Boo
Jennings restoration
- Thread starter colinthefox
- Start date
?
Shame you didn't get rid of the smell...
The new foam inserts arrived, so it was time to sew the new covers.
The old sewing machine was dragged out, and rather surprisingly it coped well with the heavy upholstery fabric until..................it broke a timing gear while sewing the last cover. Easy repair. Just order some new gears, and download a free repair manual. Except that the download included a pile of computer malware that has taken me two days to unravel.
Good news, half the village go to upholstery classes at the village hall, so they all own pneumatic staple guns, and I was spoilt for choice for borrowing one!
Here's the finished article.....................
and................
Really pleased with that.
They completely transform the look and feel of the van.
One more job ticked off the list, and domestic Brownie points earned.
Now I look at the VW and think "Those rock'n'roll bed covers look a bit tatty!
The old sewing machine was dragged out, and rather surprisingly it coped well with the heavy upholstery fabric until..................it broke a timing gear while sewing the last cover. Easy repair. Just order some new gears, and download a free repair manual. Except that the download included a pile of computer malware that has taken me two days to unravel.
Good news, half the village go to upholstery classes at the village hall, so they all own pneumatic staple guns, and I was spoilt for choice for borrowing one!
Here's the finished article.....................
and................
Really pleased with that.
They completely transform the look and feel of the van.One more job ticked off the list, and domestic Brownie points earned.
Now I look at the VW and think "Those rock'n'roll bed covers look a bit tatty!
Right...................
Time for some IVE. (In Van Entertainment).
A JVC head unit.
Positioned in one of the top lockers, so it will be hidden. We've got an older version of this JVC in the VW and it's been great. A couple of holes to fill/cover where I've moved the light back to original position.
A set of decent bookshelf speakers (from a garage sale) doing mid and high range in the space over the cab. Again hidden when the locker doors are shut.
And a couple of bass units in the space (only just!) between one of the tanks and the bench seat. They are both the same side as it doesn't matter where the bass comes from. The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed there is only one in the photo. The other is being replaced under guarantee. They were decent units but cheap on ebay because of storage damage.
So with the cupboard doors shut there is nothing to see, keeping the 70s feel. The only damage to the original fittings is the bench seat front panel, which is only a bit of thin ply anyway.
All the wiring is concealed, and it sounds like we have the complete orchestra in there with us. What's not to like?
No point in putting the head unit in the cab as it would have to be soooooooooo loud! And not reachable from the back.
One mains light to move still.
Time for some IVE. (In Van Entertainment).
A JVC head unit.
Positioned in one of the top lockers, so it will be hidden. We've got an older version of this JVC in the VW and it's been great. A couple of holes to fill/cover where I've moved the light back to original position.
A set of decent bookshelf speakers (from a garage sale) doing mid and high range in the space over the cab. Again hidden when the locker doors are shut.
And a couple of bass units in the space (only just!) between one of the tanks and the bench seat. They are both the same side as it doesn't matter where the bass comes from. The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed there is only one in the photo. The other is being replaced under guarantee. They were decent units but cheap on ebay because of storage damage.
So with the cupboard doors shut there is nothing to see, keeping the 70s feel. The only damage to the original fittings is the bench seat front panel, which is only a bit of thin ply anyway.
All the wiring is concealed, and it sounds like we have the complete orchestra in there with us. What's not to like?
No point in putting the head unit in the cab as it would have to be soooooooooo loud! And not reachable from the back.
One mains light to move still.
Tasty.
I like that, might pinch your design
You're welcome to..........................
JVC KD-331 head unit £45 (ebay)
2 bookshelf speakers 75hz-20khz £5 (garage sale)
2 8inch bass speakers 40hz-20khz £20 (ebay)
Speaker grille cloth £4 (ebay)
Aerial RMA305 £4 (ebay)
Stuff. Wiring, draught strip, foam etc £10
That's less than £90 for the whole shebang. Well pleased.
Using good sized speakers in a decent sealed enclosure (the seat base) you don't need active subwoofers and all that weight, complication and battery consumption. The bass won't make your ears bleed, but is good and rounded in a "British" kind of way. In the end it's the quality of your bass speaker setup that will determine the sound you get.
I forgot to say before that the bookshelf speakers up in the locker are on swivels so they can be pushed back round to the side to get the bedding in and out.
I might go and live in the van now.
So I replaced the differential pinion oil seal. Again. It was leaking after only two years.
It was me who fitted the wrong one last time. I really should learn to check parts thoroughly before I fit them.
First drain the oil and check what comes out. There wasn't much magnetic stuff (on the end of the screwdriver) but several large lumps of non-magnetic stuff that turned out to be road grit! Now how did that get there?
With the van on the floor, limited space and my knackered hands, it was going to take more strength than I had available to get the pinion nut off. I fitted it with some heavy grade loctite before.
Cue a special tool to hold the flange (jammed against the chassis), a 3/4 drive socket and a trolley jack to turn it.
That's serious unscrewing power there.
The sleeve of the flange had a deep wear groove which needed sorting. For the first time ever I used the equivalent of a Speedi-sleeve. Filled the wear groove with JB Weld and slipped the sleeve on over the wet epoxy.
As I said it's a first for me and I'm really pleased with the results, compared with getting the component remachined.
New oil seal fitted, and tapped flush with the housing.
The exact correct seal doesn't seem to be available, so I bought one with correct housing and shaft dimensions from a bearing supplier. At last, one that fits!
Reassembled. Refilled with oil. Test drove. Dry as a chip. Job done.
It was me who fitted the wrong one last time. I really should learn to check parts thoroughly before I fit them.
First drain the oil and check what comes out. There wasn't much magnetic stuff (on the end of the screwdriver) but several large lumps of non-magnetic stuff that turned out to be road grit! Now how did that get there?
With the van on the floor, limited space and my knackered hands, it was going to take more strength than I had available to get the pinion nut off. I fitted it with some heavy grade loctite before.
Cue a special tool to hold the flange (jammed against the chassis), a 3/4 drive socket and a trolley jack to turn it.
That's serious unscrewing power there.
The sleeve of the flange had a deep wear groove which needed sorting. For the first time ever I used the equivalent of a Speedi-sleeve. Filled the wear groove with JB Weld and slipped the sleeve on over the wet epoxy.
As I said it's a first for me and I'm really pleased with the results, compared with getting the component remachined.
New oil seal fitted, and tapped flush with the housing.
The exact correct seal doesn't seem to be available, so I bought one with correct housing and shaft dimensions from a bearing supplier. At last, one that fits!
Reassembled. Refilled with oil. Test drove. Dry as a chip. Job done.
S0updragon
Well-Known Member
Cool. Well done
Thread resurrection alert!............
On our recent trip to Cornwall, we got fed up with the cab heating and ventilation. With the ventilator flap closed, we get smells in the cab. With the flap open, the heater is on all the time, but it builds pressure in the cab to keep the smells out.
I could turn off the stop valve on top of the engine, but that's not very convenient. And it leaks a dribble sometimes after it's been moved.
Time for action.
I've fitted a heater control valve.........
It's in the return hose from the heater matrix, although it doesn't matter which line it's in.
It's connected via a Bowden cable to a pull button under the parcel shelf.............
The existing bracket has been modified to accommodate the original pull for the flap, plus the new pull button for the valve.
While I had the system drained, I popped off the bottom hose, flushed out the engine, radiator and heater matrix separately, then refilled with fresh antifreeze mix. Good for another few years.
Now we can open the flap and stay cool.
On our recent trip to Cornwall, we got fed up with the cab heating and ventilation. With the ventilator flap closed, we get smells in the cab. With the flap open, the heater is on all the time, but it builds pressure in the cab to keep the smells out.
I could turn off the stop valve on top of the engine, but that's not very convenient. And it leaks a dribble sometimes after it's been moved.
Time for action.
I've fitted a heater control valve.........
It's in the return hose from the heater matrix, although it doesn't matter which line it's in.
It's connected via a Bowden cable to a pull button under the parcel shelf.............
The existing bracket has been modified to accommodate the original pull for the flap, plus the new pull button for the valve.
While I had the system drained, I popped off the bottom hose, flushed out the engine, radiator and heater matrix separately, then refilled with fresh antifreeze mix. Good for another few years.
Now we can open the flap and stay cool
.Oh, nearly forgot.
Look what arrived in the post "PAR AVION" yesterday.
I didn't think I'd ever get one of those.
Look what arrived in the post "PAR AVION" yesterday.
I didn't think I'd ever get one of those.
Yes. Just that the handle is broken, and the pattress is s bit tatty.
BerYL is off the road for some scheduled repairs and upgrades.
Gear engagement when hot and stationary has been quite difficult, making pulling away from traffic lights a slow business. I've bought a roller type clutch release bearing so I can sit at lights with the clutch down.
I got this one off eBay. Interestingly, it's "new old stock" labelled MGB and Commer PB. It has an all steel yoke and fitted straight out of the box without modification. Result!
While the box is out I fitted new synchro springs. When I refurbished the box previously I either....
Other work to do while it's off the road includes....
Gear engagement when hot and stationary has been quite difficult, making pulling away from traffic lights a slow business. I've bought a roller type clutch release bearing so I can sit at lights with the clutch down.
I got this one off eBay. Interestingly, it's "new old stock" labelled MGB and Commer PB. It has an all steel yoke and fitted straight out of the box without modification. Result!
While the box is out I fitted new synchro springs. When I refurbished the box previously I either....
- forgot to do them
- didn't know they were available
- couldn't be arsed
- thought the old ones were OK
- was in too much of a rush
Other work to do while it's off the road includes....
- Clean out and lubricate the flywheel spigot bearing.
- Strip and clean the gearchange mechanism.
- Get the injection pump rebuilt to fix a leak, improve low rev torque and a drop off in idle speed when the fuel is warm.
- Cure a couple of slight diesel leaks by fitting new rubber seals to all the joints.
- Fit some high power amber flashing LED warning lights at high level for improved visibility in case of a breakdown in "Smart Motorways".
- Fit a larger earth strap direct from the starter to the chassis. Currently the throttle return spring smokes while cranking!
- Overhaul the starter motor.
- Improve the safety chain on the spare wheel carrier.
- A few service items etc. etc.......
Here's the old synchro springs. You can see they are all worn at the hook end, and at two other places, and one of them is half way through. Silly me for not doing them last time. I wonder what happens when they break?
Also bought a NOS ignition switch off eBay.
Nothing actually wrong with the old one except that it's START-HEAT-OFF-ACC-START, (boat stylee), which means I have sometimes got as far as wondering why there was no overdrive before realising that I hadn't switched on the electrics after a cold start. Doh! An old mechanical diesel will run perfectly fine with the "ignition" off. Very useful if you need to unlock the back door with the engine running. The new switch is OFF-ACC-HEAT-START so should cure the problem. I'll re-use the old barrel and keys.
?Also bought a NOS ignition switch off eBay.
Nothing actually wrong with the old one except that it's START-HEAT-OFF-ACC-START, (boat stylee), which means I have sometimes got as far as wondering why there was no overdrive before realising that I hadn't switched on the electrics after a cold start. Doh! An old mechanical diesel will run perfectly fine with the "ignition" off. Very useful if you need to unlock the back door with the engine running. The new switch is OFF-ACC-HEAT-START so should cure the problem. I'll re-use the old barrel and keys.