Louis Moore Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I have been absent the past few months, as this forum had become so purely addictive, I found I lacked the time to finish my project van. Every spare second was spent scouring over the many pages of interesting conversations contained on this site! Alas the project now be complete and driving on the road after a very big, embarrassingly expensive rebuild project (has a good 300km of road use now after I finished a few weeks ago). so I am finally back on to get my much needed forum fix!!!!! How is everyone? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herm Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I love it. My wife would steal it from you if she could. She will not buy a new car no matter what. I am always working on keeping her 71 VW Beetle running. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Your all set to go now Mate!...good on ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piet Fil Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You have me torn... the Commer van or the auster? I don't know which one is cooler .. I'm just coming down on the Auster's side at this stage! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Yay! So when are we going flying next? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maj Millard Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Well done Louis, both lovely machines...you should be proud !.and welcome back mate, we need your energy .....that Auster is cool as......................................Maj... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit12 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 A gentleman of discerning tastes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExJourno Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 A gentleman of discerning tastes! He is not a gentleman... However, I will admit he has discerning tastes but only because his next project is my Landrover Series 3. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Isaac Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hey Louise, welcome back buddy, All you need now is a trailer for the Auster and folding wing kit ... LOL. Nice pieces of antiquity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 It is start, at least my toys are running for now. You know how it is with british engineering combined with lucas electrics, you just never know what exciting troubleshooting experience lies around the corner! All up though the Commer is performing very well, I converted the engine over to take a single HIF6 SU carby, getting 90km per hour @ about 3200 RPM for a 10litre per 100km burn, before the rebuild I was using about 1litre of oil, 2 litres of water and 30 litres of petrol per 100km and barely making 75-80 km an hour! Now all I need is free time to pursue the many camping adventures that await! All you need now is a trailer for the Auster and folding wing kit ... LOL Actually david I have considered trying to get something to tow around behind the might van, somehow I think it would have to be a trike though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 Not really much to do with aircraft but ......... This is the van not long after I bought it on our first camping trip The professional painting both I secured to paint it in!!!! This is a very common sight with a commer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 More non aircraft shots! This is my SU conversion I bought this nifty little EG analyser to tune the carby spot on, the duck tape around it was my own calibrations for it! This was an in-field repair for a crack in the head at the thermostat adapter plate, completed with copious amounts of JB weld, epoxy glue and loads of radiator stop leak, drove over 1500km like this to get it up here before dismantling it and having it welded! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggles Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Looks like one of those genuine brick ....houses there in Pic #2 Louis ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Looks like one of those genuine brick ....houses there in Pic #2 Louis ! I particularily like the colour co-ordinated camouflage covers on the other three projects in the background of Pic #2. If this clever ruse helps to keep the prying eye of the shire ranger at bay then I should follow suit with the 'tragedies' in my backyard. Love the Commer. Bought one in England in the early seventies with the intention of doing it up as a camper. It had a two-week-old Warrant of Fitness and the chassis broke in half traversing a railway level crossing on my way to work a fortnight later. Bloody amazing that that that much rust could form in just four weeks (or perhaps I was a trifle slack/stupid in my pre-purchase inspection?) Well done with the camper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 I particularily like the colour co-ordinated camouflage covers on the other three projects in the background of Pic #2. If this clever ruse helps to keep the prying eye of the shire ranger at bay then I should follow suit with the 'tragedies' in my backyard. That is where I found the old van, I have one of those all over, fully waterproof covers for it too! I bought it of an indian gentleman who bought a old dinkie toy commer van, loved it at ended up with four or six of them in his yard! I bought the only viable one out of all of them!!! All the other cars there where mercs, he was a true sucker for punishment I would say!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That is where I found the old van, I have one of those all over, fully waterproof covers for it too! I bought it of an indian gentleman who bought a old dinkie toy commer van, loved it at ended up with four or six of them in his yard! I bought the only viable one out of all of them!!!All the other cars there where mercs, he was a true sucker for punishment I would say!!! Us 'gentlemen' ain't suckers - we just have vivid imaginations offset with minimal comprehension of personal capabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bigfella Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Wow Louis, brings back childhood memories from 35 years ago as a kid traveling around the north of England and Scotland in an Commer van! A young family of 5, can't believe we survived Love the respray! Cheers, Bigfella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayavner Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 very nice Louis, thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyknots Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Great project results Louis. Welcome back to the Forum!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit12 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 He is not a gentleman... However, I will admit he has discerning tastes but only because his next project is my Landrover Series 3. I grew up in Landrovers....passed an early SWB on the highway recently - actually it passed me which was a mighty shock because I seem to recall that the last time I tried one of those, highway speeds were just a dream! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyknots Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I grew up in Landrovers....passed an early SWB on the highway recently - actually it passed me which was a mighty shock because I seem to recall that the last time I tried one of those, highway speeds were just a dream! They were okay up to 80 km/h (or 50 mph on the Landrover's speedo); after this they felt decidedly unsafe and you needed a very good grip on the wheel with both hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit12 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 That was what astounded me....I was doing 110km/h in a Subaru Forester, and remembered just how much of a dog they were at speed! That said, a brilliant bush vehicle. Had a series 3 V8 as well, now that was a thirsty beast. Had a habit of snapping rear axles too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza 38 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 When I was growing up.We had a Banana Plantation. I first learnt to drive a vehicle at about age 8 or 9. Ifirst learnt in a Willies jeep.Then a series 3 Landrover.Those where where the days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis Moore Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 My father loves old cars as much as me, I learnt to drive on a Series 3 Landy ute & old willies jeep myself. Then I upgraded to (or downgraded maybe) to Series 2 X-Armies both SWB and LWB version, drove one off a cliff once but thats a different story...... I'm not big into 4WD myself though so after I was ready to drive myself around I bought a Peugeot 403 Station wagon (Which was fire engine red and AWESOME!) then a few Peugeot 404's which I progressively destroyed! Finally got a nice old 203, then went to a triumph spitfire! All in all I am yet to own something reliable, here are some snaps of the cars I had taken a pic of, dragged these out of the archives!!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Maj Millard Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Some classics there for sure Louis. I don't mind the look of the long-haired cowboy-booted model in the first photo either. Doesn't look like she needs any restoration work yet !!.......................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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