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

[trigger]

At this rate it'll be on the road by Christmas.

It's meant to be a winter project but I always get carried away! Plus with Triglette number 2s arrival imminent I really want to get as much done as possible.

[I_am_Diesel]

Fantastic progress you are making there. If it was my project I'd still just be thinking about it.

[DodgeRover]

It's meant to be a winter project but I always get carried away! Plus with Triglette number 2s arrival imminent I really want to get as much done as possible.

Will you be strapping a cardboard box into the back to fetch him/ her with?

[loserone]

I have wondered if it'd be legal to have fixed isofix style mounting points in a van. Assume not, sadly.

[Felly Magic]

You really have got your teeth in to this Triggs, re the wheels, how about painting the centre 'cross' black?

[trigger]

I have 3 of the 4 original black centre caps and most the nut covers so I'll probably just refit them once I find another centre cap, also going for wide boy 165/70/13 tyres.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I have 3 of the 4 original black centre caps and most the nut covers so I'll probably just refit them once I find another centre cap, also going for wide boy 165/70/13 tyres.

I think you'll need to go to 175 /70 to keep the same rolling radius as the original 155s. 165/70 will look a bit lost in the arches.

This knowledge* is based on a misspent youth swapping 13" wheels on various Fords, the rule was always 2 width sizes up for every 1 profile down.

A bit like when people used to put 185/60s on Escorts and Capris instead of the standard 165s. 185/70 s were fine and 2.8 injections had 205/60s, but 185/60 P6s for example would lower the gearing of a 3.0 Capri so much and put the speedo out so that it would show near to 140 when it revved itself to death and ran the ends, ask me how I know!

[Yoss]

Talking of 175/70s reminds me, I've seen a few Marinas on Dolomite Sprint wheels which are also slightly wider to better suit the wider tyres. Having said that, whilst they look good on Marinas i think the standard wheels look better on this.

 

Although there's no reason why you couldn't have two sets. Standard wheels if you want to show it but something a bit wider for everyday use. It's surprising how much extra grip you get from only slightly wider tyres. I've always put Sprint wheels on my Dolly's and 1300's my excuse being they are safer.

[BeEP]

As previously covered, Dolomite sprint wheels would fit Marina cars but not vans.  The same difference was continued with the Maestro ie....

 

Maestro (car) = Marina (car) = Dolomite/Toledo etc = 3.75" PCD

 

Maestro (van) = Marina (van) = MGB, Stag, Allegro, Princess etc = 4.5" PCD

 

My Maestro van (a few pictures of which have popped up on these pages) wears MGB rostyles

[MorrisItalSLX]

As previously covered, Dolomite sprint wheels would fit Marina cars but not vans.  The same difference was continued with the Maestro ie....

 

Maestro (car) = Marina (car) = Dolomite/Toledo etc = 3.75" PCD

 

Maestro (van) = Marina (van) = MGB, Stag, Allegro, Princess etc = 4.5" PCD

 

My Maestro van (a few pictures of which have popped up on these pages) wears MGB rostyles

 

 

Hmmmmm........

[Eddie Honda]

It's surprising how heavy the steering gets from only slightly wider tyres.

 

FTFY.

[Dirk Diggler]

I have wondered if it'd be legal to have fixed isofix style mounting points in a van. Assume not, sadly.

I can remember a family up the road having 7 children; nowadays you'd buy a Galaxy or whatever but they bought a Citroen AX 1.4 diesel van and welded a child seat between the front seats.

 

We often travelled 10 or 12 up to sports and events with them; even as a young fella I can remember being squeezed into the back looking at the seat thinking that looks somehow wrong. On saying that, I never saw a child in it; maybe it was used for threat purposes only!

 

How times change in 25 years

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Mrs N remembers a bloke that lived in her street that had a Reliant van and would round up all the kids playing out and take them to the woods!!! In her memories there were a dozen of them, maybe it was an Ant not a Supervan.

Apparently no one died and as far as she knows nothing dodgy occoured, can't help feeling his philanthropic gesture might not be quite as popular today.

 

Fatha N made a folding rear seat for the family HA van (DTS 170D, how do rember that, I was 7 when it went) out of a Morris Minor green leather back seat , no belts or owt obvs.

Less successful was the Dyane back seat me and my brothers used to balance across the wheel boxes of the Series1 Land Rover (RGC576) that came later. Unless wedged by luggage it either fell over or slid forwards, we only used it for long journey's.

[Guest Hooli]

We had a mini van with the original front seats loose in the back & bucket seats in the front.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

As a reckless 18 year old, I once carried seven people in my old Morris Minor.

Two in the front.

Four in the back (laps were involved).

One in the boot.

The lad in the boot was called Mark - the deal was Mark had to bang on the firewall every few minutes to let us know he was still alive. We did around five miles like it. How he didn't die from the leaking exhaust fumes I'll never know.

[BorniteIdentity]

Mrs N remembers a bloke that would round up all the kids playing out and take them to the woods!.

Hello Yewtree?

 

Yes it’s another one of those historic allegations.

[cobblers]

If you can't find another center cap I might be able to draw one up and print one on the 3d printer at work depending on the design.

 

Top work a++ etc!

[trigger]

Thanks for the offer Cobbers! Today I managed to get the primer wet flatted, the panels to be painted rubbed back with a grey scotchy pad and then stone chipped the sills. No photos as I was busy but fingers crossed the repairs are looking remarkably good considering. Tomorrow's plan is to paint it!

[chaseracer]

Dammit Trigsworth!  The Dyane is now in grave danger of being dismantled and painted properly this winter... 

[Parky]

Beige 1100 mentioned Allegro wheels will fit

 

(Hits ebay looking for a set of good Allegro Equipe wheels with good tyres for less than a tenner within five miles of Triggers house)

[bezzabsa]

 

Hmmmmm........

Not Dolly sprint ..... 2500 / stag alloys

[Zelandeth]

One of my favourite things when dad brought either the Escort or Transit home from work was getting to slither around in the back on the way down to the pub in the evening!

 

Went out at least a couple of times a week with our next door neighbor too, just perched behind the seats in their MGB cabriolet.

 

...would do it again too.

[greengartside]

Beige 1100 mentioned Allegro wheels will fit

 

(Hits ebay looking for a set of good Allegro Equipe wheels with good tyres for less than a tenner within five miles of Triggers house)

 

I was thinking exactly the same. Allegro Equipe wheels would look TEH SEX. Although don't they have a problem with them being quite porous or something?

[Parky]

A minor detail Mr Gartside, minor.

[trigger]

So this afternoon I got some paint on the van.

 

 

I'm a little disappointed, the repairs look great, especially the big fist size dent under the rear light.

 

 

But the paint has dried very matt, I paid more money to get the colour mixed stuff from a specialist paint shop too, I'm hoping it will flat back and mop up but it should be more glossy than this?.

 

 

 

 

Could they have mixed it wrong?

[oldcars]

Do you have to put clear on this paint or is it like the stuff on my Reliant? 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

How cold/ damp was your garage? Looks like its bloomed. May just be my screen, but looks like you can still see the primer through it. Aren't you painting up to the swage line?

[trigger]

I had the heater on and I would said it was room temperature, it certainly wasn't cold or too hot. I was hoping to blend the paint in rather than going up to the swage line and possibly getting a edge.

 

I'm wondering about the lacquer thing now too but it's just a solid colour and I've never had to lacquer solid before?.

[trigger]

That was 5 coats, the lightness is the Matt new paint, the primer is definitely covered.

[hairnet]

Dammit Trigsworth!  The Dyane is now in grave danger of being dismantled and painted properly this winter... 

wash your mouth out