Rodeo Recommissioning

[malcolm]

Fitted a new fuel pump at the weekend. I was having to crank the engine for a long time to get fuel to the float chamber but the new one has improved that. They don't give you much space for a spanner. After trying all my special shape spanners I ended up using a small ratchet and socket with the handle below the fuel pump and that worked. The main jet blocked up again, probably rust from the old tank that was still in the fuel lines. Float chamber cleared again.

But the exciting thing is I drove to work and found the Rodeo will cruise at 95km/h (5km/h more than before) and I have a new record speed of 105km/h. The only thing I've done is change the air filter housing to a GTL type because the old one was only held by 1 stud which fatigued and broke. I think the old air filter housing might have been restrictive.

 

[malcolm]

I'm getting on with the hood. My hood was shortened after the frame was bent in a small accident and the rear hood frame is missing. It would look nicer with a full length hood so I've bought a new hood and just need to make the frame. A full length roof might help a bit with the aerodynamics too especially if I tweak some dimensions. The French claim to be able to cruise at 100km/h and I'm only at 95.

Figured if I make it out of slightly thicker tube than the original I can also use it as a roof rack. Turns out the shape is really complicated. They rolled a really shallow curve into the frame before making the bends. I guess without the curve the fabric would flap in the wind.

There are 4 hood frames (including the windscreen) and number 3 needs to stick up above 2 and 4 to stretch the roof fabric so it doesn't flap, but that would not work for a roof rack so number 3 frame will need to be adjustable. Also it needs to look like the original frame.

It took half a day looking at photos of other cars to guess the shapes and dimensions and make some drawings. I've spoken to a company that can bend tube and hopefully soon I will have bits to build a hood frame. It didn't seem all that complicated when I started.

 

[malcolm]

My hoops have arrived and I've started making the hood frame. So far I have the rear hoop installed and have made the brackets for the diagonal tubes that steady the rear frame. It took a lot of measuring and trial fitting of the hood to figure out where everything was supposed to go. At the weekend hopefully the steady bars for the rear frame and then the middle roof hoop that mounts off them.

 

[malcolm]

I didn't get as far as I wanted at the weekend. I've made all the brackets but have only fitted one of the stays for the rear hoop. The frame is fiendishly complicated with the tumblehome angles. Also I'm not following the original design just loosely following photos so there is a lot of making it up as you go along.

 

[malcolm]

It's finished (nearly). I made some adjustments to the rear hoop so the hood fitted, then mounted the middle hoop with a pain of geometry.



The hood kind of fits. It's a bit loose at the sides, but the hoods on Rodeos always look like a relaxed fit. I can tension the top reasonably well so it shouldn't flap too much. I think the front hoop has been bent in the past and it leans too far forwards so I might need to sew in a new fastening strip in the right place. A few more fasteners to go in and then the frame can come apart for painting.



Oh I see now from photos of other Rodeos - the rear hood fixing attaches to another pole which supports the tailgate fabric and I don't have or want that pole. The extra half inch tensions up the side of the hood nicely. Right then. Thinking cap back on and a bodge coming up.

 

[reidalpine]

Hi Malc! you only need to grow a mullet and a haphazard beard and you'll be ALL good ! YO-DA Rodeo-King! c",) -Reid

 

[malcolm]

The frame is painted and fitted. I found some excellent photos that showed there were extra tubes supporting the top of the windscreen from the forward hoop. I've added these in and they allow the hood to be tensioned.

We've had a lot of flooding so here's a photo of the Rodeo next to a field near the river Great Ouse.