Is it a Duetto??

Hi all. I have recently converted from camping and bought myself a project. I bought a 1995 Ford Transit which needs a bit of tidying but won't take long. However I joined this group as I wanted to learn more. when I bought it in March 16 it was advertised as a Duetto, it has the same colouring and stripes as a Duetto but it doesn't have the brown panels on the sides that other Duetto's have. I can see that it has been professionally converted, but wanted to know why it looks different. Can any one answer this question for me please?? 

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I can't answer as I don't know Duettos but do you have some interior pics too? That may give further clues.

I agree that more pics would help. But our 1995 Duetto has the brown panels, the EHU socket and water heater vent are further forward, and there are fridge vents about where your EHU socket is. So I suspect the interior layout is very different.

And we have sliding side windows, rather than the one piece window you have.

So not a Duetto, I would say. Nevertheless, it looks in good nick.

Hi

From you first post, the seating in the back looks very Duetto-ish but the wardrobe looks to be on the other side . I suspect somebody has removed the innards from a Duetto and transplanted them into another vehicle (A few more pictures of the interior would be useful).

A couple of obvious differences make me think that.

The roof
Looks like the standard Ford high top, I think AS fitted a custom roof on the Duetto with the characteristic plastic trim covering up the join. Certainly mine looks as if it started life as a standard van with the roof fitted later. One clue is that the rear doors are the short version as fitted to the standard van. The Ford high tops that I have seen have full hight rear doors.

The Missing Black side panels.
When I removed mine a couple of years ago (to tackle a bit of the old tin worm), I was surprised to find that the window cut outs had been "cut out" and filled with a thin plastic panel and the whole lot covered with the black panels. I can't think why they did that, It seems a lot of work for no good reason. Anyway yours has has the window cut outs intact.

The water heater and EHU are also in different places.

Are there no clues in the MOT/ service  history?

Brod

Checkout for a build number in the glove box,or on the front seat frames .
Boaby

A 1995 Duetto will be on a MK5 Transit and thus will have the 'straight' grill at the front and not the 'smiley' grill of the later MK5's.

All Duettos of that era will have 5 spoke alloy wheels as standard, including the spare.

Another point is that all MK5 Transit based Duettos will have charcoal coloured GRP rain channels running the full length of the roof and covering the join between the GRP hi-top roof and the metal body.

The photo does not look like a Duetto to me.

No, certainly not a Duetto. I'm 99% sure that both the Duettos and Flairs all came from Ford as window vans (hence Brodco's covered-over windows).

Yours obviously started life as a panel van - hence the window behind the driver is an after-market one which does not fully fill the opening where a Ford window would be on an original window van.

-mojo- wrote:No, certainly not a Duetto. I'm 99% sure that both the Duettos and Flairs all came from Ford as window vans (hence Brodco's covered-over windows).

Yours obviously started life as a panel van - hence the window behind the driver is an after-market one which does not fully fill the opening where a Ford window would be on an original window van.

Apart from the guttering the window was the first thing i noticed. A genuine Duetto, the window is rounded at the corners and also 2 piece sliding glass. The op's window is squared off and appears to be a fixed one piece. However, if the interior build is good and the price was right Nasha might have a good little van there. Certainly doesn't look too bad externally. 

Post some more pics up Nasha!!

Wow, thanks for taking an interest in it! Yes it did start as a panel van, A blue one! the log book has been changed to it's colour but still shows as a Transit van. I bought it for £2800 with full MOT and some service history, this isn't an issue because I am a bit of an amateur mechanic. The only issue I have is the water heater doesn't work although the boiler does fire up and the leisure battery doesn't charge. Apart from a tidy up inside I am very pleased with it. I have put more photo's around the mess, as my wife used it for latitude last weekend! It was advertised as a Duetto but I had my doubts. But the colouring and green stripes look the same, unless someone has done a copy. The interior looks professionally built. It doesn't really matter I am just a person that likes to know! It's also been fully welded underneath and under sealed. There is a LPG tank where the spare wheel would go for the gas supply, there is no gauge though. Sorry don't want to drivel on!! The conversion company would be good though, if anyone can identify it.

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I think I have solved the mystery, or at least surmising! The small windows on the fibre glass roof have another reg number on them which I never noticed, E138 OFU, I have done a DVLA on line check and it comes back as a Long wheel base petrol Transit. I know this has been a camper since 2001 as I have paperwork to that effect. I think that the interior and everything else has been transfered possible from an original, maybe accident damage or MOT failure? all the same if this is the case it's done very well.

If your log book shows its a van you could be paying more insurance than for a motor caravan. May be worth looking into having it changed.

Despite looking very professional the conversion could still be a self build. There are some very impressive self build conversions out there although I will admit they are outnumbered by the bad ones. Self builds are often the result of transferring a write-off caravan into a panel van although others will use a factory conversion as a template. If you intend to do a lot of the build yourself it might be worth checking out the SBMCC (Self Build Motor Caravan Club). It is years since I was there but it may give you what you need.

I would say you got that at a good price. Its roughly what I sold my self build LWB Transit recently.

The material is Auto-sleepers ( Premier Furnishings ) I was thinking of having that one on mine when it was refirbished.

Yes it's not a genuine Duetto but it is actually a pretty good copy! And you paid just £2,800 for it so i reckon you have a real bargain there. The interior looks tidy too.