Styled in Italy, built in Britain - The story of the blue Ital Van

[Noel Tidybeard]

maybe a single coachline but silver not gold?

[Timewaster]

I can't agree with pin striping a van unless you sign write it with number plate stickers and stick the stripe on wonky and used all the left over bits here there and everywhere.

 

Maybe adorn the back door with a white mud flap sticker that says Marina too

[flat4alfa]

Stripes?

 

I'm still waiting to see the side-exit exhaust

[DodgeRover]

A coach line is fine, very period for an up and coming business and could possibly be done at the same time as sign writing to save ££s

[trigger]

I've retired the pinstripe idea for now! How about a BT livery instead?! I found this online from my home towns BT office.

 

 

I've spent the last few days fannying about with this, yesterday got the inner wing area all stonechipped.

 

 

 

 

It's not perfect but should be enough to protect it for a few years. I then got some paint on the repairs in the engine bay and on the top of the wing.

 

 

 

 

And today I polished it all up and refitted the grommets and engine bits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's still lots to do under here like finish painting the air filter holder, fit the air ducts as well as service it and change the coolant but it's certainly much better than it was.

[danthecapriman]

That's looking brilliant, very smart.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Shiny! BT livery would look period perfect .

[Parky]

Tremendous work there Trig, it's looking more like a 3 year old than a 33 year old!

[Rusty_Rocket]

I'm sure the paint on them wasn't that nice when they were new!  You're doing an excellent job there Trigger, not over-restored or fussy- just 'right'.

[Skizzer]

Fantastic.

 

You really don't mess about, do you? And with two kids under two. I'm dying of shame here.

[Ghosty]

DO NOT LIVERY

[Carlosfandango]

DO NOT LIVERY

+1

 

CFD

[Squire_Dawson]

Great work, just shows what you can do yourself with skill and determination.

[oldcars]

Brilliant. I would love a garage to work on stuff. My list is increasing but its either belting down with rain or minus 3 so no chance.

[320touring]

nice work Trig!

 

I'll try to draw inspiration for pace and quality of work on the Morris!

[mk2_craig]

That's an Ital in Trigger's photo of the Telecom Maestro, though, isn't it?

[trigger]

There's 3 Itals in that picture!

[flat4alfa]

How about a BT livery instead?! I found this online from my home towns BT office.

 

 

 

This livery was used by BT Business Systems, a division within British Telecom.

 

Spanning 1985-1991, I thought this was all too late for Ital-bothering.  But no, your photo proves it.  Must be done!  

 

Did I mention I need new glasses?

[trigger]

I've been and collected my new tyres this afternoon, £150 all in for 5 Chinese Royal Blacks? No me neither.

 

 

 

 

I'm not overly impressed though as it seems they haven't replaced the valves going buy my silver paint still on them, I probably should take them back but I can't be arsed and I'll have to scrape the paint off a blade, those valves are over 30 years old too.

 

[oldcars]

Nice, bet those chinese death rings will be tail happy. Fun time 

[Felly Magic]

Loking good Triggs, for now I'd keep it plain, hope the Mrs and baby Trigglet are doing well

[eddyramrod]

Another vote here for plain.  Top work so far Trig!

[flat4alfa]

Chinese Royal Blacks? No me neither.

 

Royal are apparently in the top three tyre manufacturers over there, so not exactly fly-by-night cottage industry stuff

 

 

chinese death rings

 

Are the tyres really expected to be that bad though?  If they were properly dangerous, Shirley they can't be used on UK roads, by not conforming with BS, DOT etc.

 

It's not like Trig is hoping to get it out of shape coming off opposite lock around the Romford ringroad with that puny A+ anyhow. Well, ok if it happens the YT video will be ace   

[trigger]

They look alright and are certainly better than the 30 year old tyres that were on it before! I've cleaned the paint of the valves now and fitted the wheels, it looks pretty good I think. Just a shame I'm missing a load of the centre caps and nut covers.

 

I've took a few photos whilst it was off the axle stands but as always it was dark...

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Hooli]

It's looking ridiculously good Trigg.

[Parky]

Royal are apparently in the top three tyre manufacturers over there, so not exactly fly-by-night cottage industry stuff

 

 

 

 

Are the tyres really expected to be that bad though?  If they were properly dangerous, Shirley they can't be used on UK roads, by not conforming with BS, DOT etc.

 

 

It's not like Trig is hoping to get it out of shape coming off opposite lock around the Romford ringroad with that puny A+ anyhow. Well, ok if it happens the YT video will be ace   

 

I used to regularly opposite lock my Chevette around the Romford Ring Road in my wasted youth! Yeah, I had the skillz to pay the billz.

 

Last time I tried I went backwards through a fence mind...

[HillmanImp]

Last time I tried I went backwards through a fence mind...

 

I'd never do a thing like that and there is absolutely no video evidence to the contrary on YouTube.

[Eddie Honda]

Fook me, those Chinese death rings didn't take much* weight to balance

[plasticvandan]

Do not do anything else,no stipes,no stickers,no writing,that looks perfect just as it is!

[Zelandeth]

I've only had a couple of run ins with Chinese tyres.

 

First time was in a Vauxhall Omega which attempted to kill me going round a very gentle curve on a dry road well below the speed limit (was running on fumes, so was taking it well easy!).  Thank goodness there was no oncoming traffic as I came around there at about 3/4 opposite lock.  Despite it being a trade in to clear - we still stuck new tyres on it in the interests of not killing whoever bought it.

 

Most recent was on my first Xantia when I bought it.  It had three unmatched things I'd never heard of from PRC, and one nearly bald Falken on the nearside front.

 

It became abundantly apparent that other than on an absolutely dry road that said nearly bald Falken had an order of magnitude more grip than the other three, by the fact that the car insistently would attempt to rotate anticlockwise if you went anywhere near the brakes, and the offside front would spin all the way up through third gear.  We're talking a 1.9TD here, so hardly a racing car.  I was actually worried that there was something majorly wrong geometry wise with the car given how (terrifyingly) pronounced it was, but a new set of matched tyres completely resolved it.

 

They're change-on-sight items on any car I buy in my mind.  I don't care how powerful it's not - if a kid, dog, deer etc runs out in front of my car and I need to swerve/hit the anchors I want to know that it's going to respond.

 

Disclaimer though is that I don't have a note of the brands involved, and given the history of the vehicles were quite probably the cheapest of the cheap that they found had fallen off the back of a truck somewhere.  It's entirely possible that the "better" examples are perfectly decent, as I'm fully aware that just because something comes from China and is home-grown there doesn't mean it's crap.  I've nothing but praise for my phone (Huawei) and would very happily add pretty much any piece of test gear with Rigol's name on to my electronics workbench to name two brands.