There are a few different conversions out there....take the scooby route and (a fair few) people wouldnt turn their noses up at it.....but they would a V8?? ....its personal preferance really....I wouldnt worry about purists....if you like - go for it I'm not adverse to modified vehicles - obviously there are always some models that should remain stock, but I do admire the effort and engineering skills if something like that is done well. There was a good article in this months camper and bus (shock...a good article ) some guy had mounted an engine under the floor behind the front seats. Not to every ones taste but it suited him and its probbably a lot more reliable....and quicker than a standard 1600 air cooled as said above, if it doesnt work out you could convert back to stock, sell the V8 and still be quids in if the body work is really good, as is everything else, and not much to get it on the road......for £3-£4K I'd be tempted
no need for an apology, get stuck in with your argument for and against.. well have a ruck then agree to disagree... thats what its all about ... no use if were all in mutal backslappin mode...
the benefit of this one IS that its a V8 hung on the transaxle in the usual configaration so there isnt a lot of chopping and changing of the vans structure .. it would be a relatively easy swap back.. the big bonus is that the welding etc had been done, the conversion was the bonus/ stumbler/ issue/ advantage .. ???
If it were me I wouldn't be too worried about the engine conversion. I'm not sure you'd be getting better MPG out of an old rover V8 over an aircooled though? I'd be more concerned about it being in red oxide primer. It hides a multitude of sins. The chassis mods will determine its value. If it looks smart and sympathetic it shouldn't be too much of an issue but it sounds nasty by I our description! I can't find the logic in an unfinished welded red oxide van being worth £6k to £8k too? And it would want to be mint in future to be up there with a £12k to £14k, shiny paint or not.
I am stock, stock, stock with og conversions, always have been always will be. That said I absolutely love what other people do to their vans. the diversity is endless and wonderful on here, But I like my vans stock. I make no apology for stating the obvious in my first post but would ask you to distinguish between stating the obvious and making a critical remark. which I did apologise for. Stock will be more valuable in the end anything other than a stock or standard engine always smacks of fettling, rightly or wrongly it does. That said the van you are on about sounds as if it is priced with this in mind and as you say it is welded up nicely then grab it, It is a bargain even with non og lump . Love to see some pics
Poptop2 , No worries,,, im not to good at abriviations and texty speek ( i dont have a mobile phone and dont text ) is SOZ an appologetic phrase ... I think I just worked it out if it is ... sorry, it takes a while for the penny to drop... Ive always been a modifier, hence the hot rod past life... just cant shake it off... although I do look at a lot of that old 30s 40s stuff now and wonder why I bothered... Seems I just cant help myself, I even rebuilt my new mountain bike, swapping the ratios, forks, tyres etc .. even in the bike world there are different schools of thought ... dont even go near the 26er v 29er argument... obviously im a 29er ... to hang with tradition..
No, he was sticking his middle finger up at you and saying Sod Off Zealot!! Fight fight fight... Watch him mind, he's a truck driver. He'll have you in a shallow grave before you can blink
My Old Man was a truck driver, mind you he drove proper lorries with manual spitters and no power steering... drum brakes ... not those comfy sprung seated limos they cruise in these days .... when it broke down he used to pull it home over shap with his shoelaces ...
Me too back in the day - 32 years man and boy, don't miss em -but don't like this modern stuff much either! Who did your dad drive for?
Sounds like you are talking yourself into it. Main thing is get it on the road and enjoy. the rest is fluff.
He worked for DC Thomson basically shunting reels of paper back and forth but before that he was a coal man and drove an old Albion... that was back in the early 60s though... now hes well and truly retired and looking forward the taking the camper for a spin...... just got to finish it first...
should realy get the camper Im restoring done first but sometimes stuff turns up... there not so easy to find on your doorstep..up here. I keep churning it around, cant really see many negatives... Im doing some resto work on a vintage Fraser Nash for a fella, the bill for that would easy buy the van.. you get zip for your cash in the bank... Mypersonal resto is a van conversion, perhaps I could buy the other bus, swap the V8 conversion into the "van conversion" and toss the vans engine into the bus and salvage something from both.. ? see lifes never easy there are always loads of options...
I did Scotland all week back in the 80s ran out of Ravenscraig steel works home on the Friday. Knew a lot of Scots drivers we helped each other back then, Still get up there every 8 weeks but its much easier these days.
For me there are so many buses out there full of bad repairs, overlapped panels , filler etc. I would be happy to pay 4K for any bus that has a really good shell.
Whats the name of the Frazer Nash. Does it have a Shellsey hill climb badge on the front? They usually have names like "Terror" or similar sounding names.
For 4k and if it's solid with a V8 engine I bet it's pure fun. Go for it. Just think ff the fun you could have and tyre smoke left behind. I got a mate who runs a garage and for years he was building a fiat x19 with a rover v8 in the front, jag rear axle and lots off other quick bits, just as he got it finished and going his garage was set alight and he lst the lot.
This old gal was a barn find 33 sedan pretty rare and pretty rusty.. Its never been hill climbed but does look like it was driven up a hill before being pushed off the edge into a lake !!!!
That's a bmw imported by frazer Nash and sold from Isleworth Middlesex, It's not a Frazer Nash But a very nice early bmw - 1930- 40? This is a Frazer Nash - "Terror" driven by Mark Joseland ( rip )I think. Both very nice. You have your work cut out with the bm Are you doing the rolling and beating of the panels yourself?they look very impressive!
