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

[trigger]

When I last looked under it a couple of years ago there was a bloody great hole in the chassis behind the wheel, there probably even more now, especially as it's sat there 12 years.

[cobblers]

Is the front bumper and grill special on that transit? it seems to stick out more than they usually do, but then again I have drank a LOT of beer since I last saw one of these.

[flat4alfa]

Looks ok up top though, so it's floor and inner arches then.  Brill colour for the Trigger Blue Tripple.

[wuvvum]

One-piece tailgates in decent order are quite sought after (or used to be at least).

[Noel Tidybeard]

Is the front bumper and grill special on that transit? it seems to stick out more than they usually do, but then again I have drank a LOT of beer since I last saw one of these.

 

looks like they did a facelift before smiley face and changed the lights, grille and a different bumper which was then used on the smileys

[trigger]

I got my long shaft out yesterday and made a awful mess and now I can't get it back in again!

 

Dad came over to help me (i.e do the job for me) change the rear hub seals, the half shaft came out easy enough and in fact the whole job wasn't bad. The old seals were rock solid so that would be the problem.

 

 

The new bearings are sealed rather than exposed like the old ones but they pressed in ok with use of a large socket and vice.

 

 

The only issue now is that the hub nut is a 48mm and we only had a 46 or 50mm and none of the local shops sold 48mm's so we couldn't finish the job, dad's going to see if he borrow on before I have to spend £20 for one of eBay then it's a case of topping up the axle again with EP90 and road testing!

 

[Guest Hooli]

I always prefered the Mk1 Onion, never liked the fisherprice dash in that version. It's still a bloody lovely thing though & deserves saving.

[Guest Hooli]

Oh axle nut wise, box spanners might be cheaper. I don't recall the size but LRs used similar so I've got one somewhere from those days & it was cheaper than a socket.

[trigger]

Funny enough dad said a box spanner might do the job but it needs to be torqued up to 120 Ft Ibs so a socket would be better.

[Guest Hooli]

Torque settings pffft, wang it up till it strips & back off half a turn. Offical Leyland workshop style

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Jesus, I stop following the thread for 10 minutes, and you've completed a major restoration.

 

13/10.

[Felly Magic]

You've done great work to this van Triggs, it's worthy of a white room now

[DodgeRover]

I wonder how a Marina would be with an A40 box? Or a Dolly Sprint engine?

 

The Marinas they sent to Australia had the Maxi engine and gearbox and were front wheel drive.

So, from quite shit to even shitter.

Marina vans in NZ often came fitted with a CNG conversion which meant almost free motoring on the North Island anyway but adding 200kg of tank ate into the load carrying ability and took the edge off the performance*.

[kinkersaab]

 

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Wowsers on the Ghia in the barn..... very very nice.

 

On the boot self-shutting - an ex GF had one on a H plate when it was only 4yrs old, same boot spoiler and it wouldn't stay open even then. Far too heavy for the supports. I always forgot and always got a wack on the back of the bonse for it......... bit like the ex actually.

 

Top work on the van fella - looks a dream* drive. Envy just doesn't come close - that is top chod of the finest order.

[oldcars]

When are you collecting the CI Eccles Topaz caravan? I hear these are the ideal tow van 

[fordperv]

I always prefered the Mk1 Onion, never liked the fisherprice dash in that version. It's still a bloody lovely thing though & deserves saving.

The only bonus with the Fisher price dash of the mk2 onion/ mk4 escort is they don't crack like the previous model

[Asimo]

The only issue now is that the hub nut is a 48mm and we only had a 46 or 50mm and none of the local shops sold 48mm's so we couldn't finish the job

Easy enough to make an adapter to lose 2mm on a big socket - just make a hexagon shim from a bit of steeel, like this one I made for Princess / Ambassador hub nuts and 32mm ring spanner.

 

[trigger]

In between in bouts of shitness I've managed to spent a few hours this week on the van, I didn't do a very good job painting the front wing, part of it was done with one kind of paint and the other half with another and it had clouded up where the two joined and looked really patchy so I've gone over it again all with the same can.

 

 

I'm really pleased again with how well it's come out for a rattle can. I also spent some time giving the whole van a polish again

 

 

And I've repaired the hanging headlining now.

 

 

I've also fitted the roof rack this evening, the jury is out on this one though, I think it would work but it's far too shiny I think? I was planning on fitting a paint covered old wooden ladder on it?

 

 

 

 

Mechanical it's a bit poorly at the moment, I used it for work for a few days last week and that was enough to kill the diff pinion seal and that's leaking everywhere now and the little link pipe between the water pump and head has failed, I'm not surprised though as that was rotten to hell! All those years in the barn hasn't helped the perishables!

 

[Felly Magic]

Take the roof rack off, and try giving it a dose of brick acid to try and make it rust up a bit

[busmansholiday]

Like the rack actually although it's a bit too shiny ( I have a corroded one in my garage). We had one on our works van for tieing 16' sample probes on. When I say tieing, I mean with bits of string, quite litterly.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Great to see an update on this gem. As for the roof rack, do as Mick said and paint it black.

Apart from the steelies, everything else appears to be blue or black. Stick with that look!

[flat4alfa]

My tuppence?

 

It's shinier than it was at 6 months old now, and will stay that way

Roof rack can't be rat-rodded now.  It has to look shiny to suit the 'museum-piece' look

 

There, I said it

[Carlosfandango]

My tuppence?

 

It's shinier than it was at 6 months old now, and will stay that way

Roof rack can't be rat-rodded now.  It has to look shiny to suit the 'museum-piece' look

 

There, I said it

Agreed +1

 

CFD

[plasticvandan]

yep,rack looks like it come out of a brochure shot. ahh the a series bypass hose,i used to keep a spare in the glovebox for emergencies despite what people say they can be changed without lifting the head,just submerge in boiling water for a bit.

[trigger]

Today me and the old man tackled the leaking diff pinion seal and the little water bypass pipe, that was easy enough but the seal took a few hours, the old one was rock hard so no wonder it leaked. It's now much better though, I took the van for a run around the block and got a photo of the roof rack outside.

 

 

I then decided to sex it up a bit with a ladder, does it give you wood?

 

 

[mk2_craig]

Not sure about that roof rack. Would it look better with the front bit moved a foot or so to the rear, so that it was above the side panel rather than the door?

[trigger]

I can try it, I fitted it there as that was were the marks are from the old roof rack that it used to have fitted.

[flat4alfa]

Genuine miss-fitting repeatage

 

That ladder needs a rag hanging from it at the back. Red rag maybe, so contrasting 'feature' colour for your summer fashion offering

[Felly Magic]

Trigger's windowcleaners. That van does look really smart now Triggs