Ex-Grizz 1963 Taunus Transit FK1250 - Hydraulics DOWNNN BOY

Roofrack looks really good Rian, suits the van.

PIX TO FOLLOW.



Well, Santa Pod with the www.buraser.de FoMoCo Wrecking Crew will always bee a great event.

This year was the first time the Transit went up.

Saturday we left here, and after one and another thing.... not just our own woes, we ended up stranded 5 miles short of Santa Pod, having picked up an oild leak on the M1, we got to a village at 5 to 12 and bought a £35, 5 liter can of motor oil from Subaru before they closed.... RIPOFF I hear, but I needed it,and guess the needed my money. Calling Oldbus, who along with his (hope I can say this) Gorgeous wife, came to rescue us.

He stopped, crawled under the bus and asked for spanners, removing the Oil pressure sender switch. Next up he rummaged in my nuts and bolts tin, found a fine threaded bolt, screwed it in, and I filled the sump with 3.5 liter of liquid gold, started the bus and proceeded to follow is satnav to the pod.
We had a great day with all.
Today we left at about 3pm, after promising Oldbus and Thorsten not to exceed 85km/h which we did not do at all then.

Just after Bluewater on the A2 coastbound, the fanbelt let go (Thorsten had warned me )

1 hour later the recovery truck picked us up at 6.45pm, and brought us home.

Nicola and I laughed so much at ourselves, as we have perfectly good modern dailies, yet we play with these old cars.

Thanks to Classic Ford for the weekend.

Hey Grizz, that was me giving you a toot on the M25 ;D

whistling at rmad, tooting at grizz......spreadin' the retro love in the real world.

didnt see mikes coupe

didnt see the bus (cry)

sniff

eeast you got sorted

Morning Seth, Yes, I think we saw you barreling along too.

Was great to be out, and more importantly, spending time with a great group of guys who have become family, including Mrs Oldbus.... She is a lovely woman. Oldbus must be rather special to deserve her.

Just a few pics for now, before and after.

I will post the content of the weekend when I have had time to edit and select the best ones, and add them to someone else's thread.

Anyway, plan was to travel with the Medway Monkeys.....
Pic at 08.30 waiting for the group.



Ultimately Nicola and I set off at 09.45 on our own, so be able to just drive sensibly slowly.

We got as far as about 10 miles from the Pod when I had bought 5 litres of oil, which the bus spat out within 5 miles..... expensive £35's worth of oil then.

Perfect place to break down and await rescue.


Anyway, broke down called Oldbus to the rescue, and he and Ulla his wife came and sorted it all withing 20 minutes, we then followed them to the Pod for a great weekend.



Close to midnight, our first night in the bus..... decided not to pitch the tent for one night. Bloody cold in there still.



Sunday just on 3pm we left the Pod with Oldbus and Totti telling us to go slow, which we did, Thorsten also warned about the fanbelt needing to be seen to.

OK, so he was right.
Bluewater junction.... Fanbelt toast.





Home......

What a great weekend it was though.

And thanks for those who stopped to offer help.

Especially the nice guy in the Cream VW Camper.

Well, just got this pic from Michael in Germany ( White Granada Coupe )

It sums up the whole ethos of why we play in this oily grubby playpen of ours.

Thanks publically to everyone who has has a small or large part to play in the life of my Transit, be that a nod or smile, a sticker, some primer in a can, or advice, or a rescue mission to fix a busted oil pressure sensor. Even the recovery services deserve a nod at this point, picking up broken cars on a Sunday at 6.30pm


The pic is now my screensaver, after the last one survived 5 years.

Fleet update....

Pics as requested, unfortunately sun was against us for some really nice arty shots next to the water.

Before we went out to get together... ready to roll.

Well, another weekend is "Moer toe"

I spent part of yesterday playing with various things including the new seats.

Last night Nicola and I went to the O2 Arena to watch Jeff Wayne's 30 Aniversary of: "War of the Worlds"
I have known this music since it was launched in 1978 , when I was still at boarding school.
Anyway, in Novemebr last year when the show was anounced , we decided to buy each other best in house tickets for Christmas,
What a perfect way to spend an evening


Back to today, we did bootfairs, and Fathers day, then lunch untill about 2pm...... at which point I started on these seats in earnest.

They needed to be reduced in height by about 3 inches to work sensibly in the bus.

Below are a few pics of the process, which included carfefull disassembly, and reuse of many bits, then welding part of the old rails into the cut and reduced frame below the seat..... keep in mind this is angle grinder and welder territory, and with nylon type upholstery, I had the seats covered in old duvet and masking tape.

After I finished at 21.30, I have to say I am actually pleased with what a decent welder AND tools can get right.

Starting, try figure out what is connected to what...... where can I cut and where not and what would see the seats destroyed .



Once all the peripheral stuff is stripped away, like plastics, gearing for the height adjustment etc, I welded the front and rears up above the point where I planned to cut, as the frames are made up of sections of pressed steel.



Scored, measured, checked, and checked again, also wrapped tightly to protect the fabric, seat awaits its fate.



Moment of truth, grinder in hand, another self portrait in the interest of sharing ;D



All over.....



I used a pair of locating pins from the stripped bits which I welded into the rear ends of the frames, the plan is to use them to locate the seats, and then use 8mm nuts and bolts up front, so that the seats can be removed with 2 bolts undone for when major service is needed to the engine.... making access easier.



Tried for size..... seating felt good too, just a bit higher than I remember the old seats.



Once I was sure everyting fitted, I welded the rail to what was left of the chassis..... and checked it alongside the passenger seat which of course was next for surgery..... seems a bit lower to me.



Process repeated for the 2nd seat, and then both trial fitted.... everyting feels good.

I will still paint the frames as they are now covered in welds, grinding etc.

Once that is done, I plan on adding some of the plastics that were removed, to tidy up the sides of the seats. Interesting how unfinished it looks without the plastics.



Last pic shows just how much stuff came off the seats to get them where they are now. Plastics will be modified to fit where appropriate.

Chuffed I am, Yes.