Hi, just posting my MK5 2.5D SWB HI-TOP camper build.

[intransit89]

bloody hell now i throught i was doing mine but you gone mad nice one

wish i had a garage

my back spring hangers gone to and the chassis bit on front going to the inner bottom sill iam gona make a new pice using 2m and make a new inner sill to as i maded my own spring hangers

how do you make your own metal shaping

Hi intransit89. I have an old 1960's small sheet metal hand folder. You can buy new ones from places like machine mart. but they are kinda expensive. So a cheaper way is to just get the steel, clamp it down and fold it around with another length of steel clamped by where you want the fold and use a bloddy big hammer. This is how people have been working steel for hundreds of years.

You do kinda get used to it.

Also, i dont think sills or door steps are that expensive these days.... keep a good look out on e-bay etc for people who buy them and then dont bother to fit them, just sell them on.

hope that helps.
..dachre..

i do get the odd panel of ebay and most of mine from beevers

[MR BigBeefy LDV Guru]

i must say this is more of a restoration

this van is going to be one of the best around i take my hat of to you sir well done and keep up the hard work

[Luke]

excellent thread the sunken shower tray is just class 99% of people would just think it wont fit end off but you managed to work around it very impressive

[rover]

All the pictures werent there the first time I looked earlier, I cant tell you how impressed I am, bloody fantastic

Rover.

[dachre]

excellent thread the sunken shower tray is just class 99% of people would just think it wont fit end off but you managed to work around it very impressive

Hi Luke,

I've become really handy with a nine inch angle grinder since ive started the transit project... ...
I see it.. ...
i hit it with the angle grinder... ..
lots of sparks..... ..
and im left with a bit gaping hole.. ....

But it was fun at times.....dachre.... ...

[Ford Sprung Van Tastik!!]

WOW
Really gone to " town " on your van, it will last years and years now and give you
some really nice holidays.
Well done ,can't wait to see the finished result.

[dachre]

Hey everyone.

I’m just finishing off the fourth pedal. Having a hand/foot brake in the dash will allow the driver’s seat to swivel backwards facing the rear seats. It will also allow a clear walk way between the front two seats.

I couldn’t get hold of a modern Mercedes type dash brake and didn’t like the French/Renault style where a handle which looks like an umbrella sticking out of the dash and gets pulled outwards to brake the wheels.

So, I wanted a foot style assembly because it’s one of the only systems which work by the handle/pedal part of the assembly going into the dash when being applied instead of coming out of it or into the cab which may be intrusive.

So I settled on what I think is an obvious choice, The Ford F-150 pick-up truck....haha......

If those crazy American trucks are capable of having a maximum train weight which is somewhere near double that of a transit, their handbrake assembly should be ok with my little SWB Transit 80.

Have a look at the F-150 trucks, what do you think... nice?....

http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/f150/




Anyway, this is a picture showing the fourth foot brake put in place over the weekend and the release mechanism placed in the dash.






From the picture of the whole dash you can see that I’ve moved the heater matrix and blower assembly a couple of inches to the left. The assembly won’t get in the way of the passengers feet because there is only going to be one seat and there is a fair bit of room left. The purple Dyson vacuum hose you can see by the radio hole is where I’ve been lengthening the heater blower hoses.





Today, I crawled under the van to connect the fuel lines so I could start the engine for the first time. I connected the lines to the fuel tank first then I tried to put the 1996+ fuel lines into the lift pump by the exhaust manifold.... guess what?..... I don’t have a lift pump!.... nothing... not even any hole in the casting where I could bolt one in.... I’m guessing my early Transit engine was never made with a lift pump...

You would have thought I would have noticed not having one especially as I had only painted the engine the other day.

Still it’s not all bad news, I nearly bought a brand new pump cos I thought I’d better get one and install it whilst the engine is out but then I must of forgotten all about it. What a waste of money that would have been!

Anyway, now I’ll have to get some pipe and extend the fuel lines. They look like “John Guest Speedfit” connecters. Does anyone know if standard domestic plumping ones will be ok for diesel?...

Thanks for all the comments and help guys.

[cmeonthemove]

Bloody hell is there any of the original van left?? What a build

[dachre]

Bloody hell is there any of the original van left?? What a build

There is a little bit of original steel left but ive just checed my VIN plate and my transit was made down south (in portsmouth?) so i imagine British Ford used the usualy crap steel remade from washing machines etc, and that will rust out in the next 2 or 3 years... so i'll have to cut that out and change it. So far ive used at least 3 full sheets of 1m x 2m lengths. I have no idea where its gone in the camper but i was just cutting and welding for ages.

Still its done now so should be good for a few years... Although i do like the new MK7 Transits......

[rover]

You should have a hand primer pump on top of the filter housing, in which case there is no need for a lift pump.

The connections to the filter head are flared with rubber 'O' rings on them, If you dont have these pipes you will have to go the scrappie's or the Ford Main dealer.

Rover.

[dachre]

You should have a hand primer pump on top of the filter housing, in which case there is no need for a lift pump.

The connections to the filter head are flared with rubber 'O' rings on them, If you dont have these pipes you will have to go the scrappie's or the Ford Main dealer.

Rover.

Hi Rover, yeah.. thats what it looks like ive got... a little black pushy primer thingy on the top of the fuel filter housing that wasnt on the original engine.

But i picked up an old mk3 for spares a while ago so thinking about it, i'll just take the complete fuel lines off the mk3 instead of extending the mk5 ones that are on my van. That way i can keep the mk5 ones for when i get a banana engine.

I think thats the best way forward. cheers for the info Rover.

[madmark]

All the pictures werent there the first time I looked earlier, I cant tell you how impressed I am, bloody fantastic

Rover.

same as me mate was gobsmacked!
what a cracking job!

[Luke]

i'd say the foot hand brake will be well up to the job

keep the updates coming

[nip]

top job your doing there mate well done

[serpen]

I kind of get the feeling that you have done this before?

But if you can afford to do all of this, cant you afford to go on a holiday without having to sleep in a van?

But what an effort!! Looks mint!