tow beddie project

[ben]

yeh should have..

ill try get them to you this weekend.
ben

[eddy]

Warren and I had a big afternoon today putting another motor into the campa van, Warren bought the campa van after I thought it better that it goes to a new home rather than I keep picking at it for parts (oh ...... and coz I need the cash for the tow van) managed to get the motor in and the van lowered without too much drama, sorry Waz for keeping you so late.  I put a couple of pics in my gallery, nothing too extreme  we just got beaten for time by the sunset .......  (the missus is rapt coz the campa is gonna be out of the drive way this week and I took the gantry down after 4 months of her complaining about looking at it in the driveway... she reckons the neighbours mite start talking to her again  )

[Warren]

Yes well we did get a lot done in a short time, thanks for all your help and hospitality bloke

Oh! a Roast was waiting for us when we got home as well  so all round today has been a great day.

And Im starting to get exicted about having a new beddy as well - I'm just hoping I don't start collecting them like Benny does.

Warren

[eddy]

been a while since I updated the tow van project post , in between working on the caravan over the past week theres been a few improvements made on the tow van and each task has come with issues & frustrations but in some cases success.
.... dash: fitted fuel, volts and temp guages and heater controls to a panel, fitted tacho to a panel. not wired but ready for fit off
.... sourced Nissan Nivara mirrors from the wreckers as well as a Toyota truck mirror thats fitted to the rear window to help reversing up to the caravan. The side mirrors have been adapted to fit and look good (the mirrors that came with the van were shite),
.... adjusted the front doors so they open and close well but still need to find a locking driver door handle before I can panel the door.
.... fitted the flares and front spoiler but yet to finish moulding them to the body.
.... fitted bumpers but have to finish side bolts
.... Decided to keep the 9", thanks to Warren for welding the shockie hangers to the diff and brazing the leak in the exhaust and welding a bar to the tow bar for added strength
.... had a poke around the rear right panel and found RUSTED PANELS WITH HOLES APPEARING covered over with BOG, nothing too drastic so temp repair with fibreglass bog and fill for RWC, will look at it when the trip is over
.... no horn and light switch is all mucked up so started on that today and found WIRING PROBS !!!!!
....
   

[eddy]

sooooo ...... the lighting switch has dramas, plenty of power coming in from the constant, got parkers but when headlights are on the tail lights go out, go hi beam and the headlights go out, no dash lights, push the horn control and a fuse breaks, no alternator light coming on at ignition, bloody confusing  .... the headlights are H4 and are run through a relay which is engaging, there is power going to the horn control but none coming from it, shes a typical beddie wiring system ..... blah 

 

[Warren]

They don't call it Electrickery for nufink 

I'll have ta teach you how to use one of those dohicky metery things hey 

[restoreid]

Hey Eddy I had trouble with the big rubber conector between the blinker switch & the harness all the pins get a coating on them & loose contact I had to pull it apart & clean all the pins up That fixed up most of the probs but the fuse block is worst of all I think it is best to throw it in the bin & get the newer stile fuse block from Autobarn they come in vairious sizes Cheers Reid

[eddy]

yep NIGHTMARE !!!!!! beep the horn and the fuses burn out, put in an aftermarket light switch with a fuse but the probs are still happenen  well me thinks gunna have ta crawl under the van and start from the rear lights and work my way back to the switches ..... can't find the horn wire though stripped the loom where I could but looks like I will have to take the dash out completely and start tracing the wires ...... BUMMER !!!!!! and ya reckon Gordon Ramsey can swear !!!! it was cold wet and frustrating today  might change the fuse box Reid but I'll see if I can track down the short tommorrow

[eddy]

Was hoping that the tow van would be on the road by the end of this week but the wiring has shafted me, searched and retraced nearly every friggen wire in the van, and tidied up as I went, still about 200 kms of wiring to trace but still no sign of the cause of the short problem. Anyway found copious amounts of relays and additions like twin thermos, cut out switch, electronic ignition, electric brake wiring and lots of additional wires going to nowhere coming off the back of the fuse box and wheres that  bloody horn wire gone to 

Sorta resigned that we will be towing the caravan north in a couple of weeks using the VS stationwagon again. Probably better than rushing to get the van on the road only to be let down somewhere on the side of the road in the middle of no where. BUGA was looking forward to the extra room and the V8. Oh well grin and bear it and move onrwards. 5 weeks in Hervey Bay is starting to sound okay, I won't have the van to potter over so I'll do some carving instead ....... I'll try to get some pics of the tow van next weekend, its a long way off being completed but is getting closer ........ bummer back to work tommorow for 2 weeks     

[John Abbott]

Hang in there ED....I have always found that by rushing to get a car finished in a hurry and not road testing it for a few days is one way to ruin any holiday.   Let the commy do it this time and when you have sorted out the beddie bugs, use that.cheers....