Hi (Rough costs for first purchase)

Not quite sure what you are looking for here.

I think prev posters have covered high-level figures for most things and given a plethora of options. But this isnt a quantity surveying gig, its a bay. Once you start uncovering metal all sorts of nasties can be found...and there is LOTS of metal(rust) on these.

Get the wrong one and total money pit. Get the wrong one and you will be busy......

If you want to do restore get a manual that explains how it is done, then you will understand the complexity of some of the welding and all of the panels that may be required when replacing the bottom 6 inches.

 

And I do understand that. I think I was just hoping that more people had maybe had the work done at garages and they would come along and say "wheel-arch cut out and replaced cost me £x amount all in" or "chassis rails re welded £x amount". I think as mentioned most people on here just do it themselves so it's more likely my question is out of place. That kind of info is definitive and would hopefully just give me an idea.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys and once again I apologise for my rant.

 

Plenty of people, myself included, have put numbers on the page, but in the end, one restoration is never the same as another. If you want a 'safe' figure for someone to do everything - welding, painting, mechanicals, nice interior, nice engine, sounds, Propex, fridge etc. you could easily spend £30k, but it doesn't mean that you have to. We don't know what you are planning on buying, we don't know what your expectations are of the finished article and we don't know how much you are capable of / prepared to do yourself so I'll come in at £5k to £30k.

 

True. But they would be representative.

Same as if I said my bungalow roof to re-roof was £6,000 and covers 100 square meters. Now yours may be completely different and need more or less work but if enough people give quotes you can draw comparison and work out rough ideas........

 

Jools, I feel you have been given more than enough alternatives from the folks on here to help you make up your mind what you want. This is a very helpful forum, but we are only here to help and advise. Nobody can give you an exact figure for van restoration.

At this point in time you dont know what you want because unlike us you dont have any experience of these vans. We cant decide for you.

Did you look at that thread I mentioned? That green van which someone was thinking of buying. The potential buyer asked us for help and our opinions and we gave them. We gave opinions from all angles which helped him to make up his own mind to buy or not to buy.

You have asked for a rough estimate of welding costs. That green van is typical and we cant say exactly how rot it is or how much it would cost to repair. Surely you understand that?

 

Rough idea ??
Bottom 6 inches on a mates van need will doing in a year or two, including a new floor . He`s had a ballpark figure of 5 - 6 grand + parts .

 

As said above, I give up.

 

I took mine to a garage ,it costs 250 per arch ,complete sills one side 250 ,jacking points replaced (one side) 250 ...

it also needed a new floor 600 and new front 450....

hope this helps..

 

Altogether now " it's only 4 bolts" or 3 in my case too lazy to put the last one in

 

There was no link on it that I could see / follow...

 

I don't want a cost for a complete restoration, I just want some people like lost on france to give me costs they've paid. That's the info I'm looking for and I don't know why people are trying to quote me for a full restoration as I've never asked for that.

 

I paid £5800 for my 76 tin top four years ago and immediately shelled out £2k for essential repairs and another £1k to refit the interior. The body work wasnt pristine but I was able to camp over that summer. Since them I'm averaging £1k in running repairs, welding, MOT fails etc. Have probably spent in total about £13k in purchase and upkeep in four years. However this spent on someone else doing the work (VWDown Under) so this would be the higher end versus doing it yourself.

 

^^^ see jools liked my reply^^^...




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even though I did make it up...

 

Good plan.

 

Mine ended up costing 5 times the original guesstimate once it was sandblasted underneath....
I then decided to get the best quality parts I could which added even more to the bill
If you want to be reasonably certain of the cost don't buy a bay unless you can see a photographic record of its recent restoration

 

Brilliant!