Nearly New Member!

Hi all,

I thought I'd posted a 'hello' when I joined the forum last year but it seems I didn't!

I own a 1989 AS Legend GL on Ford Transit Mk3, which has been in the family since 1992. (I bought it in conjunction with my parents, who were the main users until their deaths a number of years ago.  It now spends most of its time sitting waiting for the odd outing with me.)

It doesn't do much mileage these days as I don't have the time to get away, though thoughts of retirement are becoming increasingly prevalent, which might enable a bit more use.  (Not feasible yet - a few years to go .... but I'm still thinking about it!  LoL!)

Given the age of the van, the ability to find parts is becoming troublesome so it seems to me that grouping together with others having similar vehicles is a good idea.  The AS back half is generally ok but it's the Ford bits that are now tricky, which is a little surprising considering that, a few years ago, this model was the most popular van on the road (though as 99% of them were flogged workhorses, perhaps not as surprising as I'd like it to be)!  The bodywork is the worst, with doors completely unavailable, even from pattern part suppliers.  (I finally managed to track down a (relatively) rust-free pair.)  I'm hoping to get the front end rebuilt using replacement panels within the year.  We'll see!

Regards,
David.

Hi Hallo  

Thats a surprise that Ford parts are not available.That was always considered a plus when buying an old van.Get a Ford they say.

regards

Mike

Hi David and welcome to the forum. I can see where you are coming from with the difficulty of parts even for what 'was' such a popular motor. Not one enthusiasts locked on to I suppose.

Welcome from N.E Wales

Hi there,

Welcome from Skegness which is enjoying a beautiful day of sunshine!      

Best regards,
 

Hello and   from a sunny Leicestershire, such a shame about your van, hope you can get it sorted.

Welcome to the forum from a (year 2000) Legend owner.  Just a small warning:  Don't put off the trips you want to enjoy, until you retire... Sadly, most of us 'Oldies' find that there is then even less spare time after retirement...doctors, dentists, opticians, hearing clinics, etc etc  all seem to queue up for our attention, making "getting away" even more difficult!  Happy camping!

 Like the others I am surprised you are having problem with spares where in 
Merseyside are you

Hello and welcome enjoy the forum.

Hi all and thanks.

The spares issue is for the less-used bits that are peculiar to the Mark 3 (which ran from about 86 to 91). The Mark 4 (91-95) and Mark 5 (96-2000, 'Smiley' front) look similar and many parts are common but there are quite a lot that, although similar in appearance, are slightly different in fit (which is frustrating - I'm sure manufacturers do it deliberately!) and there are increasing gaps in the supply of little-used bits.  (Common service parts are still fine.)  It's really noticeable with things like the body panels where several items are no longer available (e.g. doors, etc) and heater hoses, which vary considerably between models but are rarely needed.

Even a number of years ago, I had to get a dealer to ring round to trace old stock for a windscreen wiper pillar that had seized. (Again - it's the usual problem of a van that spends much of its time standing idle so things that would normally be getting plenty of use and stay free get seized up.) Items that are sometimes available from Ford are often now a ludicrous price.  (They wanted £145+vat for one half of the front crossmember, when a pattern part is available (when you can find it) for about £35. The Ford dealer told me that, even when they were available, the bare front doors were over £600+vat each!! Again - it's the usual thing that manufacturers do - "let's make it so expensive that people will scrap their old vehicles when they're still otherwise repairable, so that they'll buy new ones" etc. They all rust in the same place so it's taken me years to find half-decent second-hand doors but they'll still need quite a bit of work before they can be re-sprayed. Built-in obsolence and all that jazz.)

I'm going to have to get the front end rebuilt again. I had to have a new under-screen scuttle and a spring hanger about 10 years ago as rain had got in under the bottom edge of the screen (possibly as a result of a new screen having been incorrectly fitted when under the original owner) and this had washed into the battery, causing acid to cascade down.  By the time I had spotted it, the corrosion was rampant!

Sadly, it now transpires that the new scuttle didn't stop the water getting in (though I had immediately taken the precaution of covering the batts with plastic 'just in case' - good job I did!) and there is much corrosion around the front panels again.

After a careful examination recently, I can now see that it's poor design. The plastic cover over the scuttle drops water on to the bonnet top rubber seal but it has nowhere to go and must 'flow uphill' to get out on to the drain channel of the scuttle behind it (which is really stupid!). However, the seal is not quite able to curve around the heater air intake grilles and bonnet hinges so leaves little gaps ... which is where the water drops on top of the engine, rusting all the injectors and on to the inner wings which runs out all over the place. I've just got some compressible foam rubber sealing strip from Edgware Motor Rubber Trim and will try that on top of the existing rubber lip to seal it up. I'm still trying to track down a replacement bonnet, as the original has rusted all along the front edge (though I think I've finally found one from a Scandinavian manufacturer).  Some other bits are available from Polish sources.

Swnasea Jac - Very good advice about getting away now rather than during retirement.  I just wish I could manufacture some more hours in the day as I don't seem to have enough to get through what I *have* to do, let alone what I'd *like* to be doing!  I've always been a very busy person but it just seems to be getting increasingly mad out there!

Roger - I'm in Crosby.  Not too far from the Gormley Iron Men on the beach but far enough away not to suffer too badly from the salty sea air causing even more rust!


D.
PS:  If anyone has any thoughts regarding the jammed Omnistor awning (see accompanying post in the technical chat forum) then I'd welcome suggestions.  Ta.

My only comment on the awning is to be glad it is stuck in, not out, as happenned to us in Spain in our first van (not an A/S van, but an Omnistor awning)
I presume you have tried my cure-all, WD40 ?

Yes indeed!  I had much the same thought - better this way round than the other.

I just love eeedelli's description of the leaks from the poor scuttle layout/windscreen seal  - and then attributing it to pre-1990's design ideas.

Of course, with lessons learned from that era, manufacturers don't make those sort of elementary mistakes any more.

DO THEY............................................?????????????????      


Derek

Oh I'm sure they do! I wasn't trying to imply that it was only because it's pre-1990 era.

Built-in failure is a feature of all consumption-based economies where manufacturing takes place.  Otherwise we'd be in 'Man in the White Suit' territory, with everlasting products - great for consumers but 'bad for business'!

 

Hi and welcome to the forum
Boaby