Club 80-90 Forums

Good enough? Not really, so made one the right size.

Pictured below, the original (too long), the breather tank lug, and the new improved version.

Well, first visit to the van today, in a very long time. Still some condensation after that brutal cold spell followed by unseasonably warm weather that we have currently.

Generator started ok, MIG still working and the welding wire doesn’t seem to have rusted.

Put my back out refilling the gen from a 20L jerrycan, but not too badly - I can still walk after a fashion!

Hoping to benefit from the zen activity of restoration again, have to keep busy to distract myself from my newly widowed status. Quite what I’ll do with the van when it’s done I’ve yet to work out. The plan was always for trips with my wife, but the game’s a bogey on that one.

Damn, I’m so sorry to read things have gone as they have.
Good luck with the Zen and whatever you decide to do with the van.
Brian.

Bottom front end of the front wheel arch. Chopped out the filigree, which was all that was left


Made a new bit to go in


Welded in, not very prettily, but effectively...

On to the wheel arch itself, got it fixed in position, and some puddle welds done at the front.



Did some down the rear edge too, but they turned out dreadful. In my defence I could hardly see what I was doing, but they're going to have to be ground down and redone. No photos of that mess!

Few more sessions at the van, finished attaching the wheel arch. Not brilliantly but rust free, for now!


I was careless when doing the first bit, butt welding the front end of the section in the post above, didn’t dolly the welds so it’s pulled in higher up. It was never going to be concours…



Redid the welds on the front edge of the B pillar, using my new welding goggles for ease of access. That and a recent prescription of barbiturates (for a longstanding but worsening tremor) made for a better outcome this time.

Starting to size up the roof. I’ll order three lengths of gutter, and patch any areas they don’t reach. Won’t need to be pretty, there’s a boat to put on top.

Tidied up the wheel arch a bit, and had a poke at the gutters.

Full of sealant


Sealant picked out


Even found a few spot welds, but not many…

Took the ratchet straps off that I’d used to pull the front into shape while I fitted the arch, and the cab door still closes and opens! Woohoo!


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Started assembling the gutter and roof fill pieces





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Front end of gutter. Used a different method of obtaining the curve.






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Installed a VPN, so I can see all my pics, and everyone else's, from the town of Charlotte in the USA, I think that's where I am currently? Shame it doesn't change the weather too!

After a false start caused by having the MIG at too low a setting (gutter just popped off) I cranked it up to 6 out of 7 and merrily zapped away.


Quite an arrangement needed to clamp the gutter down, due to the limited clearance underneath the ledge the gutter welds onto.




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Gutter finished. Moving on to the fridge panel.



Not going to reuse this…



New shiny from Schofields. I’ll aim to fit a fridge with just an exhaust vent for the gas, and use internal vents otherwise.



I’ll take it up to the bottom edge of the window aperture.


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Measuring the window aperture….


…prior to removing



Detail of the waistline internal fillet at the rear, I’ll probably replace this.



Started dismantling the sliding window, only got one screw out so far (from the central spar), and it’s a woodscrew???




Soaking in plus gas




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Wasn’t able to split the frame in half, so the next best thing was to spread it…


Carefully but, to be honest, a bit brutal.

Glass removed, seals cleaned, put back together again and success!




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