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Damo's Crap


dmulally

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Hi All

I have a few months off work to be a lady of leisure and with a long list of stuff to do on the farm to ignore, Ill get some shed time in. I'm hoping making a thread will motivate me to get a bit done every day.

First cab off the rank is finishing off my Commer van. I drove it for a year or so as a stocky but it was unreliable and had a top speed of about 3. I have a 5km stretch of highway to get to the shops and I was a mobile chicane. 

So I have since done some minor upgrades to make it more user friendly. I have dumped the awful 1725cc cast iron head lump and put in a 1725cc Sunbeam Rapier engine. I've ditched the awful 4 speed box for a Lexus 6 speed box. I've also binned the awful stock 5.6:1 ratio diff for a chevy 10 bolt.

I've test driven it round the block and can get all 6 forward gears but struggled to get reverse. I'm currently doing the minor shitty jobs getting ready for certification so it's off the road for a while. For a relatively easy engine swap, nothing seems to fit. My old commer had a mid mounted V8 and that was boat loads easier. Here it is in all it's glory. 

Anyway, I look forward to crawling around taking pics in the next few days. If anybody sees any glaring errors please sing out. I'll start a discussion thread for insults shortly. 

 

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Today's job was to take out the old fuel tank and put in the new one. Looks like I need an adapter hose for the filler pipe as the old one had a flange with screws. Not a big deal. 

The old tank was ok but I wanted a larger capacity for getting further from home before breaking down. 

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So today I was able to tick a few things off the list. I fitted the rear lever arm shocks properly. I'll see how it goes with cert as I have copied the stock setup, but I wouldn't mind putting in some telescopic shocks. 

I also fitted the fuel tank and put in a new fuel line. Whilst I was under there I put in the rear brake like. I just need to add fluid and bleed and I can test drive. 

Next on the list will be a tailshaft loop. The hobbycar manual is too vague so Ill be flipping through the relevant bulletin for the mounting specs. I dont have a cross member there so I assume I'll have to weld some plates to the floor. My grinders ears are burning already. 

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Whilst the commer is off the road the daily driver duties are being carried out by the Standard 10. It was a barn find which didnt take much to get roadworthy. I have swapped the diff centre for a herald and it is much more user friendly. Took it from 4.5:1 to 4.1. 

It has been bulletproof so far and I love it. When I am done with the commer Ill tart the standard up. It sways on the road over 50mph and is gutless so Ill target that. It has a 946cc currently but I have a 1200 big block on the bench which is a bolt in swap. 

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Yusssss. Finally found reverse. I'm not sure if I have lost 5th and 6th yet but I'll deal with that later. Should be ok. 

After hours under the car with spacers and all sorts of shit I just straightened the kink in the gearstick. 

I also welded a washer to the exhaust manifold so the throttle return spring can sit at a 45 degree angle to snap it back. 

 

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What a crap day today was. I had to install the tail shaft safety loop. Seeing as I didnt have a crossmember handy I had to fab a doubler plate. I didnt have any 3mm plate so had to use 10mm. Holy crap what a balls job. The steel was from a leaf spring of a WW2 truck so just wanted to eat my drill bits and cutting discs. Bleh. 

Ill get the bolts in the morning to fit it. I can see why I put this job off so long!

 

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A shame I couldnt weld in a cross member to bolt the safety loop to. This thing is going to snag on every bloody thing in the cargo space. 

But like most safety things it is a massige PITA to install but once done I feel better knowing it is there. Considering it had one from factory (albeit non compliant) the roots engineers knew more than I'll ever know.  

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So took it for a decent test drive today and I dont think I'll be looking at booking in the cert inspecion yet. 

Even with a decent bleed the pedal goes to the floor. A miss match in wheel cyls front to rear is probably the culprit. I might look at a split circuit or put the commer ones in the chev backing plate. 

Also, I can get reverse now but not easily. It is too hit and miss so will have to clean that up. 

Both very fiddly and time consuming jobs but I want it to be perfect. 

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