Vauxhall Midi lovers, gather round!

[maxmidi]

Hello to all your fellow Midi fans. I've really enjoyed reading all the Midi threads, and seeing the awesome work done on several examples. Our own rusty red breadbin ('94 2.4TD)  is woefully in need of some welding. Apart from the rust - in the usual places - it seems otherwise pretty mechanically/structurally healthy. I hear all the comments about how hard parts are to find, but it's such a characterful van we're still hopeful we can fix her up and explore the quiet bendy lanes of West Wales (where it's lovely and dry  , not like here in Bristol).

We would love to turn it into the non-VW camper, but first we need to solve the rot. The welders we've spoken to have said if we can source suitable panels it will make their lives substantially easier, and our wallets less ravaged. So my first question is, do any of you have suggestions as to where to source such things, if it's even possible? And any other tips on the restoration process, ideally from your own experiences? I'm directing these questions especially at edessex , nigelbickle (who it seems is interested in acquiring a Midi and I'm guessing knows what he's doing!), BiAS (lovely job on yours), teardley (how is your pop-top going?), keith77 and cozzab2002 (who both seem to own Midis), and austinallagro (who has basically produced Midi porn!)

There are SO few of these around now it would be great to have another one still out there, so any tips/tricks/pointers (including to anyone who specialises in Midis!) would be hugely appreciated. I only wish I had the skills some of the members here have.

This isn't a 'money no object' project, but we are willing to spend a bit to save a 'classic' if it's feasible. Thanks all in advance.

Max

[edessex]

Sorry I've not been on here for a bit!

A fellow TD! Definitely not many of those about!


The sills are prone to rot, I had work done on mine, but they weren't actually that bad. We ended up cutting out good metal, but the aim was to get it a bit more future proof.

However, mine was done a bit unconventionally.

We cut the bottom of the sill off, and welded in box section. On the OS the lower edge of the sill now sits 3" higher than originally!
The N/S is closer to original, but that's due to the sliding door. In time I might try to relocate the door runner, and raise everything up to match, but the main thing for me was killing the rot.

[edessex]

I've just bumped the post of the work back to the top of my Facebook page www.facebook.com/2wdOffRoader

Originality and looks aren't what I was aiming for, mine takes a beating off-road, so wanted strong work done.

My mate doing the welding said he'd normally get sheet metal, and bend to the right shape.

[BiAS]

Hi, good on you for wanting to save a Midi, they're seemingly quite scarce.
I couldn't find any replacement panels and have had to make all the bits so far for mine (bottom of tailgate and side load door) I'm going to be moving into doing the side load door step next, it's been repaired already but nowhere near right and I suspect that all the original rust is still underneath the repairs so that's all going to have to come out before I can start. I've done the side load door first so that it matches the body panels either side then I can make the step and lower panels to fit the door.
I look forward to seeing yours progress.

[maxmidi]

Thanks for the responses folks - as I suspected, it is looking like a fair bit more metalwork-from-scratch than I'd hoped, but what you've said/done chimes with what the welder who's had an initial peek also suggested (not unlike your approach edessex), so I'll have another chat and see what can be done. Once more unto the breach! If anyone can suggest any Bristol-based specialists, let me know. Wish me luck! Max

[fazzer]

A chap i was restoring a capri for got me to do some welding on his midi van after ,I'm a vw camper nut but these are nice looking vans therez a lot of potential.

[teardley]

Any progress with the midi? Hope you can save it!

[austinallagro]

Hey 👋. My midi wasn’t in much better shape than that. It’d been stood outside its whole life and only used for 20 odd thousand miles.
Basically I went at it like a dog with a bone for a week. The panels are so simple I just got a couple of meters of sheet metal folded up in a local shop with roughly what I thought the angles would be for the step and some with 90 degree folds. It’s a fairly simple van. You could probably use be panels if they’re cheap? The back arches were some Bmw ones I cut off a car years ago but any similar arch will do as long as there’s good metal in there you can fettle the shape with filler. Because there’s no midi’s around nobody knows what the rear arches should look like. As long as you save the van your in the right. Crack on lad ( oh you might have already this thread was ages ago!)

[maxmidi]

Well, hello again all! My, doesn't time fly when you're enjoying [insert global calamity of choice here].

Belated update - our Midi has now got a lovely new bottom (steady) - lots of welding, Waxoyl and a respray (only up to her middle, we'll do the top half another time). We have added almost no miles to her clock, but are finally getting round to the inside. I'll post some pics of her works-to-date soon.

A couple of minor issues to solve on the outside still - one is sourcing a new tailgate before we resort to hacking at the old one; another is replacing the ground-to-nothing sliding door wheels. If anyone has either of those parts laying about, please let us know. Here's a pic of shiny new one:



Unfortunately it's in Italy and fits a LHD model Drat. Failing hot leads to a UK-compliant slider, would love to know how you solved your version of the issue. Is there, for example, another sliding door mechanism that can be wrangled to fit?

Cheers,

Max

[maxmidi]

Evening all

Here we go gathering Midi parts in May... Follow-up question in our quest to restore her to her former glory - what's the best thing to use in place of knackered old engine shielding under the centre seat - see fig.1

Anyone had to do the same thing?

We've got her booked on a ferry for her maiden voyage on June 1st, so pulling all the stops out to get her sea-worthy by then.

In the mean time, enjoy this old ad for a clue as to where we're taking her



Max

[maxmidi]

Pop goes the weasel - well, that was all rather anti-climactic: finished (enough) our conversion, loaded up to go on our hols, set off to the ferry, got half-way to Plymouth - and the head gasket blew. Anyone got any clue as to cost/complexity of getting a working engine in a Midi again

Answers on a postcard please.

Sigh.

[gtviva]

Its a belt driven engine so no messing with chains which makes it a bit easier, I think you biggest problem may be gaskets and they are available in 3 thicknesses depending on the amount of material that needs removing from the head

[maxmidi]

gtviva Thanks for that - fingers crossed we can source parts at a reasonable cost :/

[jazzmidi]

Hey maxmidi ! I'm new here, just found this thread when searching for some answers for the newly buggered head gasket in our 1994 vauxhall midi. Did you find a solution or parts anywhere at reasonable cost? :-(

[maxmidi]

Hi jazzmidi gtviva
A very belated return to the forum - poor old Carlotta has been shelved as a project for the past 6 months (again) as life got in the way.
About to recommence our journey to getting the head skimmed/fixed, cost permitting. jazzmidi, hoping you got yours sorted - let me know if you did!