Coachmen Leprechaun

Now that the weather has improved a bit, i decided to pull back the cover over the roof of the camper and see where that leak was in the overcab. We pulled down a small section of the over cab ceiling and straight away found spots of daylight peering through a few pinholes in the aluminium roof skin! We also discovered two other leak points, one by the side capping, and another on the left side of fiamma roof vent. Earlier repairs using silicone seemed to have failed. So I removed all the old material and used some wurth sealer to make a temporary fix. I'll do a full repair along the full length of the roof shortly. For now, I'm happy we've found the sources of the water ingress. The aluminium seems to have corroded where the pinholes were. It appears that a heavy metal object was left there for a long time as there are rust/wear marks in this part of the roof. There may have been an electrolysis type corrosion where the two dissimilar metals touched? Morale of the story, don't put anything on top of a bare aluminium roof!

The fibreglass insulation was still wet even though we had a tarp over the front of the camper for the winter, so the only thing for it was to pull down a full 8' x 4' section of the ceiling in the overcab area and remove all the damp material. I have the dehumidifier cranking away in the camper now which should remove any remaining traces of water. Thank god the timber frame and rafters still appear to be in good shape in the top and bottom of the walls, no rot (phew). No mould either (double whew). Only one section of plywood had delaminated, so I pulled that down and will replace it before putting new insulation and a new ceiling in place. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to remove the roof vent to replace the plywood. and while doing that, it might be an opportunity to change out the existing 14"x14" Fiamma roof vent with something a little bigger? Does anyone know if you can get different size vents? Maybe 14" x 28"?

Also the ceiling in the camper is made from softboard. Anyone who knows that stuff, knows is sags over time. Its basically a layered cardboard material. Carol suggested we replace the entire ceiling in the camper with 3/8 ply as the softboard is a little saggy in a few places, but to make it look right, we'd need some nice vinyl material over the ply to give a nice textured ceiling, preferably matching the cream colour that is already there. Has anyone been there before me and found a source of vinyl ceiling material?

Thats nice, but to avoid re-framing the rafters, I'd need something no longer than 14" (350mm). I had a look through the interweb this morning and it appears 14" square roof vents are no longer favoured in europe from what I can tell. 16" (400mm) sq seems to be the standard here now. That beastie on the ebay link is 600mm x 900mm. It sure would be a nice size though.

Will have a look at the rafters again and see what'd be involved in fitting that vent.

I'm up to my neck with work at the moment which gives me no time to bash on the camper which really sucks, but I have been over in the US quite a bit which is handy...

Being so far from home, all I have been able to do from here is weigh up the costs of the engine problem.

I did some pricing on new and second hand engines over in Ireland and europe, and boy, they are pretty expensive, so a rebuild of our own engine appears to be the cheapest option. 3 of the 8 cylinders in the engine had problems that basic honing won't solve. Deep'ish cratches on #1 and rust pitting on #3 & #5. My engine overhaul guy told me I needed to go 0.5mm (20thou) oversize on the pistons. So the engine block is currently up in a machine shop in Castlebar as the guys in Cork don't have machines that can rework our V8.

Being in the US and having spare time on the evenings and weekends, I'm able to find the parts I need in local auto parts stores. Surprisingly, I found the cost of new internal engine parts to be fairly reasonable. The SBC 350 & 400 engines are very popular over here and every second guy seems to have an old chevy pickup or a hot rod that he's fixing up. The positive side of this is that parts are cheap and theres a large number of auto parts stores, especially here in McAllen, Texas where I am staying at the moment. So I've bought up some engine goodies. After a lot of shopping around for best value, I picked up a new set of quality pistons for a fraction of what the local European 'specialist' suppliers were quoting. Also, as I've gone this far with the engine and the parts are so cheap, I may as well replace the other consumable moving parts in the engine also.
All of the material costs for the internal engine components shouldn't get above $500usd (€370) so I'm very happy with that, and safe in the knowledge that the engine should be in top shape once we're back on the road! I was very lucky to find a very generous parts supplier in the US who gave me some of the parts FOC after hearing about the rebuild project AND that I was Irish. He had Irish roots, and was glad to chat with someone from his ancestoral home.

With a cylinder re-bore & block skim in the region of €380, I should have the engine rebuilt and ready to rumble for around €1k. Of course, this price is for parts, head skim and & re-bore only. Engine re-assembly labour will be provided FOC by yours truly.

New pistons and some of the other bits.


I got most of my parts in a place called Advanced Auto parts, but there were other stores with a vast assortment of engine dress up accessories. Photos below from a place called Pep Boys...

With auto parts stores like these, you could put a pretty large dent in your credit card balance if you weren't careful.


I managed to resist major temptation and only gave in to buying a set of Edelbrock chrome rocker covers for $50, I couldn't resist.

But I was amazed at the amount of chrome bits that are available for these old Chevy engines...

Like who'd want a chrome engine sump?

I'm sure in time, I'll feel the urge to chrome the sh*t out of the engine, but for now, I'd just be glad to hear it running again...

But yes, every bolt on bit for these engines can be bought with chrome plating...

You're absolutely right Pat, I got a replacement hi-volume oil pump with the last lot of parts and I intend to change it for the sake of it! When I'm back over in the US again in a couple of weeks, I'll pick up a water pump. Even though the water pump that's fitted now appears to be working fine, it'd be wise to have a spare just in case. For the sake of €45, I'd be foolish not to bring one back in my checked luggage and save the hassle of shipping should the current one fail sometime in the future. Unfortunately, the darned water pump is a heavy beastie (cast iron), so it'll take up a fair bit of luggage weight on its own...

http://shop.advanceautoparts.c…water+pump

I'm making sure I don't exceed my duty-free allowances each time, to make sure I stay on the right side of the law! But yes, I'm sure if the Irish customs lads opened my bag, they'd be surprised to find engine parts!!

Ah, I doubt it'll be this season at this stage Marty.

The cab is ready to be mounted and I've started on the panel gap alignment and paint prep, so hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have all that done. Then I'm back to the US for 2-3 weeks which puts the camper on hold again...
I'd like to think I'll get the cab painted and the running gear back together by September/October but who knows. All of the running gear is now refurbed and ready to bolt on so that should progress pretty quickly once I can get the time to crack on with that.
Then I'll work through the winter to get the engine & transmission back in, and finally work my way through the list of small jobs.

There's a Ron Hoover RV super store <10 miles from where I usually stay, but I haven't had an opportunity to get over there while they're open yet. I'd best leave my credit card AND wallet at home the day I go there for a look...

I did manage to peek through a shop window one evening and it's like a RV parts supermarket inside in the store. Outside, a compound with a few acres of brand new +40ft RV's, 5'ers & boats...

I've gradually been picking up bits n bobs for the camper while I'm over here in TX.

The elusive Non A/C blower housing that I've been searching for was becoming a real pain. I guess I've visited maybe 15-20 different "junk yards" since I've started coming over here, and I'm gradually finding the small bits that I need. But the hardest item to find so far has been the blower housing.

Our own one is fubarred, it's only the paint is holding it together. My dad had done some repair work on it in the past and patched it from behind with fibreglass and fillers so it was a bit of a basket case. It practically fell apart when I removed it. It was one of the last things I had on my fabrication list should I not be able to find one over here... Most of the blower housings on the scrap vans here are large plastic units which have A/C evaporators. Obviously to deal with the texas heat. Even the blower housing on the white donor van I have at home has a big plastic A/C housing. But I wanted our camper to be as original as possible, so a small, pressed steel Non A/C housing is the only way to go for me... Yes, I probably do need my head examined.

Here's ours - (it is a lot worse than it appears, trust me)


So today, the search ended. I drove passed this "pull your own parts" scrap yard in SE Texas just by chance. I was headed for the beach in South Padre Island when I spotted this place and sher I had to go back for a look...




And low and behold, the part I need...


Borrowed a couple of tools from a nice Mexican man, and bobs yer uncle, the part is mine.

I'm soooo excited to have found that part, it's kind of silly really, but there you go.

And for the modest sum of "ten bucks", sher where else would I be going...

I'll need something new to obsess over now that I've found it.

The WWW wasn't giving me what I needed so I had to take things into my own hands...

Almost.

I still have a few items in mind but none of them are show stoppers. I'll be passing the same place today so I'll stop off and get another couple of bits that I didn't think of yesterday. I need a transmission fluid dip stick (super long length on vans), One or two small engine bits, and I also need a couple of items of door trim and window trim that are mad money on the interweb.


Parts still eluding me -
The chromed plastic headlamp bezels on the camper are a bit tired and I've been looking out for a replacement set, but they are pretty hard to find in good shape. I haven't found a set in any scrapyard so far, but they do pop up on ebay from time to time. I just haven't been lucky enough to snap them up.

The originals (below) would be fine, but you know yourself, once the cab is painted and looking like new, it'd be a shame to put rough parts like the faded chrome bezels back on.

They are restorable to a point and might be ok if I spray the really bad bits with silver paint, but in my spare time, I'll keep looking for some NOS or mint condition bezels.

Originals -

This will better illustrate why I so badly wanted the non A/C type of blower housing...

Now with a lick of paint. Old and new side by side

Refurbing the steering column. After de-rusting and painting the steering column tube, I discovered a couple of electrical faults in the column controls. The horn button and indicator switches weren't working. I got around to looking at those this weekend. Stripping down the switches and cleaning the contacts. I love these old switches that can be taken apart and cleaned. Not like the modern stuff that is sealed and basically throwaway...

While I was at it, I also took the time to clean up the rusted chrome levers on the column. Gearshift lever, indicator lever and steering tilt lever. The chrome was pitted but it cleaned up nicely using a tip I learned from a friend of mine who restores old motorbikes.
Using a stainless steel wirebrush (the kind that fits in a drill), I gently knocked off the rust spots and made the surface smooth. Then using aluminium foil, rubbed the chrome vigorously until the rust vanished before my eyes... I then finished it off by buffing to a high shine with a drill mop and polish. I'm pleased with the result.



I was hoping to avoid painting the control cluster assembly just behind the steering wheel as the original finish is anodised, but despite how much I tried to clean it, it still looks like crap, so I decided lastnight that I'll paint it.

Collected the engine block from the engine shop yesterday.... Mmmmmmm, nice shiny barrels....

Both sides bored, honed and skimmed.

Only took two and a half months.... :whistle:

Good job I'm not in a rush....

More parts...

So before I started rebuilding the engine, I needed to spend a LOOOONG time measuring everything. All internal moving parts, just to make sure everything was within spec. Most turned out fine but I did find one or two items that needed attention. The more important being the camshaft. There were a couple of cam lobes significantly worn, 3-4mm less than what they should have been. Now after doing my research on t'interweb and gettin' myself edu-macated on camshafts, I probably could have got away with just reusing the old one, but I don't like the idea of an imbalanced system, so I decided to drop another few "bucks" on the rebuild and replace the camshaft and associated parts. So with that, I've just reached the €1k milestone for all of the rebuild parts and machining work on the engine, so I'm happy enough with that.

It is truly amazing, the amount of information on the internet regarding engine rebuilds. There is a huge network of folks who are willing to share a wealth of knowledge about the mighty chevy V8 engine, and ways to improve it.

I never thought there would be such a huge choice of camshafts! From bog standard factory spec, up to high torque, high performance pro-stock. And all mostly down to different timing, duration and lift profiles. I was tempted to go with a radical camshaft, that would give the camper a real pro-stock rough idle sound as it rumbled through the campsite but I balked at the thought of reducing my MPG's down to the very very low single digit figures!! So I decided to go with a more sedate, and economic camshaft with a slightly "higher lift" and a more pronounced overlap than stock. It should give a little more power and a nice exhaust note without sacrificing fuel "economy" (If I can even use that term on this ol guzzler )

So, the camshaft arrived during the week and I believe I am just about ready to start bolting bits together!

Camshaft -

(Old one on the left, NEW one on the right)
The exhaust lobe for Cylinder 1 (first lobe on left) was 3.8mm shorter than it should be and it also should have a more pronounced nose -



A very important piece of information I learned while researching engine rebuilds is this... The main reason for premature enginewear in old classic engines, especially chevy/GMC is using the wrong type of oil. Apparently modern engine oils have less zinc (ZDDP) which is a vital component for oils used in older American engines. This is good to know... It's amazing what you learn from the WWW.

The next obstacle to contend with was the cylinder heads. I had a small hairline crack on one of them between two small coolant ports.


I got a quote from a couple of local engineering firms, to repair the crack. Unfortunately the price was a bit high for the work I wanted done. Weld the crack, fit a full set of 16 hardened valve seats, fit all new valve guides, grind in new valves and skim both heads. The quotes for all of this was well out of my budget. I thought I had a solution when a friend offered his spare old 350 cylinder head to me, but after closer inspection, that head had a far worse crack than mine did, photo below. The crack on that one ran right through the combustion chamber and across a valve seat. Not good.



Time to start thinking about Plan C.

Well persistence paid off. After a couple of months of casually searching the internet, a used set of aluminium Edelbrock heads showed up on Donedeal, and for a good deal less than it would have cost me to repair my old heads or buy new ones. Score. So that nudged the engine rebuild cost above my €1000 target, but still relatively reasonable.


Should give me a bit more torque.

My phone went off this morning with a calendar alert...

It made me laugh out loud. I set this alert on the calendar a couple of years ago and it repeats annually

2 years today!

As for an update... not a lot to report unfortunately. I have boxes full of parts but VERY LITTLE TIME to work on the camper at the moment. Work is sending me abroad quite a lot lately and when I get back to Ireland I'm wrecked tired, and I only want to spend quality time with my family (not out in the workshop spannering). I'm hoping that the travelling will reduce in the next few weeks and with a bit of luck, my time will be mine again soon!
Looking for photos to share with you, I only have one of the engine block and intake manifold after I gave them a few coats of hi-temp ceramic paint.

Well, I gave in to a family consensus and painted them the original "factory correct" Chevy orange, yeah baby!

27 Oct 2012

I picked up some goodies for the engine recently. Dry fitted the Edelbrock heads last night. Looks good....



I'm going to start rebuilding the bottom end of the engine int he coming few weeks hopefully. I have all of the bits to get on with that now so hopefully everything will go smoothly...

Internal bits -