3 Wheeler special update - The French Connection

Quick update on Dad's 3 Wheeler project - being built for the Classique Boulard rally in France, if you remember me mentioning it! (I welded up the rear swing arm - citroen hub assembly). Not much to look at just yet but the panelling is coming together next - more to follow soon :)
(that is if 2 cylinder aircooled is welcome here ;)

clean camper plus 3m underseal excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAPPY MAN.

clean bottom

many hours cleaning paying off!!!!!!!!!!!!! bloody hard work.

stuff for help

So this was the current progress on sew. next big question too the masses is whats your opinion of replaceing the floor with flat galvenised sheet as aposed to bodging in a left hand drive mexican floor. answers on a postcard to the blog please?

On the road.....to no where very far yet!!

All hooked up and ready to roll......

Off we go!!

Happiness...........totally exhausted but success!!!

Start up

The sound is a bit distorted, but just listen to that turbo whistle. If the silencer had been fitted you might just have heard Phill crying with joy......even Maxine suffering with swine flu seemed very excited about it running again!!

New Life - New Joy!

Mr Phill fitting the exhaust manifold and gaskets not an easy job as engine at such a silly angle to fit it in.

The turbo has now been reworked to turn around the oil feed, so feed at the top and return to the sump using brick works kit. Not an easy job at all. Timing belt fitting was a complicated affair, but with the right tools and a sharp eye, all is looking good.

Working late and soaking wet, final hoses and electics connected, a host of fluids and......

Heads off

Totally different, yet utilmatley the same thing - diesel v petrol. Anyway quick bit of learning in relation to seting timing pulley locking tools.......now need a pulley tension gauge. Head off the old block.......looking very good (fuid in no3 is from me cleaning) nice pistons, good valves, shit looking head gasket!

Just a quick blast of degreaser and a light brush....all bling original VW. Lots of high quality metals in these newer engines!!

Party weekend

Magos Body work is starting to really look the business now, all that work starts to pay off. First coat of filler and primer only.

The under side has nearly been finished by Gary, full clean down underseal, waxoil and any other shit!!! Hard work.

And its Niels engine out for a full service and by the look of the oil and debris build up it needs it!

Darren and Jim busy at work. Painstaking work the removale of old bolts and tinware screws
Looking much better for a degrease, new flywheel oil seal and new bearing locking nut.

Get that pulley off!

Darrens lower rear wheel arch repair and side sill replaced, looks messy now but when those weld are ground away.....

More ventilation required................got this welded in by the end of sunday evening.

All rounded up with a fantastic Morrocan dish by Lisa, fantastic, good friends and good food....what else could you want!!

1.9 TDI in bus!

The original engine in the Golf looking nice and compact. All good but for oil leaks and a blown head gasket.
Now transferred to the T3, with spigot bearing and t3 clutch and flywheel plus new crank oil seals. T3 engine mounts fitted and all original water plumbing and electrics left in situe. Looks so different in terms of angle - golfs at 15 degrees t3 at 45...looks like its falling over!!!

T3 sump fitted with new sump gasket, plus oil filler and t3 dipstick. You can just see the new oil return line visable from Brickworks.....looking clean.

Turbo....loads of problems here. Golf turbo is a little bigger, and more importantly less oil leaks. but it fits into the golf the other way up, and on a different inlet and exhaust manifold. We have been able to change the attitude of the air end of the turbo but not the steel exhaust section. So the oil feeds althought in the righjt order are upside down.........will this proove to be an issue???...I hope not, could it leed to an oil build up in this area??? You can just see the oil return line coming out of the top of the unit.....just need a male 3/4 bsp to male 3/4 bsp fitting. The oil feed pipe took some careful reshaping to make it fit. We can now utilise all of the best of the 1.9 whilst still using t3 exhaust and manifold and t3 air box etc. So Phil has ordered a cam and fuel pump locking tool.......as soon as we have it, head off for new gasket, new timing pulley and belt, a few decisions to be mde about the use of original t3 pulleys, water pump, power steering pump and alternator as all of these have slight differences. Then it should just be some water and oil, some power steering fluid.....and.................:).

Bubble Burst?!?

Take a look at this van my mate wanted to buy:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=330341730966

Maybe the infamouse bus bubble has finally burst?

One step T3....

Old 1.6 diesel engine out. Old style T4 gear box with upper mounting for starter is cool..

knackered crank shaft pulley locator slot, leads to.............

Siezed valves, hammered pistons, cracked heads.....................mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

But help is at hand from a solid 1.9 turbo diesel Polo...........im not sure the polo was very happy at as it prooved hard work after David Rs birthday party the night before....but true to for two amatuers (B & Phill) sorted it out!!

Por poor Polo......of to the scrap yard for you!!! Good lump needs Head gaskets timing belts etc swaping a combination of parts around from the original T3 diesel , plus some custom mods.......................

OUT, OUT, OUT!!!!

Need advice here, is the oil in the coolant system more likley to be from a faile head gasket or the oil filter cooler combo.......this part seemed to leak out more oil than most other areas of the system???