BUGA Community
Technical => Maintenance => Topic started by: ben on August 13, 2008, 12:15:52 PM
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i thought this could be interesting and of help to people to reduce the break down stats of beddies on our roads..
ok so your just about to embark on a 5000km trip to the other side of australia.. or new zealand
1. what tools do you put in the back before heading off?
2. what things on your van do you check to make sure your gunna make it home?
3. what spare parts do you pack regardless off the condition of the van?
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Tools
Personally I would take all of my tools with me.
Things to Check
I would check oil, transmission fluid, water regularly and check under van after parking to make sure that there are no new suprise leaks of any kind. I would also check brake fluid regularly.
Before setting off for a 5000klm journey I would...
Put new brake shoes/pads and wheel bearings all round.
Clean and service my carby, install a new set of spark plugs, change the engine and transmission oil.
Flush and re-fill the radiator with clean fluid.
Replace my worn out tyres.
Check my spare tyre and acquire a second spare for good measure.
Parts
I would take a good supply of water, coolant, oil, transmission and brake fluid, gasket paper, gasket maker, a spare accelerator cable (I hear these are hard to find? My van came with a spare - the guy who sold it to me said that he would never be caught without one again, not after the drama he went through when he snapped one), and a spare clutch cable (if manual). I would probably take a spare carby aswel - one that had already been setup on my motor, just in case the original one packed it in. Throw in some headlight globes, brake light globes, indicator globes and some fuses. I would also pack an extra jack, 2 solid wheel chocks, a snatch strap and some tyre plugs for punctures.
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One thing i've done to my van is tried to use common parts as much as possible.
I thought that although i may have got a lamborghini or leyland part that fitted easier, its better to use
common parts that you can get if your stuck somewhere.
-for example i used a commodore v8 accellerator cable even though it meant i had to stuff around making new pedal/brackets etc.
as far as packing any gear goes don't forget the magic silver tape. fixes everything
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Good idea Bren
I try to use standard unmodified parts where possible. It also helps to keep a list of what you have used and the part number. I have a book for each vehicle I modify with what non standard parts I have used, makes it easier when you need to replace them later.
Craig
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yeah the same went for my radiator hoses. i remounted the radiator a bit higher so i could use a falcon bottom hose. the best fit at first was a turbo supra or something, but theres no chance of getting another one of those in a hurry.
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Its a bedford so,duct tape,electrical ties,muffler bandage,bars leak and as many tools as you can cause the one you leave behind is the only one that fits!
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and u want me drive one back?.... no problems 1 socket set 1 bar off soap (fuel leaks) 29ltrs oil ;D
seriously if your stuck in the middle of back of beyond you have a leaky fuel tank ,clean around the hole or crack and rub soap on it a few times the chemical reaction forms a rubber bond.
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Portable battery jump starter! It has a built in 12v cig lighter for charging mobile or whatever, a light and an electronic air compressor with various adaptor tipes and can be recharged by your van or via 240v. Cost me $100 5 years ago and I never go anywhere without it. ;)
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can you charge the unit from your alternator?
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Tow rope ,Jumper leads, maybe even a spare battery, cloth ,tape, toolbox , mobile phone.
One difference between NZ and Aus. is that we are never too far from help.
If I was crossing Australia then I would take the advise given by Jock.
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:o holy shirt jock :o Is that to go to the shops or just on long trips?
I always check the oil (every december) and park facing mecca
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ok so your just about to embark on a 5000km trip to the other side of australia.. or new zealand
OK now i,ve read it properly, i'd check the water too and put fresh CD's in the stacker
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Yep. Use it to jump your van or pump up a flat then recharge it via the vans cig lighter while driving away from your near disaster! 8)
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that sounds flippen sweet!!!
have to get one of them at some stage..
ben
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i carry, spare fanbelts and hoses,a recond points distributer, coil, recond carby, water ,oil ,brakefluid , all spanners sockets etc to suit roadside repairs, overalls, hand cleaner, portable shower, gaffa tape, box full of fuzes even different ones to mine just in case someone else needs help, 12 volt wire all grades, gas torch,solder and flux, fishing rod n tackle, heaps of good music cds, new windscreen rubber(just coz i got 1) in case windscreen gets broken, spare clothes,brazilian double hammock and ropes (in case i need a snooze anywhere(just need 1 tree, beddy,s the other tie point) , 12 volt cig water kettle, boxes of cupasoups , teabags, coffee, sugar, longlife milk, dehydrated food, 12 pac bottled water, caned food, (lol, can opener) (forgot it once, dam it) candals, incence, lighter, compas (dont need it now , got navig8r, but still carry compas), blankets, ground rug, pillows,
custom made flyscreens for front doors,
car fridge(lives in beddy),australia road atlas maps in case mushroom cloud forms lol, tow ropes, every trailer plug conecter ever made lol, deoderent in case i might get lucky hehe, rain coats haha,
and thats about it unless i forgot something, i will check the van and update this if i forgot something, ...
marty :)
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Marty how big is this van of yours??
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Marty how big is this van of yours??
Theres no room to do anything in the beddy if he does get lucky :D
Warren
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Hey Ben can I move in sounds like a good place to live
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yep sure!! hey man where did that come from?\
ben
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Sorry Ben ment for Marty
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By the way Ben that little black cab chassie you have the same wheelbase as SWB van If I live long enough I would like to get one put dual wheel diff & make a fifth wheel rig & go live in it Cheers Reid
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nice idea..
ben
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Hey Craig that soap trick I dont think it works on this new unleaded fuel i tried it on mine & it wouldnt harden up I know it worked on the old leaded fuel but I couldnt get it to work on this new stuff Cheers Reid
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gday i know this is an old thread but ive got some catching up to do!!
well weve just done over 34000kms which is further than around the earth!!
all i took was the toolbox, spare fanbelt and hoses,accelerator cable,speedo cable,indicator switch and thats it. didnt need any of it besides the speedo cable.
got two batteries fitted so wont ever run out, only took one spare and never got a flat.
was running hot in 40 degrees around adelaide so had to get a 3 core radiator fitted. problem solved!
had to change the dizzy half way but it still ran, just rough..
wouldnt have broken down once if i didnt drive thru a 150km dust storm! still made it to the next town but the dizzy seized overnight. after that i did a wheel bearing so i shouldve had a spare and i wouldnt have got stuck on the highway.
didnt even have rac assistance.
i have complete faith in the old holden engines and i made sure everything was sound before i left eg. spark plugs, leads etc.
old holdens never die!!!
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yeh i guess so ay.. there are always people that can send you parts if your in no hurry..
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all of that sounds good, except the speedo cable, whats it matter if your speedo is more that 40kms out at 110 lol.
i found the gps is the best guide unless the van is set up correctly.
on another note while i think about it, if someone has messed with the wiring in your van
(or if you have) its worthwile checking to make sure the earth and pos are in the correct positions as this seems to affect the gps chargers so badly that they cease to work
also not good for phone chargers but they dont seem so sensitive.
just a tip, my brother went through 2 chargers before bringing the car in so i could have a look. still got warranty tho 8)
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rust prevention...
i was welding up the little rust holes behind the back tires when my cousin poped in....
he had a look at where the rust was and i showed him it was on both sides and also showed him a hole that had started at the back of the wheel well that i discovered when i was blowing air to remove old bog and dirt before welding....
anyway he suggested to me after i told him that bedies have a lot of rust issues with that back corners that i drill holes underneath and out of the sight so i can spray fish oil once a month inside those back corners and fit rubber bungs into the holes so that i have easy access...
what do you think? have any of you guys done this on yours?
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I use lanolin. I was told the old hotrodders used to smear oil over everything.
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I have used fish oil and plain engine oil in doors sills etc for over 20 years both work well the benefit on fish oil is that it forms a skin and stops leaking eventually. Engine oil while it will stop the rust it will continue to weep and seep for years especially after hot days in my experience the rust definately does not reappear ir it is removed correctly in the first place
Cheers
Joe
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Many years ago when i was much younger i worked for a short time as an apprentice panel beater. Did only to years and wasn't much good at it so left the industry.The Boss at the time took on a job,it was a VW Kombi Van. Was un usual as the Boss didn't do bog jobs but that was what this one was and it became my job ta fix it.The bloke didn't have much money to spend but talk about rust there wasn't much left of the bottom of the van.After I had finnished bogging it we filled it full of Fisholene ( Fish Oil ).Several years later although the van lived opposite the Ocean still looked fine. :)
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Several years ago My inlaws bought a JB Camira brand new,it also got the Fisholene job by me. When I had finished spraying it inside the panels, it poured out every hole there was but it never rusted. The car worn out one engine and nearly a second but eventually the car completely wore out but yet they had not needed to have any rust cut out. Any car that I plan to keep for any length of time usually gets attacked with fish oil for that reason. ;)
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Fisholene ..I bloody luv it.! cheers..johnno ;D