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dasdachshund
Samba Member
Joined: March 29, 2010
Posts: 728
Location: Vancouver, WA USA
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 Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Looks great, Phil. That's about all you can do for right now until major metal cutting occurs. Get camping again, bud. I shoulda brought my welder over last time and we'd get that taken care of in a jiffy.
Oh, and remind me to kindly decline your offer for tea next time. 
-dasdachshund |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:37 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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I'll bring the scones , and enjoy a cuppa with you. Not everyone over here things a drink has to be named " Big Gulp"
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.ssS! |
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| mcdonaldneal wrote: |
Meh.
It only took me a couple of days to get the oil out of the kettle, so there's an open offer of tea and scones to any Samba members (but not all at once!) |
A few rinses of petrol should do it.
Buttered scones for me...Im a lumberjack, after all...
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Long overdue update here!
Lots of good reasons why the Kombi has been out of action for over six months, but I started getting her ready for action last week.
The first major downer was that the chassis battery, which is just over four years old, would not take or hold a decent charge. I was a bit surprised. It has only had one episode when it did run completely flat when the hot start relay had shorted out, but it had been good for two years since then. Oh well.
I had heard good things about absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries for classic cars. They're supposed to cope well with being left for long periods without charging and so I'm going to give one of those a go.
The leisure battery is also dead and so ill order another one of those at the same time.
Having the battery out did give me a chance to prep and paint the lip of the battery tray, which was very rusted, but I'll be glad when it's all back together!
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 2:26 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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I reassembled a bunch of electrics after repainting part of the battery tray and took the Kombi along for its annual MOT road worthiness test.
Actually, the government has decided that vehicles over 40yrs old will no longer be required to pass the test, so this is the last time the Kombi will have to take it. I might still put it through though, as a check of the exhaust, steering, brakes etc up on the ramp.
The Kombi is also old enough now to be exempt from road tax, although the date on my registration document is incorrect. The birth certificate confirms it was built in October 1977, so I have had to send all the documents to the licensing authority for them to change their records, confirm 'historic vehicle' status and save me £220 per year (at least!)
It does mean that I cannot drive it until they have reissued the document, so I will probably take the Ghia when I go away for a golfing weekend in a couple of days! Check that thread for pics and details!
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 5:54 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Great news on getting MOT exempt!
Sorry about your walk being spoiled.
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TomWesty
Samba Member
Joined: November 23, 2007
Posts: 3482
Location: Wyoming,USA
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 6:48 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| mcdonaldneal wrote: |
I reassembled a bunch of electrics after repainting part of the battery tray and took the Kombi along for its annual MOT road worthiness test.
Actually, the government has decided that vehicles over 40yrs old will no longer be required to pass the test, so this is the last time the Kombi will have to take it. I might still put it through though, as a check of the exhaust, steering, brakes etc up on the ramp.
The Kombi is also old enough now to be exempt from road tax, although the date on my registration document is incorrect. The birth certificate confirms it was built in October 1977, so I have had to send all the documents to the licensing authority for them to change their records, confirm 'historic vehicle' status and save me £220 per year (at least!)
It does mean that I cannot drive it until they have reissued the document, so I will probably take the Ghia when I go away for a golfing weekend in a couple of days! Check that thread for pics and details! |
My wife wants is to move to the UK, my reason for not wanting to is because my bus wouldn’t pass MOT. I hope she doesn’t find this news out because we really can’t afford the move....I look forward to seeing your family and cat on the road again.
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If you haven't bled on them, you haven't worked on them.
Visit: www.tomcoryell.com and check out my music! |
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TomWesty
Samba Member
Joined: November 23, 2007
Posts: 3482
Location: Wyoming,USA
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 6:50 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| Abscate wrote: |
| mcdonaldneal wrote: |
Meh.
It only took me a couple of days to get the oil out of the kettle, so there's an open offer of tea and scones to any Samba members (but not all at once!) |
A few rinses of petrol should do it.
Buttered scones for me...Im a lumberjack, after all... |
Monty Python “I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay.....”
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If you haven't bled on them, you haven't worked on them.
Visit: www.tomcoryell.com and check out my music! |
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busdaddy
Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004
Posts: 51113
Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 7:25 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| Abscate wrote: |
Great news on getting MOT exempt!
Sorry about your walk being spoiled. |
Shouldn't that be "spoilt", it's similar to "tyres" and "colour", time to brush up on your proper English! (just funning McdNeal)
Congratulations on ditching the MOT Neal, we don't have annual inspection here anymore, but there is a cheap deal for "collector vehicles" once they are deemed worthy by the authorities.
Are MOT exempt vehicles in the UK prohibited from more than 5 days a month to and from work and you must also have a full price DD licensed in your name as well?
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Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.
Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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Слава Україні! |
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rsbadura
Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2009
Posts: 656
Location: Berlin, Germany
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 11:59 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| busdaddy wrote: |
| Abscate wrote: |
Great news on getting MOT exempt!
Sorry about your walk being spoiled. |
Shouldn't that be "spoilt", it's similar to "tyres" and "colour", time to brush up on your proper English! (just funning McdNeal)
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I think Abscate is having a dig at my playing golf. The quote about it being 'A good walk spoiled' is usually attributed to Mark Twain, so the spelling stands!
I'm far from a natural golfer, but the East Lothian coast is littered with courses (our little village has seven within two miles, and a children's course- where you can only play if you're accompanied by a child!)
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 12:15 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| rsbadura wrote: |
| mcdonaldneal wrote: |
| ...confirm 'historic vehicle' status ... |
is there any kind of visibility of this status at the car in the UK?
(as in Germany the license tag ending with an "H" for historic - but not tax free, it is only cheaper with $ 230 per year) |
The government can't decide what its policy is about this.
Years ago, vehicles older than 25 years became exempt from annual tax, which lasted a couple of years and then 'froze' at older than 1974. Then, they decided that older than 40 years would be free. It's not a smooth roll though, so this year the exemption applies to vehicles manufactured before 1st Jan 1978...
The Kombi was built in 1977, but registered in 1978, so the difference means a£200+ saving, so I'm keen to get it sorted!
You keep the same registration number and plates, so there is no visible way of telling. The paper tax disc in your windscreen used to say 'Historic vehicle' and £0, but it's all electronic now and they catch you with automatic number plate recognition. Big fines or a tow truck if you're not registered for tax, even if you're exempt!
The MOT exemption is a new change. Apparently, from 20th May, any vehicle in the historic class will not have to take the test. £55 fee for the test, plus you have to fix whatever they find is wrong and take a retest...
Personally, I think it's a good safety net for most owners and it's not clear whether insurers will ask people to have a current test.
Confusing.
Busdaddy, I don't believe there will be any restriction on use. To be honest, any car used as a DD in this climate has a limited lifespan!
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 3:24 pm Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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I'm still waiting for confirmation that I can take the Kombi back on the road, so I've been fixing/tidying some of the electrics.
I have brand new absorbed glass mat style batteries for my main and leisure batteries now, and I have hard wired in a trickle charger so they can be kept in tip-top state of charge while the Kombi is in the garage. I also replaced the huge voltage sensitive fridge 12v relay with a tiny 30A relay, triggered by the alternator light signal.
The auto-electrician who wired in the leisure battery setup had done so very untidily, with a forest of wiring held up above the engine bay lid by zip ties and routed via a hacked in blade type fuse panel.
So, I simplified the wiring, routed it along the front (is front) of the engine bay and it looks a lot tidier. I also got a 'made in Germany' fuse panel that takes the torpedo fuses and the brass bayonet connectors that the rest of the vehicle uses. The only surprise during the rewiring was the shower of sparks when the live feed touched the body of the van and melted a bayonet connector! I had disconnected the leisure battery earth, but not the main battery, and it shorted via the split charge relay (the voltage hadn't dropped enough from being on charge to isolate the two batteries). Lesson learned.
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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Tcash
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011
Posts: 12844
Location: San Jose, California, USA
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 7:36 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Congratulations
Tcash |
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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furgo
Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2016
Posts: 944
Location: Southern Germany
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:21 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Indeed, congrats!
Also good work with tidying up the wiring. Looks much better with the hanging wires and components out of the way. Something caught my eye though: is there any particular reason why the points capacitor is mounted under the coil's bracket?
The connection seems correct (between terminal #1 and ground), so I'm just curious.
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mcdonaldneal
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 2644
Location: Gullane, Scotland
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 11:20 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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| furgo wrote: |
Indeed, congrats!
Also good work with tidying up the wiring. Looks much better with the hanging wires and components out of the way. Something caught my eye though: is there any particular reason why the points capacitor is mounted under the coil's bracket?
The connection seems correct (between terminal #1 and ground), so I'm just curious. |
That, my friend, is a radio interference suppressor. I'm not even sure you need it with a modern radio but, if it ain't broke...
It's wired to the coil +ve, but the coil wiring is non stock because of the Pertronix electronic ignition.
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper
Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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furgo
Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2016
Posts: 944
Location: Southern Germany
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 11:30 am Post subject: Re: 'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!' |
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Aha, interesting! Now it makes more sense to see it close to the coil.
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