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Post by peter92 on Oct 25, 2011 19:11:15 GMT 10
hi alex and jean, yea that is what i am talking about, it is called z bars as ive been told, great info on here, got one bar welded in today and thanks again for putting up your photos as they are a great referance
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2011 16:06:27 GMT 10
ho, hum, nothing is happening this weekend, will just go and make a coffee and sit and dream!  why does work get in the way?? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2011 13:14:47 GMT 10
;D back to it this weekend. Started with cutting out the old aluminium at the end just below the seam - we wanted to keep the thickness of the seam to help attach the ali channel.  Next - bending the checkerplate. Alex did a great job by making his own (very technical) bending machine!!    next came fitting the H channel to the back - this worked extremely well, fitted like a glove, and once we get to the stage of painting we will just put a bit of clear silicone over it.  Now the really exciting bit - fitting the checker plate. ;D    This is the first bit we have put back on Katy and it looks fantastic. Couldn't be happier! ;D ;D ;D ;D Next week we will do the front. Had a quick look today and found rust in the towbar - quite bad I'm afraid, so that will have to be added to the list of things to do! It was well hidden by the very heavy paint!   we had planned to change the jockey wheel and towball anyway and we'd rather find this now than later. |
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Post by kiwijim on Nov 7, 2011 21:51:16 GMT 10
Howdy Jean, That Alex Bloke is sure a wiz on the repairs, A great job he's doing on the body work, I really love that Aluminum bender, just wondering what the stubbie on top of the plank is used for, ;D ;D ;D If My Jean asked, the answer would probably be.......... " Just for that extra bit of weight Dear"....... Whack, Whack,..... "Idiot" ;D ;D Pity I didn't know Alex a couple of years ago, we were looking for a new bloke in the Trade, you would have been started straight away Alex. Cheers kiwijim  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2011 10:21:59 GMT 10
not bad for a chippie eh Kiwijim?  Apparently the beer is an essential part of any repair!  I am always amazed at what he can turn his hand to!  Jean |
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Post by peter92 on Nov 9, 2011 18:53:02 GMT 10
hi jean, hes doing a great job, wish i had his skills
could you tell me what size checker plate alex used please and did it fit on easily
cant wait till he starts doing the inside, itll be great to see
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2011 19:59:57 GMT 10
Hi Peter, the checker plate is 1.6mm thick and we bought it in 2400 x1200 sheets from Capral, $120 a sheet + GST
I pre bent it just to take some of the spring out while fitting so it went on quite easy.
Cheers
Alex
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Post by peter92 on Nov 9, 2011 20:37:46 GMT 10
hi alex, did you put it on where the old piece went on the timber to chassie or did it go around the bottom and bolt onto the chassie
hope you understand what im saying
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2011 21:09:58 GMT 10
Hi Peter, the timber was completely rotted away. If you look closely at the bending pics you can just make out the 25mm 90deg bend on one edge.
I will bolt through this to the chassis where the timber sat before.
Cheers
Alex
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2011 16:56:39 GMT 10
another few pictures for you....  this is the back edge cut and bent round the frame. This weekend we took off the old tow bar to find it was much worse than we thought with the underneath completely rotted away.    Not having the new steel yet to make new drawbar, we decided to take off the wheels and check the axle, springs etc.    Looks not too bad, but seen we've gone this far we have decided to get new bearings and springs, and refurbish the axle. The springs are 5 leaf, but we were thinking of putting on 6 or 9 leaf, any suggestions regarding this would be appreciated. regrds Jean |
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Post by kylarama on Nov 15, 2011 21:40:33 GMT 10
Looks not too bad, but seen we've gone this far we have decided to get new bearings and springs, and refurbish the axle. The springs are 5 leaf, but we were thinking of putting on 6 or 9 leaf, any suggestions regarding this would be appreciated. regrds Jean How many leaves you need is more determined by how much load they have to carry. How much a leaf spring can carry is determined by the spring width, length and leaf thickness. A shorter spring can carry more, a longer spring is less but will be a smoother ride. As your axle looks to be a 45mm square with Ford SL bearings, your capacity is around 1400 to 1500kg, so theres no point going over that. Also if you end up with a towing weight of say 1200kg and your springs are rated to 1800kg, it could be a bit of a harsh ride for the van. I had real dramas finding replacement springs for our Millard (45mm wide X 840mm long). Short of welding on new spring hangers for more common springs or having a set made, the only place that had them was CaravansPlus. caravansplus.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=34_124_130Also if the budget allows, upgrade to electric brakes. Sooo much better. Keep up the nice work. |
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Post by millard1399 on Nov 16, 2011 10:45:48 GMT 10
G'day Jean, Oh dear, a little bit of rust to deal with, eh?! Isn't it wonderful finding all these little surprises as you work your way around the van? (heh heh...NOT!) I agree with kylarama about the springs. You would have to think that Viscount had got the engineering side of things pretty well sorted out after being in business for almost 20 years by the time your van was built, so I wouldn't be tampering too much with what you already have there. The main problem you can encounter with old springs is that the "springyness" of the leaves can get less over the years. If you have a trailer expert nearby, or even a springworks, you could have them assessed and see if "retempering" is necessary or not. I spent a bit of time sorting out the springs on my present vintage caravan project. If you'd like to get a bit of education about springs, you could have a read of the info in my Vintage forum thread: Page 4 first replyTell Alex I take my hat off to him for the amazing work he's doing on this van! This will be one fantastic caravan when it's completed.  cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2011 20:34:45 GMT 10
Hi kylarama and millard1399, thank you for your advice and kind words of encouragement. When I cut the u bolts off [the bolts were too rusted to undo!] the springs let go with quite a bang so I am guessing there is still some life left in them. I've decided to go with the "if its not broke dont fix it" line and just clean them and put them back on with new bolts and u bolts. Cheers, Alex
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Post by kiwijim on Nov 16, 2011 22:13:32 GMT 10
Howdy Alex, You're doing a great job on the Viscount, should be better than new when you have finished. I am wondering,...... Seeing as you are going so far with all the new gear under your van, are you going to take the final step by removing the center spring retaining bolt for examination ? I was quiet amazed at the corrosion of these center bolts while working on vans, some had actually rusted away completely and the springs were only held in place by the U bolts. New spring Pins are available at "Bayswater Trailer Parts" Cheers kiwijim |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2011 7:43:16 GMT 10
Hi KiwiJim, I looked at that the other day but was a bit concerned it might be a "Jesus" pin and I would be left with a pile of scrap!
I suppose if I clamp either side of it first I should be OK.
Will have a go tonight after work.
Cheers
Alex
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Post by peter92 on Nov 17, 2011 16:41:16 GMT 10
hi alex and jean, i was just wondering on what sort of floor are you putting in the van, as at the moment i am not sure yet what to do or how to join it
your chassie looks the same as mine, but bigger
by the way , your doing great, hope mine turns out the same way
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2011 21:47:46 GMT 10
Hi Peter, we are going to use a good quality exterior grade ply for the floor. Probably 15mm so I can groove the edges to take a 3mm ply joining strip, then edge glue it when it goes down.
Will then finish it off with 2 or 3 coats of estapol 2 pack.
We are avoiding carpet or vinyl flooring as we will be sharing the van with 40kgs of German Shepheard!
Cheers
Alex
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Post by peter92 on Nov 17, 2011 22:06:31 GMT 10
hi alex, are you going to coat both sides and what do you think of form ply for my van
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2011 22:26:01 GMT 10
Peter,
yes going to paint the underside with oil based house paint or something similar just to seal it.
Formply is quite thick so it will be heavy and its not particularly strong and is only good for formwork because of the resin finish which gives a nice smooth finish to the concrete.
Hope this helps.
cheers
Alex
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Post by peter92 on Nov 22, 2011 16:22:03 GMT 10
hi alex and jean, could you please send some photos of the mud guards and mesurement for me because mine are that wrecked and pieces missing so i can see what they look like, if i can see it, i can make it
hope it no bother
thanks in advance
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 10:50:18 GMT 10
Hi Peter, I will get Alex to answer your post as I don't think we had mudguards on Katy, unless you mean the wheel guards as shown here when we took them off?  regards Jean |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 10:59:16 GMT 10
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Post by peter92 on Nov 27, 2011 18:33:57 GMT 10
hi jean and alex, well thanks for the pics and i have made new ones which i will put up pics soon. made long ones to make the bottom of the cupboards out of 2mm gal so quite pleased with myself as they look great
regards peter
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Post by peter92 on Nov 27, 2011 18:47:45 GMT 10
hi jean and alex, could you please tell me what you are going to put on the ceiling and walls please, im having all sorts of trouble trying to decide what to do
yvonne[ my better half] wants a blue or maybe a white, not sure yet
hope you can help
regards peter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 21:03:40 GMT 10
Hi Peter, we haven't planned that far yet as we got a bit bogged down with the springs and brakes and drawbar etc.
I guess we will just go with a standard 3mm pre finnished ply,probably white for the ceiling, not sure about the walls yet as there is a huge range to pick from!
Cheers
Alex
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Apparently the beer is an essential part of any repair! 
