Tools

[Spinal]

Not really sure this should be here, but it relates mostly to bodywork, so I'll shove it here...

Lets suppose you wanted to strip a car (panels, engine, interior, etc) to get ot the chassis to inspect it for rust and eventually do some welding both to the chassis and the bodywork. What tools would you need?

Not including spanners and "normal" wrenches, a welding machine and a compressor? I'm planning to weld and concrete a few steel bars into the walls to allow me to use a pulley to hoist out the engine (and any other heavy bit).

I'm guessing a few axle stands, or is there something considered "safer"?

(Before you ask, I'm afraid I doubt it will be a merc... its probably going to be a very old car, with very little electronics and VERY cheap... something I can tear apart and use to learn without crying too much if it doesn't work... The idea is... eventually, to get a car ready to do a 3000-mile trek... but thats not for another year...)

Michele

 

[l5foye]

Having been there, done that etc - you will find it cheaper and easier to buy an engine hoist rather than weld/concrete steel beams into a wall. The hoist will allow you to wheel the engine away to work on. I take you mean an air compressor, if so buy an air impact wrench with the right sockets (it speeds up removal of bolts) . You will need a spring compressor. Good luck!

 

[Spinal]

Thanks. What "weight" hoist would you recommend? I've seen some 1-Ton and some 2-Ton, I'm guessing for a monster like a landies engine I would need the 2T one, right?

 

[nick mercedes]

Thanks. What "weight" hoist would you recommend? I've seen some 1-Ton and some 2-Ton, I'm guessing for a monster like a landies engine I would need the 2T one, right?

Engine aren't that heavy, for example a Rover K-Series weighs about 80kg, but with engine cranes it's the reach which governs what you can pick up.

Cheapo engine cranes are just that, better to find a used one made in England or Europe rather than the wobbly Chinese ones (I watched someone with a Chinese engine crane topple it over and drop a 380SE engine down the side of a customers (mint) SL...)

 

[Dieselman]

Thanks. What "weight" hoist would you recommend? I've seen some 1-Ton and some 2-Ton, I'm guessing for a monster like a landies engine I would need the 2T one, right?

I lifted my Landy engine out using a wooden ladder and a block and tackle. No need for heavy lifting gear, especially on a Landy because access is so good.
If you really want to build a strong support just make an A frame from some scaffold tubes.

 

[Spinal]

Perfect, thanks for all the advice. Now I just need to get my hands on a welding rod and a shovel (need to dig a hole under where the car will be so I can get UNDER the car without lifting it up...) Then I'll need to get 2 cars of the same model, one in terrible condition and one in good mecchanical condition (but possibly with a worthless body)...

With some luck (and ALOT of help from my friends) I'll be ready by this summer to register for next winters Plymouth-Banjul rally

Michele

 

[andy_k]

(need to dig a hole under where the car will be so I can get UNDER the car without lifting it up...)

better put a pump on your shopping list as well - it's amazing how quickly you find water when digging a pit

Andy

 

[nick mercedes]

Perfect, thanks for all the advice. Now I just need to get my hands on a welding rod and a shovel (need to dig a hole under where the car will be so I can get UNDER the car without lifting it up...) Then I'll need to get 2 cars of the same model, one in terrible condition and one in good mecchanical condition (but possibly with a worthless body)...

With some luck (and ALOT of help from my friends) I'll be ready by this summer to register for next winters Plymouth-Banjul rally

Michele

A 124 300D might be an ideal car for the rally, simple to fix, economical, cheap and reliable...

 

[Spinal]

Andy: pump's been on the list since... uhmm... oh, since I thought of digging the hole really I picked up a nice cheap pump from another forum I'm a member on (2700lph, should be enough )

Nick: Thansk for advice. I'll look into that, my concerns would be (well, are):
- Spare part availability? (not only in the UK, but also in Marocco, W. Sahara and Senegal)
- Electronics? (kind of hard to find a star computer n the middle of the desert that said, I know VERY VERY little of the 124... )
- Engine complexity? (I'm a computer scientist... I can't ALWAYS close things I take apart )
- Height? (I'm guessing it would need to be raised. Spring compressor is on the list too now, so that may be possible)
-Space? (I would need to carry a tent, sleeping bags, clothes, water and food for roughly 14 days... does an estate version exist?)(or at least the 7 to get from marocco to Senegal... Once in Senegal I can arrange for friends to meet me to bring me some home-cooked food )


Just had a look at the 124, quoting:
The injection system is mechanical and – in a modern context of common rail direct injection diesels – very old fashioned...surprisingly light 1370kg mass....
Nice... mechanical is good and light is even better (suffice it to say I was looking at Ladas, Suzuki SJ410/413's and ex-MOD landies...). The review I saw is for an automatic gearbox... do manuals exist? What would you guys recommend? My first impression is that an automatic is very complex (I have NEVER ever (ever) opened an automatic gearbox... so am speaking out of immagination).

I'll stop rambling, I need to get some sleep or I'll never get the garage empty enough to start anything! There are 2 motorbikes, a bike, a freezer and endless old pc's in there fleaBay, here I come!

Michele

 

[nick mercedes]

Andy: pump's been on the list since... uhmm... oh, since I thought of digging the hole really I picked up a nice cheap pump from another forum I'm a member on (2700lph, should be enough )

Nick: Thansk for advice. I'll look into that, my concerns would be (well, are):
- Spare part availability? (not only in the UK, but also in Marocco, W. Sahara and Senegal)
- Electronics? (kind of hard to find a star computer n the middle of the desert that said, I know VERY VERY little of the 124... )
- Engine complexity? (I'm a computer scientist... I can't ALWAYS close things I take apart )
- Height? (I'm guessing it would need to be raised. Spring compressor is on the list too now, so that may be possible)
-Space? (I would need to carry a tent, sleeping bags, clothes, water and food for roughly 14 days... does an estate version exist?)(or at least the 7 to get from marocco to Senegal... Once in Senegal I can arrange for friends to meet me to bring me some home-cooked food )

Michele

All the old 124s end up in North Africa, so getting parts is easy, no computers to go wrong, and strong engines, and you could always fit Indian springs to get a bit more ground clearance.

You can get a 300TD estate, but a 124 saloon boot is pretty cavornous

 

[lotusmark2]

You could alway go for simplicity its self

Have a look here if you think I'm joking...
http://minor-detour.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/

 

[Spinal]

LOL, strangely enough, when I was discussing this with my father (a desert veteran, though he never did the whole England-Gambia leg in one go) his recomendations were:
-Suzuki SJ410/SJ413
-Citroen 2CV
-VW minibus

After telling him that I thought he was as insane as me for even recomending the citroen and the VW; he explained that a nice light car like those can be lifted out of any mud/sand alot easier and doesn't sink in as fast... Didn't think of that. (I still believe a nice V8/V12 engine in a landie with balloon tyres would do the trick )

I was looking on eBay for "lift kits". Not much (nothing really) made for a W124, but you've gotten me curious. What would be the largest tyre I could fit on one without changing the springs (I don't have too many qualms with taking a jigsaw to the arches and rewelding the arches...)?

RE: Raising the springs, it seems most lift kits are at most 2/3-inches; would that be enough? and finally, if I did need to raise the car by say, 2-inches; would I need to find a set of springs specially made for the 124 of would I be able to fit a spring with the same diameter but a different legth?

Final question: what stability/safety issues would raising the car entail? I would be changing the center of gravity, and assuming I will have a roof rack to store things (spare set of tyres, rail and tent) the car will be pretty top-heavy already...

Final question (i realise I already said this); roll-cages? Absolute necessity or over-rated paranoid delusion?

Michele

 

[Sp!ke]

Ever thought about doing it in a LWB W123?

 

[Spinal]

W123... not really To be frank, I didn't consider ANY mercs... the G-wagen is too expensive for the task, the M-class too refined. The non-4x4 models, I hadn't considered (I felt they were too electrical, too refined, too low, too heavy, too much of many things). I had a quick look on eBay and google and came up with this:

The W123 was the first Mercedes to have a factory-offered station wagon version designated as T-model (for Transport), as earlier models were converted to station wagons, and long-wheelbase ambulances and he****s only by private companies.

No offence intended, but there is no way I'm driving 3000 miles in a he**** (I'm not superstitious, just half Italian ). The reviews I find on the net are quite good though... either way, I'm not picking a car yet (At least not for another month, I need to get the garage ready, tons of junk to fleaBay, and need to find a place to put by motorbike, not too mention dig the hole!)

I'll probably start a new thread just to pick a car, atm my shortlist is a W124, an SJ410/413, an ex-mod landie, and a lada cossack (don't ask)...

Michele

 

[jaymanek]

W123 has to be the best choice, you can get parts anywhere in the world and if you do breakdown most repairs can be carried out with a swiss army knife!

 

[Sp!ke]

I agree Jay, In remote parts of the world they are probably the most common cars on the road - spares a plenty with simple robust mechanicals.

Failing that, I'd probably go with one of THESE

 

[Spinal]

I agree Jay, In remote parts of the world they are probably the most common cars on the road - spares a plenty with simple robust mechanicals.

Failing that, I'd probably go with one of THESE

A Lada

While I'm here, does anyone know what size a pit is roughly? I', guessing a meter wide, by about 2 or 3 long by who-knows-what deep... I was thinking of making it roughly 1.8m deep (being 1.8m tall myself, this in addition to the cars height should give me enough space to stand without having to arch my neck too much) ideas?

 

[Dieselman]

You don't need a pit, just use ramps or a lifing device. Pits are hassle.

One of our members did the Plymouth to Banjul run a couple of years ago. All you need is a decent sized car, an estate is much better due to increased space.
Fit an underguard at the front but keep it fairly light, then service the vehicle paying attention to items like suspension ball joints. It is a good idea to take some spares and a radiator can be a good one but not essensial.