which engine type best to look for?

[Ian Hulley]

I wasnt saying my bus was fast - its just not slow.

Our's will sit at 85ish (following Disco's chipped 2.5 last year) for over an hour or so BUT I was less comfortable doing it than the DJ itself was The Bus is too heavy to be 'fast' or 'agile' and I know for a fact there are fasterer TD's in 25s out there because they are able to be souped up above and beyond 115bhp or whatever a recon 2.1 lpg'd on a carb actually produces.

The point is body comes first, good engine second. Then you can start with personal preference. I would have to say that either TD or lpg is the way to economically live with a T25/T3 over anything like a reasonable mileage.

Ian.

[wigg1]

I agree with ringo I run a 1.9td aaz on a 5 speed box no problem with power or speed and no stink
regards wiggy

[dsa]

HI i recently changed my van going from 1900 petrol to 1.6 td i dont notice much diffrence in power only on very steep hills. The diesel is much cheeper to run and sits at 65-70 on motorway no probs but as most people say go by the condition of the bodywork i did

[purplecrocs]

Ok great, so I should worry about the body condition more and not be to concerned what engine's in it if its in good condition... though what is good condition, I've read the seams are weak points so should I expect rust there, are we talking more about the condition of the chassis underneath?

Ghost - we're down in Brighton

[kevtherev]

Rust mate .... wherever it is.... is bad

to much of it and your driving a terminal bus

[ghost123uk]

Ok great, so I should worry about the body condition more and not be to concerned what engine's in it if its in good condition... though what is good condition, I've read the seams are weak points so should I expect rust there, are we talking more about the condition of the chassis underneath?

Ghost - we're down in Brighton

See my post on your thread here, 4th one from the beginning

.

[purplecrocs]

Thanks Ghost, forgot you'd written that in all this petrol/diesel debate. So why is rust in the seams so bad - why is it more expensive to remedy? And should I expect to be able to find a van without any rust in that area then?

[kevtherev]

And should I expect to be able to find a van without any rust in that area then?

yes ... at a price and usually from a hotter climate or a late caravelle/westfalia/waxoiled UK conversion.

I wish you luck in your search

[ghost123uk]

Mind you, it all depends on disposable income

When I bought ours (5 Years ago) it had some signs of rusty seams. (I could not afford a perfect one!)
I did some remedial work (there is info on here about de-rusting seams) and so far, whilst not perfect, it has not become a big problem or worry ( yet )

Same with some rust around the o/s side window, though that is next on the list for further attn as it is coming back !

It's all down to how much you can afford.

At this point it occurs to me that a pro body restore would cost around £1000 and a good recon engine would also cost around £1000 = Swings and Roundabouts ?

[eatcustard]

At this point it occurs to me that a pro body restore would cost around £1000

and the other £2000 for the paint job

[binka]

and the other £2000 for the paint job

Paint it yourself with a roller.

[toomanytoys]

I suppose what we should ask is how much are you prepared to spend???
If you think you should get a mint rust free van for £1500 then it aint gonna happen......

(correct me if I am wrong guys as I dont have a camper and dont follow the camper pricing much)

3500-5k ought to get you a nice minimal problem van though thats had some money spent in recent times...
upwards of 5k should mean a real nice van thats had plenty of money spent...
I would say anything over 7k needs to be a little bit special... or am I out by a bit???

[eatcustard]

I paid £1000 for my van with very little seam rust.
Its just needed a new engine a decent respray and a new interior from a weekend van to a full camper.

Its just to hard to put a price on a camper as everyone values them differently.

I have seen van up at £5000 and to be honest would not pay over £3000 for it.

[toomanytoys]

I paid £1000 for my van with very little seam rust.
Its just needed a new engine a decent respray and a new interior from a weekend van to a full camper.

Its just to hard to put a price on a camper as everyone values them differently.

I have seen van up at £5000 and to be honest would not pay over £3000 for it.

So you were lucky, but factor in new engine, respray and interior and its fast aproaching 4-5k.. (yes I know you can do it cheaper if you use second hand, do it your self, cheapo respray etc etc etc but thats not whats been asked)

I agree... people will always chance there arm as when selling you want as much as poss... when buying you want to spend as little as poss.. bu there are a lot of people that dont do the research and just buy something....

[eatcustard]

At the end of the day

Its always best to go to shows, meet people, look at vans and then make a choice.