1999 Ford Duetto

Hi All - I'm looking to buy a very nice 1999 Ford Duetto 2.5L but have noticed some rust "bubbling up" at the bottom of the front wings and along the side sills. Not having owned a Ford before can any owners advise me if this is a significant problem - the rest of the bodywork i.e. panels, bonnet & doors arppear to be fine.
Many thanks in advance.
Jock

Hello Jockinafrock

We have a number of Duetto owners on the forum who can no doubt advise you better than I can, as this seems to be a very popular conversion. I've seen many Duetto's on my travels and am usually very surprised at how well kept they are by their owners who obviously look after them well. However, it is well regarded that the Transits do rust in certain areas with age, If the rust is just surface it could be treated and the area repainted but the rust will reappear at some stage, (possibly sooner than you would hope) so it's best in the situation of the vehicle you are talking about to replace the areas completely ie replace sills & wings, this in itself however brings other problems like matching the paint and replacing the center body stripes which are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, if you do decide to buy the vehicle it's best to consult a few body shops for their advice and opinions

Some of these Transits are now showing their age, fortunate they have been a best seller as this means you can get new panels/wings easily. Rather than mess around on repairs look at the new wing option dont think they are that expensive as they are quite small really

Thanks for the advice - it gives me confidence that should I need to change the wings/sills it won't cost me both arms & legs!
Regards
Jock

Hi there,

Ford Transits are "famous" ("infamous?") for rusting wheel arches.

One "option" that was available when the vehicle was new is "waxing". It was a system of under-sealing that seems to have worked very well everywhere, including the wheel arches.

The most common place to see the wax is on the drains under the sliding door. If something that looks like varnish is seen around the drain holes then the chassis was almost certainly "waxed" when new. If nothing else, this means that the rusting wheel arches are probably an isolated problem and it will be well worth renewing them when needed.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Dutto

Hi, I would say "go for it". I have a 1996 model, and just a few months ago had the front arches replaced. The body shop I used were excellent. They obtained the new panels and cut them to suit. This meant cutting just below where the coach lines are, so there wasnt any problem with those. Any good bodyshop should be able to match the paint. Have just looked at the invoice, and the new panels were just over £93 each. Hope that is of help.

Jockinafrock wrote:Hi All - I'm looking to buy a very nice 1999 Ford Duetto 2.5L but have noticed some rust "bubbling up" at the bottom of the front wings and along the side sills. Not having owned a Ford before can any owners advise me if this is a significant problem - the rest of the bodywork i.e. panels, bonnet & doors arppear to be fine.
Many thanks in advance.
Jock

Not a significant problem.....but rust is common to Transits particularly in certain areas. Apart from the wheel arches look carefully at the bottom edge of both rear doors, also another favourite spot is on the front door panels around the area where the quarter light meets the window.

It helps if you know a skilled bodywork chap as they are worth their weight in gold! Avoid big businesses and try and find a small one,two or three man business with sound reputation.

The big plus with all Fords especially Transits is parts come dirt cheap and are readily available.......anywhere. And by that I mean throughout UK and the whole of Europe. Many motorhome/campervan owners other than Ford, enjoy that facility so you are making a wise choice.

Thanks to all who have given me there very worthwhile advice - I have now made an offer on this van taking the rust issues into consideration! I hope to have it in the next week or so and will no doubt have some other problems where your expertise will be very welcome. One small thing I noticed whilst underneath doing a crawl around was that the engine oil sump protector had a small pierce in it and a little weeping of oil was showing. Hopefully this will not be a major job!
Regards
Jock

Hi all - finally took charge of my 1999 Duetto on Sunday having had the wings and sills replaced and so far no nasty surprises! The one shock that we did have was trying to fit everything that we carried in our Talbot Express Camelot which is 16' long - into our Duetto which is 18'6" long and we still have loads left over! Any suggestions/hints or tips regarding where to stow things will be most welcome. Looking forward to having a few days away to shakedown and test the systems. Thanks once again to all for the helpful advice.
Regards
Jock

Congratulations!!!!!

Looks like a trip to the weighbridge may be on the cards?

In Petal we have a simple rule "if it hasn't been used in the last month we probably don't need it so OUT IT GOES!"

There are some exceptions like tools, first-aid kit and sexy lingerie!

Enjoy,

Dutto

[quote="Jockinafrock"]Hi all - finally took charge of my 1999 Duetto on Sunday having had the wings and sills replaced and so far no nasty surprises! The one shock that we did have was trying to fit everything that we carried in our Talbot Express Camelot which is 16' long - into our Duetto which is 18'6" long and we still have loads left over! Any suggestions/hints or tips regarding where to stow things will be most welcome. Looking forward to having a few days away to shakedown and test the systems. Thanks once again to all for the helpful advice.
Regards
Jock

Hi Jock have to factor the price of rusty wheelarches in my buying price. Can you advise?
regards

mike

Sorry Mike - the previous owner had the work done before we bought the van from him so we don't know how much he paid for the replacement wings.
Regards
Jock

[quote="mikethebike"][quote="Jockinafrock"]Hi all - finally took charge of my 1999 Duetto on Sunday having had the wings and sills replaced and so far no nasty surprises! The one shock that we did have was trying to fit everything that we carried in our Talbot Express Camelot which is 16' long - into our Duetto which is 18'6" long and we still have loads left over! Any suggestions/hints or tips regarding where to stow things will be most welcome. Looking forward to having a few days away to shakedown and test the systems. Thanks once again to all for the helpful advice.
Regards
Jock

Hi Jock have to factor the price of rusty wheelarches in my buying price. Can you advise?
regards

mike[/quote

Know what you mean changing from a 5.4 m van to a 5.4 m van you would think everything would fit but like you it doesn't.
In our Duetto. Bedding went in the overcab area, chocks behind drivers seat, all electric stuff tv leads hose funnel tools etc in cupboard under single seat.
We only carried what we needed for that trip ie chairs only we nt if warm, heater in winter etc

Good luck

[quote="mikethebike"]

Jockinafrock wrote:Hi all - finally took charge of my 1999 Duetto on Sunday having had the wings and sills replaced and so far no nasty surprises!

Hi --
I just joined and have introduced myself. I'm looking to buy a Duetto about the same age (I need the twin bed option) and I need an automatic. Do you mind me asking how much you ended up paying for yours, which I guess was manual?
Also, how much difference to the mileage will the automatic make vs. manual? I'm in Somerset which seems to have a lot of dealers, which I guess must be a good thing....
Thanks!

[quote="MrsGrey"]

mikethebike wrote:

Jockinafrock wrote:Hi all - finally took charge of my 1999 Duetto on Sunday having had the wings and sills replaced and so far no nasty surprises!

Hi --
I just joined and have introduced myself. I'm looking to buy a Duetto about the same age (I need the twin bed option) and I need an automatic. Do you mind me asking how much you ended up paying for yours, which I guess was manual?
Also, how much difference to the mileage will the automatic make vs. manual? I'm in Somerset which seems to have a lot of dealers, which I guess must be a good thing....
Thanks!

We paid £15,000 for "Petal" our 1998 Duetto. She was in immaculate condition when we got her and after a year (plus 8,000 miles, six months of living onboard and a new clutch) she is still in pretty good nick.

The wheel arches are starting to show signs of rust but we will wait until Autumn to get them fixed.

We are still very happy at our choice of MH and also of "Petal" in particular.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Thanks Dutto. So it looks like the going price now for a 1999 (same age as your 1998 a year ago) would be say £16,000, allowing for automatics being more expensive. They also seem quite rare. Ah well, plodding along...

Don't know if you have spotted these MrsGrey?

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Wow! Thanks I'll check them out.

Mmmm thanks again ASOF Staff. I have checked them and had met most before -- sold or so far away as to be very difficult. I'm in Somerset (Somerset Motorhomes sold theirs over the weekend -- grrr), so Durham and Lancashire a big trek and I work part time.. There is one in S.E. London which I might be able to get to. I've spoken to them and it is still for sale if i can get there.
Also now condering a manual Boxer coach-built conversion, as the gear-stick is on the dashboard which would be a better than floor-mounted. The bed over the cab looks actually useable maybe, unlike the Transit ones that seem very cramped in height. I'll take advice in the relevant forum on that...
Thanks for your help.