Merry Christmas ya filthy animals
Lucy has gone to work, Kids are too old to sit around with me and I don’t fancy watching re-runs of Vicar of Dibley or something, so I’ll post something here instead
Had the van not quite a year, but it’s been an interesting year to have bought it.
At the start it was to be bought as a short term replacement to a financed van, I was going to run it whilst selling, clearing finance and buying a replacement.
That didn’t quite go to plan, the dmf went on the VW and got fixed, we then got locked down before I could sell the other van.
Tbh lockdown was a good thing for this van, though I was lucky enough to still be working, I had time on my hands, so I was able to sort the Astra out. It’s not a perfect example, but then it’s used every day for work and it’s good enough to get commented on most days
But the lockdown wasn’t so good for the VW, by the time I sold it I think it had sat around for too long and had developed some issues, so rather than investing in that I cut it loose and lost some potential profit, but that was offset by not having the expense of another van. There was also the realisation that I can’t fix the VW effectively, all the issues that I experienced with it seem to have been sensors, modules or possibly wiring but it has become so specialised that it’s not easy to fix on the drive.
So though the profit I was hoping for didn’t come, the relief of not having to pay the HP every month more than compensated.
Certainly, even with investing time and money into the Astra, I still a lot more in control during this out of control year!
I didn’t bother adding up the what I’ve spent on the Astra to be honest, there comes a point that it would have become no longer financially viable to invest in it, and that would have been before I had added the value... so best to keep plowing on.
But my estimate is that all in, I’ve spent just over 3k all in.
I swapped insurance back in July, and it’s on an agreed value modified commercial policy, and insured for 2.5k
Not sure if it’s true value, but there have been a couple of tidy versions sold for that sort of money.. so think that’s probably about right (not that it matters, it’s not for sale
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As it’s my work van, I sometimes change customers mileage (generally if I’m working more than 20-25 miles from home), but otherwise it’s a consideration in my day rate, and that has always been 25p/mile (unless I’m charging actual mileage... then it’s down to my bravery
). But with being able to service it myself, getting better mileage and no finance that more than makes up for the difference between the money invested and potential return.
So whilst it’s my daily work van I can justify investing in it, and it has won me a few jobs this autumn... turning up in it gives an indication of how I work, which a lot of customers like. So as an advertising tool it is also proving useful.
Anyway, enough of that...
Obviously I had to buy the van something for Christmas
When I lowered it, I would have liked to have gone a bit more, especially the front, I bought some extra lowering plates that would drop the front an extra 10-15mm
but with it being my works van I am nervous to drop it much more. As if I get access issues it’s not going to be able to earn its keep.
So what it needs is airbags.
I saw a secondhand Accuair E-Level system come up for about 1/2 price. So that’s the vans Christmas present
It’s the more complicated/ cleverer system that has a height sensor on a linkage to each wheel
Which can then compensate for me loading it up with stuff
And I can (I believe) have 3 settings, low, normal and overlander
I haven’t got airbags, compressors or anything else. But I’ve been chatting to someone to do the clever stuff and he’s busy for a while but hopefully I haven’t annoyed him too much already and he’ll bag it for me late summer
And I’d like to be able to install it in such a way that it could be fairly easily swapped back to springs. That way at worst it’ll cost me a day off work if I get a huge problem. Recover it home and spend some hours to return it to springs.
To do this I need a spare set of struts, but luckily I have some with rusted spring seats, which are ideal as the spring seats need to go
The rears I’m not sure how the bag mounts would differ from the spring mounts. But been told it’s fine, so happy with that
So apologies for the tease, it’ll be a good while until anything happens with this!
Other than that, the front wiper assembly is squeaking on drivers side, but I’ve bought another (£20) to swap in, or check over and swap in. Just waiting for that to turn up (along with everyone else and parcel deliveries at this time of year)
And I need to sort the engine, it’s still smoking a bit but the rest of the van is too tidy for it to smoke about like a 20 + year old van. I think it’ll be gummed rings or glazed bores from all the years not being used for more than 1000 miles a year... whilst I had a leaking pump etc it was easier to sort them first, but it hasn’t gone away. It runs fine, doesn’t use oil, water, goes well enough so it’s not desperate.. but irks me.
My man maths plan was to sort the engine for less than, or at least about the same money as the next service on the VW, would have been, which having just looked... would be £494 for the cam belt and £150 for a minor service.
As something to do to make a start, I was going to get the spare low blow on the engine stand and have a look, I know nothing of the history. So it may be scrap but won’t know whether to rebuild it until I look
A slight problem with that plan happened on the 23rd! The engine was ‘stored’ by the bay window out of sight.
But with all the rain that day, the storm drain that takes water from the front of the house and the drive couldn’t cope.
Locally the rain was bad enough that the river level climbed from 0.5m to 2.16m in about 8 hours.
I had a pretty good idea the drain had started to collapse over the last few years but up until the biblical rain on Wednesday, ignoring it had been an adequate solution
But it was at the point of breaching the airbricks and filling the void under the house... so I had to get a little brutal
Lifted a load of bricks, found the storm drain, broke into the pipe (which is all a lot harder whilst it’s under water!) and tried rodding it, then eventually made a sump and pumped it away
So another job for the new year will be to lift and re-lay the block paving (and replace the storm drains as well)
As a consequence, I then needed to manhandle a heavy old Diesel engine over the hole (on my own, because tier 4) then got assistance from the family to lift it on the engine stand.
I’ve been out this afternoon whilst Lucy had a sleep and have drained the water from the sump
It’s not killed it, but the blocked pickup probably did
Which I’m guessing has damaged the big ends
So won’t be using that, will carry on stripping down and having a look anyway.
But on Christmas Eve this came up for sale... I’ve known about it for a while, it was built by some guys I know and refreshed to go in another mk3, but he’s decided to sell.. so a deal has been made
I shall wind it down to make sure it’s reliable, but I know it’s been looked after and worked on properly. So I’m just going to keep it for now and collect any bits for the swap and do it when mine becomes a proper issue.
I believe it will mount to my box (F15?) but I’ll need to swap the clutch (but he’s thrown an uprated one in)
so probably engine mounts to change, and some hoses, induction pipes and air ox and exhaust (because exhaust is at the front on the Isuzu)
But will investigate a bit more once I’ve actually got it and start looking for cheap bits from a breaker... so if anyone has a knackered 1.7td lying around I can have some bits from let me know
Hope everyone has a good break, and we get to go out a bit more sometime in 2021
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