Restoration Work after fire ...

[aspira]

Hi,

After a fire gutted my lovely 72 Bay in June this year I've just finished writing up the refurb plan. Hopefully the insurance company will settle in the right ball park and I'll be able to have it rebuilt back to what it once was. It took me 17 years to get it looking & driving right but this time round I don't have the time or the space to do it myself.

So, I'm looking for good people to take on some or all of the work and thought I would start off with an initial post here. Here's the project plan - which might be useful document for anyone in a similar position.

https://goo.gl/qFpobZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm looking for recommendations in the following areas;
Welding - warped panels
Bodywork & paint
Engine - check, test & refit new ancillaries
Carpentry - rebuild the Westy interior
General refit work - interior panels, canvas roof etc

Any help or recommendations would be much appreciated.

Many thx

 

[cotswoldiver]

Hi,

After a fire gutted my lovely 72 Bay in June this year I've just finished writing up the refurb plan. Hopefully the insurance company will settle in the right ball park and I'll be able to have it rebuilt back to what it once was. It took me 17 years to get it looking & driving right but this time round I don't have the time or the space to do it myself.

So, I'm looking for good people to take on some or all of the work and thought I would start off with an initial post here. Here's the project plan - which might be useful document for anyone in a similar position.

https://goo.gl/qFpobZ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm looking for recommendations in the following areas;
Welding - warped panels
Bodywork & paint
Engine - check, test & refit new ancillaries
Carpentry - rebuild the Westy interior
General refit work - interior panels, canvas roof etc

Any help or recommendations would be much appreciated.

Many thx

Just had a quick look at your drop box link, if it helps your research it was All Things Timber that did my interior woodwork - you have a photo under other ideas -

this is the link to Ady's site which will give you a few other ideas
http://www.allthingstimber.com/index.php

Hope you get a good settlement price

 

[aspira]

Many thanks for the link. They have some very nice interiors, I must say.

 

[Dickie524]

That is amazingly thorough and I really hope it gets sorted out for you. Didn't look too bad until I saw the interior shots :shock:

 

[Graham L]

Happy to help with the resto if its any use to you, as you'll see we specialise in early bays and I'm sure other people on here will vouch for us.

 

[aspira]

Thanks Graham - I've seen you around the boards. I'll be in touch. Just dealing with the insures at the moment.

 

[chad]

I think that the more people you use the more complicated it becomes. My resto ran late, because the alarm installer screwed up so it wouldn't run, which meant that it couldn't get to the trimmers as planned which delayed it by 6 months as that was the next slot the trimmers had. That was just dealing with 3 firms...
In my experience all the good people have long waiting lists so if people like Graham can do it all, or manage it all, they have a lot more leverage to get things done as the trimmers etc know they will get repeat business whereas from you or I its a one off job
Hope this makes sense and helps

 

[chad]

Sorry -double post - tablet playing up

 

[aspira]

Hi everyone - follow up to progress.

Bit of a disaster really. The insurance company have finally come back with an offer but have made the van a cat A right off. Tottaly ridiculous if you've seen some of the pics and I just can't see how they have made that assessment.

Anyone had this before or got any ideas as to what I can do?

Any help much appreciated

 

[chad]

I'd ask them why they have classed it as a Cat A as it seems extreme.

 

[cotswoldiver]

Hi everyone - follow up to progress.

Bit of a disaster really. The insurance company have finally come back with an offer but have made the van a cat A right off. Tottaly ridiculous if you've seen some of the pics and I just can't see how they have made that assessment.

Anyone had this before or got any ideas as to what I can do?

Any help much appreciated

Sorry to read that bit of news. Based on how so many of the buses have been brought back from the dead on here it does seem an unusual decision. On the plus side - hoping that the settlement price is a good one - I guess it will give you the opportunity to get on the road quicker maybe even with a 'ready to hit the road completed bus' and enjoy. The bit I have read before is that you may be able to get more out of the insurers than what they first offer.

 

[aspira]

Yes, I find it a strange decision and the idea of smashing up a van that in it's current state is more solid and has more potential then many is terrible. I've appealed to the senior engineer who will re-look at the file apparently.
If he agrees with the original decision I can bring an independent engineer in but I have to pay the costs. After that it doesn't look like I have anywhere to go.

The wording on ABI's web site, which holds the code of practice for categorisation says;

CAT A - SCRAP only (i.e. with few or no economically salvageable parts and which is of value only for scrap metal)
e.g. total burnouts

CAT B - BREAK for spare parts if economically viable (excluding any residual scrap value).

CAT C - REPAIRABLE total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value (PAV).

It's not a total burnout so can't be a cat A

Using good people only recommended from on here or whom I know, the repair costs are about 15,000. Once back in the condition it was it could be worth 20K to 25k so meets the CAT C test.

It was insured for 25,000 and their first offer is 14,800. How they came up with that i'll never know. I might be able to increase the insurance offer and maybe I could find another bus but it's hard to let go...

 

[Dickie524]

I know what you mean - even if you find another, it'd never be 'yours', the same way this one is. Hopefully the appeal will find a sympathetic ear.

Good luck fella!

I wonder - if it does remain Cat A - could you buy it back at scrap value to 'salvage' it? (using some specific parts from another donor bus, for example?)

 

[chad]

"It was insured for 25,000 and their first offer is 14,800"

I assume that it wasn't on an agreed value policy but they were happy to accept a value of £25,000. I know that the value you put down doesn't really mean much to them when you make a claim as they go by such as market value so it might be worthwhile getting info on buses for sale or sold that were like yours before the disaster.

I think they're trying it on.

 

[aspira]

Unfortunately Cat A means the van has to be crushed and proof sent to Dvla. Yes they're trying it on all right. Seems a ridiculous process

 

[Ands1]

Where is the bus right now?
Is it in your garage on your property?
Stick to your guns drag it out keep the insurance company busy, get pictures of vans that have been on fire & restored you need as much proof as possible that your van can be back on the road.
the more proof you have to get back at them will only be to your advantage, dragging it out they will get fed up & they'll want to close the claim asap so they could tilt in your favour. I speak from experience albeit not a fire.
Good luck

 

[kruger]

I'm gutted for you to lose a bus to fire, but just a few pointers and a dose of reality check of the situation you've found yourself in from a (former) assessor/insurers point of view.

CAT A - Always for fire damaged total losses - its the carcinogenic HFL, Hydro Fluoric Acid released from plastics/rubbers/foams that insurers do not want to deal with at a later date - Its a straigtforward total loss - negotiate a settlement and move on - I don't think protesting its not a 'total' burnout will get you anywhere - within the context and looking at the photos its a convincing burnout.

Total loss threshold to the engineer will be of the ballpark 60% of 'market value' - a realistic estimate that would be paid to a dealer for a similar bus. In this instance its a no brainer to the engineer - even if you can convince him the bus was worth £25k, there's far far more than £15k (60%) worth of parts, materials, labour, and VAT to be put on the bottom line.

In all honesty and not wanting to sound harsh I'm confident you'll not be putting it back on the road, as you'll not get it classified as a CAT C.

Good luck with the settlement though.

 

[Tofufi]

There's no law saying cat A or B cars have to be crushed or broken.

The insurance industry subscribes to a voluntary code of practice stating they will only sell these cars to licensed dismantlers, who agree they will not sell the cars on as repairable salvage. It doesn't always turn out that way.

More here:

https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated/Motor/Code%20of%20practice%20for%20disposal%20of%20motor%20vehicle%20salvage.ashx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Code seeks to encourage best practice. However, adoption by supporters and their members of any terms, standards, guidance, recommendations or similar statement contained in this document is voluntary and entirely at the discretion of each individual member.

 

[theyorkiebar]

How did you get on with this?