Campervan-ia Rust-oration (78 Camper - Danbury?)

So, here starts the journey that restores our late bay camper of unknown origins to a gleaming example of the breed (here’s hoping :). So without further ado lets introduce you to Rusty….



Sorry about the not very original name but when the family asked what I had bought I could only really describe it as a “bucket of rust” so the name Rusty kinda stuck!

Rusty started life in March ’79 with a model type of “delivery van” although the V5 has the body type listed as a Motor Caravan.
The original colour was listed as white, although the plate on the passenger bulkhead shows blue.



The interior was certainly this colour originally, parts of the exterior have been (very badly) painted with white over jaffa but I am not sure yet what the original exterior colour would be?
Van has been around Kent for a while and had the same owner since 2005 until the summer when it was bought with a view to restoring. The guy who purchased it decided after a few months it was too far gone to save so in I stepped in :
Here are some pics taken back in the summer when it was first sold



To date I haven’t been able to figure out if this was a conversion by one of the regular companies or a later home brew – hopefully some of the pictures of the interior will help someone to give me some clues?



Engine is a 1600 which actually runs and sounds quite sweet although it will be coming out for a complete strip and rebuild (one of the things I enjoy – here is a pic of the one I have just finished for my T25 )



Did I mention I am renovating a T25 as well? Been around classics for years, mainly focussing on engines and mechanical stuff but last few years have had a thing for german machinery, running a line of Audi’s and currently an E38 Beemer. At the turn of the year with the kids growing up we decided we wanted to do a “camper” thing having spent all our life in tents, so the Dub’s were the logical place to go.

Couldn’t afford a decent ‘Bay so went for a T25 that needed some love (and a new engine!) Then Rusty came up for very little money and we ended up with 2 Dub’s instead of one!

Anyway, enough for an intro, next post will show something of what it is like stripped out ???

Cheers,

MM

 

Looks like a good project. I really enjoy following these type of Restos

 

Got the VIN etc on the plate on the back of the drivers seat, is this the m plate or is that somewhere else?

Cheers,

MM

 

your m-plate looks like this, behind the seat or on a heater channel behind the dash

 

OK, i'm intrigued now.....

Donning S'wester, hat, googles, life jacket and venturing outside with weights attached to legs (it's ben a bit windy fown here today......

If i haven't posted back in 30 mins call the rescue services C

MM

 

in the famous words of Oates...i'm just going outside and may be some time......

 

OK, stand down the search party, we made it ;D

And now are the proud owner of a ...............


:- haven't got a clue! how do you decode this




Cheers,

MM

 

ok, ok, just passed the first initiative test, followed the link in Rickyroo's signature strip :

So, originally Neptune Blue with brown leatherette interior delivery van.
Also had a CJ (2.0l) engine, so at some point is has become white and a 1600 on the V5!

Do I recall somewhere that you can get a list of V5 changes/history from DVLA?

MM

 

Cool, cheers.

So now need to see if anyone recognises the interior. I know with the T25's the conversion companies took panel vans and converted them, it was only Westy's that didn't show as a panel van so i am guessing it is the same with 'Bays?

MM

 

westys were converted from microbusses i belive? panelvans can usually be identified by the window rubbers not being recessed, you can see this on yours, i'm not an expert at identifying conversion types but your roof looks devonish to me? they did panel van conversions i belive? anyway someone will know a load more than me but enjoy the van anyway mate.

 

The roof looks like a Danbury and the inside look home built or something from a splitscreen to me

 

interior looks danbury to me, fairly certain of that, its a converted panel van. and you have a couple of little ghosts in the back you know

 

So next job was to get it home and into the workshop. No real drama’s……. well apart from trying to manoeuvre onto the flatbed on a hill with no brakes, the retaining strap on the pop top coming adrift so it was “sailing” on the back of the flatbed – oh and the steering lock getting stuck on, so we couldn’t get it off the flatbed :

Once it was in the workshop we could get a bit better idea of what we were looking at:



Front clip doesn’t look too bad


Back end looks like it met a shark in the ‘bay and came of worse



Now at this point, before showing pics of the work to be done I think I ought to reiterate that I bought this knowing it was a shed! I know there is always a debate as to whether something is worth restoring or not, and I could have got a cleaner van by importing a dry state lefty etc.

Thing is, for my first ‘Bay I wanted a UK RHD - nothing against leftys’, I’ve ran a few in my time including a ’66 Mustang for many years. Having looked at a few UK vans though, I reckoned even with a fair idea of what you are buying you could spend over £4k on a solid looking van and still need to do a load of work to make it great.

On this basis I would rather spend hardly any money on a shed and do a full bare metal resto so I know every bit of tin and lead on it is sorted before paint goes on. Loads more work but if it happens (this side of the next millennium) then it will put another 10-15 years life into this puppy :.

So, stripped out what interior wasn’t already removed, took out dash, lights etc and then started marking up the obvious problem areas………

Now by my reckoning (and having read Zed’s thread, this interior isn’t toooo bad, but then this is my first ‘Bay so what do I know Not sure if it shows on photos but real problem areas are marked in black pen…



Seat backs are shot as is the floor in the usual places….



The offside middle window looks like it had been leaking for ages, lower lip all needs patching up and this has caused the floor corrosion as well. Other windows aren’t so bad (honest)



Some repairs around the rear wheel arch’s needed as well



I’m afraid the outside has faired a bit worse and been the victim of some shocking attempts at letting in new panels which have then been left to rust

ght=600 src="http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k599/mm289/Bay%20Watch/P1010684.jpg" />

This, combined with the “original” rust leaves Rusty living up to his name!



Up front the repairs aren’t much better. Both wheel arches are shot and an attempt has been made to fit a replacement on the n/s



Inside the cab doesn’t look so bad, seats are solid (from the top at least) and apart from one area on the o/s the floor looks decent



On the upside the front clip is pretty solid, bit of rust on the bumper mounting/rail but apart from that not bad. Even the windscreen surround is in fair condition



Importantly, the roof and a/b/c pillars all look good with just the odd scab here and there on the drip rails.

So, what about underneath I hear you cry?

Sorry, you are going to have to wait for that instalment. Just assembled a rotisserie so we can spin it properly (build thread here http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=6535.0 and get to the underneath. Before I can mount it on the rotisserie though the engine, transmission and beams need to come out so that’s the work for the next week or so…..
Hope you can take the suspense

Cheers,

MM

 

So yesterday’s job was getting the engine and transmission out. Although the engine runs, as I look into the history of Rusty I don’t reckon it has been on the road for quite a few years so everything is a bit “solid” (nuts and bolts that is, the rest is definitely not solid!!!) :



Looks like the last people to camp in rusty were squirrels! ;D


Disconnected the 4 wires to the engine (bit simpler than my FI Wasserboxer!), disconnected fuel lines, throttle cables etc then removed starter motor…….



……. and front tinware


Which doesn’t look in too bad nick. (do you remove any other tinware normally if you were just doing an engine?)

Supported the “front” of the gearbox (nearest the back) whilst I undid the 2 bolts holding it too the frame mount, then jacked the “rear” of the box, popped out the 2 bolts there and then the engine cross member bolts.

Easy really, well it would have been if:
a) The wing nut on the clutch adjuster rod was seized solid so after a load of battered fingers and hands we ended up having to cut the clutch cable
b) 2 off the nuts on the engine cross member were seized solid and had to be split off
c) I forgot to disconnect the ‘box earth strap

I’m not going to say how long it took us to get the unit out ‘cause its embarrassing but we got there in the end. :-[



Now, as a new poster, you’ll have to let me know what you like in these threads, ‘coz I have gone for lots of narrative and pics but aren’t getting many replies so, do you prefer snappy short posts with just a few pics, long rambling tales, lots of pics, I can’t do Star Wars like Diddymen unfortunately but will try and oblige any sensible requests.

Cheers,,
MM