1990 Bedford Rascal Van2
Discussion
Small update (appropriate for a small van!)
Managed to track down all the parts needed to get this going on, thanks to the wonderful world of eBay.
New timing belt, new water pump, new HT leads and new head gasket and seals. Total cost was just under £110 including all postage. My mate who is doing the work couldn't get hold of the bits from his local motor factor, nor the local Vauxhall or Suzuki dealers. Thankfully there are still some out there who have the bits!
This should mean the van is back in action in the next couple of weeks. Then the only issue will be getting the headlining sorted as this had started to sag. If it is salvageable that will be my preferred option but then it is 27 years old now so will have to see what it looks like underneath!
Managed to track down all the parts needed to get this going on, thanks to the wonderful world of eBay.
New timing belt, new water pump, new HT leads and new head gasket and seals. Total cost was just under £110 including all postage. My mate who is doing the work couldn't get hold of the bits from his local motor factor, nor the local Vauxhall or Suzuki dealers. Thankfully there are still some out there who have the bits!
This should mean the van is back in action in the next couple of weeks. Then the only issue will be getting the headlining sorted as this had started to sag. If it is salvageable that will be my preferred option but then it is 27 years old now so will have to see what it looks like underneath!
There's another thread on here asking if newer cars have lost their character. It has gotten quite deep, with people questioning what actually defines 'character'. I think they need to read through this thread...
What an awesome little vehicle, I drive an old Mini so am well versed in the small vehicle footprint/low power philosophy. I am also tall like you, but i get by. I cannot remember the last time i saw one of these little things. I salute you sir!
What an awesome little vehicle, I drive an old Mini so am well versed in the small vehicle footprint/low power philosophy. I am also tall like you, but i get by. I cannot remember the last time i saw one of these little things. I salute you sir!
Why thank you.
To me I certainly think it has "character" compared to many of the other cars I have driven over the years, and to you as well. It might not to other observers. I am too young to know whether this will have had character when it was brand new, however.
It is easy to fall into the trap that any old-fashioned car driven on the roads in today's world has character because you have to use a manual choke, and manual windows to get it going, and keep an eye on the temperature gauge, and in winter, make sure you flip the little lever underneath it to "winter" mode to circulate warm air from the exhaust port around to keep the carburetor warm! None of which you have to do on anything today where it all has sensors etc.
when I do drive it along though, it does get more admiring glances than my Skoda, that's for sure.
To me I certainly think it has "character" compared to many of the other cars I have driven over the years, and to you as well. It might not to other observers. I am too young to know whether this will have had character when it was brand new, however.
It is easy to fall into the trap that any old-fashioned car driven on the roads in today's world has character because you have to use a manual choke, and manual windows to get it going, and keep an eye on the temperature gauge, and in winter, make sure you flip the little lever underneath it to "winter" mode to circulate warm air from the exhaust port around to keep the carburetor warm! None of which you have to do on anything today where it all has sensors etc.
when I do drive it along though, it does get more admiring glances than my Skoda, that's for sure.
Pre-weekend update:
All the parts have arrived.
My mate has collected the head having had it skimmed down.
This is not a very large head at all..
On Sunday, we rebuild it. I have enough faith to only buy a one-way train ticket on a day when Southern Rail are likely to be running minimal service...
All the parts have arrived.
My mate has collected the head having had it skimmed down.
This is not a very large head at all..
On Sunday, we rebuild it. I have enough faith to only buy a one-way train ticket on a day when Southern Rail are likely to be running minimal service...
Shakermaker said:
Pre-weekend update:
All the parts have arrived.
My mate has collected the head having had it skimmed down.
This is not a very large head at all..
On Sunday, we rebuild it. I have enough faith to only buy a one-way train ticket on a day when Southern Rail are likely to be running minimal service...
Enough faith that the van or Southern Rail is going to work?All the parts have arrived.
My mate has collected the head having had it skimmed down.
This is not a very large head at all..
On Sunday, we rebuild it. I have enough faith to only buy a one-way train ticket on a day when Southern Rail are likely to be running minimal service...
talksthetorque said:
Enough faith that the van or Southern Rail is going to work?
Both.It is a Sunday, so Jesus will be on my side, right? I know he was a carpenter but I'm sure there is a transferable skill set there that he would be practically minded to be able to lend a hand doing some spannering.
Shakermaker said:
It is a Sunday, so Jesus will be on my side, right? I know he was a carpenter but I'm sure there is a transferable skill set there that he would be practically minded to be able to lend a hand doing some spannering.
Thread merge - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...Finally yesterday my mate and I got together to tackle the head gasket.
What a ballache of a job this is to do on the van, given its such a small engine, it should be easy. But the issue lies with the access!
However, we have this space:
In which to fit this nice shiny rebuilt cylinder head:
That fits in
Tappy tappy!
http://vid5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/cavdriver/...
But finally, it ran.
the timing was a complete b
h to do, and the only benefit of the crappy access is that you can do it all from inside without having to run around to try and start it and then fiddle with the distributor cap, it is all within arms reach.
We also put on a new timing belt, new waterpump and a new set of HT leads.
Eventually, I made it home. It isn't fast, but I did the 50-odd miles back from Portsmouth in around 1h30 and now it sits lurking on my driveway ready for action... ish.
Next job will be to get a new radiator and some new hoses as the old radiator shows signs of a leak. However, I went outside this morning and the water level is still full which is encouraging.
Next small job will be giving it a damn good clean next week I expect, having sat unused for a while in my mates workshop it needs a bit of a tidy up.
What a ballache of a job this is to do on the van, given its such a small engine, it should be easy. But the issue lies with the access!
However, we have this space:
In which to fit this nice shiny rebuilt cylinder head:
That fits in
Tappy tappy!
http://vid5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/cavdriver/...
But finally, it ran.
the timing was a complete b
h to do, and the only benefit of the crappy access is that you can do it all from inside without having to run around to try and start it and then fiddle with the distributor cap, it is all within arms reach. We also put on a new timing belt, new waterpump and a new set of HT leads.
Eventually, I made it home. It isn't fast, but I did the 50-odd miles back from Portsmouth in around 1h30 and now it sits lurking on my driveway ready for action... ish.
Next job will be to get a new radiator and some new hoses as the old radiator shows signs of a leak. However, I went outside this morning and the water level is still full which is encouraging.
Next small job will be giving it a damn good clean next week I expect, having sat unused for a while in my mates workshop it needs a bit of a tidy up.
Here it is at a local classic car meet at the weekend looking a lot cleaner in the photos than it is in real life...
And here it is, broken down on the way home from said classic car meet
And the reason why it broke down... dislodged king lead. Nice quick fix at least!
Finally, here is a shot of how much of a rebel I am, willing to break all the rules and not live within the conforms of society...
And here it is, broken down on the way home from said classic car meet
And the reason why it broke down... dislodged king lead. Nice quick fix at least!
Finally, here is a shot of how much of a rebel I am, willing to break all the rules and not live within the conforms of society...
Another year, and it was MoT time over the weekend for the mighty Rascal.
The van has only done around 600 miles since last year, but in that time, it has had some work done. New head gasket, timing chain, waterpump, HT leads and spark plugs as well as a full decent service. The head gasket went about a week after the last MoT, which was annoying.
However, for the second year in a row, it came through the MoT without any advisory issues! The only issue that the tester made me deal with was the large spider that was residing on the underside, which he refused to touch. There apparently isn't a code for that on the MoT test machine for them to worry about.
MoT! by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Hopefully, some of the other photos in this post have been updated since Photobucket removed them all, there should be some earlier on now..
The van has only done around 600 miles since last year, but in that time, it has had some work done. New head gasket, timing chain, waterpump, HT leads and spark plugs as well as a full decent service. The head gasket went about a week after the last MoT, which was annoying.
However, for the second year in a row, it came through the MoT without any advisory issues! The only issue that the tester made me deal with was the large spider that was residing on the underside, which he refused to touch. There apparently isn't a code for that on the MoT test machine for them to worry about.
MoT! by Alex Lear, on FlickrHopefully, some of the other photos in this post have been updated since Photobucket removed them all, there should be some earlier on now..
The little Rascal hadn't run since December, and I hadn't had a chance to look at it or play with it at all over the winter or early spring what with having a baby to look after.
Last time I tried it, it spluttered and didn't really do much at all and just spluttered away. But, with a minimal amount of effort, such as charging the battery, and a few squirts of carb cleaner into the air intake, it fired up. It runs a bit rough still, but it ran and moved!
I couldn't be bothered to clean it myself though and take off 6 months worth of cobwebs and so forth, so I popped along to the local hand car wash place and let them deal with it!
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
Doesn't look too bad now, still a bit faded.
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
I'll be getting rid of the Bilstein sticker though, as it clearly looks awful.
A modification for me to carry out in future is to fit these awesome 13" slot mag style wheels in place of the standard 12" steels. Just need to get the correct wheel nuts for this but otherwise they're a straight swap, and add nothing to my insurance premium
Untitled by Alex Lear, on Flickr
This Saturday I will be in Dorset at the Bradford Abbas Festival of Wheels,
Last time I tried it, it spluttered and didn't really do much at all and just spluttered away. But, with a minimal amount of effort, such as charging the battery, and a few squirts of carb cleaner into the air intake, it fired up. It runs a bit rough still, but it ran and moved!
I couldn't be bothered to clean it myself though and take off 6 months worth of cobwebs and so forth, so I popped along to the local hand car wash place and let them deal with it!
Untitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrDoesn't look too bad now, still a bit faded.
Untitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrI'll be getting rid of the Bilstein sticker though, as it clearly looks awful.
A modification for me to carry out in future is to fit these awesome 13" slot mag style wheels in place of the standard 12" steels. Just need to get the correct wheel nuts for this but otherwise they're a straight swap, and add nothing to my insurance premium
Untitled by Alex Lear, on FlickrThis Saturday I will be in Dorset at the Bradford Abbas Festival of Wheels,
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