Copy cat idea!.... - Page 3

Roadster · #41 30th June 2016, 13:04

Looking Good Dan

With the self adhesive chrome trim available in various widths I would be tempted to add the Deluxe style trims up the V and along the sides, it would compliment your baby moon hubcaps

zagmad · #42 30th June 2016, 15:21

Well jell, as they say in Scarborough

Danny_HUFC · #43 30th June 2016, 16:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadster

Looking Good Dan

With the self adhesive chrome trim available in various widths I would be tempted to add the Deluxe style trims up the V and along the sides, it would compliment your baby moon hubcaps

Yes i will be adding them but need to sort out the hight of them along the side as at the min they would run through the door handles!

zagmad · #44 30th June 2016, 17:43

Talking of chrome strip. If you look at some of the classic split screen camper shorties the there is a bulge that runs down the panels or a raised surface. That by half way down the the front door diagonally drops to v shape at the front. Eg run the chrome from the front to above the handle at an angle.

zagmad · #45 30th June 2016, 17:47

Also was looking at something that would give your build a an edge and a nudge to original. they seem to have a peek that hangs over the front screen that is curved like a visor. The split screen with v shape has it.

zagmad · #46 30th June 2016, 17:52

I was looking at doing a micro van styled like the gmc van that was used by the A team but yours looks cool. My wife was going nuts coz I was always talking about doing a project but couldn't choose. Or id have ideas on a donor for a build but their was never a kit for the cars I liked. Will you be trimming the interior with classic touches

Danny_HUFC · #47 1st July 2016, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by zagmad

Also was looking at something that would give your build a an edge and a nudge to original. they seem to have a peek that hangs over the front screen that is curved like a visor. The split screen with v shape has it.

Il be doing somthing along the lines of that

Scottie22 · #48 27th July 2016, 13:33

Daihatsu hijet vans have a PCD of 4 X 110mm, and apart from those little four-wheel buggys that farmers use, it is the only vehicle in the world with that PCD.

Which is why you rarely see a hi-jet with anything other than those silly 12 inch toy wheels!

My solution was to fit a set of what look like spacers, but in fact convert it to 4 X 100, which as most people know is a very common fitment to a lot of cars.

I fitted 15 inch Rover wheels, with 50 profile tyres, which keeps the rolling diameter almost exactly the same as the original wheels, so the speedo works correctly and all the gear ratios are also right.

The conversion spacers came from Canada, as that way they worked out at half the price UK companies were asking!

Danny, I can't help with the rear lights, as I left mine as they were! Having done so much work on the front, I could not face starting again on the rear!

Scottie

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Scottie22 · #49 27th July 2016, 13:51

Reference the wheels and PCD problems, I first tried what they call "wobbly wheel nuts" which are supposed to allow for fitting wheels of a slightly bigger PCD, and compensating, but they never worked for me, with lots of problems with wheel wobble when they did not centre correctly. The conversion spacers really were the answer in my case.
I grafted my front on with some rivets, some self tappers and mostly marine Siko-flex.
In the year or so since I did it, I have had some minor problems
with the drivers side developing a few cracks where it was bonded. In fact, I fixed these just two days ago by grinding out the cracks and bonding in several layers of fibre-glass to bridge the gap and then filling. That should be okay as after it has cracked, the tension has been "released" and I've bonded it back into the position it wants to be in, so it most likely won't happen again.

Scottie

Scottie22 · #50 27th July 2016, 16:57

Danny, I've been looking at your front panel and it looks really good, but unless I'm mistaken, you are going to have to do what I did and cut some sort of grille in the nose to feed your rad with air.
These fronts I believe, were made for the vans that have the air-cooled 660cc toy engines in the rear.

I made my grille big enough to get the rad out if I ever needed to, and have had no overheating problems at all with it.

Also, you are right about the side chrome strips getting in the way of the door handles! I found it was the only logical position to stick the strips on, and just went ahead anyway.

If you go back to my old build thread, there is a detailed photo set to show how I made the grille if its any help to you.

It was very fiddly and time-consuming, but I could not see any other way of getting round doing it.

Danny_HUFC · #51 28th July 2016, 06:03

Scottie, thanks very much for your input. With the wheels i think im going to have to go down the same route as you with the spacers. I was wanting to make the full wheel size a bit bigger as to lift the van up a little as I have bumpers and side skirts to go on and they will sit quite low.....

There will be a lot of modification going into them to get them to fit but once done, im hoping to get them moulded so i can re produce the kit for the hijet.

As for the cooling issue, i will be going along the lines of mesh behind the VW badge as per this 1......

I have also bought 1 of these fans which il get connected up and see how i get on.....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291799530644

The chrome strips are going to be the major part in getting this van to look right so im stuck on this at the min. The last thing i want to be doing is moving or changing the factory door handles because im sure il get chew with them if i do!

Scottie22 · #52 28th July 2016, 07:05

Looks like the bumper come as part of the kit Danny?

I hate to say this but I bought one of those fans for my XKSS in the early days, and it just was not up to the job.
I ended up fitting a second-hand MUCH larger one which REALLY does the job! Also I think you will have problems with such a small air intake under the VW badge. I can't see that giving enough air-flow. If you do go that route, test it out on a longish run before you paint and trim, that way it may save a lot of extra work if it does fail. Best of luck with it all, and I will follow you with interest!

Danny_HUFC · #53 28th July 2016, 07:38

Yeah all came with the kit, front pannel, front bumper, rear lower pannel, rear bumper and a set of side skirts.

I will trial it with the mesh behind the bumper and with the small fan 1st before paint and hope for the best, if not i will try and squeeze a bigger more powerfull fan in and again hope for the best!

What did you do about the radiator fill point? How will you gain access to it now?

Roadster · #54 28th July 2016, 09:20

Air in is only one side if the problem.
What you actually after is air flow.
Is there a way to vent air out of the engine compartment?

Scottie22 · #55 28th July 2016, 11:02

The radiator fill point is under the passengers seat, so unless there is a cooling problem, there is no need to access the rad at all Danny.

And Roadster, the engine is underneath the two front seats, so there is not a compartment as such, but I agree with you it must have a reasonable amount of airflow to flush the heat away, due to its location in the first place.

When stationary in traffic is when a good fan is required, as obviously at that point there is no airflow at all, and the temp gauge does tend to go up a bit then.

I just hope you don't cook the engine Danny, as a combination of that fan and that small hole really does not look to be enough!

Although I personally have never had a issue with cooling with my van, an awful lot of people have with there's, and by all accounts its supposed to be a common fault with them, so good luck with it!

Scottie

WorldClassAccident · #56 28th July 2016, 11:28

You could always do an engine swap

a 400hp V8 should just about do it...

Danny_HUFC · #57 28th July 2016, 11:43

Whats this fill point for here at the top ofthe rad Scottie?....

It used to be be accessed by the grill that folded down on hinges?

I think im going to have to add a bigger fan or totally re-think the front end!

Scottie22 · #58 28th July 2016, 13:32

That "fill point" at the front Danny as far as I believe is for some thing to do with topping up the rad if its new and has no water in it at all, once that has been done, all that's needed is to top up once in a blue moon at the correct top up point under the passengers seat. The oil re-fil point and the screen-wash top-up are all under there as well. Have a look under the left seat and it will become clearer.

WCA, how the f*ck is increasing the power by 320 BHP going to help the cooling system?

Scottie22 · #59 28th July 2016, 13:46

A thought just occurred to me Danny, if the rad ever goes bust after you have grafted the front on, how are you going to remove it?
My van front is grafted on in a permanent way, so I HAD to have some kind of access to get at the rad if I ever needed to.

If its a permanent fixture, you really should have access to remove the rad if required?

Or, will yours be easily removeable? Worth a thought.......

WorldClassAccident · #60 28th July 2016, 13:46

WCA, how the f*ck is increasing the power by 320 BHP going to help the cooling system?

I thought that was just powering the bigger fan...