Shion Scudamore – contributor
With the MoT test booked and the fear of the VOSA testing station kicking, I have started to remove the wings and sort the holes in the cab floor. I had hoped to do a complete stripdown and clear the cab of rust once and for all, but a mass of other time commitments have ruled that out. My sons are, understandably, more inclined to hit the beach in the old lady rather than hear the sound of dad angle grinding and welding; come to that, so am I!
The KAB seat suspension units are waiting to be grafted in underneath the Range Rover seats, which, we hope, should go some way in easing the discomfort of the solid-mounted cab. Removal of the floor mat by the driver’s feet revealed a lot of daylight and, to be honest, I have neglected the cab since I bought the truck six years ago.
I have taken off the front panels to be repaired and straightened and will probably do the same with the cab doors. The plan is to have a whole lot of stuff shot-blasted and sprayed at the same time as the air cleaner, plus a lot of other ancillaries are looking a bit tired. Once the cab is back to scratch I can get the trim and soundproofing sorted as the rear of the old girl is filling up with stuff to be fitted. The panels are cut to fit in the water tank filler and Propex heater – these replace the phone line outlets from the body’s original role. So then the fun stuff, like fitting the pressure water system and getting the new windows and seats in, can commence.
I have sourced some windows to replace the mushroom vents at the front of the truck body as I hope I won’t need any NBC protection while camping! Other dull stuff to be addressed is a bent trackrod and, at some stage, I will have to replace the rope rear crank seal, an arcane job I hated even on an engine bench and a real pain to do successfully in situ. Bedford TLs of a similar era had a lip seal on the crank that was a whole lot better. In the meantime, sadly it seems I shall be borrowing a mate’s T4 VW camper for Glastonbury this year.
SPECS
Model: Bedford TM 4-4
Spec: 8.2-litre turbodiesel
Mileage: 19,000
Test mpg: 11mpg
Recent Costs: Loads of bits ‘n’ pieces pending!
Arrived: June ’04
