Ah well, knew it was to good to be true!!

[gninnam]

When I bought the van, it was on the premise that it had new front end plus the lower 6 inches had all been done.
The bottom looked OK, but it had belly pans on which were welded on so, obviously couldn't look at all the chassis

Due to it's failure sheets at last years MOT, I decided to take the pans off (plus Lasty of JK came round to have a butches and recommended that
they should come off)

Well, so much for all the repair work - fell a right prat

Here's a few pics of what it lloks like so far - will finish taking off the middle section tomorrow - weather permitting.

Looks like a bit of work - inner and middle sills for def, plus outriggers.

Went to get a welder on Saturday and as I walked to Machine Mart, the last of the welders that I wanted walked out, so
will have to try again this week.

The real fun begins :shock:

 

[Snakey]

EEK!
Bet whomever you bought the van off is popular right now!
Maybe teaching granny to suck eggs here but get some of these-
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/pd1-plasma-cutting-disc-41-2in/path/12-router-bits-cutting-grinding-discs-diam/brand/clarke
They burn up pretty quick but are worth it.

Best o' luck

 

[Trikky2]

Oh boy, sorry to see your setback.

Those belly pans are a sod for hiding corrosion. I think they were fitted to improve stiffness, particularly on campers with a roof aperature which I think is why they were welded on rather than just bolted.

I remember using almost a gallon of dinitrol when i sprayed the inside of mine back in 1973 with one of those 360 degree spray nozzles.

It would be nice if one could get a look inside with one of those fibre optic cameras, both for checking your own and for checking a prospective purchase but i suspect they cost a fortune.

Keep us posted on your progress - like to see some pics of your repairs if poss.

 

[Airtime]

Damn! :shock:

I really feel sorry for you! After all the work you've done on the top refurb this is awful!

Good luck with repairing and if you do it the same way as the top, the underside will become rock solid! :wink:

 

[gninnam]

Thanks everone for your comments.
I think the belly pans were put on by the previous owner to hide the state of the underneath
from prospective purchasers (yours trully :shock: ).

I will look into those disks as the local motorfactors sell pretty duff ones at £1.99 each, so I could get 2 from MachineMart for the same price!

Cheers

 

[andewilson]

join the club mate. i bought a 71 on ebay last year without even looking at it. it came with 8 months mot looked straight when i got there to pick it up. when the mot came round it only failed on one hole (in the belly pan) my story then meets yours. and i am now into a massive project. i payed £2300 for my van and i felt a bit of a prat too but youve just got to bite your lip and get your grinder out. whats the rest of the van look like?

 

[slammedkustom]

at least it will be solid once its done, better to find out now than after an accident, when a bus is this rusty i dread to think how they would fair in an accident.
sounds a little morbid but last year i had an accident in my 71 mk1 escort estate, bent the car like a banana but if it hadnt been solid i would never have walked away from it.

get it solid again, waxoil it up and it will be good for a long time to come, plus the MOT shouldnt be much of a worry.

good luck dude! :wink:

 

[gninnam]

join the club mate. i bought a 71 on ebay last year without even looking at it. it came with 8 months mot looked straight when i got there to pick it up. when the mot came round it only failed on one hole (in the belly pan) my story then meets yours. and i am now into a massive project. i payed £2300 for my van and i felt a bit of a prat too but youve just got to bite your lip and get your grinder out. whats the rest of the van look like?

Cheers.
The rest is reasonable - needs a new inner front windscreen panel and some rust bubbles (tiny) here
and there - the main thing is the front beam which is knackered. Spoke to Volksheaven about the beam.
On their website they have 3 on show the 68 to 70, 71 to 79 and brand new, with the first 2 at £190 plus £12 carriage and VAT and the
new one at £290 plus £12 carriage plus VAT.
Told him that if I pick it up, they will drop the carriage (know a few companies that don't :shock: ) and he says
that if I pick it up, it will be less carriage and VAT if I pay with cash - that's pretty good I'd say

Any way - when asked about getting the new beam, the bloke told me not to bother, the old beams are made from German metal whilest the new
ones are made from Brazilian metal - no contest he reckons

 

[Rusty Lee]

Gutted for you mate.we use those thin cutting disks at work they are really good