Resolve.
With this most difficult and frustrating year drawing to a close, I consider the parallels between the van project and my life in general. Self-deluded and over confident, but under few illusions about the idiocy of it all, I cycle through despondency, determination, achievement.
Most things have turned out to have been more strongly dreaded than actually difficult, even though they have needed a bunch of hard work. Sitting down and crying about things makes no difference to the situation apart from maybe giving a clue as to the situation I don't want to be in. Everything can be broken down into steps. It all has value when it is part of a bigger plan and a definite goal. Acting as though things are going to work out ok is a major influence on things working out.
Christmas arrived and departed, and I had given up on having the van done by the end of January. I focused on getting reconnected with a branch of the family I had pretty much abandoned, and this was a great success. I made some aunts really happy, and feel much more a part of things. The weather reports for the subsequent week or so were pretty bad, I gave up on the idea I would get any work done at all. There is a lot to do.
Then I remembered how many times I had found that weather has not been nearly as bad as it seemed it would, and how easy it is to get things done even in a drizzle. The more I do, the better the weather gets,the forecast is now clear.
In between obligations and issues, I got the other spring mount prepped (and painted). That is enough to give a post xmas confidence boost that I can at least mount the rear suspension if needed, and can leave things for a day or two.
Above it is some rusty looking plate which is the heat shield for over the muffler. This is obscuring a lot of underbody needing paint. The fuel tank must come off first. The tank is full of fuel. I am overwhelmed with the difficulty.
At the far top left is visible two slots in a bracket, closer to the camera. That bracket is attached to the strange device here...
It is obviously part of the braking system. It will no doubt be full of crud, and may be part of the reason the rear brakes don't work so well. Certainly there is a bleed nipple on it I had overlooked. It must be removed to get at other bodywork, and it needs to be cleaned up.
So, a couple of days later I remove it and get it into the shed. Not a lot I can do with this right now, remove the two brackets attached to it and clean them up for painting. Stop work. Small steps!
Pass the evening trying to find out what it is, and eventually learn it is the proportioning valve. Its function is to regulate the brake line pressure, so that when it reaches a certain point the pressure stops increasing on the rear wheels and is returned to the front. This is hopefully just before the rear locks up. The huge spring and bracket is attached to the diff, so that when the rear is full of gear, and is sitting lower, it alters the position of a lever-actuated piston in the device, thus changing the pressure at which fluid is diverted, thus allowing greater braking pressure on the rear. Conversely under panic braking, if the van body rear lifts, it cuts the fluid off sooner.
Yeah, better clean that out.
Next day, hook it to the spare van, undo the end cap, pump it, and a piston pops out. Clean it, put it back together.
Leave the other end alone, as it has adjusting travel rods and I do not have the gear to reset it all if I disturb them. Spray Brakleen through it, then flush it with fluid. That will do.
Meanwhile, the brackets are drying.
At this point it's time to just stop pissing around, so having found the drain plug for the fuel tank, take the opportunity to spill more diesel on the driveway. At least 30 litres went into these containers, and about 10 is left in it, and my skin and clothes probably absorbed another one. I think I lost about half a litre to the ground. It fucking stinks, but then it rained, so it's all fine now.
This really was a major sticking point as I knew it would be a shit job, and then it wasn't as bad as I feared, and then the tank is nearly empty, so I leave it there for the evening as there are pipes to undo, and get onto more body work instead: the final bits around the LH spring front mounting point and the rail above.
BEFORE PREP:
AFTER PREP ie after at least an hour of continually swapping brushes in the drill, grunting, straining, enduring the humid air.
I hurriedly spray it to clean it up, this time though using carburettor cleaner as it seemed it would be less damaging to the paintwork than brake cleaner.
What a stupid bloody idea.
Instantly all the previously applied paint which it touched became soft and shrivelled into ridges.
In emergency mode, as I was running out of time, energy, and weather, I ripped off my t-shirt and started wiping with it. I wiped off all of the areas I could, paint sludge fell around me, I lay in it, it stuck to my skin, I kept wiping as the rain started to fall. In order to protect the bare metal from atmospheric moisture I raced through spraying with brakleen and wiping again, then a coat of primer to hold it until morning or the next time I could sort it. As far as I knew we were in for a few days of rain.
I walked away feeling the warm rain on my skin, not uncomfortable but calm. There is no wind, the rain falls softly, the light changes, the trees glow.
Next day, it is sunny. It is time to get the fuel tank disconnected, bolts undone, and drop it out of the way.
Good job I did, as these don't look too good. Fortunately I have a spare.
The whole point of this is to be able to get at the underfloor. It seems daunting, but the lines are mostly straight, I throw my biggest tool at it, and after a couple of hours it is stripped back.
Not too shabby.
A decent coat of primer, and the day is done after only 6 hours or so.
Another bonus: having snapped one of the front bumper mounting bolts I was disheartened to note that it was completely inaccessible with my drill. "What I need" I thought, "is some kind of drill that can go around corners, such as with a right-angle head." Being a thoroughly modest sort of chap I figured I was not the first person in history to have this problem, and had a look on the googles. Such drills exist.
Taking a punt, as their website is pretty crap for finding things, I ended up with this beauty from Bunnings, an attachment for operating screwdriver bits in tight places. Turns out you can also get "quick change" drill bits which fit a hex socket.
Sweet. That's all done between Christmas and New Year's Eve, when everyone else is out getting flooded, crashing vehicles, or stuck in holiday traffic.
From believing I would not have a chance to work on the van at all, it is now nearly at the point I thought it would only be at the end of January.
Never give up.
Most things have turned out to have been more strongly dreaded than actually difficult, even though they have needed a bunch of hard work. Sitting down and crying about things makes no difference to the situation apart from maybe giving a clue as to the situation I don't want to be in. Everything can be broken down into steps. It all has value when it is part of a bigger plan and a definite goal. Acting as though things are going to work out ok is a major influence on things working out.
Christmas arrived and departed, and I had given up on having the van done by the end of January. I focused on getting reconnected with a branch of the family I had pretty much abandoned, and this was a great success. I made some aunts really happy, and feel much more a part of things. The weather reports for the subsequent week or so were pretty bad, I gave up on the idea I would get any work done at all. There is a lot to do.
Then I remembered how many times I had found that weather has not been nearly as bad as it seemed it would, and how easy it is to get things done even in a drizzle. The more I do, the better the weather gets,the forecast is now clear.
In between obligations and issues, I got the other spring mount prepped (and painted). That is enough to give a post xmas confidence boost that I can at least mount the rear suspension if needed, and can leave things for a day or two.
Above it is some rusty looking plate which is the heat shield for over the muffler. This is obscuring a lot of underbody needing paint. The fuel tank must come off first. The tank is full of fuel. I am overwhelmed with the difficulty.
At the far top left is visible two slots in a bracket, closer to the camera. That bracket is attached to the strange device here...
It is obviously part of the braking system. It will no doubt be full of crud, and may be part of the reason the rear brakes don't work so well. Certainly there is a bleed nipple on it I had overlooked. It must be removed to get at other bodywork, and it needs to be cleaned up.
So, a couple of days later I remove it and get it into the shed. Not a lot I can do with this right now, remove the two brackets attached to it and clean them up for painting. Stop work. Small steps!
Pass the evening trying to find out what it is, and eventually learn it is the proportioning valve. Its function is to regulate the brake line pressure, so that when it reaches a certain point the pressure stops increasing on the rear wheels and is returned to the front. This is hopefully just before the rear locks up. The huge spring and bracket is attached to the diff, so that when the rear is full of gear, and is sitting lower, it alters the position of a lever-actuated piston in the device, thus changing the pressure at which fluid is diverted, thus allowing greater braking pressure on the rear. Conversely under panic braking, if the van body rear lifts, it cuts the fluid off sooner.
Yeah, better clean that out.
Next day, hook it to the spare van, undo the end cap, pump it, and a piston pops out. Clean it, put it back together.
Leave the other end alone, as it has adjusting travel rods and I do not have the gear to reset it all if I disturb them. Spray Brakleen through it, then flush it with fluid. That will do.
Meanwhile, the brackets are drying.
At this point it's time to just stop pissing around, so having found the drain plug for the fuel tank, take the opportunity to spill more diesel on the driveway. At least 30 litres went into these containers, and about 10 is left in it, and my skin and clothes probably absorbed another one. I think I lost about half a litre to the ground. It fucking stinks, but then it rained, so it's all fine now.
This really was a major sticking point as I knew it would be a shit job, and then it wasn't as bad as I feared, and then the tank is nearly empty, so I leave it there for the evening as there are pipes to undo, and get onto more body work instead: the final bits around the LH spring front mounting point and the rail above.
BEFORE PREP:
AFTER PREP ie after at least an hour of continually swapping brushes in the drill, grunting, straining, enduring the humid air.
I hurriedly spray it to clean it up, this time though using carburettor cleaner as it seemed it would be less damaging to the paintwork than brake cleaner.
What a stupid bloody idea.
Instantly all the previously applied paint which it touched became soft and shrivelled into ridges.
In emergency mode, as I was running out of time, energy, and weather, I ripped off my t-shirt and started wiping with it. I wiped off all of the areas I could, paint sludge fell around me, I lay in it, it stuck to my skin, I kept wiping as the rain started to fall. In order to protect the bare metal from atmospheric moisture I raced through spraying with brakleen and wiping again, then a coat of primer to hold it until morning or the next time I could sort it. As far as I knew we were in for a few days of rain.
I walked away feeling the warm rain on my skin, not uncomfortable but calm. There is no wind, the rain falls softly, the light changes, the trees glow.
Next day, it is sunny. It is time to get the fuel tank disconnected, bolts undone, and drop it out of the way.
Good job I did, as these don't look too good. Fortunately I have a spare.
The whole point of this is to be able to get at the underfloor. It seems daunting, but the lines are mostly straight, I throw my biggest tool at it, and after a couple of hours it is stripped back.
Not too shabby.
A decent coat of primer, and the day is done after only 6 hours or so.
Another bonus: having snapped one of the front bumper mounting bolts I was disheartened to note that it was completely inaccessible with my drill. "What I need" I thought, "is some kind of drill that can go around corners, such as with a right-angle head." Being a thoroughly modest sort of chap I figured I was not the first person in history to have this problem, and had a look on the googles. Such drills exist.
Taking a punt, as their website is pretty crap for finding things, I ended up with this beauty from Bunnings, an attachment for operating screwdriver bits in tight places. Turns out you can also get "quick change" drill bits which fit a hex socket.
Sweet. That's all done between Christmas and New Year's Eve, when everyone else is out getting flooded, crashing vehicles, or stuck in holiday traffic.
From believing I would not have a chance to work on the van at all, it is now nearly at the point I thought it would only be at the end of January.
Never give up.