Everything Takes a Day

Somewhere in another place I read a comment by someone else building an expedition camper commenting on "the time it takes". He said "Everything Takes a Day!" Even if it's a small job you think will only take an hour or so - it takes a day. I think it was Cyril Northcote Parkinson who said "Work expands to fill the time available". Sure sounds right to me.

After the weekend flu (still with me) I decided to order some U-bolts (at $10 each) just so I can make some progress. If I need to I will replace them later with higher quality. There is an hour gone on the phone/fax etc.

After staring at the mounts for some time (I think it's called procrastinating) I suddenly realised that by reversing the use of inboard and outboard sections with regard to chassis and load I could make a much better arrangement for the front mount. So back on the mill and make another set of arms. Another hour or so.














Now the U-bolt arrangement doesn't quite fit with the base plate material. Lightbulb! Use two separate pieces for the base - drill out some rivets in the chassis and replace them with bolts which can hold the mounts as well. Much better than the U-bolts . . . I just ordered !! And of course the material required is the one size I don't have in the rack. Off to the supplier - fortunately local but still 1/2 an hour turnaround - cut and drill, drill out the rivets in the chassis etc. there's another hour.

















Get bolts, hardened washers, nyloc nuts etc. etc. another 1/2 hour.























While out take the opportunity to pick up replacement fittings for the diffs, transfer-case and gearbox breathers. They are of course all different. The original is lying on the transfer case. Works with a small spring and a rubber valve. Almost guaranteed to suck in water in a deep water crossing. The water cools the diff and creates a negative pressure and if the valve goes under water - Hey Presto - cases full of water. So a fitting and tube is used to take all the breathers to a manifold on the cab well above the chassis and terminated with an in-line fuel filter to keep out all the bugs, dust and water etc.




















While delving around the gearbox I discovered this little item hiding away. It's a fitting to enable greasing of the clutch release thrust bearing - and completely not sealed - so scrabble around on the floor to discover the bell housing has a "drain hole" in the bottom. SO apparently it's OK for the clutch to fill up with water either through the grease fitting entry or the drain hole and it will all drain out later . . . Oh Yeah!!! I can see the thrust bearing dealing with that over time. I think that one goes on the spares list.


















And that's the day gone . . Everything takes a day. . . .