Got this mad idea/project..is it even viable lol

[KP]

You might want to look into the insides of the campers and so forth as the wieght of things soon adds up, especially if you want things like some sort of heat retention, ie, insulation on the walls. a cooker, a heater, water store, some tv or such like, a fridge, a half decent bed... your talking nearly 500kg there without much else

The bigger problem with the HDi lump would be the electronics but if you go for an 8v jobby i believe there are people moving them onto idi pumps and the same for the 2.2HDi units. much more reliable, less electronics and they can run and veg and much poorer fuels in general and not grumble as much

The LDV's are a good option as most bits are there, most are minibus's anyhoo and would likely need some real metal work to get them good, they have really underpowered XUD's as standard as not many had turbos and other than typical british built rust issues they weren't too bad. Cheap as chips as well and got the look of an old van as well

[addo]

Shouldn't you be selling him a tractor as "the perfect start for your project"?

[KP]

1 Massey Ferguson circa 1957 vintage MF35 with a Perkins 3 Cylinder 2.5 litre Diesel In Direct Injection tractor needs some work, comes with original Shovel, Plough and possibly oil and filter as well


May need some light engine work but hydraulics all good and recently refurbished and panel work will need shot blasting and repainting

PS rear wheel drive only and top speed of about 20mph but will pull a good 20t, if not more upto that speed if brave enough

Looks like this(but with grille as well)


But sounded more like this before it died,


It did always start on the button no matter how cold which was always strange to me having no glow plugs but just reminded me of my old transit that was the same and sounded pretty much the same as well lol

[Gibbo2286]

If I was going for a camper i''d look for a Mazda Bongo, maybe something like this one, there was a damaged one on Ebay for £750 this week

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NO-RESERVE-5- ... 20bd187419

[HDI Dave]

LDV Pilots came with an XUD lump, I bet the HDi would drop straight in. Alternatively you could use a Pilot as a donor for RWD gearbox/engine mounts etc.

What's the engine/gbox setup etc with these pilot jobbies..were they RWD?

..is an old pilot choppable into an old Tranny?

[reblack68]

The Pilot is just a facelifted Sherpa, so it is RWD. I'm pretty sure it's a separate chassis too. I don't think it would be a massive challenge to make the bits fit a Transit, although its 1950s/60s heritage (it was derived from the BMC J4) means it's much narrower than a Transit.

I don't really know what bits were used other than the XUD engine, but it would certainly be worth doing some research and going over one with a measuring tape. There are plenty of ex-Royal Mail* examples around, often at optimistic prices but I'm sure supply outstrips demand.

*Don't be fooled by low mileage or age on these, they have a VERY hard life and should be valued purely on condition.