My Mk1 Van Restro

[savvi]

I bought my semi customized van local to me a 18 months or so ago.
It was restored by the previous owner some 6 or 7 years ago with new floor pans Mexico front wings and painted it metallic blue, he also ripped out the Blue Denim interior and jacked it back down to a reasonable level.



I have since been sourcing and collecting the parts to change it back to standard ........ish.
The main parts i wanted to change were:
Dash ............... Mk1 Capri dash was fitted with some nice plating around it.
Love hearts side windows to be removed


Tow bar removed number plate relocated

Fiberglass rear door to be replaced with metal standard doors.

New interior to be fitted
Paintwork to be touched up and later on full respray.
The towbar is now gone, i have sourced some rear doors and a full metal 6 dial dash from one the forums currently being fitted and as i had to remove the windscreen the tatty paint work around the rubber will be touched up.
Screen out and paintwork rubbed back.




New dash to be fitted:


Now have most parts to go Zetec, although on hold currently until i finish one of my others.

[123ESCORTS]

think you should keep the side windows!!!!! very passion wagon...

[exboyracer]

Love hearts side windows to be removed

[cossymax]

Nice project, and go on the vans!!! looks like a strong van to start with.
Was this for sale somewhere as im sure i saw it ebay maybe?

[savvi]

I've had it about 2 years ?

I saw it advertised on Old Skool Ford and it was in Reading local to me.

[trig]

Any updates bud forgot you had this one.

It ws on eBay at one point as I was thinking about it but just the hart windows put me right off it.

[savvi]

Not at the moment Trig.

This is where the Zetec should be going, as you know i've been collecting parts for that, also got a set of bilsteins & Wilwood brake set up to go on now.

Once i have all the main parts i'll get it out the corner and start on it properly.

I've been fitting floor pans to the 4 door last week so that should be Mot'd very soon now.








Just got the little bit to fill in, where the floor pans are never quite long enough !!!!

The Plasma cutter certainly cuts these out quick !!!!

[savvi]

The 4 door got finished and sold.


So got the van out, did a fuel tank mod to sit a Saxo in-tank pump, this saves me from fitting a swirl pot and a couple of pumps





Next i've fitted the pinto efi managment, so cut a big hole in the bulkhead to suit a grommet and be able to fit a big ecu plug through it.





I've taped up the loom to suit the posistion of module, coil etc. and finally found a suitable air filterand adaptor to suit the air flow meter, so hopefully all i need to do is make a bracket to mount the flow meter and tidy up the wiring inside the car

[Ratters]

nice one matey

how much else is on the 'todo' list?

[savvi]

Quite a lot



I was going to completly strip it and re spray and fit the Zetec, but i've decided to run the Efi for a while and just tidy up the bodywork then do it as a rolling restro until i get things how i want them.

I have lots of ideas and as some of it is modding and drilling holes etc.i:e fit a Clifford alarm with remote engine start, central locking, electric windows, audio etc. think it best to do that 1st

So to get it on the road i need to fit the metal dash back in, tidy up all the wiring , touch up the paint around the screen and re-fit, paint the new rear doors and fit lowering blocks / springs, billies and wilwoods brakes.

The van is very solid and no welding rust repairs, just putting it back to standard such as removing side panel windows.

Hopefully should be on the road next month ?

[savvi]

Made up the Air filter brackets, a throttle cable & bracket so it should drive again now.


Went to lower the ramp to test it and the ramp won't move !!!!

Cos it's plugged in next door, i have no 3 phase in my unit, he was out, but i think he'd turned it off.................... i hope !!!!

[mk1van]

its come along way since ya bought it so....ave ya still got the heart side windows in it at the mo??? im liking the efi job...whats the fuel economy like with one of those in it???

[savvi]

I've only just fitted the Efi since i took it off the road so don't know how good it's going to be yet.

The windows are currently still fitted but will be coming out at some stage.
Heard some sad news at Fast Ford yesterday, the guy who sold me it had a heart attack and died whilst working on the car he replaced this with.
Although i only met him twice he'd had the van for 8 or more years and did a good job on the restro as it's still solid and i can't fault the work he did.
Hoping to have this back on the road in the next month or so, bought some parts at the weekend that should speed the process up a little.

[savvi]

Dash is in, was easier then i thought.







Masked it up and Zinc primed the welds etc.




Need to sort the wiring loom sorted now as it was cut about to suit the custom dash that i cut out !!!!

[gpcmatric]

Nice van i miss mine

[Graham]

http://uploads.turbosport.co.uk/getr...steve004-1.jpg

i kinda like the heart and one piece rear door, it reminds me of days gone by when such things along with chain link steering wheels and furry interiors were cool

[savvi]

I know what you mean, when i went to buy it the guy said about the windows he was going to remove them before he painted it etc, said when it come to it he realised he's grown fond of them so they stayed !!!

We were looking at them last night and and sort of come to the same conclusion, they seem to make it different and i remember when alot of custom vans had these fitted, they will need to come out when it's resprayed as i want to sign write it for my diagnostic / electrical business, but i'm going to leave them in until then.

The door had to come off, it was not pratical for me to be able to use the rear load space, when you opened it it just dropped cos of no support then was a bugger to get it to close.

[Ratters]

nice one bud

[savvi]

Cheers

Bit more done, painted the scuttle and dash panel, rear doors are part prepped.

[exboyracer]

Nice work there

I love vans I do! Where do you find them all?

[savvi]

I have a web site running about vans & estates, the white nimbus camper in the background i got via my site, this one was advertised on Old Skol Ford but was local to me.

I've tried to fit the screen back in today but the new rubber just wouldn't stay on the glass, so any tips would be nice, i gave up before i smashed it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alladdin]

first time ive seen this thread nice van.

and graham,im a similar age to you and those bits were NEVER cool

[oldskooler]

nice work there, whats the name of your van/estate site?

[savvi]

www.classicvans.co.uk

I've had to change it recently so it's looking bear and i lost the message board that's been running for the last 8 years !!!
I'm looking for a left hand rear door if anyone has one.

Got the windscreen back in today !!!

[savvi]

Little bit more done today, found a dash out and fitted it along with a new steering wheel, and trim, i intend to fit the custom pack wood trim once i've varnished it though.

Wired most of the switches up and gave it a quick wash to take some picks.







I'm now working on the back end doors being prepped for painting.


If that all goes well i can have it on the road soon.

[savvi]

Well someone did some research for me and found a guy who did work on my van some years ago and sent some pics


Are you ready for how it used to look

[boXXer]

lol!!! quality pics

[Ratters]

that's smart

[trig]

Looks like its about time somene did it properly...

[alladdin]

i remember that woolfrace / jacked up look. and the tedybear fur interiors

[bortaf]

haw cool was that ! (old man hat on )

there used to be one similar in N london

[savvi]

From bits i've been told those pics are from around 1977 !!!

A guy who actually helped build it in his younger days, while working for the then current owner, posted those for me and has given quite a bit of detail of how it was done etc.

It's great to have some history and pics of the vehicles you own.

[Ratters]

mine's easy it was owned by two sisters at the same address from new then my stepdad who never had it on the road & then me

edit - & when i got hold of it in 1996 it was completely original except for all the bodywork bodges i'm finding

[mk1van]

are ya keeping those heart windows???? they let the van down as its starting to look well

[savvi]

They will be coming out, but only when i can afford to have it resprayed properly.

[savvi]

Done a little more, went to Bristol to pick up a better rear door off a very nice van owner on here, then prepped and filled a couple of tiny dents and primmed both of them so now ready for a flaten and top coat.

Looking like we should be moving house in about 5 weeks so i'm trying to get this Mot'd and Taxed so i can use it to move a few things !!!





Also sorted out where he'd filled the left hand door hinge holes and got it ready to be painted.

[PERKY]

Cool, love the old pics. Been trying to contact some of the old owners of my car for pics/info, hope i get something similar back
You gonna sell me the van then?

[savvi]

Lots & lots of money MIGHT buy it !!!!

Kids love the camper !!!

[SHIFTYrs2k]

looks great mate!, love a mk1 van!

pmsl @ some of those old pics!, fair play!...wonder how much it was a rockin! haha

[savvi]

Uncovered this again and made a new start.

Side windows are out and new metal waiting to be fitted back.

I also decided to remove the front of the load area to fit some estate rear seats in so the kids can travel in the back

Not everyone will agree but hopefully when they are folded forwarded it look like a van again !!!

Just need to work out how to fit the seat belts.

So some more rubbish pics, i'll get better ones when i take the camera over there !!!