Mk1 Transit CI Motorhome, Landliner..build up..

[Frank190]

Really nice Landliner

[camper extraudinair]

Just a quiky
Hope you find my story somewhat interesting as it
has consumed most of my limited spare time over
the last 15 od years.

Work began at the front by removing the grill &
bonet only to find they were very rusty & full of
body filler so in the bin they went.
Next the engine & geatbox were removed & sold
to another club member for a very low price
considering it only had 37,000 miles on the clock.
The front crossmember was rotten as usual a
typical transit.
So it was removed to make life easier for the
convertion.
The new engine & gearbox were offered up to the
engine bay.
It is a 5.2 chrysler v8 & looked so big compared
to the v4 engine bay.
My mind was made up by hook on by crook it was
going in.
I started by removing the exhaust manifolds that
stood out like ballast tanks on a submarine.
This gave it half a chance to fit between the
chasis rails.
I slid the engine & gearbox in very slowly inch by
inch.
The engine bay was too small as i expected.
So part of the bulkhead & floor had to be removed,
The hole just got bigger & bigger & the legroom
just got smaller & smaller until the gearbox
disapeared under the cab floor.
I thought "that's far enough we don't want it in the
living compartment it's bad enough in the cab"
so that's where it stopped.
will continue if all you Transit lovers would like
me to.
if im boring please tell me but i can't help loving
my Transit landliner.
ps as our friend says a Transit is not just for
christmas it's for life.

[camper extraudinair]

The insertion continued
The engine & gearbox was supported on wooden
blocks while i made up the mountings.
I used a mk2 escort crossmember at the front
for the engine & a mk3 transit gearbox
crossmember for the rear.
Both had to be modified to suit.
I used the radiator out of the yank & fitted two
electric fans out of a sierrato keep it cool.
The electrics were very easy as it had points
ignition.
Next came our first grandson. What a joyous
occasion.
But it became a double celebration as i aquired
almost at the same time a mk3 Transit front axcle.
It had large vented discs & four pot calipers.
I came with leaf springs steering rods.
I fitted new king pins & track rod & drag link
ends also new pads hoses & wheel bearings.
The axcle was bolted in place no problem.

[FredTransit]

good plan, if it goes, it has to stop!

[camper extraudinair]

The Dreaded propshaft
I think most of us are a little bit worried about the propshaft
when doing a conversion of putting a different engine & gear
box in your car or van.
So when i offered my prop off of the plymouth valarie
I could not believe it.
If i had it made to order it could not have been nearer to
perfection.
The prop was the absolute exact length.
The only modification i had to make was to clean out the
holes in the Transit rear flange to 5 thousants of an inch
bigger & put two thin shims between the circlips & the
hardy spicers.
Fitted new yank hardy spicers job done.
"Unbelievable"

[camper extraudinair]

Next came the power steering
I had the idea of fitting the power steering box off of the
plymouth but had to think long & hard about how it would
work if at all.
I decided to fit it on its side & use the steering columb
as well.
This included columb change for the auto gearbox hazard
switch & indicator plus horn buttons also ignition switch
& steering lock.
http://s1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh4 ... air119.jpg
I welded a large plate to the offside inner wing with a
hole for the shaft & reinforced the top of the chasis rail
including making a pyramid shape to carry the s/box.
I had to also weld a plate onto the bulkhead for the s/columb.

[camper extraudinair]

The Maiden Voyage.
So far the conversion has taken me about two years in my very
limited spare time,
will it be everything i hae hoped & worked so hard for.?
It had no passenger seat or engine cover but needed an mot.
So after arranging for an mot testi fired up the v8 engine.
Just at that moment our son inlaw turned up & asked if he might
come with me.
I said yes but he would have to sit in the back.
I selected drive & slowly moved off as it was untried having
never driven it before even when i first bought it.
The engine seemed very sluggish & would not respond to the
throttle, there seemed to bea problem with the twin choke
carb.
I pressed thethrottle to the floor there was no responce,
It was a clear dry day & not a car in sight,
I tried partially closing the choke flap the engine burst into
life resulting in a startling metamorphasis.
The auto box changed down & we took off under full throttle,
The jolt was so sudden & fierce it sent out son inlaw cartwheeling
further in to the back of the camper,
And us hurtling in to a tight bend at about sixty miles an hour
what an exhilerating feeling but very easily controlled with the
disc front brakes & very powerful steering.
"what a thrill" not so for my passenger, however no lasting damage.
we arrived at the place where i first met my landliner.

[camper extraudinair]

She is a changed character now but for the better,
The mot done we headed home the engine was running sweetly now.
We arrived home & had to manoeuvre it a tight space no worries the
power steering made it so easy,
The conversion was worth all the effort.

I have now parked her up for the winter & cant wait for the summer
to come.
So i can enjoy the freedom that campers give you,
look forward to meeting you all soon best wishes to all.

[camper extraudinair]

THE DISASTER

The winter came & went april arrived.
To me the start or the landliner season, apon opening the rear
door i was horrified to see the ceiling hanging in mid air.
Upon investigation it was confirmed the previous owner had fitted a
new roof vent, albiet the wrong way round & not sealed it properly.
The damage was horrendous. the wood was rotted the ceiling boards
were in tatters,
I was devastated after ass the worh i had put into it the previous years.

What to do now my dream shattered my worst nightmare come true.
I didn't know what to do, I "felt sick". a month passed before i could
face going back into the ruins.
Treading over the debris i removed the offending roof vent & taped
a blastic bag over the hole.
The years passed. I bought a c.i. highwayman camper cheap from a
friend, as i could not afford to repair my landliner. The wife kept nagging
me to scrap my dream.
But i resisted until one day i could resist no more,?
will continue when i come back off holiday.
have a good meetint at Billing.

[whitemice]

[jonochap]

Oh CE, and i thought i had it rough! Keep plugging and best of luck...

[camper extraudinair]

Hi Just before i go,
Thought i would leave with just a few more lines of the disaster.
My Resistance is low.
A'fter driving the sherpa for about two years & doing lots of work
on it,
I decided i should be doing it on my dream camper sitting in my
back garden going rotten & my wife nagging me to get rid of it.
My Resistance was at a low ebb,
But i decided to sell the sherpa which was now much better than
when i bought it & use the money to continue my dream.
It had taken me a long time to get over my grief of the ceiling
falling in, But determined to achieve my dream camper,
I pulled my jockstrap tighter & struggled on.
I decided on a plan of action to remove the whole interior &
replace any wood as needed.
But did not prepare myself for what i was about to find, After
removing the whole interior inc the sink unit, cupboards, shower,
beds, & ceiling boards i was confronted with a skeliton with the
dreaded rott & botched repairs by bodgit & legit.
I decided to go the hole hog & delve deeper into the hidden depths
of my dream.

[camper extraudinair]

A new dawn began with the the purchase of some new woodworking tools.
I have not done any woodwork since i was at school, so i had to begin
learning again as i went along.
A friend of mine offered his services in his spare time as he said he was
good at carpentry, I took him up on his offer to do the structural rebuild,
But unfortunately what a disaster,
I went out to collect some screws and things,
When i returned he had cut out the main structural supports at the rear.
The body was lying in a heap on the floor,
I could have cried the stupidity of the man was unbelievablethe landliner
will never be the same again the
beautiful lines twisted out of all recognition,It looked like quasimodo
gone wrong.
I had only just started rebuilding my camper again & this has happened.
Is it not to be my dream camper or only remain a dream.

I am a great believer in what will be will be.
after disposing of my so called "friend"
& armed with only a few wood working tools my determination & resolve.
I painstakingly started to jack the mainframe back into position with no
clues as to measurments or how it was constructed originally,
as it was all missing or in bits on the floor,
I have a mega task for which i am not trained for or experienced at to
reconstruct as best i can my companion as i am gitting to know her so
well now.
When held up for any reason on the wood side i am starting on the metal
work as this also needs work cab only or so i thought.
Whilst rubbing down the body work i found it had been repaired.
with bread rolls, chicken wire & body filler.
This included both front wings doors & step sill panels.
I removed the front seats & carpet more rot,
I also found the front outriggers needed some attention.
I removed both front wings only to find you guest it more rot.
The inner wheel arches were also rotted will it ever end.?

[camper extraudinair]

More work is too much for me to handle i need help & lots of it.
I continued on my own rebuilding the framework from the inside.
It is not an easy task to do as it was originally constructed from
the outside & the skins put on afterwards.
All the wood is shaped for the roof & sides,
Some of the roof bars & the front bulkhead i had made in a wood
work shop as it was getting too complicated for me & i did not
have the right tools.
The bulkhead i had made into an archway to try & make the structure
more rigid i also replaced the rear doorframe with hardwood & steel
brackets.
I stripped out the wooden floor only to find more rot in the outer
sections.
These i replaced with waterproof plywood covered underneath with
aluminium sheet to protect it from the elements.
The metal floor was then given two coats of silver hamerite paint,
To protect it from rusting.
the job was taking it's toll there is no end in sight.
I need help but not the free kind.

[camper extraudinair]

We that is my wife & i were invited to a meal at a friends house in surrey,
but there was a second reason for the invitation,
My friend Anthony was rebuilding a nineteen fifty humber pullman hurst.
Which he was taking back home to Newzealand with him & his lovely wife
Carla,
But needed some help to complete.
Whilst there i met a man called fred who was doing the bodywork,
I watched as he manipulated a flat piece of metal into part of a wheel arch,
I new then that he was the man for me to help me rebuild my Landliner.
We exchanged phone numbers & retired to Anthony's home for one of his
wicked curries.