New Car... Soon 🤞

[Prof.Phil]

So, I am looking for my Minor van, and I think I may have found what I am looking for.

I want something I can use immediately, but also something that will keep me occupied in my retirement. I have found something that is, at first glance, perfect.

The van in question looks OK, it is still in regular use. The engine, and the running gear looks really good, the bodywork is not bad (probably), but all the Chrome needs redoing.

I don't want a fully restored vehicle, as I want to do as much as possible. But this one has something I would like to ask about.

Around the gutters, it has obviously has a corrosion issue that led to it being filled. And the filler really doesn't look good.

In my mind, next summer (once my garage and workshop are ready for the task), I would remove the filler, and sort the metalwork properly.

The question is more a case of is this a viable option? I do not have a good history when I buy a second hand car.... I just don't want to get excited, and then buy a complete wreck. I will take a mechanic friend to give it a once over, but I just thought I would ask here for a proper opinion

[Quendil]

You can get replacement guttering repair parts for Iain Mckenzie on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item= ... n-mckenzie

Does not look like he has a full set listed at the moment but you can message him about it. I have a set to do mine at some point. Years ago you used to be able to get fibre glass roofs for the van backs which made repairing them alot easier but haven't seen any in ages.

You will probably have to take the entire van back off the chassis to repair it properly.

[les]

Roof repair is more involves than it first may appear, it depends how far you wish to go ! There are many sections to fabricate, from the tops of the sides to the curvature of the roof and gutter sections. You may be able to buy some of this metalwork but a lot of damage may have spread to areas that need one off pieces. If it’s just the roof area to sort out, there is no need to remove the complete rear, unless you find the height is difficult to work on.
The picture below is what you could reasonably expect to find, hope this helps you decide if it’s for you.

IMG_0955.jpeg (136.14 KiB) Viewed 1189 times

[Prof.Phil]

Thank you for this information, and seeing the roof off was brilliant. I have never seen that before. I really didn't know what I was expecting under the roof.

As I mentioned, this is a long term project, but I do need the van to be able to be used immediately.

How far do I want to go?

Well, as a slight digression.... Many years ago, my sister bought a beetle. After a little while, there was a hot of rust and my sister asked my dad if he could help. There was just a bit of rust at the bottom of a couple of doors, a bit of rust on a door pillar.

That ended up taking my dad 18 months of work until the car came out of the garage with a better paint job than it came out of the factory with. It was pretty much a bit and bolt rebuild. But over 30 years later, my sister still owns the car, and although it probably needs a bit of a tidy up again, it does not need another rebuild. I think that is probably how far I will be going with this van, if I get it. I was more interested in how practical the job is, less interested in time.... The way I see it, I want about a year to get my house sorted, and my retirement sorted.... Then the car will go into the garage over next winter, and a metamorphosis will take place

[les]

Good luck if you get the van, enjoy the project.