Virgin restoration project

[boatbuilder]

That's a serious amount of work to be done. Took me 5 years of spare time and mine wasn't as bad as yours. Remember it's always worse than it looks when it comes to rust. For grit blasting you need a big compressor and it makes a big mess everywhere. I'd take it to get it blasted somewhere first and then give it a coat of epoxy primer. A lot of the rust will only show itself when you start cutting bits off so it's impossible to hit all the rust in one go, but it would get the bulk of the vehicle looking more respectable.

[t25 first timer]

Thanks for your advice so far, unfortunately no cover and will be done on my drive (hoping neighbours are as understanding as zeds.)
Im in 2 minds if i need to strip it right out to just the shell, or work around the bits i can.
will be purchasing the black and decker ha ha

[boatbuilder]

Or the makita 9032 powerfile!

[Sir Brixalot]

Blimey that's a lot of work, but there'll be a lot of satisfaction in saving it. Was your van bought from near the seaside? Do you know how much it cost

[t25 first timer]

I believe it was bought from Hastings,
I think she payed around £900

[Sir Brixalot]

Reason I asked is that the rust looked very similar to my first van which I bought from the Scottish seaside and the salt had permeated everywhere. In the end I had to sell it on because the welding was getting so expensive. I paid more than you and I lost a lot of money on it but my buyer could weld and rescued it from the scrap heap. If you're not a welder yourself I'd think long and hard before starting on it.

[New Kentish Campers]

If I were you, i wouldnt touch anything on it until you have a good idea as to the rust on those rear suspension arm mounts. If the housing to one of those is suspect then its a skilled job in replacing it as its posiion is crucial to the rear wheel alignment. Same goes for the rest of the underside really.

If that area is sound, then move on to the front jacking points as they too suffer and you wont see too much until the outer sections are cut off. I would be very surprised if they hadn't gone the same way as the rest of the van.

So, if you do decide to keep the faith with it, take a bit of advice: Dont be tempted to start on one bit, then leave it and go onto another. It will soon become a huge mess. Do the very worst bit/s first then the easier bits will be a bonus in comparison. Buy yourself a decent mig welder, and dont get one that is gas-less, false economy, buy the best you can possibly afford, with a min.150 amp capacity, though the higher the better [single phase obviously] and preferably fitted with a euro torch that swivels too. And use an argon/co2 mix gas for the best results, with .8 wire as its easier to grind-back, etc.

Oh, and take a look at the lower windscreen area; these too are pront to rusting [probably why your foot-step mounts are shot as rainwater etc collect in those]

Good luck with it and dont be afraid to ask questions here on the site, plenty of people who can tell you what you need to know. Read up in the wiki for all the known rust points on the T3 and how to tackle them

[t25 first timer]

Hmm have been a bit busy but have gone out and checked the rear arm area, and it looks bad.
Is there anyone who can recommend someone in the essex area who may be able to do them for me,
I will do the rest of the welding but wouldn't want to take this on due to the alignment issues mentioned.

Thanks in advance

[LeeME3]

Wow you have a big project ahead of you. However, just to maybe reassure you a little I own C808KMW, I've seen C728KMW at shows as well as C806KMW....so quite a few survivors from that import batch (they were probably all on the same boat over!).

[tforturton]

Well, someone has to say it - are you mad? You're either very brave, daft, or a bit delusional, or maybe a combination of all three. I know it was bought as a gift, so has a bit of an emotional attachment, but that thing is a wreck, and it's going to cost you a huge amount of time and money to put it right. Unless you're an experienced welder who knows his stuff (and knows these vehicles), and has all the right gear to hand, then this is going to be a very long and very hard slog - and with no covered workplace either. Sorry, but most people wouldn't even think twice - it would be straight down the scrappy. You've got to ask yourself if it's really worth it.

[New Kentish Campers]

Hmm have been a bit busy but have gone out and checked the rear arm area, and it looks bad.
Is there anyone who can recommend someone in the essex area who may be able to do them for me,
I will do the rest of the welding but wouldn't want to take this on due to the alignment issues mentioned.

Thanks in advance

To be honest, I think you should step back and think very hard about this. Rust is something where its more the case of what you cant see, than what you can. Your van has some serious, visible corrosion so its more than likely that a lot, lot more will be present. And if the rear mounts are shot, then the sheer cost of having that done properly will cost you dear. Much of the rear suspension will need to come off, then you will probably find the rear spring locating cups on the arms will have rotted out, the rotten brake pipes, and on and on.

Really, thank your other half for buying it, accpet the fact that it was a very nice thought but unfortunately, and it wasnt anyones fault really, its too much to take on. Those repairs will end up costing thousands, trust me. And at the end of it, you'd never recoup your outlay, nowhere near it. Sorry to pee on your bonfire, but in this instance, dont let your heart rule your wallet.

[tforturton]

Glad that it wasn't just me who thought this way. I felt like a bit of a kill-joy pointing out the massive drawbacks involved, so thanks to New Kentish Camper for sticking his hand up and stating the obvious.
Unless you are a welding wizard, this van is a big no-no. If you break it and sell what you can, you should get a fair bit of your money back.

[Smcknighty]

I dunno, look at the bay's, lots of people take on bay's in far worse condition on their drives.

Spring plates £20 a side, brake pipe is pretty cheap. There's a lot to do but if the guy is competent and more importantly has the time maybe he will be able to make some good progress.

Cost in projects doesn't add up to return on investment but there's fun and satisfaction to had as well. It's no cheap route to a good camper though.

[boatbuilder]

Ask yourself this... do you really want to spend the next few years working on it or do you want a van that your family can use? Kids and families generally don't have much time for extended projects in my experience!

[mgbman]

I wish New Kentish Campers could talk to my son about his 1980 Devon.

My son's van is now in a sorry state and the body panels, rear arches and sills are rusting rapidly and holed due I think to the sea air where the van lives in the open in Hastings.

The van has a very nice original Devon interior, but thats the only good point as I see it. What concerns me most is the recent MOT fail due to corrosion of the rear suspension arms and sill end areas and the suspension arm bushes look shot to me.

Problem is with little money and no welding skills I don't see how the van can be restored enough to pass the mot.

I offered to buy my son a new van and suggested he sell on his van to someone who has the time and skills to restore it. My offer has fallen on deaf ears.

What has come up in this thread and the issues discussed are very similar to my son's van. Any thoughts please?