fogey
Posted a lot
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Posts: 1,597
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Jun 14, 2011 21:40:54 GMT
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When I first saw this thread and the state of the van I thought to myself that this heap was going to end up as a pile of rust in the middle of the workshop floor!! I am so pleased that you are proving me wrong ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Full marks for taking on what I am sure many of us would have walked away from and please keep the updates coming
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westy180
Part of things
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Project Jetta is go.
Posts: 147
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Jun 14, 2011 22:00:35 GMT
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Bloody top job, there mate. Keep up the excellent work. ![](http://bestsmileys.com/thumbs/7.gif) ![](http://bestsmileys.com/thumbs/7.gif) ![](http://bestsmileys.com/thumbs/7.gif)
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Who said VW`s don't rust?
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braith
Part of things
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Paddling furiously....
Posts: 30
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Jun 15, 2011 19:43:05 GMT
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Been said before, but much heroism for the tow home! ![8-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png) I know how it is with a resto like that, we bought a PB Commer in a similar state (now sold)... good effort and keep it up! Nice work on the panels - having done a fair bit myself it really is nothing more than practice and lots of patience... You're going about it 100% the right way and weld, wait, weld wait is the only way, but it's hard to get used to after welding thiker stuff as with that you can really crack on with less risk of distortion... Look forward to the updates! ;D
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'94 OM606 Disco - rolling coal '89 Astra GTE 16v - Missus' daily c/w cage
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tumult
Part of things
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Posts: 114
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Jun 15, 2011 19:51:54 GMT
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brave, brave man taking this on, it's great to see it being restored though. i'll be keeping an eye on this thread and can't wait to see that engine go in
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armour
Part of things
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Posts: 145
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Any updates?
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Aug 14, 2011 21:58:46 GMT
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August 2011 Its been a very long time since my last update. I have had a busy past 2 months and that has meant not a lot has been happening with the van. First thing I done was get engaged to my beautiful fiance, which meant working more to get a bit extra cash. I then also had a holiday for 2 weeks which meant working even more to get more cash. In the mean time i have scrapped my Fiat Punto. I would need to have spent about £200 getting it through its next MOT so it wasnt really economically sound. I bought it for £70 and managed to get £190 for it from the scrappy. I'm now using the Lexus as my daily driver and my pocket is feeling it. £60 a week in petrol just to go to work and back and a couple of other trips is not fun. Driving it with one silencer and side pipes does make up for it though. The sound is amazing, thats probably why I'm going through so much petrol. So if you afre in Edinburgh and see a silver ls400 being driven loud and hard you know its me. So, back to the van. The last time i wrote i had just finished doing the side and rear of the upper channels. I now have the front to do. Its been a little bit of a challenge doing this part. Its hard to see in the photos but the part i need to re-create curves down slightly and to the back. I started on the nearside corner last weekend. ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/9kp3lv.jpg) The way i went about making the panel wasnt the best. I took a while thinking about it and decided to break the panel down into its parts and weld it all back together instead of trying to form the panel before hand. The welding looks very messy here but eh, don't worry about that, I'm good with the angle grinder ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) . ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/f9gtwh.jpg) I left it like that and went home. I had grinded it but I wasnt really too happy with how i had approched it. This weekend i decided that I really should see if i can form the panel instead of welding a lot of strips together. I put a clamp onto one of the wheel drums then stuck it in the vice to act as a form. ![](http://i56.tinypic.com/28suj4w.jpg) I traced around my templatre and cut it out. ![](http://i56.tinypic.com/29nhrgi.jpg) Then hammering over the brake drum i started to form a lip. ![](http://i55.tinypic.com/2mquro8.jpg) I forgot to take a photo of the panel on its own but i felt a lot happier with it. Ive tacked it in place for now. ![](http://i52.tinypic.com/10nzs3n.jpg) I then repeated the process twice to get the majority of the front done ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/eqz7h2.jpg) I started on the offside corner, the rust has been cut out. ![](http://i51.tinypic.com/2vrtxm1.jpg) I then made a template and cut out the inner panel repair first and tacked it in. ![](http://i56.tinypic.com/2vkyzcg.jpg) By this time it was 5:15pm and as luck would have it, It was also the time i ran out of mig wire, 15 mins after machine-mart closed. I was a bit miffed as it meant i couldnt get more done so i decided to wash the Lexus. The good thing is i will be back at the garage a lot more now as I'm taking a break from extra work to get back into the swing of things. Another thing that I'm having to do is sell the Consul. I really really really don't want to but I'm finding it harder and harder to find the time to fix it and drive it like it deserves. The past few months i havent done much to it at all and its starting to resemble more of a statue than a car. I could also actually do with the money. I want to buy a TIG welder and also a cheap run around so I'm not spending so much on petrol. If anyones interested in the Consul then you can PM me.
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jules
Part of things
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Posts: 75
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Aug 15, 2011 21:57:16 GMT
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Enjoyed reading this thread from the beginning. Some inspirational work there.
Whats your day job - if you don't mind me asking ?
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Em
Part of things
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Fuel Injected? Carb Infested!
Posts: 601
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Blimey! Not checked in here for a while, it's coming along a treat!
Some nice fabrication going on there, the A pillar repair looks spot-on!
'Nuff respect for taking on such a major project and ploughing through it with such determination!
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Aug 17, 2011 20:30:01 GMT
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This is truly humbling, you won't have much original steel left at the end. Think we are all watching this attently.
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Aug 21, 2011 22:58:23 GMT
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Cheers guys, 21/8/11 Last time i wrote i was halfway through the front section. I was back at the garage today and was determined to finish it off. ![](http://i53.tinypic.com/k4uvwz.jpg) I made another template and cut it out. Then shaped it and tacked it in place. ![](http://i52.tinypic.com/2rfbsyr.jpg) Then i made the other angle bit to fill in the last space. ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/2rr2df4.jpg) Everything all tacked up and ready to weld. ![](http://i51.tinypic.com/mkyw78.jpg) Everything all welded up. It never looks pretty just welded eh. I had to make two small dished areas that sit infront of where the sun visors go. Its to make access for the mechanism that sits inside the channel. I just cut 2 rectangles out and bashed them until they dished then welded them in place. ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/11t0six.jpg) ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/oh09pd.jpg) ![](http://i51.tinypic.com/16ks510.jpg) That looks prettier. This front part of the roof channel was the most challenging for me to do so far. I was really worried i would distort the structure of it. I was also worrying too much about trying to make everything perfect, sometimes you have to just grow a set and actually get on with the job rather than procrastinating and getting frustrated with your self. ![](http://i54.tinypic.com/apbmdt.jpg) FEET! I feel like i have something i can check of my list now - Fix upper roof channel , Done! Tune in next time where I will mostly be trying to figure out how i will make and attach the gutter. ps, Consul is on Ebay cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330604252223
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Aug 22, 2011 15:19:29 GMT
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loving the work on your van! makes me want to buy a pile of rust and build it up again ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) top work!
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Aug 22, 2011 18:09:05 GMT
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This is a truly epic restoration! You are truly a craftsman of the first degree, I have been watching this from the start and just wanted to say power to you sir , beautiful workmanship and inginuity love the rollover device , amazing. Oh and your tale of picking this up made me laugh a lot! dangerous but really funny!
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dazcapri
North East
Enter your message here...
Posts: 1,057
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Aug 24, 2011 16:13:28 GMT
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nice to see some progress on this mate top workmanship as usual
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Mk3 Capri LS
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Aug 24, 2011 16:44:42 GMT
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Serious skills there friend!!! Hows life with the Lexus? IS the Auto+V8 as much fun as I imagine?
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1994 Rover Metro 1994 Peugeot 405 Estate 1991 Rover Metro Gti 16v 2001 Fiat Seicento Sporting 1999 Fiat Punto 1.2 1994 Peugeot 106 Xnd (x3) 1991 Westfield 7 2004 Landrover 110 SW 2003 Seat Ibiza 1.9Tdi Sport 1959 Ford 107e Prefect 1992 Suzuki Vitara 2008 Skoda Fabia
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Sept 10, 2011 11:20:49 GMT
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Does anyone know if this was ever finnished and are there any updates on it anywhere Thanks
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Sept 10, 2011 11:59:15 GMT
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Does anyone know if this was ever finnished and are there any updates on it anywhere Thanks Lol, it was only updated three weeks ago, OP would have to be Oldbus to have finished it by now.
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Sept 10, 2011 12:48:24 GMT
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+1 for this ^^^^^^^
I really need to get a grip and do this too, I spend far too much time trying to make things perfect.
As has been said by many others so far, excellent skills here, really looking forward to this progressing.
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Last Edit: Sept 11, 2011 10:22:34 GMT by omnipod
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Sept 11, 2011 10:14:51 GMT
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Loving your enthusiasm and ballsy approach to this, i am currently rebuilding a similarly rotten Commer camper and its amazing how much time you can waste by just worrying about things all the time!
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'73 Commer Campervan under full restoration, '83 VW T25 Doka under partial restoration to become rolling project, '04 Saab 9-3 Vector Sport modified and certainly not finished...
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Sept 12, 2011 8:23:32 GMT
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Excellent work sir!!!
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Em
Part of things
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Fuel Injected? Carb Infested!
Posts: 601
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Sept 12, 2011 8:51:48 GMT
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+1 for this ^^^^^^^ I really need to get a grip and do this too, I spend far too much time trying to make things perfect. As has been said by many others so far, excellent skills here, really looking forward to this progressing. Yup, I'll go along with this too! All I seem to be doing at the moment is worrying about going too fast and making a massive error, as a consequence I'm getting nowt done.... Fantastic work again here, that screen top looks excellent all ground down. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
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Last Edit: Sept 12, 2011 16:03:35 GMT by Em
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