Screwdriver
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So I thought I'd have a quick peek under the van prior to dropping it in for an (overdue) mot. It scraped through last time, this time I think not so lucky.
That's a jacking point So I need to grab some ramps before I go any further. The whole sill looks dubious!
Here's where I got to:
It's a devil of a job working upside down, under a van with everything 6 inches from your face. Incidentally, I made up a face mask from an old visor and a head band.
Works well but I'm using angle grinders, wire wheels and flap disks. Crap gets everywhere....
It is an ex-military vehicle, from Northern Ireland. My guess is it had been stood for a couple of years and now that I am finally having to look closely, it has been up to its axles in mud. Where these pockets of mud collected, the metal has gone. It has also had stuff welded into it/onto it and then roughly removed. Most of the bodywork is filler and most of the filler just forms a shell over rust.
So even the good looking parts of the body are pretty grim underneath. The filler has been applied and rubbed down really well but now the metal has started to disappear from behind, it's literally like picking off a scab. I am pretty sure I can repair the driver door sill and inner sill but the sliding door sill is worse. A lot worse.
Two things make this worthwhile: it has a superb engine and it's LPG converted (dual fuel). That means this old rust bucket is LEZ compliant and affordable vans which are LEZ compliant (Diesels from Jan 2001 onwards, Euro III or petrol vans) are as rare as hens teeth. Petrol vans are stupidly expensive to run at 17 - 20 MPG so I figure its worth my time getting this one running.
I may be wrong about that...
S.
That's a jacking point So I need to grab some ramps before I go any further. The whole sill looks dubious!
Here's where I got to:
It's a devil of a job working upside down, under a van with everything 6 inches from your face. Incidentally, I made up a face mask from an old visor and a head band.
Works well but I'm using angle grinders, wire wheels and flap disks. Crap gets everywhere....
It is an ex-military vehicle, from Northern Ireland. My guess is it had been stood for a couple of years and now that I am finally having to look closely, it has been up to its axles in mud. Where these pockets of mud collected, the metal has gone. It has also had stuff welded into it/onto it and then roughly removed. Most of the bodywork is filler and most of the filler just forms a shell over rust.
So even the good looking parts of the body are pretty grim underneath. The filler has been applied and rubbed down really well but now the metal has started to disappear from behind, it's literally like picking off a scab. I am pretty sure I can repair the driver door sill and inner sill but the sliding door sill is worse. A lot worse.
Two things make this worthwhile: it has a superb engine and it's LPG converted (dual fuel). That means this old rust bucket is LEZ compliant and affordable vans which are LEZ compliant (Diesels from Jan 2001 onwards, Euro III or petrol vans) are as rare as hens teeth. Petrol vans are stupidly expensive to run at 17 - 20 MPG so I figure its worth my time getting this one running.
I may be wrong about that...
S.