Who can spruce up Connie?

C

Commer_girl

0
Hi,

I have had Connie my camper for a while now but she really needs stripping and sorting out (cosmetically) i know someone who does bodywork but before i leave Connie with him i want to know if Commers need any kind of special attention or knowledge when doing bodywork, can i go with my friend or do i need someone with a bit more knowledge of Commers.

My second problem is that i need someone to look at the engine, on the one long trip I took her on I discovered she cannot go past 50 without overheating and losing all her water. I recall at the time someone suggest that the problem might be simply fixed by flushing out the engine, however i have absolutely no idea how to do that? So again my problem is as above, can any mechanic sort this problem out or would a specialist be required??

I am on an extremely tight budget, it just me and my little one, but i want to be able to take him on lots of camping trips this summer as we missed last summer because i was too afraid Connie would break down halfway.

Finally, what is the really glossy paint used on campers, it is not spray paint is it???

Thanks in advance for all your help guys.
 
Regarding the overheating - Yori did this once, and for me it was as simple as letting the water out of the bottom of the radiator and putting a hosepipe in the top for five minutes, letting all the horrible coloured water flow through until clear. then refill (with some antifreeze) and it never happened again. Always worth trying the simple and cheap route first!
 
Hi Commer Girl,

I'm sure peeps will come to your aid soon. The over heating thing is fairly standard with Commer's i'm afraid, but lots can be done to sort it;) Not sure what you mean with the special 'Camper Paint' though??? Am i missing something HAHAHA! Elbow Grease springs to mind! What sort of body work does it require?

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Pia is responding well to her Botox Treatment!
 
Hi, thanks guys, Connie has been hand painted in some sort of white paint, i think it was to disguise some rust, some of the sills need replacing there is a scratch along the side which is also slightly dented, the rubbers around the windows are hard but they don't leak so i don't know if they need painting or not?? The seat belts need replacing, and i have a middle seat which requires a seatbelt, i would also like to get seat belts in the back.

I don't know what is under the paint, hopefully not much! As for the paint i do not know that it is a special commer paint but perhaps more a special paint used on older vehicles which have a high shine not like spray paint, is it coach paint or is it something else, can you get a gloss spray paint?
 
Flush the rad as admin says. It works a bit better (but is a lot messier;)) if you reverse flush it ie try to force water up from the bottom of the rad to come out at the top. (Less messy if you take the rad out first :))
Failing that budget for a new rad or an electric fan.

Cheers
Jules

RatSport www.ratsport.co.uk
 
Paint
Apart from some specialist paints it comes in 4 types:
Cellulose
2K
Waterbourne
Clear over base
They are all glossy (or not glossy, depending on the skill of the applicator;))
The mile deep shine you see on new cars, and some old ones, is due to several layers of lacquer after the paint.

Cheers
Jules

RatSport www.ratsport.co.uk
 
Hiya C_G
It would help if you gave a rough idea where you are based so maybe someone local to you could give more advise. It could be a blocked radiator or something as simple and cheap to fix as a new thermostat, either way someone needs to check it out for you - body work tends to be a little more expensive though:I

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Summer's Coming.....
Trust me
 
also maybe coach paint like Fonty you have heard mentioned?

Commer Dandy by Dandy Caravans
The Colonel Mustard
 
We carry out all body and mechanical works and are based between Leeds and York ;)

http://www.commervanspares.co.uk/

http://www.yorkshireclassiccampers.co.uk/
 
You may be thinking of the old coachbuilders enamel, like on most old lorries :)

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"You,re only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off"
 
Thanks guys, sorry for the late response! I live in Croydon is there anyone willing to take a look at Connie for me? I would be most grateful:D
 
we also can take a look at the van repairs for you and we are based in coventry. www.coventrycommerpanels.co.uk ;):p

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Big Bad Woolf
 
Chamba is in Horsham isn't he? That's not far from Croydon. Seem to remember somebody from Coulsdon too but cannot think who it was!

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Pia is responding well to her Botox Treatment!
 
Hi Commer69 thanks for letting me know that it is Hammerite on Connie, however i still need someone to have a look at her to let me know what sort of money i am looking at to get her all fixed up, Jules? Chamba? anyone?? quickly before summer commes [8D]

Again thanks so far for all your help guys
 
Hi

Is Connie on the road at the moment?

As far as the overheating goes, it is usually one of five problems:

1. Blocked rad - Not unusual for a vehicle of this age with it's original rad. Can be improved or cured by back flushing of radiator and or using cleaning agents in the coolant. Best cure is new radiator - over £100, but usually worth it.
2. Stuck or limited operation of thermostat - cheap cure to replace - less than a tenner.
3. Worn water pump - the fins corrode on the pump reducing efficency - cure - new pump - around £50.
4. Incorrect tuning of engine can lead to overheating - cure - Check ignition system and timing.
5. Incorrect match of temp guage and sender (something i have experienced recently) - van doesn't actually overheat, but the guage tells you it is (ask Mattmonkey about that one too!). Cure - new gauge and sender - around £35.

So, do you actually have the symtoms of water coming out of the system when overheating (having reread the thread I can see that it does)? If yes, my guess it's going to be one of the first 3 issues - and all are easy enough to cure - you just need to replace one by one. A new rad is always a good option as the cooling system is marginal anyway. If there is no water loss, it's probably #5.

As the overheating only happens over a certain speed, I guess that there are no hose issues?

Hope that helps...

Andy
 
Thanks Thowman, that helps a great deal, but can someone plse tell me about the possible costs of bodywork on Connie and whether it needs to be a Commer specialist who needs to carry out the work or can anybody with bodywork experience do the job?
 
Commer-girl, you really need to get some photos of your van up so it will give a better indication of what needs doing to it! You will get more affirmative answers that way ;-):p

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Pia is responding well to her Botox Treatment!
 
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