubber grommet.

Yep they have been around since the late 90's, although most new cars now do away with the hydraulics and have an electric rack fitted. You just need a +12 volt feed to trigger it. These pumps are normally triggered by the alternator exciter feed (warning light terminal) so that once the engine is running the power steering kicks in. There is a downside to this though. If you throw a fanbelt, the alternator will stop working, and so will the power steering - not nice! Hence why I just fed mine from the ignition switch, so once the ign. key is in the ON position, the PS is working. There are other pumps similar to this that are available, although I have found this one to be the most compact, and easiest to wire up.