Duetto Troubles

 I knew my trusty old Transit was potentially going to have some rust issues when I bought it but wasn't prepared for the latest shock. I had a chipped windscreen that developed into a crack that got to the stage of a new screen. I don't think it was my day because the not so nice screen fitter said he wouldn't touch it due to the age of the van (1996). The surround will be too rotten to fit the new screen. He showed me the nearside A post,   there was a  raged hole about 2ft long inside the A post. I don't suppose many of us pull the seal off the widscreen before we buy a van. To add insult to the matter he said it would be better to scrap the van !!!! I thought I could just leave it until I had got a bit more use from the van but as it is a bonded screen it will fail its next MOT.
I was going to have the side repaired under the heater next year so I took the plunge and went to speak a motorhome repairers as suggested by a fellow forum user. Yes they can sort the body work out to in effect give the van a second life.
It will be very exspensive but to replace the van with some thing that we want that is Ford based. And with beds long enough for me to sleep in it will be cheaper to take the plunge and get things sorted.
Management was talking about new curtains at the end of this season so I suppose that will almost be a full refurbish by the time next season gets here. 

  The first quote I got from a local body shop was £10,000. I asked him if that was a price to get rid of me because he didn't want the job. He got all flustered so I left him to think about that.
I don't want to think about what he would have done if I had said yes. 

I would like to know how bad things are when the screen is out so I will ask the repairers if they could E-Mail me a progress report including photos. When we bought this van we were told it had been stored in a barn on the Isle of White. We can prove this to be  true from  receipts for work done and storage in that time of its life. During my time in the motor trade I always vowed to ovoid buying any vehicle with rust issues, so far that has failed three times having bought two Landrovers and a Transit. Not a problem when you have the workshops to keep things running but retired with no garage can be a challenge. We are not giving in yet, I still cant find anything to better what we have without spending a lot more money.

  Well my van has been away for a week now, sad as it may seem I miss the old girl. The repairers have just contacted me with an update of the rust situation. They have taken the scuttle cover off and it will need a new scuttle and the nearside outer skin on the "A" pillar. I forgot to ask for photos and from what they have told me it may be a good idea I don't see the mess.
Last week we had a few days away, Ingleton and Blackpool. Lovely weather for the walks we managed but it would have been nice to have the van as a base. Some were to get changed and brew up after the walks. Also a basic function of finding toilets and having to pay a minimum of 20p if you can find change became a right pain in the Blackpool area.
Never mind the old girl is being pampered back to health, as management said it is being tucked up in a nice warm workshop at night and it is feeling a bit better already.   .

I have just been contacted by the repairers that are sorting my van out. They wanted to know what windscreen I wanted fitting. Clear as  original /Green Tint/ Top Tint. I thought it would look daft with a tinted screen and clear side windows so we have gone for clear as original. Top tint was **** exspensive The front end must have been bad to have taken this long to sort out. I hope the side and back doors are a bit easier because we are getting a bit twitchy about the cost so far. I miss the old girl. My sons battered old Fiesta has taken her place on the drive, that is an embarrassment that realy wants parking away from the house .

Stage one in the revamp saga with my van is complete. The screen surround is sorted, including a new scuttle and a new screen fitted. it is sprayed and and they are now starting on the side panel under the heater. So far the bill has come to just over £2000 After talking to domestic management all is well and we still think it is worth going ahead with the repairs. Hopefully photos should be with the paper work so I sort out down loading to the forum.

 As soon as the van comes back it will be re-waxoiled including taking the scuttle trim off and brushing some on the underside of the scuttle cover. As the door pillar had gone from the inside I think I will remove the inner trim and pump some waxoil into the pillars at the top, a small hole wont show behind the trim. I have the use of a proper gun nozles and probes.
I have had to buy new ramps, they were in the trailer on the drive last time I looked.     Strange the scrap man came round a couple of weeks ago.

I think the ramps went because they were on top of the rubbish including a full set of very rusty old Landrover wheels and the chuck out stuff from the re-build of the workshop. We would empty the trailer but we don't have a tow bar on any cars now.

Just to keep up the updates regarding the repairs to my van. The side panel is repaired and rear doors are being sorted. Both a bit frilly at the bottom and need painting. Most of the yuk was hidden by the stripe across the door bottom, perhaps we will leave them off this time. The next move will be tidying up the minor rust in the seams along the bottom edge of the van on the nearside.
Our van has a trim strip along the side below the water filler. Be aware that overflow from the filler will trap behind this strip and could cause rust to start out of site. As this is fitted over a joint in the panels this is bad news. 
Hopefully the van should be back at the end of the month. MOT booked for the 5th of November. I am getting lack of van symptoms now, I keep looking at the gear stacked up in our dinning room and want a van to put it in.

At last I think we have a finish date for the repairs to our van, 3rd of November. Its been a long while coming but I have seen the way it has been repaired and feel confident we will get a few years out of the van. The repairs to the doors and the surrounding panels have been done with doors off the vehicle and the doors fitted to a stand to spray them, very professional. The only slight issue is the cost, it is getting near to £5000 . It is more than the original estimate but it was in a worse state than we thought. MOT booked for 5th of November then we can get our kit back in.
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