Replacement for the Hijet.

[kentgpz11]

Latest bits & pieces.
Rubbed the rusty bits down with wire wheel on angle grinder.

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Then 2 generous coats of Germolene (No1 rust beater).

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Then 1 coat of Smoothrite.

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That should hopefully keep the tin worm at bay for a while...
I didn't bother doing the steps, as they need more than a coat of paint.

I noticed a bit of water got in to the passenger side footwell during Saturday nights thunder storm. So I'll take off the scuttle panel to see if I can find where it's getting in.

Replaced the steering column with a perfect scrapyard one.
I didn't realise that I needed the key to remove the old ignition barrel, so I improvised with a hacksaw & drill.

Replaced throttle cable as it was frayed inside & sticking.

Hopefully, I can start to clean & reassemble the cab now.

[kentgpz11]

Well it's finally taxed, insured & more importantly roadworthy.

The cab was thoroughly cleaned & everything put back in.
We ended up replacing the indicator stalk with a new one, as it was temperamental.

This was the state of the fan belt on our van.
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So a new set of belts was required.
We replaced cam belt & tensioner, water pump, power steering belt & fan belt.
Hardest part was removing cam belt cover (sh**ty torx bolts rounding off.)
Also flushed 10 years worth of crap from the radiator.

When we got the van there was a spare clutch cable in the back & the clutch felt quite stiff, so we swapped the cables.
Then the release lever & bearing parted company, lots of fun to get back together.

Next on the list were the prop shaft centre bearings, as they were a bit sh**ged.
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These were surprisingly easy to change.

We then checked the brakes & adjusted the handbrake cable up.

The only thing still not working is the speedo. But I will sort this.

It drives a lot better than when we bought it, everything feels tighter & works properly (except the speedo .)

It doesn't smell like an arse anymore, thanks to my wife scrubbing the seats & cleaning the headlining.
So you don't feel unclean when you've been in the cab now, which is definitely a bonus.

It's great to finally use the van, now we need to re-fit ply lining to the back.

Then we can start on the bodywork!!!

[kentgpz11]

The exhaust on our van has been blowing for a while, thanks to rust and a well dodgy repair.

I bought this complete system for a lwb turbo very cheaply from Ebay.
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Once I compared it to the one on our van, I realised it was very different.
I found an almost new downpipe in the scrapyard for £10.
This was fitted, then we modified the centre box to fit.
But this meant the rest of the exhaust was too short & didn't clear the axle.
So it was cut into 3, bent it a bit more & welded up, into this. (My first attempt at mig welding.)
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Our van now has a side pipe, in front of the o/s rear wheel.

The floor in the back of the van was ground down & plates welded in parallel to the wheel arches, as the spot welds had started to rust.
This was then painted with Smoothrite blue.
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I bought some 195/14 wheels & tyres from Ebay, as the front tyres on the van were 185's & the rears were 195's.
These were fitted & it feels a lot less twitchy now.

The MOT is due in December, so I took the van to be tested while I had a couple of days off work.
I expected it to fail, so wanted plenty of repair time.
It PASSED
Just 2 advisories, rear brake pipes slightly corroded & speedo not working.
I can get the brake pipes replaced no problem & I will find out why the speedo doesn't work eventually
So far I've changed the sensor twice & checked all the wiring. Next I will try a different speedo.

[kentgpz11]

I decided to give our van a facelift as it pretty much sailed through the MOT.

This was before.
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This is after.
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Much better I think.
Might need a bit of Back To Black on the bumper.

Cut down & refitted the ply lining.
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Just need to make some new door cards now & paint them to match the rest.

The heater resistor died after only a few months (it was only a cheap Ebay jobbie, not genuine Ford.)
Instead of buying another Transit resistor & struggling to fit it under the dash, I did this.
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Genuine Ford Fiesta resistor (been in my garage for years), mounted behind grill next to n/s headlight.
Works a treat & should help to cool it, as they get bloody hot.

[matthew2riches]

Looking good