69 Flower Power Hippie/Hotrod Transit

[AlanN]

I just kept thinking cream egg!!!

I got lucky there...right place at the right time..screen printed ex advertising banners..marine vinyl 6X3 metres...the carport is 6m x 6m...so 3 of these created a tent/shed....but I'm thinking about chocolate now!!

Hmmmm! Chocolate, preferably a 'drifter' today me thinks been stuck in the office all day waiting for a new windscreen, just thinking about a drifter and the nearest shop is miles away

[gravelrash2004]

I just kept thinking cream egg!!!

I got lucky there...right place at the right time..screen printed ex advertising banners..marine vinyl 6X3 metres...the carport is 6m x 6m...so 3 of these created a tent/shed....but I'm thinking about chocolate now!!

Hmmmm! Chocolate, preferably a 'drifter' today me thinks been stuck in the office all day waiting for a new windscreen, just thinking about a drifter and the nearest shop is miles away

Chocolate coated flapjack for me and the machine is 30 foot away....

[gravelrash2004]

any more updates or photos to share on this one?

[Franfixit]

any more updates or photos to share on this one?

.....It's so easy producing pics of loads of rapid progress when uploading photo's of previous work....Now any photo additions are in 'real time'...So they won't be coming thick and fast....Having said that..We're still on the job!!...........

Think this photo might have been just before I tacked the engine mounts to the crossmember....Engine crossmember is currently tack welded and bearing full weight of engine

....Meanwhile Toni has been stripping the bonnet

Having sorted the basics of the engine crossmember...I moved on to the auto trans crossmember...I was originally going to fabricate from scratch but when i saw that there was only a 50mm gap to the underside of chassis....Well..I guess I just plain got lazy! Something needs to be done for aesthetics but here's the basic idea...Cross member currently bearing trans weight...but held in place by F-clamps. My weekend (Wednesday&Thursday) is over....So that's it for now!!

[deankdx]

are they hilux engine mounts? look better than the ford ones anyway

[Franfixit]

are they hilux engine mounts? look better than the ford ones anyway

....If you're referring to those shiny gold bits...they are an aftermarket replacement engine mount that I bought from Supercheapauto (Kelpro Engine Mount - MT8001N Price: $22.99 EACH)...manufactured to Ford OEM's specs....buying them was an experience in staff incompetence....Since I live 10k's out of town I phoned up to make sure they had the mounts...'yes, we have two'....then I got them to check that they ACTUALLY have them...not just in the computer data base...'Yes, they are here on the shelf...will put them behind counter for you'..When I arrived............there were two packets waiting for me...both with the same part number labelled on them...but one packet was ripped open and contained a bracket for god only knows what...certainly not a Falcon engine !!!

[deankdx]

are they hilux engine mounts? look better than the ford ones anyway

....If you're referring to those shiny gold bits...they are an aftermarket replacement engine mount that I bought from Supercheapauto (Kelpro Engine Mount - MT8001N Price: $22.99 EACH)...manufactured to Ford OEM's specs....buying them was an experience in staff incompetence....Since I live 10k's out of town I phoned up to make sure they had the mounts...'yes, we have two'....then I got them to check that they ACTUALLY have them...not just in the computer data base...'Yes, they are here on the shelf...will put them behind counter for you'..When I arrived............there were two packets waiting for me...both with the same part number labelled on them...but one packet was ripped open and contained a bracket for god only knows what...certainly not a Falcon engine !!!

yeah i have had some tough times trusting anyone but me doing work on my car or supplying parts.
i havent been back to supercheap since the last 3 times they havent had what i wanted.. "everything auto and much much more " except on days ending in Y

[gravelrash2004]

i can share similar experiences over here with parts suppliers!

good work so far and by the looks of it some nice weather too... classic van and class weather to work in, you are so fortunate!!

[bortaf]

Looking good there, keep it up and no, no rasberry jokes from me
what size engine is that ?
is the same as was used in the cortina big sixes ??

[Franfixit]

'yeah i have had some tough times trusting anyone but me doing work on my car or supplying parts.
i havent been back to supercheap since the last 3 times they havent had what i wanted.. "everything auto and much much more " except on days ending in Y'

.....the things 'professionals' have done while working on my vehicles....well..I'll spare you that rant!!......I still use supercheap and bunnings but in conjunction with a specialised fastener shop..specialised tool shop and an auto paint shop.....having said that, even at the specialised tool place I went in one day for a spot weld drill bit and the guy behind the counter hadn't heard of one...reckoned you just use a grinder (imagine re welding MK1/mk2 wings after making the area paper thin with a grinder)....What followed was a circus as he and the young assistant proceeded to carry on as though I had just walked in and asked for a power band for a 2 stroke engine..they were nearly done until another staff member came out of the back room and they thought to renew their merriment by calling out 'Hey, have you heard of a spot weld drill bit!!?'.......His reply was a casual yes....and they both swallowed a big cup of shut the **** up...and stood by quietly while he served me ...realising that they had been as stupid as they thought I was!!

[Franfixit]

i can share similar experiences over here with parts suppliers!

good work so far and by the looks of it some nice weather too... classic van and class weather to work in, you are so fortunate!!

Fortunate?.....more like spoiled!!....It's a good time of year for all the fabrication work because the temperature is only maxing out around 20 degrees celsius..so it's not too hot to cover up....including the leather vest so I don't set myself on fire (which I have a history of).....later in the year the days will be in the mid 30's which will be great for spraying top coat....but a close eye has to be kept on the humidity!

[Franfixit]

Looking good there, keep it up and no, no rasberry jokes from me
what size engine is that ?
is the same as was used in the cortina big sixes ??

It's a 250 crossflow.....I'm not sure about the Cortina...I think early one's might have had 250's....but I don't know whether the models ran late enough to score the crossflow...maybe?......These crossflows were brought out in Australia as factory standard in Mk 2 Transits but are predominately thick on the ground in a large sedan known as the Falcon....Just googled the Cortina...appears it did score the crossflow here in Australia.

[Franfixit]

I angle cut the RHS for the trans bracket and tapered the end of the factory crossmember to run with the same line.....a coat of chassis black and it will look reasonably neat

Radiator mock-up..Fits nicely behind steering box, condenser will have to have brackets modded...and I haven't decided whether the battery tray is to be modded or entirely removed yet...messing around with this tomorrow and checking out fitting the Mk2 pedal assembly and brake booster...after that I work 14 shifts/12 days in a row..so there will be zero progress for that period.

[deankdx]

i keep forgetting how little room there is in the V4 engine bay, Dad had a Leyland V8 in his, most was in the cab.
what bits are you running air con wise? the XF falcon compressor is usually crap(just noted you have an XF condensor), i have a couple of utes and had heaps of them in wrecks all dead too.
i am probably fitting a Sandon one to my van, and an under dash knee freeze where the glove box lived but i plan to make ducting off it up to centre dash vents. i was considering making a fibreglass or steel box for a late model ford evaporator and custom duct that but getting a fan in it was looking like too much mucking about.

[Franfixit]

i keep forgetting how little room there is in the V4 engine bay, Dad had a Leyland V8 in his, most was in the cab.
what bits are you running air con wise? the XF falcon compressor is usually crap(just noted you have an XF condensor), i have a couple of utes and had heaps of them in wrecks all dead too.
i am probably fitting a Sandon one to my van, and an under dash knee freeze where the glove box lived but i plan to make ducting off it up to centre dash vents. i was considering making a fibreglass or steel box for a late model ford evaporator and custom duct that but getting a fan in it was looking like too much mucking about.

As I said to Toni..this is the 'radiator bay'...the engine bay is in the cab.It's kind of ironic that this is a full firewall cut,recessed engine project but because of the transit's size it's not particularly radical...I've done a 350 chev into a LJ and it was simpler but far more interesting when it comes to power to weight ratio.
We bought an XF as a fill in car for the project period...so it seemed fortuitous to rob it's aircon...which I will add didn't work...I figured we'd fit it all in with no additional cost and later fix it's problem....ie regassing/compressor seals....or it seems from what you said..a new compressor...If it comes to that..I'll keep the name Sandon in mind and look into other brand units as well (thanks for the tip).
Speedy airspares make a 12v heat and cool concealed unit...It's just over $200, goes under dash and has 4 outlets that have no controls to shut them off...Some outlets will be shut off by eyeball vents ie dash....but we came up with a doozy of a thing that with a single cable control will alternate between 1. demisters off/fresh air to dash off 2.Fresh air to dash on 3.Fresh air off/a.c or heater to demist on..it's a strange rotary drum control that redirects ducting and will probably be made from ABS plastic. There is an under dash unit that has inbuilt controls but it's about $900. The unit we are getting comes with 2 rotary controls (fan switch & thermostat switch) we will be retrofitting these into the heater control housing from a 1953 Dodge (a gigantic/spectacular tribute monument to chrome)..and of course use the chrome Dodge knobs on the new switches.
The idea of flogging an evaporator out of an existing unit is interesting....Figuring out those D.I.Y time to money ratio equations can be difficult sometimes ...and I know what you mean about too much mucking about..sometimes I'm not smart enough to realise it...until I'm well into the 'muck'