A few things slowing down my work on the Żuk
full time job, home duties and other projects
I will show you one of those projects
Here is a stove, or rather a kitchenette
for a trailer tent, which we bought a few months ago.
It required a bit of work:
here's the sink,
gas cooker
drawers and new lights
The whole thing was terribly seized and required lubrication and repainting
This whole annex probably became un-fastened while someone was driving,
so it was all bent, nearly destroyed.
It is now ready for use,
and now I will show you the rest of it -
- the Conway Olympia trailer tent.
This is how it looks;
You can see the drawbar here,
sow now you sure this is a trailer
8 berths, large awning - it's huge
A lot of unfolding ...
I'm just waiting to waterproof it,
and then it'll be ready to go!
We'll go for a family weekend, to use it properly
I've been working on it for the last two weeks
mainly over the mechanical part:
maintenance, new tires,
bearing lubrication, electrics
Let's see what's inside
This is the vestibule along with the floor
Here, the folding part of the trailer: chassis,
funny 10-inch wheels
Here one of the beds
This is how it looks (sorry for the mess)
This is the one bed, here is the other side
Quite spacious, lots of space
And some storage compartments and shelves
It's a cool thing, I recommend it!
Ok, this is my bit (- Andy)
I've got 2 important announcements
and I better get them done
before the main part of Karol's update
1. In three minutes time this video suffers
a technical audio glitch(!)
We hope you like how we've papered over the cracks (old TV..)
And speaking of likes...
If you like even half of what we do
Please comment, subscribe and share
Otherwise no-one else around the world
will ever discover than you can own a van
there wasn't made in Germany
That can't be right?
Now back to the update
(Regarding Zuk), there have been several progress-hold ups,
both short and long...
The last one had me at my wits-end.. but
it turned out to be the engine wiring harness
Because the drivetrain have to be automatic,
it requires more complicated harness
with a separate computer for the autobox.
The first one that I bought was supposed to be for an automatic, but it turned out to be a manual!
The second turned out to be the m43 engine,
not the m42, as assured by the seller..
But IT WAS DIFFERENT!
Also, so now I have a collection of BMW looms
If someone needs one, I can help - as there is a third loom on the engine
... and also a collection of scrap metal as you see..
A corner full of stuff to be removed one day(!)
We have fuel saved from Alto,
so now it's time to renew the tank.. inlet, hoses
and other bullshit all included.
They are here:
a fuel pump from BMW, an additional collar for the tank
I managed to leave the original sensor so it will get along with the gauge
And that's it. It stays connected
it's time to start the assembly..
Okay, let's go!
I have to show you something
- he's amazing
he's fixing...
Are you? Where where is the engine that turns?
- here engine has a wheel
-You've got 10 spanner?
-Yes
-OK
Hello hi. So things were going a bit too smoothly..
something had to screw up
I was supposed to do something different, but I have found other jobs stacking for me!
Come to the garage, show you what's going on.
So yes: I recently changed the loom from manual to automatic,
which is proper for this engine
My big collection of wiring looms seems to be complete
The loom is swapped on the engine already
And out of curiosity I took the ECU that controls the gearbox
And of course, as you can see,
It turns out...
I have the ECU connected, and everything is beautiful..
This is the second gearbox plug
So as you can see
I'm in ass!
It's a totally different plug!
There is no way to fasten this to the ECU (tcm).
There is a second plug..
One plug is probably called x20, it is the one with more pins
This is the plug for connecting the engine: electrics, ignition, sensors etc.
And this is the x69 plug, which is sending different voltages and cables to the gearbox
For the selector, pedals etc.
The pin-out of this plug does not exist ANYWHERE on the internet!
..but let's save some drama for later.
I start looking for an ECU calmly,
but this whole fiasco really pissed me off!
I've certainly had to develop lots of patience for this Zuk over the past few months!
That's how it is, that's what the latest Żuk Party Bus progress looks like.
The plan for today is to stand it on it's wheels,
but as for the transmission I still have a problem with it,
there is always something not right..
The lesson for you guys is: don't do what I've done(!)..
don't buy a manual engine and try to convert it to automatic!
So it turns out that the engine and transmission harness are one solid loom,
in addition there are a few more pedal cables that I will have to make one day
I get myself into trouble,
but well - you have to have fun.. That's life
There is another dilemma,
because in the factory they put two types of gearbox:
There were ZF boxes and they were GM made,
I have a GM model
BMW was fraternizing with Opel for some time
because they had the same diesels - known to this TDS
they put in "beemers" and Omega
The ECM, and loom all must be for this particular engine,
and also this kind of gearbox.
And now what? It will be one big sculpture!
So assembling this is kind of unknown lego puzzle.
I bought the engine with the harness and the ECM from a boy,
The ECU turned out to be from the 1.6 engine,
which I was told was running with it,
but I do not believe that! So I had to buy the proper m42b18 ECU from somewhere else,
The engine is from a different set, the loom, from a different set
ECU and also the gearbox will be different,
And this damn box tcm will be different too
so I if I mange to put all of this together and it works...
I'm Einstein;))
So for that kind of conversions its a way better if you buy a whole car..
You put a car behind a shed, cut it, pull it out what you resell will make you money
- to spend on your project and cut your costs! A lesson for the future.
But anyway, the the next Żuk will be built on Tesla or something like that
...we'll see!
-So you putting the wheel on Bruno?
-Yup
-To put it on, go round.
-OK
-Done?
-Yes
The last day of June,
for the first time in half a year, Żuk has left this garage.
Not yet on its own, but it already has suspension, has wheels, has an engine
He was pushed out!
In the winter when I pushed him outside last time he didn't have an engine yet, he didn't have a towbar, lights in the back ...
he didn't have many things
The first of July, (although it doesn't look like it)
After a break of several days, caused by other matters
and all this "trauma" related to the gearbox and the loom,
there is a distinct possibility of Żuk making it onto the roads again!
I returned to the garage. We took care of the shit
What exactly? I will show you in a minute.
Oh, Bruno is refueling his bike: D
Anyway, Żuk is already on wheels, which I just showed you
(jewelery)
I've taken care of the annoying collapsed roof lining -
you probably can't see it here,
Anyway, this is how it looks after many years
It doesn't hold the shape very much, it's a few inches down
Now we are waiting for the big bang!
It's all 20+ years old,
I've seen many newer and more civilized cars
where that headliner hung like cow's breasts (!)
It looks funny because the beetle has a curved roof,
this is the arch.. Oh, here you can see the shape of this slice
and in this direction it is flat
so it looks very strange..
For the time being I have taken care of the lining above the driver
This is how it looks for now - a bit massacre(!)
It must be taken down, glued and supported.
Here, new sunvisors are taken from the modern transit
Instead of these old, hanging, tired of life
FSC productions
Well, the fiberboard that holds the structure is glued..
By the way, you may be curious why my eye looks like it does..
Well, for the second time in a month I've been in the hospital,
to remove a chip of metal from my eye.
Despite using safety goggles, and also ear muffs.
You need to take care of your health..(!)
Well, I do not recommend such goggles,
it's maybe time to buy new ones invest in something better that will protect your eyes better
On Monday, I realized that I have this piece in my eye,
yesterday on Tuesday we pulled it out, and everything should be ok..
Well, let's see how it looks inside (the van not my eye - AK)..
Nice mix at the moment, everything is supported, a lot of glue went there
Also, I think that's all for today, I can't do any more here
I will leave the rest of the work for tomorrow.
If someone is curious about what adhesive which is with me from ages: Soudal Fix All
Strong, easy to apply, and by the way it is completely neutral to metal
so does not cause corrosion. I've been using it for years
It worked really well with Trabants when gluing duroplast to the structure
Just as strong as the IFA factory one, and much more flexible
Works well for other applications
Pretty hard but still plastic when it dries, this is the dried "snot".
As you can see it is stiff but to tear it apart you would have to use a lot of power.
Wear headphones, wear goggles, wear gloves
Work on your cars
I think that's it for today, best regards!