Any shiters in Norwich wanna check out a total shit heap VW T25 for me?

[Fabergé Greggs]

This is a bad idea for all sorts of reasons. But it's also a great idea for some reasons too- MOT and tax exempt soon- AEF engine for ultimate misery. VW DHF gearbox for ratios that will be too long for such a piffly engine. Boxster gear linkage! 

Anyway I think it might be much, much rustier than it's flawless MOT history suggests. Anyone wanna check it out? 

 

[artdjones]

TBF, it's a lot better looking than I was expecting from the title.

[artdjones]

The AEF is the straight 1.9 isn't it?So a much more durable engine  than any of the 1.6s, too. And beige!

[Matty]

2 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

This is a bad idea for all sorts of reasons. But it's also a great idea for some reasons too- MOT and tax exempt soon- AEF engine for ultimate misery. VW DHF gearbox for ratios that will be too long for such a piffly engine. Boxster gear linkage! 

Anyway I think it might be much, much rustier than it's flawless MOT history suggests. Anyone wanna check it out? 

 

When is stuff like this ever a bad idea? 😆 my uncle converted a couple of these to zetecs for customers if you ever want a bit of go about it. @barefoot and @cobblers please don't hunt me down. The original lumps are fine

[Mally]

Wonder how high the reserve is?

I'd leave the roof if it doesn't leak. Likely whatever you do will induce leakage.

Looks like we should have painted ours with Rustoleum, instead of selling it as holes joined together with rust.

Mind you the new* engine in ours was knackered as well.

My eldest still has a nice one though. 

The original lumps fall apart if the previous owners didn't use  the right antifreeze.

[Matty]

8 minutes ago, Mally said:

Wonder how high the reserve is?

I'd leave the roof if it doesn't leak. Likely whatever you do will induce leakage.

Looks like we should have painted ours with Rustoleum, instead of selling it as holes joined together with rust.

Mind you the new* engine in ours was knackered as well.

My eldest still has a nice one though. 

The original lumps fall apart if the previous owners didn't use  the right antifreeze.

You reckon rustoleum? I was thinking sandtex. 

[Matty]

Joking aside, if you can get a trusted shiter to check for rot, that looks a good buy. And it's not like you can loose on it unless you burn it down. Take a try on it and if it's not for you then just move it on

[ProgRocker]

I live there but I'm not particularly mechanically minded, sorry. I'll probably miss something major.

[cobblers]

From the pictures, that front crash bar (birdbath) behind the bumper looks sore as fuck. It's a huge undertaking to do a nice repair on that.

The rusty marks on the seat bases don't do it any favours either, as they show rot from the inner wheel arches.

Seams don't look particularly bad but that flat paint hides sins.

 

Get him to send you photos of the front steps, sliding door runner, rear outer trailing arm mounts, bottom lip of the tailgate (from the inside) and close up pictures of all the seams.

That'll pretty much tell you the state of it.

[cobblers]

Oh and the roof, I'd need to see a picture of WTF is going on with that before paying any more than breaking money for it (which is about £1500 for the easy sellable bits if they're any good)

If it's horrific you could put a poptop or a high roof back on, I suppose

[Fabergé Greggs]

That's all she wrote. He says that the engine conversion cost him 3k from https://www.dasauto.uk/ and the welding in 2016 cost 2k from https://www.weldwagen.co.uk/ including the sills apparently.  He says the worst is the front steps and around the rear windows. 

Thanks for the expert eye @cobblers, appreciated! 

 

 

[cobblers]

That's not great, but nowhere near as hanging as the vans plenty of people are driving around with gay abandon.

The engine/box is probably the best bit, but as with any conversion it will cause confusion/grief now and again.

It will need welding and tarting up every year, but they don't snap in half.

As far as vans of this age go, these are well supported and drive well. What do you want it for? If you just want a camper, get a cheap Vivaro or something like that. If you want an old interesting van then it is one of those.

[Fabergé Greggs]

I want a ULEZ/tax exempt day van/camper with good spares support that'll increase in value and be fun to use and improve so that's why I'm thinking of these. I had a Viv for a while but I just can't get enthused working on modern stuff. The economy of the diesel appeals- I spent A LOT of money on petrol crusing around Europe in my '84 Devon T25 about 15 years ago and Petrol was a fraction of the price it is now! Really loved that van and do have the regrets. 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Of course this would be the shiters choice 

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1431986

 

[artdjones]

I've seen a lot worse, but to get it good you'll have to have a few hundreds worth of welding/ bodywork each year. And buy a new 5 litre tin of Rustoleum.

[Mally]

17 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Of course this would be the shiters choice 

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1431986

 

I always wanted a Starcraft.

Was talked out of it by someone who bought a kit. 

The instructions showed a picture of  a man with an hammer and bolster chisel attacking the middle of a Cortina to cut in in half,  whilst his wife (with curlers in her hair), was on the other side, bracing the shell with a length of 3x2 timber. There were many boxes of brackets and self tappers, and his large back garden was full of fibreglass panels.

Someone built a couple of aluminium copies which weren't bad. There was one pictured on here not long ago.

 

[Matty]

9 minutes ago, Mally said:

I always wanted a Starcraft.

Was talked out of it by someone who bought a kit. 

The instructions showed a picture of  a man with an hammer and bolster chisel attacking the middle of a Cortina to cut in in half,  whilst his wife (with curlers in her hair), was on the other side, bracing the shell with a length of 3x2 timber. There were many boxes of brackets and self tappers, and his large back garden was full of fibreglass panels.

Someone built a couple of aluminium copies which weren't bad. There was one pictured on here not long ago.

 

Youra braver man than me then mally. That's awful. And you had the Holy grail of campers as well.

[Mally]

1 hour ago, cobblers said:

. What do you want it for? 

Everyone who needs a waterproof key, also needs a VW.

It's the Law.

[Mally]

9 minutes ago, Matty said:

. And you had the Holy grail of campers as well.

Only @eddyramrod thinks that about CF's

[Matty]

You've @td him now. Sleep with one eye open

[eddyramrod]

I'm too feeble these days to do anything.  Stop worrying.

[Mally]

5 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

I'm too feeble these days to do anything.  Stop worrying.

And too much of a Gentleman.

[Dobloseven]

14 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Of course this would be the shiters choice 

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1431986

 

It's near Milton Keynes. Hope the Six cylinders don't see it! 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Hmm went for £3200.. what do our resident experts think @cobblers/ @artdjones ? 

[cobblers]

That's about its money I reckon, if its not hiding horrors. Prices have roughly doubled in the last 6 years I'd say, can't see it continuing for ever though 

[artdjones]

I'm not an expert on them, but I've had a bit to do with a couple. I'd say reasonable. I'd want to have a good look underneath and at all the body seams before parting with the cash. The pictures give a solid enough feel, and at least it's not covered in dubber stickers, or even worse, eccentric hippy mods.

[cobblers]

4 hours ago, artdjones said:

or even worse, eccentric hippy mods.

We can't be entirely sure if it has been given a name though, which is a cast iron guarantee that it is a complete wreck