Boxanne
Back in August of last year I was looking for a van. I found one that was near Birmingham and went for a test drive. The next day I got a few trains and bought the van for £2900. Since then, the mechanic and an auto-electrician have had the van for around 150 days. In that time, with £3167 spent, she's had the following done:
Service and MOT. Replace battery, earth cable, x2 bushes/links, flex hoses, brake cables, alternator, steering rack, glow plug relay, filter valve. Fix ABS fault, repair 5 roof leaks. Remove both doors, cut out rot, weld in new metal, filling and stone chip coating. Also did some rust repairs on the metal plate above the shutter door. His brother, the carpenter also replaced the floorboards in the back.
She was parked up infront of my house last night, and that evening I realised how much more needs doing, and it had me feeling a little disheartened.
The next day I set off early to visit the local commercial bodyshop. I listened to my gut, and once again I've found a lovely chap who takes real pride in his work. I could sense his good nature, and passion for restoration.
My budget for the rust and rot around the windscreen was realistic (in fact it was £500 less than expected). We talked at length about my project, and I know that this project needs to be done with an "all or nothing" approach.
He budgeted 4-5k (ex VAT) to repair all the rust, remove the rivets in the GRP panels, leave it in a heated room for a few days to full dry out, then fill and waterproof the holes left by the rivets, patch up and repair and issues with the GRP panels, and replace a couple of bent ally frames, along with a full respray of the cab and box in a hard waring paint used on commercial vehicles. He even said he could colour code the black plastic bumper and the bare metal framework of the van, along with removing the tail lift.
Not only will this future proof the van, but it'll ensure I can live in it for many years to come. I looked at various things he was working on, and I could see he was a thorough person. One bit in particular he showed me was a fabrication, and he said it was "probably overkill". There and then I knew my gut was right about him. This is a man who takes his convictions seriously. Get the job done properly, so it doesn't need doing again.
As for the tail lift, as the box is made of GRP panels, it doesn't have as much weight to play with as it's heavier than an aluminium box. Plus the tail lift is another thing to potentially go wrong. I worked at a place that did repairs on tail lifts and I know when they go wrong it's expensive, and another pain. Plus I'd get another 100+ kg to utilise on the inside of the camper van. I want this to be as simplified as possible. Less to go wrong is key here. Once the windows, roof and bodywork are done I'm going to get her down to a public weigh bridge to see how much kg I have for the conversion.
If a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing properly. So I'm going to half my therapy sessions, yoga lessons and Thai massage until the project is done. I'm going to pour every spare penny I have into Boxanne and get the project completed swiftly. Plus, as I've said before - going without spare money will help me to appreciate things in life that are free, and help me truly appreciate the value of money.
He said to get the windows fitted before he takes the van in to do the bodywork. So I called the local engineering company that specialises in horsebox conversions and was initially planning to visit them next week. But when I got home I figured why wait to Monday, and I visited the horsebox place. They're going to quote me to replace the roof with an insulated composite sheet, along with replacing the top ally rails with one's with curved edges and corner caps. Along with fitting 4 windows and a reverse camera kit.
They said the bodyshop needs to repair the front damage to the overhang on the Luton box first. So I'm just waiting on the bodyshop to come back to me. Then I can start getting bookings in for the next steps.
I got used to the van rather quickly. It's easy enough to drive, and on the whole when oncoming traffic sees a big vehicle approaching, a lot of people are nice enough to give you right of way. But, driving something so big - I'm extra cautious about speeds and braking distances, as this is a considerably larger vehicle than my i20.
Upon returning home my dad said what others have: "Why on earth are you spending all this money. You could just have bought another van."
Whilst I understand where people are coming from, I've encountered this spiel on all of my project vehicles. For a lot of people, some old, rusty van isn't going to inspire them to want to spend x4 or x5 what the vehicle is worth to turn it into something else. Why bother? Well, why not? Just because some people think it's pointless doesn't make it so.
Once again, the more that people try to throw doubt into the mix, the more stubborn and tenacious I become to see it through.
To all the naysayers - stop horsing around, and mind your beeswax. I can't wait to see the end result. She will be gleaming, all in white, looking brand new. Not bad for a 17 year old van.
Ed
Back in August of last year I was looking for a van. I found one that was near Birmingham and went for a test drive. The next day I got a few trains and bought the van for £2900. Since then, the mechanic and an auto-electrician have had the van for around 150 days. In that time, with £3167 spent, she's had the following done:
Service and MOT. Replace battery, earth cable, x2 bushes/links, flex hoses, brake cables, alternator, steering rack, glow plug relay, filter valve. Fix ABS fault, repair 5 roof leaks. Remove both doors, cut out rot, weld in new metal, filling and stone chip coating. Also did some rust repairs on the metal plate above the shutter door. His brother, the carpenter also replaced the floorboards in the back.
She was parked up infront of my house last night, and that evening I realised how much more needs doing, and it had me feeling a little disheartened.
The next day I set off early to visit the local commercial bodyshop. I listened to my gut, and once again I've found a lovely chap who takes real pride in his work. I could sense his good nature, and passion for restoration.
My budget for the rust and rot around the windscreen was realistic (in fact it was £500 less than expected). We talked at length about my project, and I know that this project needs to be done with an "all or nothing" approach.
He budgeted 4-5k (ex VAT) to repair all the rust, remove the rivets in the GRP panels, leave it in a heated room for a few days to full dry out, then fill and waterproof the holes left by the rivets, patch up and repair and issues with the GRP panels, and replace a couple of bent ally frames, along with a full respray of the cab and box in a hard waring paint used on commercial vehicles. He even said he could colour code the black plastic bumper and the bare metal framework of the van, along with removing the tail lift.
Not only will this future proof the van, but it'll ensure I can live in it for many years to come. I looked at various things he was working on, and I could see he was a thorough person. One bit in particular he showed me was a fabrication, and he said it was "probably overkill". There and then I knew my gut was right about him. This is a man who takes his convictions seriously. Get the job done properly, so it doesn't need doing again.
As for the tail lift, as the box is made of GRP panels, it doesn't have as much weight to play with as it's heavier than an aluminium box. Plus the tail lift is another thing to potentially go wrong. I worked at a place that did repairs on tail lifts and I know when they go wrong it's expensive, and another pain. Plus I'd get another 100+ kg to utilise on the inside of the camper van. I want this to be as simplified as possible. Less to go wrong is key here. Once the windows, roof and bodywork are done I'm going to get her down to a public weigh bridge to see how much kg I have for the conversion.
If a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing properly. So I'm going to half my therapy sessions, yoga lessons and Thai massage until the project is done. I'm going to pour every spare penny I have into Boxanne and get the project completed swiftly. Plus, as I've said before - going without spare money will help me to appreciate things in life that are free, and help me truly appreciate the value of money.
He said to get the windows fitted before he takes the van in to do the bodywork. So I called the local engineering company that specialises in horsebox conversions and was initially planning to visit them next week. But when I got home I figured why wait to Monday, and I visited the horsebox place. They're going to quote me to replace the roof with an insulated composite sheet, along with replacing the top ally rails with one's with curved edges and corner caps. Along with fitting 4 windows and a reverse camera kit.
They said the bodyshop needs to repair the front damage to the overhang on the Luton box first. So I'm just waiting on the bodyshop to come back to me. Then I can start getting bookings in for the next steps.
I got used to the van rather quickly. It's easy enough to drive, and on the whole when oncoming traffic sees a big vehicle approaching, a lot of people are nice enough to give you right of way. But, driving something so big - I'm extra cautious about speeds and braking distances, as this is a considerably larger vehicle than my i20.
Upon returning home my dad said what others have: "Why on earth are you spending all this money. You could just have bought another van."
Whilst I understand where people are coming from, I've encountered this spiel on all of my project vehicles. For a lot of people, some old, rusty van isn't going to inspire them to want to spend x4 or x5 what the vehicle is worth to turn it into something else. Why bother? Well, why not? Just because some people think it's pointless doesn't make it so.
Once again, the more that people try to throw doubt into the mix, the more stubborn and tenacious I become to see it through.
To all the naysayers - stop horsing around, and mind your beeswax. I can't wait to see the end result. She will be gleaming, all in white, looking brand new. Not bad for a 17 year old van.
Ed
