My new ride
- Thread starter Paul Oliver
- Start date
Well this week isn't going to plan! Drugs arent working so im pretty much housebound, and just to add salt to the wound, the parts i need for the engine to rebuild it have arrived! I am hoping i can hobble into the workshop and fit them up at some point this week, it will be nice to see something done, maybe even mate it up to the subframe too if i can get some help.
Nice to catch up on your impressive progress Paul, sorry to hear that you're laid up -sounds like you need some Commervan-lesence, take care 
'Hunny' our Commer Hi-Tor by TorCars
'Hunny' our Commer Hi-Tor by TorCars
Thanks for the kind words :I
I managed 2 hours in the workshop today! Rebuilt my fuel pump (it was fully functional but needed pulling apart to get all the gunk out so i figured some new new seals wouldnt hurt) which now sounds as though its pumping sweeter than ever [8D] it has also been refitted to the engine
New waterpump has been fitted, such a masisve difference in feel compared to my old one! Silky smooth! Oil filter housing has been refitted along with a brand new filter, distributer has been refitted as well as blasted back to get rid of some of the nasty corrosion! Alternator ir back on, again shotblasted a bit to make it look nice and clean!
Also had a go with that metal filler stuff on the thermostat housing, seems to have done the trick! Yet to fit that back on, but with new gaskets and some RTV silicone it should all be nicely sealed
Rocker cover is now off, ready for a clean down and respray, along with the tappets being checked to see if they are all good before reinstalling the cover. Inlet/exhaust manifold needs blasting and painting, and then its just the carb left of which i am thinking a rebuild may be a good plan... or perhaps a replacement is due for some extra poke?
I managed 2 hours in the workshop today! Rebuilt my fuel pump (it was fully functional but needed pulling apart to get all the gunk out so i figured some new new seals wouldnt hurt) which now sounds as though its pumping sweeter than ever [8D] it has also been refitted to the engine
New waterpump has been fitted, such a masisve difference in feel compared to my old one! Silky smooth! Oil filter housing has been refitted along with a brand new filter, distributer has been refitted as well as blasted back to get rid of some of the nasty corrosion! Alternator ir back on, again shotblasted a bit to make it look nice and clean!
Also had a go with that metal filler stuff on the thermostat housing, seems to have done the trick! Yet to fit that back on, but with new gaskets and some RTV silicone it should all be nicely sealed
Rocker cover is now off, ready for a clean down and respray, along with the tappets being checked to see if they are all good before reinstalling the cover. Inlet/exhaust manifold needs blasting and painting, and then its just the carb left of which i am thinking a rebuild may be a good plan... or perhaps a replacement is due for some extra poke?
Paul ,if you have too many probs with the thermo housing text me, i have a couple drifting around
Naku penda PIA Naku taka PIA Mpenziwe!!!
Naku penda PIA Naku taka PIA Mpenziwe!!!
Excellent, cheers! Hopefully the lower housing is ok, its just the upper housing with the larger hose connection that i fear may not be good enough anymore, i won't really know til i drive it i guess!
Well i am back from Uni Not a Commer update as such, but these are things that will help me actually get the poor thing going again.Ii have to sort my terribly messy workshop out and equip it better, i have lots of tools but they are all dumped around everywhere and its gotten a bit disorderly!
My new bead roller courtesy of my brilliant girlfriend (early christmas/birthday present), it seems to be the better built of these generic types, although i will probably still weld some metal on to stiffen it. I am going to whack on a steel wheel weight off a fordson tractor to keep the base study but keep it mobile at the same time. I want to make a guide for it for straight pieces and look into getting a set of dies made up to suit the commer flutes.
This is the frame so far for my hydraulic press, all build out of scrap RSJ that we had kicking about the farm! I always like free stuff Quite happy with it so far, nice brutal steel.
My half started sheet metal folder needed sorting also. I was given an old wood lathe a while back, but it was shockingly bad, and i already have a lovely wood lathe anyway so that donated its base (the rest of it shall be used for another project later). Heres the legs leaning against an old saw bench base that i found to secure my metal shears to:
The folder and legs just needs fitting up properly, some extra support down below, a bit of bar to make the handle and it should be ready to go! A rather essential piece of equipment that i wish i had sorted sooner really!
Also got 2 workbenches from my old workshop going in soon (replacing one of the crude ones i have!) and a nice pillar drill on its own steel bench that i am currently restoring. It has been sitting in a shed for several years and looking a little sorry for itself! Weighs a silly amount too, it's very well built.
Hopefully by the end of the week i should have some proper Commer updates as i will have a decent workspace, i can't wait to actually get going on it!
Not a Commer update as such, but these are things that will help me actually get the poor thing going again.Ii have to sort my terribly messy workshop out and equip it better, i have lots of tools but they are all dumped around everywhere and its gotten a bit disorderly!My new bead roller courtesy of my brilliant girlfriend (early christmas/birthday present), it seems to be the better built of these generic types, although i will probably still weld some metal on to stiffen it. I am going to whack on a steel wheel weight off a fordson tractor to keep the base study but keep it mobile at the same time. I want to make a guide for it for straight pieces and look into getting a set of dies made up to suit the commer flutes.
This is the frame so far for my hydraulic press, all build out of scrap RSJ that we had kicking about the farm! I always like free stuff
Quite happy with it so far, nice brutal steel.
My half started sheet metal folder needed sorting also. I was given an old wood lathe a while back, but it was shockingly bad, and i already have a lovely wood lathe anyway so that donated its base (the rest of it shall be used for another project later
). Heres the legs leaning against an old saw bench base that i found to secure my metal shears to:
The folder and legs just needs fitting up properly, some extra support down below, a bit of bar to make the handle and it should be ready to go! A rather essential piece of equipment that i wish i had sorted sooner really!
Also got 2 workbenches from my old workshop going in soon (replacing one of the crude ones i have!) and a nice pillar drill on its own steel bench that i am currently restoring. It has been sitting in a shed for several years and looking a little sorry for itself! Weighs a silly amount too, it's very well built.
Hopefully by the end of the week i should have some proper Commer updates as i will have a decent workspace, i can't wait to actually get going on it!
My, you have been busy [^]
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
What i love most is the way that you are always very organic when it comes to tools etc. You need something, you just make it i'd never have taken on the front valance if it wasn't for you. Hopefully i will learn more from you as you progress on with your van
i'd never have taken on the front valance if it wasn't for you. Hopefully i will learn more from you as you progress on with your vanThanks for the kind words chaps! The 'organic' comment made me smile, thats quite an apt way of describing what i do haha! I'm glad i inspired you to try the valance!
We have so much scrap steel now as we slowly take down buildings/dismantle old machinery, its an absolute goldmine for useful pieces. I found an old air compressor sitting in the forest of blackberry bushes today that i though dad had sold years ago, and it works perfectly which now means i can have the big air compressor live in my workshop and the little one can be used for tyres and stuff.
The sheet metal folder is finished now (apart from a spiffing paint job) and works very well, should be good enough to do the parts i need on the Commer. The hydraulic press now functions, i just need to drill locating holes for the steel U sections that act as the base in which to press against. I have also made a quick release tool holder so that i can fit a multitude of things to it such as my tube formers, and some dies for bending thicker steel than my sheet folder can handle! It should be a rather versatile old thing!
We have so much scrap steel now as we slowly take down buildings/dismantle old machinery, its an absolute goldmine for useful pieces. I found an old air compressor sitting in the forest of blackberry bushes today that i though dad had sold years ago, and it works perfectly
which now means i can have the big air compressor live in my workshop and the little one can be used for tyres and stuff.The sheet metal folder is finished now (apart from a spiffing paint job) and works very well, should be good enough to do the parts i need on the Commer. The hydraulic press now functions, i just need to drill locating holes for the steel U sections that act as the base in which to press against. I have also made a quick release tool holder so that i can fit a multitude of things to it such as my tube formers, and some dies for bending thicker steel than my sheet folder can handle! It should be a rather versatile old thing!
Had a moment to have the first go on my bead roller, i can see what people mean about them being flexy! And why they say they are awkward by yourself... however in light of that i have found that i have a near perfect matched die already that can do the commer fluting! Its close enough that i doubt it will bother to get one made
Drivers side floor, step and inner cill got hacked out:
Bits to be replaced/repaired (more like remake the lot!)
Floor section (messy as hell looking but seeing as itll be hidden with carpet, i ain't to fussed) and the beggining of the curve to the floor step in progress
Also noticed the person who 'replaced' the cills that sit under the long fluted sectiuons, had just welded over some crappy tin. Eurgh more effort than if it had been left! Oh well, more cutting fun to come!
Drivers side floor, step and inner cill got hacked out:
Bits to be replaced/repaired (more like remake the lot!)
Floor section (messy as hell looking but seeing as itll be hidden with carpet, i ain't to fussed) and the beggining of the curve to the floor step in progress
Also noticed the person who 'replaced' the cills that sit under the long fluted sectiuons, had just welded over some crappy tin. Eurgh more effort than if it had been left! Oh well, more cutting fun to come!
Ohhh...interesting! What size die is it that you have. Also do you think that you need all the "throat" on the swager for commer panels, or could you get away with one with s smaller throat? I am looking at swagers, and an not sure I am going to put a bead in the middle of a 36 inch panel....what do you think?
The throat depth is 18" and it is a bit big for any forseeable commer jobs, however we all know bigger is better! I have plans to use it for my pickups new floor so i needed the room! The die is a 1/2" one, i think ideally it would be a teeeeeensy bit larger, but the difference is so small and i am replacing so much that i think i can leave it!
A little more progress was made today. I started building the outer step, it looks rather untidy right now (photos seem to be making it look far worse haha) but all the angles and bends seem to be spot on so once its all properly seam welded and had a whip over with the flap disc, it should look the part. I decided to make it in several pieces as most of the bends were too awkward to achieve and this has worked for me before.
Got a chance to use my swager properly today, turned out fairly well after i made a quick guide to keep the flutes straight!
Quite looking forward to getting this panel finished, as it just leaves the cills to do which should be fairly straight forward in comparision
Got a chance to use my swager properly today, turned out fairly well after i made a quick guide to keep the flutes straight!
Quite looking forward to getting this panel finished, as it just leaves the cills to do which should be fairly straight forward in comparision
Well it's been a while! Infact nearly a year I have had to avoid forums as much as possible to get myself through uni! I have quite missed catching up with what you have all been doing!
I finally had my back operation over summer, a micro discectomy which is the removal of the offending part of my disc that had split open in my back. It went very well luckily and I don't need the ridiculous amounts of drugs anymore The downside is i am 5k poorer as I had to go privately (NHS wait was too long and would clash with my PGCE/i would have to take a year out)
I am now doing my PGCE to become a Design and Technology teacher, of which i have a little following of wannabe mechanics since showing them my collection of rusty machines!
Since I was last on I have been making:
An autonomous robot, his head goes from side to side and he detects objects and avoids them as well as recoding video when he hears sound. I learnt how to write code and programmed an Arduino chip. I am hoping to use Arduino later on in the Commer to create a climate control system, if I ever finish the welding haha!
A heated seat pad for elderly and disabled users. It runs off its own 12v battery, a cigarette lighter, a mobility scooter battery, and the mains. I created magnetic connectors for those with arthritis/similar which are easy to join/break. The handset has 2 heat options and there is a thermostat to stop it getting too hot.
I started doing some wood turning after picking up a hobby lathe which has now been replaced by something much larger with a rotating heads for turning bowls This was my first play with the lathe, a sapele candlestick holder.
We had to build a stool, so this was my attempt. Apparently my tutors thought it was shop bought not bad going considering I could barely walk and managed to build it in 8 hours, the rest of my group took a month....
Coat/hat stand i built for an art gallery, made my own set of formers using brake rotors, unit is in 2 pieces for transportation.
Not actually that recent but I thought I should chuck it in anyway. A steel trials bike frame that I built one evening when I was bored (before I had the Commer!). Rides beautifully and has had some serious abuse (8ft drops to flat with my 15 stone tubbyness)
Another bike project. This was designed for single handed users who wish to run a full range of gears. Another Arduino board was used and programmed. You can select which gear you want with the buttons as well as having indicators at the rear and in the bar ends. Servos pull the gear cables, so it requires minimal effort! I can’t find a finished photo unfortunately but I had the casings 3D printed to a cost of £500... Sting! Worked beautifully, and was well received by the cyclists i worked with
Not a very recent photo but here is my mums kitchen I built (its finished now haha). I built a few of the units due to the odd spacing in the room. Done on a complete budget, I think it cost £800 inc beech worktops, all the units, oak doors, extractor, lighting, sink and taps. I like doing things on a budget and everything was brand new!
And lastly...something a little more manly! I started building this last year and finally got round to finishing it. It works well and I have made a few attachments for the tool post on there. Plenty more to create...
Unfortunately this has meant that Commer progress has been minimal and therefore there isn't much to catch up on I did nearly finish making the step and inner cill for the drivers side. I have a electric file coming my way for christmas so that means i can get to the awkward spaces and smooth some welds.
I can't wait to get playing on the Commer when i am back for christmas, i want that front underside solid!
I have had to avoid forums as much as possible to get myself through uni! I have quite missed catching up with what you have all been doing!I finally had my back operation over summer, a micro discectomy which is the removal of the offending part of my disc that had split open in my back. It went very well luckily and I don't need the ridiculous amounts of drugs anymore
The downside is i am 5k poorer as I had to go privately (NHS wait was too long and would clash with my PGCE/i would have to take a year out)I am now doing my PGCE to become a Design and Technology teacher, of which i have a little following of wannabe mechanics since showing them my collection of rusty machines!
Since I was last on I have been making:
An autonomous robot, his head goes from side to side and he detects objects and avoids them as well as recoding video when he hears sound. I learnt how to write code and programmed an Arduino chip. I am hoping to use Arduino later on in the Commer to create a climate control system, if I ever finish the welding haha!
A heated seat pad for elderly and disabled users. It runs off its own 12v battery, a cigarette lighter, a mobility scooter battery, and the mains. I created magnetic connectors for those with arthritis/similar which are easy to join/break. The handset has 2 heat options and there is a thermostat to stop it getting too hot.
I started doing some wood turning after picking up a hobby lathe which has now been replaced by something much larger with a rotating heads for turning bowls
This was my first play with the lathe, a sapele candlestick holder.
We had to build a stool, so this was my attempt. Apparently my tutors thought it was shop bought
not bad going considering I could barely walk and managed to build it in 8 hours, the rest of my group took a month....
Coat/hat stand i built for an art gallery, made my own set of formers using brake rotors, unit is in 2 pieces for transportation.
Not actually that recent but I thought I should chuck it in anyway. A steel trials bike frame that I built one evening when I was bored (before I had the Commer!). Rides beautifully and has had some serious abuse (8ft drops to flat with my 15 stone tubbyness)
Another bike project. This was designed for single handed users who wish to run a full range of gears. Another Arduino board was used and programmed. You can select which gear you want with the buttons as well as having indicators at the rear and in the bar ends. Servos pull the gear cables, so it requires minimal effort! I can’t find a finished photo unfortunately but I had the casings 3D printed to a cost of £500... Sting! Worked beautifully, and was well received by the cyclists i worked with
Not a very recent photo but here is my mums kitchen I built (its finished now haha). I built a few of the units due to the odd spacing in the room. Done on a complete budget, I think it cost £800 inc beech worktops, all the units, oak doors, extractor, lighting, sink and taps. I like doing things on a budget and everything was brand new!
And lastly...something a little more manly! I started building this last year and finally got round to finishing it. It works well and I have made a few attachments for the tool post on there. Plenty more to create...
Unfortunately this has meant that Commer progress has been minimal and therefore there isn't much to catch up on
I did nearly finish making the step and inner cill for the drivers side. I have a electric file coming my way for christmas so that means i can get to the awkward spaces and smooth some welds.I can't wait to get playing on the Commer when i am back for christmas, i want that front underside solid!
Good to have you back Paul
Looks like you,ve been keeping busy [^]
Try and come in a bit more often
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
Looks like you,ve been keeping busy [^]
Try and come in a bit more often
"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"