TheDrunks - Ex-BT Van project

[TheDrunk]

I do believe 350 covered it.

Local guy is going to do it at a garage for 200 by the looks of it. If that is the right part, I can supply it to then for 70 +vat otherwise they will have to make their own.

[MarkM]

Ok gone through all the pictures.


The inner wing is gone (top right) and the wing edge is coming apart, so that has blown too.


Battery Tray is gone.


Rear Arch WILL need replacing in the future, as right now it has only been filled


Rear bottom quarter has gone


Wheel bearing has gone

The yellow crayon on the one of the sills is a little harsh but some MOT stations don't like so see holes nor the start of holes...pitty it isn't structual so not a fail but different stations see this differently.

I agree you do have solid parts where I thought there would be rust, damned lucky as the entire van looks like it had a mud/salt bath up to the floor level on a regular basis.

All that for now surface rust on the floor and chassis rails WILL get worse, just because it isn't a fail THIS year doesn't mean it won't be next. Your rear doors have gone BUT that is minor as ALL Transit doors eventually rust on the bottom edges.
Having now looked through all the pictures unless you were given the van for free walk away from it as it will become a money pit.

Then again perhaps you can afford £300 plus every year for welding I know I can't justify that sort of payout every year. Then you have the mechanical stuff, The exhaust doesn't look long for this world and check those gaiters as they have become twisted so I wouldn't be surprised to find them split, the sump gasket and probably the rocker cover gasket need replacing too.
Many on here will say it is only a little bit of this or that but in general ALL the people who say that do the work themselves, you are paying someone else so gets expensive real quick.

[TheDrunk]

Thank you for the observations. Out of interest, how can you tell that the bearings have gone?

[MarkM]

Thank you for the observations. Out of interest, how can you tell that the bearings have gone?

The oil/damp around the hub at the very least says that the axle seal is failing but with the labour and effort to replace that then to do the entire job is better. It isn't the slave cylinder as the damp patch would be higher. Good luck with that though as the halfshaft needs to be pulled and NOT every garage has the right sized puller to do it. My Mk3 had it done but now I own a MK5 the same garage can't do the job.

[djswampy]

I'm with MarkM on this one. I know it seems a shame to do it but its a scrapper really. there is too much wrong with that. I thought the rust on my van was bad, at least my chassis is sound. Sell it in bits and scrap the body.
However you seem very confident with this so Good Luck pal. I hope it does go well for you.

[Luke]

why has the battery tray gone looks ok to me

[transitgeoff]

Thank you for the observations. Out of interest, how can you tell that the bearings have gone?

The oil/damp around the hub at the very least says that the axle seal is failing but with the labour and effort to replace that then to do the entire job is better. It isn't the slave cylinder as the damp patch would be higher. Good luck with that though as the halfshaft needs to be pulled and NOT every garage has the right sized puller to do it. My Mk3 had it done but now I own a MK5 the same garage can't do the job.

half shaft only needs a screwdriver, no puller needed there
oh and as for the van time to put it out of its misery

[dangeeeeerousss]

thats only a little bit of welding i thought it was something serious

[AndyG]

thats only a little bit of welding i thought it was something serious

[sauzee]

why not keep your money and buy a mig welder and do the work yourself then at least if anything else appears you have a welder to sort it

[dangeeeeerousss]

if its anything like mine i can guarante it will

[djswampy]

thats only a little bit of welding i thought it was something serious

You gotta have dedication to do what you did though dangeeeeerousss. Not for the light hearted (like me).

[MarkM]

half shaft only needs a screwdriver, no puller needed there

Fair enough I was going on my MK3 I knew the MK5 needed a puller so assumed that the garage that say they can't do my MK5 as they need a larger puller (their words) used a puller on my MK3 when they did the bearing.

why has the battery tray gone looks ok to me

Take a look at all the surface rust all over the van and the amount of rust on the battery tray (which rusts on otherwise clean vans) you really think it is intact underneath...if it is it will be one of the few spots that is on this van.

Sideways thing about so called surface rust.
Paint doesn't rust so if rust is showing through paint it has 'grown' (actually an accurate description) upwards through the paint, rust doesn't go one way only so the integrity of the metal is compromised on the part you can't see. Rub a surface rust section down and you find the metal is more than a little bit thinner than when it left the factory.

thats only a little bit of welding i thought it was something serious

That's why I linked to your thread, but then you said at least once in that thread that you wouldn't do it again as it really was a little bit too rotten. Ok it certainly isn't now but how much would it have cost you to have what you have had done if you had been paying someone? How much has it actually cost you, I bet even though those 2 figures are way apart the self bill is pretty high if you count your time.

[gemini]

half shaft only needs a screwdriver, no puller needed there

Fair enough I was going on my MK3 I knew the MK5 needed a puller so assumed that the garage that say they can't do my MK5 as they need a larger puller (their words) used a puller on my MK3 when they did the bearing.

you need to find another garage the halfshaft pops itself out

[dangeeeeerousss]

you could even get brave like i did and start from the back to the front banging away with a big hammer it seems to find rot quite well
and i still havent worked out if its dedication or stupidity

if i was you id jump in with both feet and have a good bang around and see what you unearth and then decide what your going to do and how far your prepared to take it coz the mot people will
. youve only got to take a look at what ive been through and that started as just a little hole and im still not finished till i get some more gas

im not trying to put you off but at least you will know what your up against