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Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 18:36
by bigbadbob76
I've been sorting out pics of my van work over the last 6 months so knowing how you lot like to see pics I thought I'd post a few up here in a more concise order than the ones scattered on the "what did you do today" thread and my other threads. most of the pics are repeats.
Not so much a restoration as getting it usable and saving it from the scrap heap.

In the beginning there was a facebook advert on a free ads page-
Also here- https://www.facebook.com/groups/sbcampe ... 788180529/
Although I didn't pay the asking price. :P

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We'd been looking at a few small campers locally, one very rusty and badly repaired bongo springs to mind, we walked away. but when this came up my heart ruled my head and before I knew it the van was parked in my drive as a wedding present to ourselves. I had fond (and not so fond) memories of my dad driving us around the uk in T25's when I was a kid in the '80s. So combined with my new wife being sick and wanting to have some adventures while she still can, I couldn't resist.

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As it's 30 years old I wasn't expecting it to be perfect but I soon started finding the rust, it doesn't look bad in the pics but there's a lot hidden under that paint.
A mate offered the use of his garage and suggested we do a proper job and give it a re-spray too as he had loads of leftover green and metalic grey paint from other jobs that if mixed together would give us 6l of metalic dark green.
Top man Charlie Hotrod. couldn't have done it without you.
So we got stuck in over the winter with me driving the 90 mile round trip in all weathers to spend long hours in the garage and drive home after each job. Then we added a time limit of my wife's 50th at the end of April as she wanted to go to Ireland.

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When it wasn't in the garage, I was scraping off the old tesco's gloss the P.O. had slapped on with a 4" brush to hide the rust.

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and doing little bits of grinding and welding to re-create what I chopped out.

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Jobs in the garage involved cutting out rotten sills and panels and welding in new steel, a mixture of Schofields panels and ones we fabricated ourselves.
Including window surround panels.


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And then the paint started going on. It was great to see the van starting to look better.
That's not me, That's the man who knows one end of a spray gun from the other and that's his 1935 ford pickup hotrod on the left.

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Finally after a fair few late nights, including hitting a red deer hind one night on the way home at almost midnight, the painting was done.
Just in time to be ready for our ireland trip. Still got some rubbing down, filling dents/ replacing two more window panels and re-painting to do.
I also tidied up the interior cabinets, wiring etc and added a propex heater and a small oven as well as fresh water supply, pumped tap for the sink and 12v/240v cool box. The wife made new curtains and rear seat covers and supervised the decorating.No interior pics for some reason, must take some.

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Anyway, off we went to ireland and the old bus never missed a beat. yahay.

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Plenty more jobs to do and more adventures to have over the summer. here's to sunny weather, minimal midgies and cold beers in the cooler.

(photobucket sucks, I've just worked through this lot again and copied all the pics to Flikr, new links and everything. grrrrrr.....)

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 20:15
by evilnoodle
Wow...what a fantastic transformation :D
I am looking forward to the interior pics now. Don't tin tops just look the best :ok

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 20:31
by RogerT
As you know I've been following this as you've gone along. You've done a great job and I'm glad your first trip away was a success, and you were ready in time.
In hindsight I reckon you've done this the right way round - body first, mechanicals later. Surprisingly nice colour for what was just leftovers though, I hadn't picked that up earlier. It looks great!

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 20:32
by R0B
Of course its a restoration :)

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 20:45
by bigbadbob76
evilnoodle wrote:Wow...what a fantastic transformation :D
I am looking forward to the interior pics now. Don't tin tops just look the best :ok

Thanks Jane. Yes, I agree about tin tops, I put up with the low head room and sit whenever possible. :lol:

RogerT wrote:As you know I've been following this as you've gone along. You've done a great job and I'm glad your first trip away was a success, and you were ready in time.
In hindsight I reckon you've done this the right way round - body first, mechanicals later. Surprisingly nice colour for what was just leftovers though, I hadn't picked that up earlier. It looks great!

Thanks Roger. I bought a lemon but I've made lemonade. not perfect, never will be but needs a little more sugar maybe.
Aye, the colour turned out great and 6l of it means we can keep adding coats. One day we might even laquer it.
The best bit is- Even after a week living in it, my wife loves it. :D I'd have been devastated if we'd done all that work and she didn't want to set foot in it ever again.

R0B wrote:Of course its a restoration :)

I dunno Rob, I think of restorations as concours classics rather than "keep it alive" thanks though. :ok

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 01 May 2017, 21:58
by nicq
Great job
:ok

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 02 May 2017, 18:38
by bigbadbob76
Here's a few interior pics.
Hard to take decent pics in a dark van when it's blazing sunshine outside but you get the idea.
Stainless cupboard doors made from industrial oven doors.
Stripy curtains and seat covers by my good lady.
Ceiling decor by Skye Batiks.
Modeled by Lucy the greyhound and the Lady Sherrel.


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Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 02 May 2017, 19:42
by evilnoodle
That looks great :ok

The cooker doesn't look too happy tho :rofl

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 02 May 2017, 20:12
by bigbadbob76
:rofl :rofl :rofl
Hang on.... I'll nip out and bend the oven door handle up a bit. :D

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 02 May 2017, 21:07
by evilnoodle
bigbadbob76 wrote::rofl :rofl :rofl
Hang on.... I'll nip out and bend the oven door handle up a bit. :D

:ok :rofl

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 03 May 2017, 20:08
by bigbadbob76
Replaced the front discs, pads and bearings tonight. Job went so easily i kept thinking i'd forgotten something.
Pads were still pretty thick but had obviously been put on sh!tty discs. :roll:
Handy tip for the day... use the box the discs came in to put the caliper on, saves hanging it on wire to keep the weight off the brake line. ;-)

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Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 03 May 2017, 20:14
by itchyfeet
Another van saved, well done BBB :ok

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 03 May 2017, 20:47
by bigbadbob76
Cheers Paul.
Saving it one part at a time.
Like triggers broom. :rofl

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 04 May 2017, 21:13
by bigbadbob76
I made some "westy lean" shims at work. Fitted them tonight. That's sorted the lean.
She now measures 17" from hub centre to wheelarch on both sides at the rear and 16 1/2" Left, 16 1/4" Right on the front.
3 off 140mm diameter, 47mm bore, 7.8mm thick, Polypropylene sheet, cut out with holesaws in the pillar drill.

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Feels much better, less harsh and no more clunks, probably due to new anti-roll-bar bushes and upper ball joints.

E D I T- These turned out to be too small and too thick so were replaced with 2 x 6 1/4" diameter discs.
Seems better, time will tell.

Re: Not a restoration.

Posted: 10 May 2017, 23:44
by Ant-t
Excellent job, love the new colour of your van :D