What did you do to your mk 3/4/5 today.

[angusp]

Put two nice shiny wheels with new tyres on rear & a decent spare underneath.

[greentransit]

actually got it on the road again

[Milemuncher]

I didn't want to cop it like Rod Hull ...

I thought I was the only one to remember that - I made a similar remark when the neighbour opposite was re-aligning his dish last week. He gave me blank looks though !

[CamperVanBeethoven]

Wire brushed off a load of loose rust and painted the van from the back, to just past the back wheel arches with underseal. Messy job. Should get easier on the middle bit as there's less stuff to have to paint around ... and that's in better nick in general.

Inevitably, with it being a Transit, parts of one rear wheel arch have rusted through. Sounds like I'll be phoning the guy who did the welding again to see if he fancies more work

Because of that I haven't undersealed the rear wheel arches themselves yet...

[CamperVanBeethoven]

I didn't want to cop it like Rod Hull ...

I thought I was the only one to remember that - I made a similar remark when the neighbour opposite was re-aligning his dish last week. He gave me blank looks though !

I always remember it because it's the reason Half Man Half Biscuit never play the song "Rod Hull Is Alive ... Why?" anymore [because he isn't].

[angusp]

Took out front seats so I could remove floor mat and let it dry out in the sun.

Put some red oxide and primer down while the mat was sunbathing.

[CamperVanBeethoven]

Finally, both the spare wheel hanger and the spare wheel key were in my possession!

So the first think I decided to try was to make sure the spare wheel key fitted... Nope! The bumper is in the way... Oh well, it is made of metal, it's not far off and metal is BENDY ... One hammer, whack whack whack whack ... Yes, now it fits! In it goes ...

CLUNK.

Ah bugger! Maybe the handle is not at the right angle to fit through the hole for the spare wheel key? Fiddle around... CLUNK clunk CLUNK.

Hmm.

Withdraw the spare wheel key and look at the van more closely...

Yes, some bugger has welded a big bit of repair plate across the hole. There is no hole Somehow, this fact escaped my notice until now.

When I get a chance at the weekend, I'll get the electricity down to the van and get the electric drill on it, and drill out, file off and then Waxoyl a new hole. The new hole will probably be square because that's easier ... Gah!

[CamperVanBeethoven]

I didn't get anything done on the Mk5 today, because I was helping a friend move some furniture with a Renault derived Luton he hired. He doesn't 'do' vans so I was doing the driving. This may sound like sacrilege, but far easier to drive than an 18 year old Mk5. Maybe all my springs really are shagged out ... or maybe suspension technology has made huge advances in 16 years? I doubt the advances are huge, so it's more likely everything is shagged out. Anyone in Central Scotland I could drive to who can make a reasonable assessment of my suspension?

Bought an angle grinder, if the weather is good tomorrow will figure out how to grind down a six stud spare wheel hanger to fit a five stud wheel ...

[angusp]

I've hired new vans and owned a couple of mk6's but have gone back to a mk5.

The driving experience may be somewhat more agricultural but in the past I have found them far more reliable, just got to keep a hold on the rust issue.

[po79]

HI ANGUSP,

Sorry for the delay, we have just had our second son!
I'll be (when I get some free time) welding the new panels in with a Sealey mightymig 130xt is my second unit as the other was shared with my uncle and has restored countless classics.
The one I have now I got secondhand and idid some small repairs before the boy arrived and its a very smooth unit like my old one and would highly recommend one for a home/hobby welder. Nice and compact. I'm running this one off a fire extinguisher which is much cheaper than the little co2 bottles.

Also like you I wonder were the water comes from on the passengers side footwell/step. Really annoys me!

Poe.

[angusp]

Congratulations on your new arrival po79 and thanks for the reply - I'll take to eBay for some prices!

Had the bumper, grill & lights off today so I could splash some paint around the rusty bits underneath. Managed to shear of three of the near side light mounting bolts, so out with de Walter to remove the remains and now held on with tie clips to prevent any future problems.

[CamperVanBeethoven]

Converted my 6 stud wheel carrier into a 5 stud one

[angusp]

What was found lurking under ply floor!

[MinorMatt]

Fitted front fogs

[CamperVanBeethoven]

I would have fitted my spare wheel hanger, but could not find the appropriate nut to fit my customised wheel hanger. Spent about 40 minutes wandering around U-Pull-It scrapyard trying to find one that fitted. It turns out that they take the wheels off of the vans - and the nuts. Could I find one that fitted? No Tried various ones from various vehicles and failed to find one that fitted.

Do motor factors sell wheel nuts? The answer is ... no. Not unless you want locking wheel nuts. What a pain in the arras. I am so close to getting the thing fitted and working, but lack the one nut that I need. Would anyone happen to know the thread pitch and diameter of the bolt on a MK 3/4 15 inch (6 stud) wheel carrier? Is it some strange Imperial thread? Is it a nut and bolt peculiar to the wheel hanger, and so doesn't match the wheel nuts anyway?

I did at least manage to pick up a Transit jack for £4, and I must say it is somewhat more substantial than the unknown vintage Japanese one I had in the back of the van ...