Modern Commer Replacement

[Neal]

Andy

How could you allow such a thing to happen, the old girl deserves to rest inside at her time of life

[Andy Zarse]

I agree to a point. However I don't have an "inside" big enough to fit her into. So to speak. The damp off that wet grass isn't too bad anyway, although I popped inside on monday for a look and that rats have had a proper go at the bedding cushions and they've gnorred through one of the the cupboard doors.

[Andy Zarse]

Just a tip for old recalcitrant vehicles. You can really piss on their chips if you take spares for the worst things that can go wrong. - they know you've got the bit, so there's no point in breaking one. They just blow headlight bulbs etc.

It worked in my old Saab, a spare head gasket in the boot was better than any warranty.

Agreed. I keep a fuel pump, water pump, points, condenser, fan belt, gasket set and other vital speares onboard at all times. Never needed any of them. But if I off-loaded them I would be inviting mechanical armageddon.

[nopanic - neil]

Andy - on ebay - could you use for spares?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1971-Commer-Camper-DIESEL-Tax-Exempt_W0QQitemZ150095640057QQihZ005QQcategoryZ14256QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Andy Zarse]

The diesels were incredibly noisy......... I SAID THE DIESELS WERE INCREDIBLY NOISY.... 

[Canada Phil]

Someone mentioned Delahaye and Commer in the same post
Note spelling Paddy
More info on the MAP please.
Phil

[mgmark]

About time that this one hit the front page again - how is the old girl now that the weather is turning warmer, keeping the rust bugs at bay and giving tired batteries a new lkease of life?

MG Mark

[Bob U]

She's been abandoned on a drive in the frost and damp whilst her master is sunning himself at the cricket in Antigua.
 Surely this is no way to treat a grand old lady. Methinks an anonymous phone call to the RSPCC ( Royal society for the prevention of cruelty to Commers) is called for.

[mgmark]

She's been abandoned on a drive in the frost and damp whilst her master is sunning himself at the cricket in Antigua.
 Surely this is no way to treat a grand old lady. Methinks an anonymous phone call to the RSPCC ( Royal society for the prevention of cruelty to Commers) is called for.

How could he treat the Queen of the Road in such a desultory fashion, and all for watching bloody cricket too!  Criminal behaviour indeed and worthy of shopping him to the authorities before the mighty lady rises up and seeks her revenge.  Incarcerate him for his own safety.......

MG Mark

[Andy Zarse]

Over the depressing winter months she will sit largely forgotten and uncared for, brooding and hibernating under skies as grey and cold as Dunstable steel, thoughts of long-gone days of  motoring quitely through the dappled evening sunshine of the beautiful Sarthe countryside nothing but a lingering dream of times past. Nothing to disturb her other than the tiny mice asleep warm and dry in her cupbords, until finally sometime in late March spring breaks out, the birds start singing and once more the Commers cheeks are carressed by the first weak rays of the rising spring warmth.

Just you wait till she get's the sun on her back again, now that will be a day to relish.

The sun has indeed shone on her back and I'm delighted to say that I started her up and moved her a few yards on monday evening so I could mow the grass around where she'd sat all winter. Obviously there's work to do to get her fully functioning but it's a good start none the less. It is, I guess, the Commer equivalent of "sitting up in bed with a nice cup of tea".

I suppose it is the merest coincidence too that that she arose like Christ on Easter Monday. Oh and I did notice what looked suspiciously like nail holes in her sills, although I suppose it's possible this could just be more corrosion. Still, it makes you wonder doesn't it?

Anyway, having a living breathing Commer again can only mean one thing; that summer has officially started and that Le Mans is a mere nine weeks away. So let us all give thanks for that news!

[mgmark]

Marvellous news - so nail holes rather than tin moth holes eh?  That's a good one!  Mind you they probably will be dripping your blood when you start fettling the old girl preparing her for the annual pilgrimage.......

MG Mark

[Nordic]

I am told this is the 'Saab Mobile sauna' so it could just as well fit into the 'anyone going in a Saab?' thread.

But it looked like a VW to me, but is is without doubt a van so..

[Andy Zarse]

Nordic it looks like a bloody bird table...

Anyway a whole bankholiday weekend of Commer-fettling lies ahead for me. 
That and a local Beer and Blues festival tomorrow. 
And bloody gardening and ironning. 
Oh and I think the Gimp's down on sunday all day. 
And then it's GoKarting in Kent on Monday. 

So absolutely no Commer-fettling at all by the look of it 

Have a good weekend everyone!

[Andy Zarse]

You'll all be pleased to note the annual "pre-Le Mans Commer problem" reared it's ugly head at the weekend and involves a Modern Commer Brake Replacement.

I've tried to avoid applying my mind to replacing the rear brake shoes for the past five years. This is because I knew the O/S outer oil seal in the hub was perished and weeping and I'd have to withdraw the half shaft to put a new rubber on to stop it dribbling over my feet. As the years went by the weep had turned into the worst flood since 607 Squadron flew over the Ruhr Valley a while back. This job was going to involve a degree of something known as time and effort and what with me and me bad back etc I really wasn't keen to get involved. Last year the MOT man gave me an advisory note about the low Kg's registering on the rolling road; what he actually said was- "Did you know one of your rear brakes doesn't work. Nor does the handbrake and your master cylinder is leaking too". So I promised faithfully I'd get it all attended to, and trotted off merrily down the road with my pass certificate sniggering to myself that all was well for another twelve months. Unfortunately, time has flown by and in readiness for the forthcoming MOT I started thinking about getting stuck in. Actually I did nothing except put it off, until the weather turned really sh1t... 

So last weekend I set to with a rather damp sense of optimism; of course this quickly turned to woe. On removing the drum I found something resembling the product of Sapton Treacle Mine. The whole thing was compacted with a congealed and noxious mix of 38-year-old Hypoid SAE90 and asbestos powder. I never thought this was going to be a piece of cake and that a bit of humping and grunting would be required. Nevertheless, what I hadn't banked on was the contrast between what the manual said I needed to do and what was actually involved. Phrases like- "using a suitable extractor slide the bearing down the shaft" actually mean "go and get a lump hammer and cold chisel and smash the f**k*ng SKF-6307 bastard thing to a thousand pieces and then get in the car and drive to Shoreham to pay £37.98 to replace the perfectly good one you've just destroyed in order to fit a 75p rubber seal”.

Another phrase open to an alternative interpretation is "replace the worn brake shoes with the new ones". Simple you might think, but no, it really means "get back in the car and drive yet again to Shoreham, (taking care to note you were there less than three hours ago) to exchange the 10 inch diameter shoes they sold you because your drums are 9 inch dia..."

Anyway, this is what it looks like now; I'd better get on to it sometime before 13th June. Well I will if I can ever get my breath back, that asbestos dust is a right bugger on the lungs isn't it? 

[Andy Zarse]

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