My lads recent VW T4 project purchase

[Exuptoy]

Today, just a short 2 hours. Cut out some of the rot and made a new section for the arch.

 

[Exuptoy]

Just back from work and took my T2C Brazi Bay for its mot……failed! New bolt in rear valance/ cross member £235!!! 3-5 wks wait waiting list meant I had to spark up the metal glue gun. Really bad condition on the CM and both supports failed. Got it sorted but took me from 11am until 7pm! Not the nicest of jobs but it’s done until I can source a genuine part from Brazil. No pics of the supports but I’ll take a few when I fit a couple of rivnuts over the weekend.

 

[Exuptoy]

Back on with the T4 then……paid Chris another visit near Pembrey today armed with a couple of reciprocating saws and my Makita circular saw with TCT blade and relieved the 96 shell that he is scrapping of its back end. Very solid floor, arches, rear corners and back corner box sections which will save me a lot of hours recreating the metalwork without buying yet more pattern panels. One hours work and £40 saw us heading back home.

 

[Exuptoy]

Dug out a set of scruffy Caddy rims and boyo decided to try a few difference boots on them in work to get the swamper look……it’s gonna be noisy AF

 

[Exuptoy]

A bit more today on the T2. 40mm x40mm square turned into 100x50 AND 80x50 with a 160mm long return to cross over the outrigger and close the bottom of the sill, also I had to cut out the outer rear quarter to get it closed in from behind. Painted with Bonda zinc rich primer, still need to seam seal and Gravitex it in.
Got a small repair left to the bottom of the C pillar then close in the quarter then it’s MOT time.

 

[indy4x]

Dug out a set of scruffy Caddy rims and boyo decided to try a few difference boots on them in work to get the swamper look……it’s gonna be noisy AF
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And feel like you are on marbles until they break themselves in!

 

[Exuptoy]

Well, today saw the following happen…

My lad did the rear brakes last night (unbalanced reading across the same axle) and a couple of steering arm ball joint boots, which thankfully saw the MOT inspector give us a thumbs up. That’s over for another twelve month. Back to the T4 then.
Started chopping up the rear crossmember to see what’s useable for fixing his one.
I think the reciprocating saw has become my favourite tool!

 

[Exuptoy]

That rear crossmember we chopped up turned out to be useful. Started trimming back the van and the parts to try and repair the rear crossmember. As usual, it’s strong, not pretty but it’s going back together. I told my lad it was his job to remove the rear bumper reinforcer/towbar as the bolts have had it. He came home from work as I was wrapping up for the day so I ended up getting another few hours which allowed me to sort the cargo floor. Still a few bits to do on this corner but we’re over 80% there before moving to the offside,

And the swamper look now he’s had the second pair of tyres. I quite like it. Also the more that’s getting done the more desirable it’s getting.

 

[Exuptoy]

Lad got his bumper/towbar assembly off bar off earlier so cut out the rot and let in a piece of thinner angle then replaced the thicker section with some 6mm 40x40mm angle. Plenty of meat there to radius off.

 

[Exuptoy]

Managed to dress it back and add a bumper cover mount. Just a few clinch nuts to fit after painting it black.

 

[Turbo]

Managed to dress it back and add a bumper cover mount. Just a few clinch nuts to fit after painting it black.

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That tow bar looks very light compared to aftermarket bolt on ones.
Is that an original vw fitted one?

 

[Exuptoy]

Not a scooby. It was fitted when the van was purchased. Also there’s nothing light about it, the arms are maybe 8mm thick and the rearmost section between the arms is maybe 4mm thick with the front section ‘boxed’ around the rear.

 

[Exuptoy]

New treat arrived as I’m concerned that my Makita grinder isn’t performing as it should.
M18 brushless on offer over the weekend (and still this morning btw) for just £99. I had to suffer the pain of buying two 5ah batteries and a quick charger but that’s the painful bit done now and I can start buying tool only deals to replace my stuff bit by bit.

 

[Exuptoy]

My Hackzall arrived today around £90 inc the battery.

 

[Morris]

Coming on good.
I have one comment. Re the MT tyres, check the speed rating on them, some are scarily low.

 

[Exuptoy]

I’m still away so the lad has about 5 hours over the last 2 x nights removing underseal and flaky rust along with more stubborn rust scabs and has sent me a few pics.
Red stuff is zinc rich Bonda and black stuff is hamerite, (not a huge fan but it’s an easily removable part and is easily recoated if the coating fails). I’d have primed it first.
Should at least fly the next mot with pride when we’re finished.

 

[Exuptoy]

Yesterdays efforts. It’s coming along, I’ve told him every bit of effort is a bit less to do, also it keeps the progress going whilst I’m away.

 

[Exuptoy]

This evenings progress.

 

[Exuptoy]

Another few hours of cleaning and painting.
he’s working around the area I’m welding in so it’ll be interesting to see how solid the bits are that I’m still to weld, after all, he’s been digging in hard with a HD wire cup so that’s gonna find any weaknesses there.

 

[Exuptoy]

Not much movement this evening but he wasn’t happy with the outcome of the last section to ripped off that and redid it. I reckon he just wanted to try his modified strip disc he just got that didn’t fit!

Starting to turn into a solid little bus this.