Shelf removal

Last evening, I began the removal of the rear shelving unit. It's very strongly built and quite heavy by the feel of it. I took all the screws out and began to drill out the remaining rivets and my battery died. So, this evening I shall, hopefully, finish the removal job. I see from their special offers that Maplin are selling a set of pull through rods for £7.95 this week, I shall go there this lunch time and try to buy a set.  I did and I bought one!

I had a good look at the back step as well and the vertical thickness isn't too bad so I suspect that I will be able to fit the transducers fairly easily this week. All I need to buy is a 20mm metal drill bit and I'm cooking with Gaz.

Cornish Market World

On Sunday, we had a day out with Ian, Lulu and Samuel. As it was a sunny but cold one, we went to St Austel so Samuel could play in th big kidzworld area and the grown ups could take it in turns to go and shop. I needed some bits and pieces of tools etc and after buying them and doing my bit of Samuel duty I had a general look around. I was astonished, but very happy, to find that 12 volt shop have an outlet there. Even better was they were selling 110 amp leisure batteries for £85.00.

This is a couple of pounds dearer than on the web but so much easier to just buy and take home. So janis now has her new 12 volt power supply. This morning, to complete the job, I ordered the PMS3H Zig unit from O'Leary Motor Homes. Now I have to work like stink to get the bus ready for next Saturday morning. I've just been on eBay and bought a couple of sets of wiper blades, now we have to carry spares when we venture abroad, I want to be sure that if I have to use a set that I still have a spare set (If you see what I mean). The reversing radar kit arrived this morning and, if it wasn't for the rear step, would be a doddle to install. I will have to get a bit deeper into that step in order to use it I think.

This was the tool kit that came with the bus, as you can see, it's now empty and acting as an echo chamber. I will have to sound proof it.

Battery compartment at present.

On the left is the under seat box as it is at present. On the right is a close up of the cable from the main battery with the switch.

Moving along, week two.

Well Ceri came this morning and worked very hard to make sense of what was left after the Met had removed all their bits and pieces. He was not very impressed, they had acted a bit like vandals in simply cutting cables and leaving gaping holes in a lot of places. I had already worked out that I will have to fill a lot of holes in the roof but Ceri found even more. He has removed as much as he can of the orphan wiring, cut at both ends, and he is coming back next Saturday to begin the rebuilding of the habitation electrics. On the plus side, the wiring for the second battery is all in place and seems to be in perfect condition. This means that when he is re wiring the lighting, he will be able to test it immediately.I have decided to buy a Zig PMS3H power management system, buying brand new is so much easier when it's just a one off purchase. The difference in price between just OK and best is very small so it was a no brainer. The battery compartment is just the right size for a 110amp battery so that's the size I shall be buying. My job over the next six days will be to remove as much of the existing fittings as I can, keep the bits to go back in and bin the rest. When I have done that, I will begin to fill the holes in the roof and fit a new aerial for the radio.

Thank goodness for the internet.

Well I think I have the answer to "what is it?" it seems to be an Eberspacher D1L C Compact Air Heater although the appearance differs slightly from the photo on their web site. Fortunately, we have an agent here in Plymouth within hailing distance of where I live so I will toddle down to see them later on. The air conditioning unit will be a bit more complicated to sort out as it spreads a lot. You can probably see from the photos that there are two units in the roof space (B is a mirror installation of A) and they are controlled by a long bar with the handle in the center. The control panel gives nothing away and I know from experience that it is quite a powerful system. When I was driving it away from the vendor, the closed vents in the roof suddenly sprang open with a very loud hiss and scared me witless. Tonight I shall remove the co-drivers seat and take some pictures of the leisure battery area. I have seen the master connections from the main battery under the bonnet and they are very thick so I suspect I shall be OK keeping them. The output side seems to be a trifle complex as it includes a Land Rover relay but no doubt Ceri will be able to suss it all out tomorrow.

Identification.

This is the ID tag on the top of the heater. So far it makes no sense to me but I hope to get closer to what's what soon.

Inside the above cab space.

The general appearence is clean but worn. The large amount of gaffa tape is still in good condition but I wonder what's underneath it?

Up to my neck in..............

I have spent a while crawling around the floor and peering into the roof space and come up with these results. 

Power to the people!

Some further investigating last evening has revealed the main 12v power feeds from somewhere! I live in hopes that Ceri, the auto electrician, will be able to make some sense of it all on Saturday. After soliciting advice from the Yahoo group, I have decided to go for a cheapish semi-traction unit as my leisure battery and hope to get at least a couple of years use from it before I have to make another purchase. I have bought a car radio and speakers on eBay and I will either install that or the Sony my brother-in-law gave me as soon as I can. That may well be up to Ceri as well as I can see no aerial feed or power feed so far. I would like to take out the metal shelving as soon as possible as it is getting in the way and not very useful. I have now bought and fitted a steering wheel lock for security purposes. It cost me £30.00 but is Thatcham 4 so will cover me on the insurance.

Air conditioning and heating.

Yesterday, I had a closer look at the hidden area above the cab. Wow, the air conditioning system is also by Eberspacher. This means that the total cost of the Eberspacher kit is more than I paid for the bus. I have also found where the two cut off cables above the cab go to now, interior fluorescent lights. The individual seat lighting appears to be intact but probably ran off the second battery as it's not currently working.

Fundimentals, Monday (23/3/2009)

Some details about this vehicle won't go amiss. As she is ex Met, she is very well insulated already. There are actually too many lighting points for camper use already installed so I will be taking some out. There is air conditioning already installed and some of the outlets may have to be cut back. An Eberspracher system is installed but disconnected from the battery and the mounting point and cables for the leisure battery are already installed. I have very busy Sundays so all we did yesterday was go and sit in it and let Samuel, my grandson, play bus driver for an hour or so. This evening, I intend to have a poke around in the innards and see whats what with the electrics. She also needs some sound insulation fitted to cut back on engine noise so I will measure up for that at the same time. We have decided to "Go for it" as my wife says, if we need to borrow to finish it then we will. She has plans for this summer............ OK.

Early Photos 2 (and Sal)

Early photos 1 (22/3/2009)

Day one, cab views.

Mission statement 1

OK, we are back home and parked outside the front door, what now? Well, firstly I think I need to set out the jobs that need to be done and in what order.

1. Get oil and filters changed and get the brakes and gear stick checked over. (never having owned or driven a Sprinter before,I have no idea whether the brakes are correct and I know that the gear linkage is wrong as there is no access to 1st, 2nd or third. As this is a four speed automatic, this is not as bad as it seems, just annoying.
2. Decide what layout we want and how to achieve it.
3. Get parking radar installed as soon as I can. I have it on the Galaxy and I am very loathe to lose it now.
4. Get the spurious electrics sorted out, some need to be removed and some need to be connected. When the Met de-commissioned her, they disconected everything but the basic vehicle electrics. The leisure battery must be replaced and the interior roof lights need to be working.
5. Visit some breakers yards and collect panels to replace the damaged ones left when equipment was removed.
6. At this point, we should be able to speak to our chosen converter, who we haven't even chosen yet.

Watch this space!

Home again (21/3/2009)

Up early again and we sort out a few details on the bus. I had been deafened on the previous day by the engine noise. This was surprising as the engine is in wonderful condition and very quiet from outside. After discovering a number of large holes where equipment has been removed, and blocking them, the bus is now running a lot quieter and will be much more fun to drive down to Plymouth. Load up, say goodbye to Paul and so to Plymouth. For the first time ever I can see the road signs I need and where to position myself in order to get there. I make Cribbs Causeway via the M32/M4 in less than 30 minutes, this is actually fun!

My drive down to Plymouth is very comfortable and, thanks to very quiet traffic, pretty fast.

I arrive much earlier than expected and in good spirits.

To Bristol and beyond! (19/3/2009 to 20/3/2009)

Spent a quiet day at work and straight to the station when I finish. A very pleasant journey to Yate and picked up by Paul (brother-in-law) at the station. A Chinese take away and so to bed. Up early on Friday and off to Oxfordshire. We arrived at Force Auctions around eleven and sorted out the finance very quickly. Next I have to go into Oxford and tax it at the DVLA. This is because it is an ex Metropolitan Police vehicle and is still taxed as such. After some fun and games with traffic wardens and a couple of minor hiccoughs on my part, I am the legal owner of a legal bus and can drive it back to Yate. Just as we left, Duke came out to inspect and say goodbye.

Panic sets in (Wednesday 18/3/2009)

This morning, I tried to organise some insurance for the new wagon, no joy. My current company, Churchill are very happy with all but the engine size - they have an upper limit of 2.5 litres. I try the meercats, very clever site but a lower price of £1350.00 rising to £1520.00. This is not what I needed to hear. I tried a highly recommended camper specialist, very helpful and good price but I must complete the conversion within 90 days or else. Then I had a phone call from a young lady meercat who offered some advice. Lose some seats and try again...... So I called the vendor and he was extremely helpful and I tried again. Suddenly a new company turns up at the price I wanted. Great, I signed up on line and sighed with relief. Tomorrow I will go to Bristol by train ready for a drive up to Didcot with my brother-in-law. 

The saga begins (Tuesday 17/3/2009)

I had always said that I would never buy a vehicle on eBay. So naturally, I bid on an ex police minibus on eBay......... and I got it for the price I was prepared to pay as well. When the auction ended, my wife went mad with pleasure and all I could feel was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I was very aware of how much work I would need to do to turn this very large wagon into a home from home. What I didn't fully appreciate at the time was just how much work I would have to do just to be able to legally  park it outside my front door.

Fortunately, I was buying from a very good seller who had made a point of publishing all the drawbacks with the offer on eBay. I did at least have a head start.

So the very next day I began to get the paperwork together.