My first van!!

[Ant-t]

Looking good

[stevelane]

Whilst I was removing the wheels to paint them I saw a small hole to the rear panel, behind the bumper. Something said to me "Go on, give it a poke" so I did - I poked and poked and poked. Until I was left with:



I know its not a difficult repair but was just a nasty shock when I thought we had really been over this van but there you go, another job to the list.

Anyway, it did prompt me to tackle the body work, probably the most important one on my list but the one task I had dreaded. There was one patch above the jacking point that had looked pretty bad so I decided to start there. As soon as the wire wheel hit it, a hole opened:



It looks like there has been some rust treatment in there before and definitely a fair amount of filler. I don't mind admitting that at this point I was feeling a little bit disheartened as this was what I discovered within the first five minutes of starting but, as the day went on I attacked any rust bubble that I saw and this meant that the van got patchier and patchier, but no other holes!



Now I know its not the best approach but Im inclined to fill this again and just make it look good for this year. Everyone keeps saying to get it welded and I do understand but a) I cant weld myself and b) funds are limited. I know its not a long term solution but it means I will get the use out of it. If it fails the MOT in September then it can come off the road for sometime as I intend to learn to weld next year anyway.

So for now, I sprayed on the primer to avoid the metal being exposed and the paln is to remove it again bit at a time, sand, fill and rub down to get a better finish and respray with cans for the time being.

[stevelane]

Bit of progress but not with pics this time.

The van has been booked in on the 4th May for its seat belts - Was going to do this myself but when it comes to the safety of the kids I would rather not take a chance. However it turns out that the buddy seat (that I drove 500 miles for) is not fit for this purpose so I'm off to pick up anther cab seat that they will fabricate and put a three point belt onto, at least then the family can start to use it.

I am going to attempt fixing the pop top myself as I've got nothing to lose, if it goes wrong it will be replaced anyway, so I've bought some strong vinyl adhesive and a couple of meters of waterproof fabric. It has only come apart at the seams so I am hoping I can make this look pretty neat.

Have also invested in a compressor to start the paintwork - Have never sprayed with anything other than rattle cans but hoping with a bit of practice I can get a decent finish , plus it will work out cheaper in the long run

[ermie571]

Don't know who told you that the buddy seat cannot have a belt - I had the same seat - bolted on a frame to the floow. I then had a three point static (not retractable) bolted to the smae pillar as the passenger bolt - they shared the top pne, the bottom one was in a lower fixing point in the pillar, and the plug shared the seat belt bolt for the passenger seat....passed several MOTs like that, and was never told it was unsafe?

That is one lovely buddy seat xx

[stevelane]

Don't know who told you that the buddy seat cannot have a belt - I had the same seat - bolted on a frame to the floow. I then had a three point static (not retractable) bolted to the smae pillar as the passenger bolt - they shared the top pne, the bottom one was in a lower fixing point in the pillar, and the plug shared the seat belt bolt for the passenger seat....passed several MOTs like that, and was never told it was unsafe?

That is one lovely buddy seat xx

I was told that it was t suitable for a couple of reasons. Firstly the base is wooden so in a collision would be very likely to split and come away from the floor, then go through the front seat. Secondly there would be no head rest, which in itself is not illegal but not ideal, especially with a seat with such a low back. I've got a replacement t seat for a tenner which matches the two can seats and it means we can now have our little ones child seat in it so it's worked out

[stevelane]

Was a beautiful day today and with so many people talking about volksworld it spurred me on to get out and do some more.

But firstly, I got the seat I needed to replace the buddy seat and have belts put in. This was a bit of an epic adventure which lead to me driving over 700 miles in a week buying various seats, its a story for another time lol. But I eventually got one that matched the two that are already in



It was a little tatty but only on the cloth which will go anyway but I really wanted the vinyl backing and the headrest to all match so job done. In the box there is a raised base with locker to go in, handy for keeping a few items stored away. This will be welded in by the same company doing the belts. I cant explain how exited I am to get the belts in. With a three year old and 6 month old twins we have never had the chance to go out as a family and use it for its purpose but once that is done we will, even if its not camping straight away.

With the new seat there I had to move the table that stowed behind the passenger seat and could only really find one spot for it:



Made a few adaptations to the fitting as the screws it came with were never going to hold up so it is now bolted through the other side to stop it moving. However, it will be taken down whenever the van is in motion. This would sit right over the twins heads when they are strapped in and its not worth the risk.

And lastly today I got to work on the front to make it look a bit fresher. The two grills were faded and looking tired but were perfectly intact so didn't want to replace them. So I used satin black paint on top of plastic primer after giving it a clean and rub down.



Really pleased with the outcome, it really stood out. I have ordered bumper kits from vw heritage so when they come I will finish them in the same black and also do wipers and door handles. These little touches are really making the van look different even though its covered in primer. Have ordered new number plates too just to finish it nicely

Have ordered myself a compressor and the paint to use when I have tackled all the rust spots and got it looking smooth. Have only ever painted with rattle cans so will be interesting to see how it works out.

[stevelane]

Bit of progress and the van is looking better - After the grills went back on it really highlighted how bad the bumpers looked and as they were on the list anyway they got replaced.



The pop top, albeit coming apart at the seams, is much better than I first thought so I have bought some waterproof fabric to repair with. I really don't want patches looking like a shoddy repair so the sister in law is going to help me sow the seams back up and then we will run a strip of waterproof fabric down each side to keep it tidy and waterproof. I spent most of my day off cutting up little tabs to re-secure the bellows support guides back in place and already it is looking tidier and you get a better feel of space up there.

[Laws1974]

The vans looking good! All the hard work is paying off.


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[stevelane]

The vans looking good! All the hard work is paying off.

Thank you _ I know I'm not doing everything exactly as some people would say it needs doing but just want to get some use out of it for a while.

[stevelane]

So a bit of an update.

Have changed the skylight. Took the old one out to clean it and it pretty much fell apart in my hands.

Bought new curtains. Wash the old ones and they also fell apart in my hands!

Im seeing a pattern here lol

Had to spend a bit of time clearing the garage up so out came the mini and gave it a good clean and tidy. Moved a few bits around so that I can get to them when the van is just outside.



Probably has no relevance to the thread but I just love showing off the garage lol. It used to be a room that was converted back and I love seeing peoples faces when they see that I have wood flooring and coving in there.

But, the biggest progress is that the painting has begun. I have bought a compressor but have decided to go with aerosols just for convenience, its so much easier for me to stop and start and do a bit here and there with aerosols and I rarely get a whole day to work on the van



Passenger door is done apart from flatting back. To be honest I am ok with the finish as it is so the flatting is not urgent, just want to get the rest of the van painted. The samos beige top half will probably be just buffed up but I'll take a view on that. I have bank holiday to myself so I am hoping the weather will be kind, if so I think I can get one side finished this weekend.

I wont put any niceties like the curtains in until we are ready to use them but I have found material that I want to recover the seats etc. so hopefully they wont be much longer

[sirgordonzola]

Steve, This is amazing this story, im so jealous, ive just bought my first van today and although it runs well, the interior is terrible. Its not so much the soft cushions and furnishing but the interiors attached to the walls, roof etc (dont know what its called), do you have any idea where i could take it to get it professional reupholstered. reading your story has inspired me

scott

[kevtherev]

Where do you live Scott

[stevelane]

Steve, This is amazing this story, im so jealous, ive just bought my first van today and although it runs well, the interior is terrible. Its not so much the soft cushions and furnishing but the interiors attached to the walls, roof etc (dont know what its called), do you have any idea where i could take it to get it professional reupholstered. reading your story has inspired me

scott

Wow thank you! Nice of you to say.

My interior needs doing too, I think they call in stretch carpet but I haven't looked into that yet. I'm concentrating on making it look better on the outside first of all. Let me know how you get on - Any pics of yours?

[stevelane]

More paint went on this weekend and I'm starting to see how nice this will look. The finish isn't blemish free but is a massive improvement on what was there before. I also think that bit by bit it some parts will come back so I will have more time then to tackle them one by one properly.

Gas struts were delivered as well as the new seal for the top so there is another weekend of work there when I can get someone to give me a hand. I reckon 3/4 solid days on the body and I will be finished with paint, or at least less embarrassed so be able to use her.

[sirgordonzola]

Where do you live Scott

In Glossop, between sheffield and Manchester, do you know of anyone Kevin
thanks