Club 80-90 Forums

Time to commit myself. We bought this van in 2012 after many years of caravan ownership. The intention was that it would provide family holidays and weekends away. Family holidays have worked well (apart from the odd event that some call a breakdown) but weekends away have succumbed to distance (we used to live in Caithness, which was too far from everywhere), and elder care issues. So we’ve moved to Stirling but brought the ma-in-law too. Regular mechanical attention has kept it running, and dare I say improved it. It’s also increased my confidence and my desire to keep the van.

Last winter I did a welding evening course at the local college and bought a MIG from a local industrial suppliers. This was prompted by realising my van was in danger of falling apart. See how the back wheel is canted in at the top?

Here is the outer mounting for the rear arm, seen from the rear...

From the inside front...

From beneath. That’s the outrigger no longer joined to the mounting...


The other is similar. Got the point before the summer holiday, that I could hear the mounting move under acceleration or cornering. So I made loads of patches, including rebuilding the disappearing inner face of the mounting (no photos), and got it through the MOT. Oh, and the step...

Trouble free holiday, well almost - water was making its way through the van roof at the back, right where our heads are when sleeping. Duct tape on the gutter solved that. Oh, and the side door lower roller track developed holes...

Here’s some photos taken in a low sun last January showing the sides being suspiciously out of shape...




While I’m about it I want to get rid of the external fridge vents, and just have a flue vent. Perusing the fridge docs in the downloads section shows that’ll allow me to have a slimmer kitchen, so a bigger bed space.

So after the summer holiday we got busy arranging the house move and new job, arrived here in October (barely - drove the van with a fuel leak as I discovered when I arrived. The foam under the engine cover is soaked).
The Christmas hols arrive...

This’ll be where that water was coming in...


Not going to be much space to jack it up...

Started taking the interior out...

No van trips in 2018. I am hoping to get out to do a bit on it as often as possible, 30 mins a night most nights is more likely to be achievable, than more infrequent longer stints, given family circs.
Garage has 4x4000 lumen led strip lights, and 13A and 16A (for the welder) outlets, and probably enough space to work on one side at a time, and either the front or the back. The rest of the garage is bicycle and “stuff” storage.


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Blimey, you've got your work cut out there.
There used to be a whole load of restoration threads on here under the name of 'metalmickey' (or something like that), but I think they've all disappeared, which is a shame. There are still other threads available though, and also loads of videos on YouTube, so get watching. The rear hanger mount needs to be positioned very accurately, if I remember rightly, so it might be a good idea to get some professional guidance on that part of your rebuild. Good luck.

My plan is to either build a jig to hold the swing arm in the correct position and fit the mount from that,or to take measurements from the swing arm. First option is probably the best.

Keeping the fridge

Ditching the rest of the kitchen...

Sink and hob appearing on the swap page near you soon


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I dunno.... you go outside for five minutes to stare at the van, hoping for inspiration, next thing you know you've been there for an hour and you're covered in snow!!

Lining panels and floor out.


Driver’s side rear


Inside of sliding door rail


A peek at the inside of the roof


Behind the fridge. I still remember the first time I saw this, about a year after buying the van.


From rear...


...to middle...


...to front.

Nothing left.

Moving to the outside, predictably...





Back inside, above the wheel arches.
Driver’s side...



Passenger’s side...




That’s enough excitement for one night...



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You are going to need another roof put on that as well as all the other areas and the more you dig the more rot will be exposed in the structural zones. Its going to be a very big job ! Maybe its the time to ask yourself - is it worth doing ?

I know it might need a new roof, but as it's a high top and what I do will be hidden, I may get away with patching. I guess it depends how far downwards the rust goes on the roof.

As to whether it is worth it? If you measure that in time spent/cost/final value, of course it won't be. But in many other respects it will be worth it. The work isn't daunting me, quite looking forward to it really.

Fair play to you, keep the photos coming of the work you will be doing. I have a new rear jacking cross member so If you need any measurements or templates just ask.

That's very kind of you. All help gratefully received. We'll see what problems come up...

Chipped the Flashband off from behind the fridge. Not a job I’d like to do in warmer weather! I would guess it would go all gooey. Thought it best to get it off now before I remove that body panel, so I can use it for patching the roof. Discovered welding (and copious filler) at the bottom, and that the reinforcement bar halfway up is not attached at the B pillar - just rattles about So I guess the whole panel is a replacement? No sealant on the inside of its seams, should there be?

Never any sealant , only around the edges of the floor.