1964 Econoline camper in the UK.

They came out of something called a Mazda Bongo....!!!!



They are a Japanese thing, they have loads of them over there, and quite a few have now been imported to the UK. They often get the rear seats taken out to convert them into a proper camper, so they come up on Ebay quite often. My Father-In-Law used to have 2 of them, and he has been telling me for ages to get some Bongo seats... I finally decided to get some and i'm glad i did as they fit really well....

Sy

seats look great!!!!

Well, had a very good day today. Just took the van for an MOT test. They check all the suspension and steering for play, check the braking performance on a set of rollers, all the usual stuff, and it passed with flying colours....!!!
We are legally allowed to drive to and from the MOT station, which is about 8 miles away, so i got to drive the van for the first time.....
Holy cow....!!! Its very different to anything i've driven before....!!!
It seems to run quite well, although it sounded like it was revving quite high at 60 mph. Going to fit a tacho this week so i can keep an eye on the revs. Does anybody know what a good rev limit is for these...?
It didn't overheat at all, and the standard drum brakes work really well. The MOT tester was very impressed with it.
All i have to do now is wait for the registration documents to turn up in the next few days, and then i can get some number plates made up, and it will be legal for road use. Until then it has to stay in the garage unfortunately....!!!

Sy

Congratulations!!! Yes, driving a cab-over-engine vehicle for the first time definitely provides a strange sensation!!! I love it now though!

Yeah, i was enjoying it much more on the way back from the MOT than on the way. I will soon get used to it. Its 2 years since i've driven a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, but i'm sure i will soon get the hang of it again.....

I don't notice it now, but my first drive in the 69 was wild. Great news on passing

Sy Hollinshead wrote:Yeah, i was enjoying it much more on the way back from the MOT than on the way. I will soon get used to it. Its 2 years since i've driven a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, but i'm sure i will soon get the hang of it again.....

OH YEAH... Strange to the Power of Two!!!

Hi Sy,

Congrats on the MOT, now onwards with confidence!

That's right, you had the double-weird experience: sitting on the
front axle plus being on the wrong side!

At first it will feel like you are driving on the end of a diving board,
then with time you will drive with authority and your Early will really
skate around- I love it.


Best Regards,
George

Getting really excited now. Just received my tax disc and registration details this morning through the post. My van now has a registration number, i have just ordered some number plates to be made up. As soon as these arrive i am allowed to use the van at last....

I still have a few jobs to do, such as cavity waxing and undersealing the van. Also, i washed the van, and water is getting in everywhere....!!!! The Previous Owner fitted all new door and window seals, and most of these are leaking. Particularly the front windscreen and rear doors.... Going to have to modify the new seals a bit i reckon....

I fitted an MSD 6 series ignition system yesterday, as well as a blaster HVC coil. This should give better performance all round, as well as better MPG.

looking good sy ,

i've just updated my A100 thread , hopefully next year it'll be done ,

maybe a early van meet up at some point ??

Well, i managed to drive the van this weekend.....

Ohhhh dear....!!!! This thing is awful to drive. There are a lot of rattles coming from the suspension underneath. I will be trying to get hold of some new leaf spring bushes to see if this sorts it out. Hopefully this may also cure the wandering all over the road when i am trying to drive in a straight line....!!!!
Apart from that it seems ok. Brakes are good, engine seems fine, no overheating. But i drove 20 miles and had jaw ache from clenching my teeth in concentration just trying to keep in a straight line....!!!

oh dear , they're a bit odd to drive ,mind you i'm used to vw campers



are the steering box and drag links ok ??

steering box isn't too bad. There is no play at all when the wheels are pointing straight forward.
Zero play in the drag link, kingpins are new, can't find any play at all when i jack the car up and rock the wheels.
It has been VERY windy over the weekend, which way have something to do with it. Somebody who was following me in a new car said that they were being blown about quite a bit......
Just had a closer look at the suspension bushes, and they are definitely in need of replacement anyway, so hopefully this will help. Just got to get them over here now....!!!

Sy

it may have just been a combanation of wind and odd van etc , i know people struggle with the vw's , it's a bit like a hot air ballon in a cross wind

i've found american auto parts over here (uk) to be pretty good
they got my slave cylinders to me next day

Cool. I've sent them an Email to see if they can get the leaf spring bushes. I am waiting for a call from Mcveighs Truck Springs in the USA, who said they could get the correct parts to me, but they haven't called back when they promised to.... Would be better if i could get them over here.... I might even still make it to Goodwood Revival in 2 1/2 weeks if i can source something quickly....!!!
Sy

Hey Sy, remarkable amount of work you have done there! I was looking back through the thread and havent seen mention of a sway bar? One of those would be a big help with the wind issues, it will still push but would help with the rolling feeling you can get. Also wondering about the tow-in, to little will make it want to dart around some, mix that with a small castor error and it could be a scary ride? Probably all stuff you have checked , just adding stuff I think I would look for.

Well, i haven't got a sway bar, so maybe this is something i could look out for.
Not sure where i'd get one from mind...!!

Sy

Still trying to source some leaf spring bushes at the moment. Nobody in this country seems to be able to get hold of anything similar, and i haven't yet found anybody in the USA who will ship me some. Still waiting for a couple of people to get back to me, but its been a week now so not looking hopeful.
Might have to look into replacing the springs for something that i can get bushes for, but money is tight at the moment so the van may have to wait in the garage for a while longer yet.

Well, just had an email back from Tom Mcveigh, he had forgotten to get back to me last week. All sorted now, thankfully. He really sounds like he knows his stuff as well, with all the differences in the different years. Hopefully these will shortly be on the way over to me and i can start to drive this van properly....!!!

Sy

So, the bushes turned up a few days ago. Just finished fitting them today, although the miserable weather has prevented me from going for a test drive yet. Hopefully some of the problems will be cured, the bushes were very badly worn out, particularly the ones on the shackle ends....!!!
The u-joint removal tool that i bought is an awesome bit of kit. Made removing the old metalised bushes so much easier. Had them out in just a few minutes with very little problems....!!
Sy

Hey Sy,

Just read through this thread. Great project! It's nice to see excellent craftsmanship from across the pond. One of the first things I did to mine was replace all of the suspension components, and brake components, and fuel lines and.. etc... etc... You are clearly on the right track. I remember the first week driving mine around. It is a different experience. Now when I am in a car, that big hood... (or bonnet) makes no sense to me. Keep up the good work.

Cheers, i have covered about 500 miles in it so far. The difference in it since i changed all the bushes is unbelievable....!!!!

It drives in a straight line now, and there are no nasty bangs and rattles from underneath anymore. The drum brakes are actually pretty good, although i am planning on going with disc brakes eventually. The steering takes some getting used to. There is very little feel when you start to turn the wheel, and it seems to take an age to respond to my commands , but i think thats just its character....
I have just finished coating the underneath of the van. I bought a Dinitrol kit that comes with 9 bottles of different chemicals. A rust converter, a chassis sealant, cavity waxes and finally a chassis paint. This should hopefully cope with our English weather and keep the rust at bay. There is currently no rust under the van at all, and i intend to keep it that way.

lookin good !

A little update with my van. So i decided that the original seats weren't supportive enough for a big bloke like myself, and searched for ages for something that would fit... Not an easy task, as most seats are just too wide for this van. I eventually found something that would just fit in..... This is the piccy from the Ebay ad that i put an offer in on. Got them for £200, in very good condition with electric motors and heated seats and backrests. They are out of a 2001 Porsche 911, so are well built and very good quality....



Getting them to fit took a lot of time, i had to make up some custom seat frames that would hold them in properly....The drivers side was most awkward as the battery box was right in the way, but i tackled the more difficult side first, and then made a mirror image of the frame on the other side. The frame is made of rectangular steel tube that has been welded and painted. Took ages to get a neat job, but i'm quite pleased with my welding, it is definitely improving....





In all it took about 3 days to make these fit, although i spent the best part of the day figuring out the wiring. The seat has all sorts of sensors in them to detect when there is somebody in the passenger seat, for the seatbelt warning alarms, and also to detect if a baby seat is fitted.... I removed all this wiring and was just left with the wires for the motors and the heating elements. I extended all the wires and fitted some connector plugs on them ready to plug in to the loom.





The seats are now fitted and working perfectly, the electrics all work fine, and the seats are so much more supportive than the old ones. It has really transformed the driving experience, and my wife is well impressed. She said it was like being in a different van....!!!

Oh, and by the way, if anybody is planning on putting different seats in their Econoline, make sure you take measurements on the passenger side, as it is narrower due to the doghouse being off centre. I never knew this, and took the measurements on the drivers side. I was lucky, and the passenger seat JUST fitted....!!!!

Sy