TheDrunks - Ex-BT Van project

[TheDrunk]

Also, the battery warning light is now officially OFF.

[djswampy]

Fan belt is easy to change. Exhaust shouldn't be difficult to fit (3 nuts on the engine manifold rest unhooks from rubber bits) but you get a warranty if it is fitted. Timing belt is easy to change yourself (so I am told). I plan to change mine in a few weeks time when I have a weekend free and I am an electrician, not a mechanic. For these belts you really would be better off going to a local motor factors or a dealer. You are certain to get the right ones and if not you can go back and have ago at them. They sell exhausts too. A lot of motor factors also have some good advice sometimes.

[TheDrunk]

Yes I have a very good motorfactors lined up.

If the timing belt really is that easy (as in you wont f*** up the engine..) then perhaps I will do the lot (with a little help from a friend).


Cheers

[djswampy]

Oh I am not saying you won't f*** up the engine. Yes you can. I've never changed one before but I have the belt and a few tools. got to make sure the pins and holes line up and make a note of the way round the belt goes around the pulleys on them all. I'm going to have the Haynes open and ready. Good Luck.

Fan belt is a piece of piss!

[dangeeeeerousss]

you want to set yourself the challenge i did

if you dare!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheDrunk]

WTF is going on there????

[dangeeeeerousss]

the same as whats gonna be going on with yours just a couple of ten pence rust holes

[dangeeeeerousss]

well thats what i thought anyway until further investigation and this was the result of those ten pence sized holes
sorry i dont want to scare you but this could be the reality of it

that is all sorted now but the weling hasnt finished yet!!!!

[TheDrunk]

Looks like you've had to cut most of the floor out in the very back? What was your chassis frame like?


EDIT: Just looked at every page on your thread.

Amazing work. At least I know who to get good advice from

[dangeeeeerousss]

if you look at my progress theres more pics ive had to replace floor chassis, wheel arches, inner wheel arches everything from behind the front seats all the way to the back including the rear cross member. theres also some on the front chassis to do but im going to plate that for now then when i put the v8 in ill replace the front of the chassis too its took nearly 9months now but the weather has held me back and also my back layed me up for a bit its vertually there now

[dangeeeeerousss]

hi heres one for you
you said you have no major holes like this one


this was a pin hole believe it or not and that didnt look anywhere near as bad as this one of yours

[dangeeeeerousss]

the only way you will have an idea of what your up against is by getting underneath and having a bang around with the hammer. they will for the mot at least when you hit everything if theres anything left standing
you will have an exact idea of whats what and where you go from there or you could take it in get the welding done then the guy says ive found another hole ill just plate that oh! ive found another its ok ill plate that too oh look another by this time youve clocked up a £600 bill.then do you say carry on or do you draw the line and cut your losses pay him the £600.for the sake of what you could of done yourself spending half underneath having a bang about even if it looks solid you hit it .looks are deceiving as we all know
i did mine with a wirebrush head on a drill wire brushed th whole of the chassis and floor then got the hammer to it and got a major reality shock!!!!!! but i said ive got this far i may aswell carry on

there must be someone you know who can at least help you with the machanical work at least or invest in a haynes manual and get stuck intoget the bill down the dearest thing is the welding
if i had taken mine in a garage and asked them to weld it up after they had picked themselfs up off the floor laughing i could say the bill welding aloan would be some where round the £2000-£2500 upwards as it would be classed as a major restoration job we had to support body work and keep it square to stop it collapsing it was like ajelly

so thats how i would start that way before you spend anymore money you can get an idea of the cost
sorry if thats not what you wanted to hear or we could be pure evil and tell you what you want to hear and tell you it will sail through the mot and let you get an even bigger shock when they tell you what its gonna cost
so id go and fetch your hammer mate good luck and i hope i hope its no where near as bad as mine

[TheDrunk]

newsflash. It will get the MOT anyway.

Yes, i will have to take a hammer, mig welder, etc to it in order to prevent further rust. This isn't news to me

[dangeeeeerousss]

good on ya mate are you doing it your self????
keep us posted with plenty of pics

[Serpens]

I simpathise with the bt van thought. I think mine hase been waxed underneith from a young age though. arches were mostly bog, and for the sake of my sanity I filled fiberglass overlays.

I know that wont save me once mot time comes around, but it looks pretty in the mean time. I bought mine from ebay at £1370 for a 96.

man I wish Id saved up and got a high mileage mk6 gor £3500.

is suposed to be a camper conversion for euro travel, but Im thinking of ditching it for a car and caravan. Or a mk5 motor home. I think I could make a killer trav out of one of those boxy looking transits where the back comes over the roof of the cab. Not sure if I can drive one on my 1999 standard full licence though.

Anyway I wasnt drunk when I bought mine, but I might as well have been. Turns out the guy I bought it from is manager at a self move van hire place, and as such put the van in for a mot at his work. only other mot cert was from a few years ago.

got to love ebay