[grizz]

Well, I guess this is a way to introduce my bus on here.

The whole thread covering the last 2 years is below.

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=37192

Currently in Essex having a 1800 Zetec shoehorned into the space between the seats.

My best mate Dave found me the bus as I was looking for one for some time, but of course they were never sold in the UK. Think Thames 400E.
He has been involved in them and other mad projects for some time, and never fears change, no matter how radical it is.

He had built this, fitted with a V6 Cosworth lump and auto box. The trailer was made up of about 3 written off busses, bits and pieces added together.
Currently, the bus is undergoing a radical transformation into a race car transporter, for a GT6 with Nissan 300ZX turbo power, which should hit the road in the new year.

Dave's Bus as it was......

Progressed from here....

Thread of that latest build here:
http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=65044

From being found and bought in Germany looking decidedly sorry for itself, and having been off the road, untouched for 20 years, it is now UK registered, and continues to evolve. It was the first of these to be on the road in the UK, and I think still is, there are 2 more in private hands that have made it into the country, but due to them being rare even in Germany, and unlike the VW scene, there is no parts or knowlege backup.
The Ford Heritage centre in Dagenham has just been given one by Ford of France, which should make it back nto the road.... short article in current Practical Classics.

First test drive on Christmas day 2007 in Osnabruck, Germany. 2 days later the bus was in Kent.

Photoshop of the colours it should come out in, in 2011 after next season.

Go GOOGLE Sinclair Oil Corporation, the colours are theirs , to be used with permission.

One of the first jobs to do at the time was to HIT IT WITH A BIG LOWERING STICK !!

I had a full spare set of running gear, donated by the 2nd bus which had been chopped up for spares, as it was beyond sensible rescue.

This was the result.

The engine is a 4 cylinder petrol and mounted between the seats. Now try figure how Dave got a V6 Cosworth in there.

While in Germany, the bus gained a rear window, as I do not like a blind van.
This is the way most of these busses ended up, this one donated the glass to my bus's rear door. Fitted by Dave, alond with roof gutters from the donor bus and a few other bits 'n bobs. In fact a load of work was generously done by Dave in Germany for me. What a friend !!

In....

The second bus in the mean time was donating much of its bits to my bus, or the 4x7 foot shed I built to house all the spares.

Ultimately looking like this.

Even roof sections harvested for later use.

First weekend in May 2008 saw Dave (Oldbus) come over from Germany to help me lower the bus and fit new suspension bushes etc.....

Midway through.....

Dave and his then 13 year old, 6'2" , now 6'7" son Christian, impressed with progress thus far....

At this point I have to admit some indiscretion from my side, I had promissed Nicola, Dave and Christian a nice Italian meal out before they went back to Dover for the Ferry to Europe and home.... like so many times with jobs, the time was eaten up.

This pic shows what a petrol head woman looks like after being stood up on a date, by the interference of an old car. Gotta love her. I do.

The bus prgressed and constantly changed over 2008 and 2009, and the rest of the updates are in the tread in the link above.

Last time I saw it, alsong with the Orion donor car, less than 60k miles of 1800cc zetec should work just fine.

Currently looking like this, with a Zetec in the hole.

Cosmetically and wheels, stance wise it will look like this till end 2010, when I will do all the body work, and paint myself.

That's all folks, comments and advice always welcomed.

Cheers,

Rian

 

[digger]

Hi Rian, do you know Ed from up here in suffolk... he show'd me round one of these at the nats in ipswich? I had a Thames 400e at the time.

Good luck with the project

 

[grizz]

Hi Rian, do you know Ed from up here in suffolk... he show'd me round one of these at the nats in ipswich? I had a Thames 400e at the time.

Good luck with the project

Hi Digger, it is Edd (Bodie & Doyle) who is doing the Zetec for me, it would take me a year of pain to do the conversion, whereas he is a bit of a genius, so I am happy to have him on it.

I think I saw your Thames, but due to the size of the show, never got to crawl under and over it.

Hopefully next year we will be camping with the Nightmares (by invitation) and get to spend the whole weekend playing cars, not just the Sunday show day.

 

[digger]

he was telling me about the zetec plans so I thought 'theres not many of them around' and thought it muct be yours!
There were 2 Thames 400E's at the nats a red one with a v6 and [mine] a cream one with a mid mounted chevy. see pic

 

[grizz]

he was telling me about the zetec plans so I thought 'theres not many of them around' and thought it muct be yours!
There were 2 Thames 400E's at the nats a red one with a v6 and [mine] a cream one with a mid mounted chevy. see pic View attachment 7356

Those are both very nice, the red looks fast, but I generally prefer a sleepr look, and I suspect yours was a true sleeper.

I seem to recall Edd pointing me in the direction of yours.

What did you do with it ??

 

[digger]

Those are both very nice, the red looks fast, but I generally prefer a sleepr look, and I suspect yours was a true sleeper.

I seem to recall Edd pointing me in the direction of yours.

What did you do with it ??

Sold it to a real vanner from stoke on trent, He has plans to finish it and have lots of fun with it. In fact it was sold before the nats but he hadnt collected it so I had all 3 of my vehicles there!! Thames, 78' chevy truck and model T van...

 

[grizz]

Small jobs ongoing.

Just this update pic today, bus where it is undergoing surgery.

 

[grizz]

Copied and pasted from Edd's update tonight.

right, lets see whats happening over here at chez B&D...

I've been beavering away on stuff today but got no pics from today. I have some pics I haven't posted yet so lets go with them.

firstly I got in a real pickle with myself. I had a really crap afternoon a while back and even had to call in an expert. long and the short of it is the steering cross link will now be ahead of the axle. it makes life sooo much easier. It just needs some tabs putting on the steering arms to stop any unwanted movement and the cross link lengthened. its away at the engineers having the arms sorted ATM. well, some before xmas break and some in new year, I don't expect anyone to work over the holidays if they don't have to

heres a selection of engine mounts for you. now rattled satan black for looks.

this is a close up of the awkward drivers mount. its notched to allow clearance for the axle and chamfered to allow clearance for the park brake.

while all this is going on the engine sits like this. perfect time to think alternator mounts then

I welded an 8mm spacer into some 20mm box section. I used a spacer as it was a snug fit into the box and that gave it a more central location for welding.

I put a bolt through and wound up a nut and washer onto the other end, used the bolt to square it. I wedled the washer to the box giving a nice alternator pivot mount.

all nice and square, big thanks to rob for marking it while I held a vernier and laser line
I cut the old zetec belt which as you can see is full of cracks anyway and took it as a pattern to the local factors to size something up. the stapple is some 1.6 welding rod . basically I now have a perfect length belt but its a 5 rib not a 6- not gonna make any differnce to us just powering an alternator and water pump. if it had PAS and A/C I might think twice but not for this.
I mounted an adjusting base from the inlet manifold and then used the old taunus adjuster arm for the , errr, adjuster

today I finished the alternator and started on the water rail...

thats it for now, stay tuned .

PS: and in other news I have a mondeo sump which may fit a whole load better than the orion sump

 

[sidspop]

Looking good Herr Grizz, I shall keep my eyes open on this one. May give me some inspiration for my panel van.

The red Thames previous belongs to Sandy Glenn, who runs the Thhames Owners Club

Andy

 

[digger]

Looking good Herr Grizz, I shall keep my eyes open on this one. May give me some inspiration for my panel van.

The red Thames previous belongs to Sandy Glenn, who runs the Thhames Owners Club

Andy

Hi Sid, the red one did belong to sandy but he sold it to a guy near norwich..

sandy owned it for years and years!!

 

[kapri]

Hi Grizz, without hopefully teaching Grandma to suck eggs you do know the actual position of the crosssteer arm track rod pick up point will need moving to maintain Ackermann angle ?

 

[grizz]

Hi Grizz, without hopefully teaching Grandma to suck eggs you do know the actual position of the crosssteer arm track rod pick up point will need moving to maintain Ackermann angle ?

Hi Mate, simple answer is No, as I am not doing the conversion and related work, but I suspect Edd who is doing it, does.

 

[grizz]

I forgot this pic last time-
BMW 520i radiator looks like a good fit.

Thats the alternator mounted and the engine. didn't stay long in the air, I needed to make a water rail....

Thats the start of it, a rough drilled plate. the 3 holes line up with the thermostat housing and the other hole is the outlet.

I marked it with a little oil for the hole to match the rear of the head.

Hole cut and then I done a bit of filing with the die grinder. not too much as I need some metal for a gasket seal

a start with 20mm box section. I cut the floor out before mounting it, I used box as I wanted some rigidity for it.

I cut the inside off and its starting to look something....

all welded, just needs some finishing.

Now thats looking like a water rail! needs final sealing but also a forward pipe fitting.

It finishes there....

I *ahem* clearanced it after this shot

I took this on me phone last night. the tube is an old piece of 2002 steering column.
thats it for now.

 

[grizz]

Update 20 January 2010

Well, there has been progress.

Clutch turned from rod opperated to cable, and some other progress.

Look at the link here:

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=37192&page=41

 

[GTODave]

Some ingenious fab work going on there:tup:

 

[digger]

Grizz's mate Edd who is doing the work is only a younster too!

Coming on well.

 

[paddy]

I forgot this pic last time-
BMW 520i radiator looks like a good fit.

Thats the alternator mounted and the engine. didn't stay long in the air, I needed to make a water rail....

Thats the start of it, a rough drilled plate. the 3 holes line up with the thermostat housing and the other hole is the outlet.

I marked it with a little oil for the hole to match the rear of the head.

Hole cut and then I done a bit of filing with the die grinder. not too much as I need some metal for a gasket seal

a start with 20mm box section. I cut the floor out before mounting it, I used box as I wanted some rigidity for it.

I cut the inside off and its starting to look something....

all welded, just needs some finishing.

Now thats looking like a water rail! needs final sealing but also a forward pipe fitting.

It finishes there....

I *ahem* clearanced it after this shot

I took this on me phone last night. the tube is an old piece of 2002 steering column.
thats it for now.

Hi Grizz, just a thought but after looking at what you`ve fabricated there, (for the top hose is it)if it works out well i would be very tempted to use it as a pattern and have it made out of ally.I just think for the long term it would be better from a corrosion point of view.It`s also bolted to an ally head as well that wont help (dissimilar metals) and it looks like a basket case thing to get to, or inspect.That engine is putting up a fight from all angels good luck with it:tup:

 

[grizz]

Thanks Paddy, great suggestion, I will pass it on to Edd.
Digger, GTODave, thanks for the comments. I am very pleased so far.

The latest updates are on the original thread.

Just to mention, clutch setup now converted from rod system to cable operated.

So thankful I did not take on this conversion, as the thinking that has gone into it so far, would have exploded my head.

There you go, pic of the Young 'un, Edd, who is actually fitting the engine and doing all the thinking.

 

[grizz]

Genius @ work !!

Well, here is a decent update.

Click the link, it will take you to the latest update on the bus conversion.

I am blown away by the thinking and problem solving here.

LINK:
http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=37192&page=32

Hope you guys agree, this is exciting me .

 

[paddy]

Have I missed something or am I just thick, but whats the connection with Sinclair oil ? I`ve never heard of "Sinclair", not that that means a thing,but you have it advertised on everything.I`m assuming it is oil or is it me getting the colours muddled with castrol GTX.Put me out of my misery please!:beuj::?: