That’s in a bad state I’d echo other peoples comments about selling that one and looking for a better base to start from. Your pics have been a help to me though They have confirmed that the engine bay sound proofing retaining panels are different for a bus without a spare wheel well. Good luck with whatever way you decide to move forwards and If you ever decide to sell those engine bay roof panels give me a shout please.
Please let me explain everything. Last night I spent a long time trying to upload to photobucket, then Flickr and still couldn’t get them them on here. I was going to try again today but it seems you guys beat me to it. I believe a previous owner had a roof rack bolted on the roof at the middle and back which I think is why four main areas of the gutter are bad. The worst being above the sliding door. I also took photos of the good. I actually started to feel a bit positive as I climbed underneath as you can see lots of original paint and the main chassis is good, a lot new on the O/S and a lot of rot cut away on the N/S, and running gear is very solid and clean. Engine and box etc running. New donor wiring loom throughout, new discs, new callipers, etc. There is no getting away from the gutters but I have in the past seen bay roof cuts for sale that go 3 inches up the roof down to the start of the window and from the start of the sliding door back to just before the rear gutter corner. So about 3 foot by 6 inches wide each side. I think that the rest is solid enough. I used huge amounts of POR15 when working between panels and to finish etc. I sand blasted the areas ready to weld and they remained shiny and dry for years until a few months ago. In order to get the van better in the garage I had to renovate and remove a 13 foot RSJ. The van had to be outside with high quality PROTEC cover but the damp and rain still got in and flash rust my prepped areas . I was going to start a new thread with all the pictures, good and bad to ask what the value is.
I was in a similar situation to you mate and bought a rustless rolling shell to flip all my mechanical bits over onto. As a non-welder doing it myself wasn’t an option and for the equivalent commercial welding costs, I could have bought three or four shells and the result never be as good. I’ve learned loads and have no regrets.
Thanks for the replies and opinions. I know the roof is bad but I thought the rest of the chassis etc would still give it some decent value and redemption. I also remember seeing worse roofs and gutters over the years so thought I might get a little more positive reactions. Given that the suggested value is £2k, I am going to have to carry on with the chassis and other welding and then maybe see it’s value, but not do the roof. I have the panels so I might as well carry on. I really want an prototype bay though so probably not much point finding another shell (as quite a bit is incompatible?). Thanks for the opinions on it.
You could always put it on eBay with a reserve closer to what you would take for it, and see how high the bidding goes? You might get lucky.
Pity you didnt just spray some primer type paint on there immediately after welding. POR 15 , Raptor and other thick plastic coatings are great for protecting perfect metal, but they are the devils invention, neatly wrapping up wet rust in a flaking plastic bag if the surface is not perfect or there are holes from behind.
Its all about the money. Clearly the van has been sat neglected for some time and no fun gained from it. As has been said, to restore the van to a good useable condition would cost thousands and take a while to do and give plenty of pain. At this point in time, Bay vans are fetching high prices and cheap restoration projects are few and far between so a good time to sell it on. You may be lucky and get 1k for it which is better than spending loads of time and money patching up the worst bits, giving up and then selling it for 2k as an unfinished project. I've seen those for sale on ebay all too often. The van is a tintop and wouldn't appeal to everyone as pop tops are more in demand. So I would sell your project and go looking for a decent pop top which you can enjoy straightaway and spend the time maintaining it and getting double the enjoyment.
I’ve got some mint ones you can have mate. I had them off @paneuropaul for a tenner and then realised they must be from a pickup without the spare wheel well so don’t fit my van. All yours for a tenner.
I will probably try and get some metal ones down the line yeah. I still have the flimsy fibre board ones to go back in if not.
