Mk1 camper reversion

[FredTransit]

though I woul copy this here as there was some interest

 

First posted in Jan 2007

 

OK, remember this -

 

 

 

£205 off ebay. Comments like wiegh it in were passed. I knew otherwise.

[FredTransit]

Yes, as a camper it was a good van. As it goes the van is solid and has no dents. All there and working, by the time it had been an hour in the garage, two thirds of the paint was off.

 

 

The major bad points it turned out were -

 

The Mk1 seats had been skinned and reskinned with Mk3 seat fabric. Not actually in a reupholstery way, just plonked on top and stitched up with string!!! Thanks to Pete 4X4 for the seats and door cards.

The door trims were wood effect hardboard, as was the headlining!!

the badges had been removed, not de badged, just pulled off and the holes left in the panels.

The vandalism was complete with somebody SANDING the chrome bumpers and painting them

 

Good news is it has a Mk2 servo so she's ready for disc brakes.

[FredTransit]

The grill had some wierd electric fan sticking through it. Reason being for this was there were NO fins left on the original fan, god knows why. So the grill had to be repaired.

 

 

 

[FredTransit]

Obviously th roof had to come off. We didn't fancy disturbing the windscreen so opted for joining the roof at the rib at the back of the cab, you can't tell or see the join.

 

[FredTransit]

Next to go were the windows.

 

 

Ironically the red bits you can see here are the metal panels cut out for the holes to fit windows to a Mk5! Near perfect fit! This pic also shows the new roof line.

[FredTransit]

the wings are sound in the usual places, but had bizarre rot in unusual places, like being good under the headlamps but had a hole at the bottom near the wrap around corragations.

 

[FredTransit]

Finally she was ready for paint, the first coat went on and almost immediatly reacted and turned to orange peel. That had to be taken off. Eventually we got this -

 

 

 

then at 9.30 at night the starter motor packed up! A rumage around at home found 2 brand new ones, but one was defunct. the second worked perfectly.

 

The last night was the longest. I din't sleep, didn't even have a lay down on the seats for half an hour. It turned out the headlining couldn't be replaced with a real one, as some of the lip it tucks under had been remeoved. So I cut a huge lump of headlining fabric from the pop top and stuck it directly to the hardboard that was up in the cab, look OK but no showinner.

 

One of the wheels was Mk2, and wouldn't take the trademark chrome hub cap. The hubcaps came from all over the place. Two were from midniteclassics, one from Craig his mate who is into cortinas, and one unbelievably came out of Gary's mum's garden where she had been using it for the wild bird's water!!!

[FredTransit]

 

 

FINISHED! looks nice huh? Miracles do happen!!!

The Ford lettering is all my own work BTW! I had to make them cos they didn't turn up on time!!!

 

Forgot to mention, the whole process took 2 months and I am well pleased with the result.

[fordperv]

i doff my cap to you, excellent work in such a small space of time

 

how many transits do you own?

[FredTransit]

erm about 30 including a couple of scrappers!

[vulgalour]

Looks like you lifted it straight out of the mid-70s now compared to the mouldy looking thing you began with.  Top stuff.

[FredTransit]

cheers! Have to say its a cheap way of getting a Mk1

[trigger]

Great work!, I do like a nice tranny.

[fordperv]

erm about 30 including a couple of scrappers!

 

fair play to you, do you feel like sharing any pictures of the others???

[FredTransit]

course I will, I did put up the edited hilites on the 999 forum but theres been erm a few more since then.....

[Noel Tidybeard]

yeah but now its only a van- surely a camper is more interesting?

[FredTransit]

like I said, as a camper shes a great van. A new pop top would be around 1.5 grand, which would have sent her over the bridge. As it was, I suspect she was destined for the oval from the sellers truck....

[Louise2cv]

Oh how lovely. I love love love Mk 1s. And love love Mk 2s too. Good work Fred.

 

And if I may...

 

More pics?

 

Pretty please?

[FredTransit]

will do when I get to a puter to upload.

[Grundig]

erm about 30 including a couple of scrappers!

 

Do you have any 'A' series Transits ?? any pics ??

[FredTransit]

nope no A series yet but 3 cargos! Most of the vans are on me website at www.a2ecommercials.webs.com

[sheffcortinacentre]

did anymore get done to the orange lwb mk1?

 

still makes me angry the way you where fucked about with that by martin, I so wanted to get that one done, hope you've kept eng turning over.

[mercrocker]

Love  what you did to  that Mk 1....The only Tranny worth having in my opinion.   I never ever liked those wedge shaped things and the early ones are way too thin on the ground these days.   Good work!

[overrun]

Nice work, Fred. Looks a million times better, now!

 

I would also like to see pics of your others.

[FredTransit]

did anymore get done to the orange lwb mk1?

 

still makes me angry the way you where fucked about with that by martin, I so wanted to get that one done, hope you've kept eng turning over.

no mate she is still down the yard in bits. We were literally robbed of the bonnet, passenger door and some other bits when she was at the side of the house. was gutted cos all the doors are on the same key.

[Des]

That's wonderful, whenever I see a camper a part of me gets riled at the waste of a van. I insist you now assemble a talentless Metal or Glam Rock band. 

[FredTransit]

^now thats a top idea. Who's in?

[fordperv]

The band could be called terminal rot

[FredTransit]

Rusty Metal?

[Split_Pin]

I think you have increased the desireability and streed-cred of that motor by a million percent by converting it back into a van. 10/10.

 

PS You MUST get a 6-pot A series and let us all hear that lovely engine note!