motocopter
Well-known member
I'm a former Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Husqvarna tech and like tools; but, man if I had to carry that many tools I'd start to suspect I have the wrong bikes. 
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keep shoveling
DNF
Hah! The key is that these are basically all the tools I own. I updated the post with a short summary of how I organized and at some point I'll take a few pictures. Going skiing this weekend/next week though so sadly probably not for another three weeks.I'm a former Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Husqvarna tech and like tools; but, man if I had to carry that many tools I'd start to suspect I have the wrong bikes.
motocopter
Well-known member
Ok, I like portability too. A 300 pound tool chest is no joke.
keep shoveling
DNF
Really, everything is driven by the NYC apartment. Like, I'd get a drill press if I could but given I don't even have a garage, a drill press seems ambitious in the apartment.
A table top one would be good choice for kitchen counter and even be used as a mixer for kitchen duty.
keep shoveling
DNF
Just coming back from a week on vacation skiing which was very nice. Now... VAN TIME AND I HAVE BIG PLANS.
OK, I don't have big plans. But I did get a super important job accomplished today.
Look at this barren wasteland. How can you even tell what vehicle it is?
Much better.
$30 on ebay and worth every penny.
OK, I don't have big plans. But I did get a super important job accomplished today.
Look at this barren wasteland. How can you even tell what vehicle it is?
Much better.
$30 on ebay and worth every penny.
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
Just coming back from a week on vacation skiing which was very nice. Now... VAN TIME AND I HAVE BIG PLANS.
OK, I don't have big plans. But I did get a super important job accomplished today.
Look at this barren wasteland. How can you even tell what vehicle it is?
Much better.
$30 on ebay and worth every penny.
That probably added 40hp and 70 torks
keep shoveling
DNF
Minimum. I assume you noticed that the CDI is red.
keep shoveling
DNF
My rear door isn’t closing all the way.
I suspect this hinge.
I was wrong. But I did not realize I was wrong until I’d taken ended up taking out the latch on the inside of the other rear door.
That piece falling out of the bottom of the door is supposed to be attached.
To this. Don’t worry, there’s also another one that fell down from the top. At least I took the opportunity to clean out the latching mechanisms and lubricate them.
After putting the door bits back together and fixing the closing problem (maybe?), it was time to turn to the real project for the day. Out comes the wall and everything sitting in the front half.
And the carpet goes all the way up to the pedals.
Don’t worry, the important pedal still works just fine.
And this stuff looks great in person.
And you can kneel on it with old man knees without hurting at all which is nice.
Just a single piece of carpet
From sea to shining sea.
I suspect this hinge.
I was wrong. But I did not realize I was wrong until I’d taken ended up taking out the latch on the inside of the other rear door.
That piece falling out of the bottom of the door is supposed to be attached.
To this. Don’t worry, there’s also another one that fell down from the top. At least I took the opportunity to clean out the latching mechanisms and lubricate them.
After putting the door bits back together and fixing the closing problem (maybe?), it was time to turn to the real project for the day. Out comes the wall and everything sitting in the front half.
And the carpet goes all the way up to the pedals.
Don’t worry, the important pedal still works just fine.
And this stuff looks great in person.
And you can kneel on it with old man knees without hurting at all which is nice.
Just a single piece of carpet
From sea to shining sea.
keep shoveling
DNF
It's been a while because, you know, life. But I did manage to get out and do a little more work on the van this weekend. I'd planned to do more, because I always do. But as soon as I was ready to go under the van, it started snowing with some serious gusts and then I ran into the problem of "how do you hold nuts/bolts on one side of a wall so you can tighten them down from the other side?"
First thing's first. The right rear brake has been dragging because the caliper was a rusted piece of garbage. Shhhh, the rotor is supposed to be that color. And sitting on the street during the winter while getting splashed with salt water every time a truck goes by shows exactly where the bare metal is. Add wire wheeling and a coat of paint for all of that to the project list. This would have been a much easier project if I'd sprung for a new $50 vacuum bleeder.
"Try CAD" they said. "It's so easy" they said. "No, much better than just taking the wall out and tracing it onto plywood" they said. I'm sure this was actually easier, because I fucking hate moving that big steel wall around. It's so unwieldy. And I hadn't thought things through properly so my first step had been to do some more work attaching the wall to the van and to itself. By the time I got to this I'd spent an hour using a tiny, shitty vacuum pump that was left over from (and perfectly fine for) putting a clake 2 on my bike a couple years ago now where the rubber seals had swollen and didn't really seal, been snowed on sideways under the van, hopped out of the front, gone into the back, climbed over the bikes, tried to bolt something in only to hear my wrench or other foolishly attempted rigged up solution fall off the other side and missed lunch (easily the biggest of the tragedies). So I didn't finish it, but this is going to be the template for the plywood portions of the wall. Once that's up, I'm going to replace all the brake fluid because it was a deep revolting color instead of the beautiful clearish liquid it should have been and the pads and sheesh that rotor really does look rough nowgo riding.
First thing's first. The right rear brake has been dragging because the caliper was a rusted piece of garbage. Shhhh, the rotor is supposed to be that color. And sitting on the street during the winter while getting splashed with salt water every time a truck goes by shows exactly where the bare metal is. Add wire wheeling and a coat of paint for all of that to the project list. This would have been a much easier project if I'd sprung for a new $50 vacuum bleeder.
"Try CAD" they said. "It's so easy" they said. "No, much better than just taking the wall out and tracing it onto plywood" they said. I'm sure this was actually easier, because I fucking hate moving that big steel wall around. It's so unwieldy. And I hadn't thought things through properly so my first step had been to do some more work attaching the wall to the van and to itself. By the time I got to this I'd spent an hour using a tiny, shitty vacuum pump that was left over from (and perfectly fine for) putting a clake 2 on my bike a couple years ago now where the rubber seals had swollen and didn't really seal, been snowed on sideways under the van, hopped out of the front, gone into the back, climbed over the bikes, tried to bolt something in only to hear my wrench or other foolishly attempted rigged up solution fall off the other side and missed lunch (easily the biggest of the tragedies). So I didn't finish it, but this is going to be the template for the plywood portions of the wall. Once that's up, I'm going to replace all the brake fluid because it was a deep revolting color instead of the beautiful clearish liquid it should have been and the pads and sheesh that rotor really does look rough now
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
It's been a while because, you know, life. But I did manage to get out and do a little more work on the van this weekend. I'd planned to do more, because I always do. But as soon as I was ready to go under the van, it started snowing with some serious gusts and then I ran into the problem of "how do you hold nuts/bolts on one side of a wall so you can tighten them down from the other side?"
First thing's first. The right rear brake has been dragging because the caliper was a rusted piece of garbage. Shhhh, the rotor is supposed to be that color. And sitting on the street during the winter while getting splashed with salt water every time a truck goes by shows exactly where the bare metal is. Add wire wheeling and a coat of paint for all of that to the project list. This would have been a much easier project if I'd sprung for a new $50 vacuum bleeder.
"Try CAD" they said. "It's so easy" they said. "No, much better than just taking the wall out and tracing it onto plywood" they said. I'm sure this was actually easier, because I fucking hate moving that big steel wall around. It's so unwieldy. And I hadn't thought things through properly so my first step had been to do some more work attaching the wall to the van and to itself. By the time I got to this I'd spent an hour using a tiny, shitty vacuum pump that was left over from (and perfectly fine for) putting a clake 2 on my bike a couple years ago now where the rubber seals had swollen and didn't really seal, been snowed on sideways under the van, hopped out of the front, gone into the back, climbed over the bikes, tried to bolt something in only to hear my wrench or other foolishly attempted rigged up solution fall off the other side and missed lunch (easily the biggest of the tragedies). So I didn't finish it, but this is going to be the template for the plywood portions of the wall. Once that's up, I'm going to replace all the brake fluid because it was a deep revolting color instead of the beautiful clearish liquid it should have been and the pads and sheesh that rotor really does look rough nowgo riding.
Yeah, holding bolts on the other side is sometimes the biggest hold ups on these project. Wether it is on the opposite side of a wall or under the van.
keep shoveling
DNF
Plusnuts have been OK (but not great) for me on holding things but the stupid wall is three pieces - a top, a side with a door and then another side and they all need to be held together and the carpet takes up space so moves where they get held together. I used plusnuts plus some steel angle braces to hold the top one to the van in place and then I wish I'd recorded it on video so I could fast forward playing yakety sax but it was just a thousand trips back and forth (and in the back because I'm stupid I kept climbing over the bikes and toolboxes instead of just taking the toolboxes out and easily walking in because I thought surely this would be the last time but it wasn't...). Just a comedy of errors. But I really hate taking the wall out and I did need to get it all lined up in the van first.
I have never subscribed to anything on YouTube but I would be willing to make an exception in this case.
keep shoveling
DNF
Benduro
Prehab
"416"?Just coming back from a week on vacation skiing which was very nice. Now... VAN TIME AND I HAVE BIG PLANS.
OK, I don't have big plans. But I did get a super important job accomplished today.
Look at this barren wasteland. How can you even tell what vehicle it is?
Much better.
$30 on ebay and worth every penny.
My T1n om647 says 316cdi...
I guess this shitty photo is the best I have.
Attachments
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DNF
My sincere condolences that your van is smaller and slower than mine.
From what I read the 2/3/416 is based on payload so since I have a dually and the MB VIN dealer spec lookup said 416, I bought a 416. Is it right? I certainly don’t know. Am I going to change it instead of pretending the 4 means the van is faster? Fuck no. That would be like taking the orange anodized bling off my bike. Madness.
Alan F.
Well-known member
For holding nuts in place while you run around to the other side to thread in a bolt, I'd go for Vise grips held in place with welding magnets. Maybe just the welding magnets.
keep shoveling
DNF
I did use vise grips a few times. But not welding magnets. That's a great idea, thanks!
keep shoveling
DNF
This post brought to you by goddamnit, what the fuck Mercedes?
It’s another weekend(ish) night and that means I’m here. In the same fucking spot I’ve spent easily a quarter of my time on this van.
You see, after carefully determining exactly which rear caliper I needed and then installing it, I discovered that there are two models. The one I bought before has the hole for the brake line in the red circle. That is wrong and this one is right.
The brake line going like this is what happens if you get the wrong one. It’s not bad when the suspension is compressed but it does rest against the leaf spring and over time it will wear and you will discover that, much to your chagrin, you cannot stop. That’s bad.
Properly routed, and a jackstand in the background so you can see that I am good and safe and you can think to yourself “holy shit, if this senseless chucklefuck uses jackstands for safety then I should also use jackstand and wear appropriate PPE.”
I bought and used this power bleeder and wow, it is a lot easier. Also installed new brake pads as long as I was there. Should have done that the first time but what can you do?
Last but not least, and also not pictured, I tore out the radio the PO installed in a fit of rage because it doesn’t just turn off when the van turns off and had drained the battery enough I needed to use a jump pack since I’d last played with the van last weekend. Fortunately, I have a replacement that was only $30. So a little splicing and that’ll go in.
It’s another weekend(ish) night and that means I’m here. In the same fucking spot I’ve spent easily a quarter of my time on this van.
You see, after carefully determining exactly which rear caliper I needed and then installing it, I discovered that there are two models. The one I bought before has the hole for the brake line in the red circle. That is wrong and this one is right.
The brake line going like this is what happens if you get the wrong one. It’s not bad when the suspension is compressed but it does rest against the leaf spring and over time it will wear and you will discover that, much to your chagrin, you cannot stop. That’s bad.
Properly routed, and a jackstand in the background so you can see that I am good and safe and you can think to yourself “holy shit, if this senseless chucklefuck uses jackstands for safety then I should also use jackstand and wear appropriate PPE.”
I bought and used this power bleeder and wow, it is a lot easier. Also installed new brake pads as long as I was there. Should have done that the first time but what can you do?
Last but not least, and also not pictured, I tore out the radio the PO installed in a fit of rage because it doesn’t just turn off when the van turns off and had drained the battery enough I needed to use a jump pack since I’d last played with the van last weekend. Fortunately, I have a replacement that was only $30. So a little splicing and that’ll go in.
GMK999
Well-known member
" Chucklefuck" May have to be my new screen name .
Fun build to follow along with. Thanks for the insight and entertainment.
Fun build to follow along with. Thanks for the insight and entertainment.