Discussion
Took this as a trade in a couple of weeks ago with the initial plan of scrapping it, but it turned out it drives surprisingly well. It a 1.7D with 139K miles, plylined, rubber floored and a bit of PSV and TAX.
So, i took the head staggers and got the rot cut out and new metal welded in, and a cheap respray (all bar the roof). Sanded down the wheel trims and resprayed them with silver paint. Got it serviced and the timing belt done. Oh and a wheel bearing.
Finished off with a £35 Valet.
Stands me about £550 now all in but it should last a couple of years and is doing an easy 50MPG - plus i can chuck the dogs in the back...
Before....
After....
So, i took the head staggers and got the rot cut out and new metal welded in, and a cheap respray (all bar the roof). Sanded down the wheel trims and resprayed them with silver paint. Got it serviced and the timing belt done. Oh and a wheel bearing.
Finished off with a £35 Valet.
Stands me about £550 now all in but it should last a couple of years and is doing an easy 50MPG - plus i can chuck the dogs in the back...
Before....
After....
Arthur Daley said:
If it owes you £550 and you have had a full respray how much did you buy the van in for? -£250?!
That or you have a very reasonable body shop! Looks tidy now.
I bought it in standing me £50 against a Corsa 1.7TD. Just a nominal sum i suppose. That or you have a very reasonable body shop! Looks tidy now.
Paint job was £400. He used pure paint for the bits that were bad and paint mixed with lacquer over the rest, to keep the cost down - i assume lacquer is much cheaper than paint?
Paint job isnt perfect but pretty much a full respray for £400 - plus he'd a lot of work to do around one of back doors and one of the sills.
Makes it a presentable little van for not a big hill of beans. Pretty much all vans at around £500 are battered about scrap.
I'll give it a couple of months before the rust starts coming through again. You can't polish a turd and this is a turd 
Looks ok for chucking the dogs in though and as you say £500 for a working semi-decent small van is ok. Personally I would have had a mini service and just washed it but it does look a whole heap better.
Did he do the door strap area too, looks like it was falling apart.
Looks ok for chucking the dogs in though and as you say £500 for a working semi-decent small van is ok. Personally I would have had a mini service and just washed it but it does look a whole heap better.
Did he do the door strap area too, looks like it was falling apart.
That is a smart workhorse.
My dad had a 1999 example with 125,000 miles on it - looked similar to yours one complete. Keep an eye on roof pod as they are prone to rust and can let water into cabin overnight.
Also, a cheap tip is to buy some silver pin-stripe tape and place it on the crease that you see on the front bumper. It only cost a few quid, but lifts the look of the front for little outlay.
Enjoy!
My dad had a 1999 example with 125,000 miles on it - looked similar to yours one complete. Keep an eye on roof pod as they are prone to rust and can let water into cabin overnight.
Also, a cheap tip is to buy some silver pin-stripe tape and place it on the crease that you see on the front bumper. It only cost a few quid, but lifts the look of the front for little outlay.
Enjoy!
Manicminer said:
I'll give it a couple of months before the rust starts coming through again. You can't polish a turd and this is a turd
Looks ok for chucking the dogs in though and as you say £500 for a working semi-decent small van is ok. Personally I would have had a mini service and just washed it but it does look a whole heap better.
Did he do the door strap area too, looks like it was falling apart.
Well anywhere he found rot, he cut it out and welded in new metal, so it should be reasonably sound. Plus as its now all the one shade of white, if any does break through it should be easy repaired and blown in again. The rust / rot to the rear was due to a poor repair, the main body of the van had very little rot, other than surface rust.Looks ok for chucking the dogs in though and as you say £500 for a working semi-decent small van is ok. Personally I would have had a mini service and just washed it but it does look a whole heap better.
Did he do the door strap area too, looks like it was falling apart.
Yes, there was a school of thought that said drive it as is. However, i've a bit of a soft spot for basket cases - heres a fiesta i took pity on a while ago..
And a Pug 106 prior to that...
Both of those were just cleanups - no respraying involved - and i did the valeting myself.
tbc said:
looks like all you have done is give it a clean and put a set of trims on
easy money
LOL. It took about a fortnight of nights to get the fiesta like that! From that i learnt two things.easy money
(a) you cant make money from basket cases
(b) its better to get someone else to clean your cars!!
Manicminer said:
I'm only pulling your leg, I have a white 27 year old 2nd car and everytime I get one bit of rust done another springs up somewhere else
I can see using it for business too it doesn't look great if you turn up in a rusty old heap.
Still a turd though
Aye, it wouldnt have been my first choice in vans, but it did land on my lap - well, free wheeled into my back yard.I can see using it for business too it doesn't look great if you turn up in a rusty old heap.
Still a turd though
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff