|
|
Post by justanotheramy on Sept 19, 2015 12:58:56 GMT 10
Hi guys. So, we have a van! A beautiful 1962 Quest. It's been sitting in my driveway for a few days, and… oh, this is embarrassing… with one thing and another I forgot to put its rear support feet thingies down  I was showing it to my mum and… crash! Tipped it backwards. It was like being in one of those cartoons where the car is hanging over the edge of the cliff and everyone has to get out without tipping it forward. Not knowing what else to do we inched sloooooowly towards the door, and… crash! Back down to rest on the jockey wheel. Back feet now down! And lesson rather indelibly learned. The question is… May I have injured the van as well as my pride? Where should I be checking? |
|
|
|
Post by justanotheramy on Sept 20, 2015 17:08:48 GMT 10
Guys… I'm getting a bit paranoid that I've killed my van but nobody wants to be the one that breaks it to me!
|
|
|
|
Post by sutcac on Sept 20, 2015 17:30:17 GMT 10
|
|
|
|
Post by DC3Td on Sept 20, 2015 18:22:18 GMT 10
Dear NotJustAnotherAmy.You do get yourself in a twist don`t you.Easiest thing to do after making sure the rear legs are down,the jockey wheel is secure & a chock under the wheel - this stops it rolling out your front gate!- is to grab the rear leg winder & wind each one up & down - one at a time please - this will tell you if the winding mechanism is working properly.If they work ok then thats fine.You might check whilst they`re securely down for any under body damage IE:ripples/buckles along/under the very back width edge - your tail lights would be fitted above this area.You could also check the floor underneath.If all looks good then there really shouldn`t be any other things to worry about unless you cracked an internal mirror! You could add some axle grease (auto shops sell it) to the threaded rear supports if they`re a bit tight to wind up/down.Same goes for the jockey wheel winder.cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 20, 2015 20:57:59 GMT 10
Sorry Dc3td but I have to disagree with you about applying grease to the can jacks. The minute you do that. Dust and grit will stick to it an quickly burr the thread. Leave it dry if at all possible and the winder is working.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roehm3108 on Sept 20, 2015 20:59:26 GMT 10
That should read "caravan jacks"
|
|
|
|
Post by justanotheramy on Sept 20, 2015 21:46:57 GMT 10
Ha! It's not the kind of thing I usually forget! This week has just been a bit… outside of normal parameters, with one thing and another. It seems like it might be one of those things that's so obvious, if I don't do it straight away my subconscious will just kind of assume it's already been done and stop worrying about it — and there was a lot going on when it arrived, got lost in the shuffle. But I suspect in future I will be double and triple checking it slightly compulsively, it certainly gave me a jolt! It's a dramatic way to instil a new habit, but I guess if it works it's as good as any  Wheels were chocked and jockey wheel down — I'm not totally daft! And I checked that the legs worked before I bought it. But thank you for taking the time to respond — it's reassuring to know I've been looking for damage in the right places  |
|
|
|
Post by King Fisher on Sept 22, 2015 11:27:35 GMT 10
Ha Ha Ha, sorry... makes me remember when I started working on Bessie and I had the radio on and was standing in the back bin next to the rear window and was bopping away to the music, while mind numbingly sanding off the paint from the wall. When suddenly the same thing happened. The radio crashed to the floor and my mum who had come in to have a look at what was happening screamed out as the van lurched upwards. So brings back memories to our rookie days too, I wonder how many others have had this happen  . In our case it broke some of the ply board under the side at the back but it was rotted anyway and needed replacing. As it landed on the main chassis frame which took the impact no other damage was done. In your case I would expect that any damage would probably be dints in the tin, if any. Most vans are built pretty robust, especially the vintage ones. After that I freed up the jammed stabilizers and got them working again and put the down before continuing working on Bessie. I have never forgotten to put them down since... |
|
|
|
Post by justanotheramy on Sept 22, 2015 13:00:48 GMT 10
I did kind of suspect I may not have been the only one As far as I can tell it landed on the… there's little fixed metal wheels at the back of the stabilisers where they attach to the chassis frame? That might be what they're for? |
|
|
|
Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 22, 2015 18:34:46 GMT 10
Hi Justanotheramy,
The little wheels on your stabilisers may perform that function - although hopefully only once? - but they also protect the bottom of the van if you go through a steep gully or drain so that you don't rip the bottom of the van out when it hits the slope of the gully or drain, etc.
Don Ricardo
|
|
