Boxanne

[Aspychata]

Definitely feel that struggle you delicately broke down so eloquently. Because in the end, it's just numbing your journey because you assess debit, assess your comfort level, assess your reality, assess your long-term plans. I just would like to find a happy medium of zen.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I was about to head off to the body shop, and the battery is completely dead on Boxanne...

Plugged it into the battery charger and its flashing up as faulty.

I don't have the time or money for this right now.

Just rang for breakdown cover and they can't replace batteries, only recover it into a garage. My mechanic is off with COVID. I'll speak with the garage up the road and find out how much all this is going to cost.

Ed

 

[Raggamuffin]

Took the battery to the garage. They believe it's faulty. Mechanic who has COVID said he'll try and do a warranty claim on the old one.

A new one is arriving today. I'll hook it up tomorrow morning and drop Boxanne off to the bodyshop around 7am.

Ed

 

[Raggamuffin]

Battery arrived so I got it fitted then drove Boxanne to the bodyshop, and then cycled 7 miles home. Had a long chat, they can do everything needed to finish the rest of the conversion, including installing all the electrics, night heater and eventually uprating the van's payload with twin rear axle wheels, uprated springs etc.

So that's good. The original work I needed comes in cheaper than expected, and there's some additional bits I've asked to get done. The full list being:

• Hook up rear camera to reverse gear, so it doesn't come on when I start the van.
• Repair rust that's appeared, including cutting out and fitting new door sill.
• Install an aluminium channel to the edges of the shutter door when it's rolled up, to channel rain water outside instead of it all falling onto the van floor.
• Install wall vents for circulation in the van.
• Sealant beading around the bottom aluminium frame to prevent water ingress.
• Remove paint that's peeling from the aluminium channel below the roof. Restore it to original aluminium.
Body shop said the heat in the gap between the fibreglass roof and the interior build means heat is rising, getting trapped in the gap and heating and cooling the aluminium frame, causing the paint to peel.
• Install a spinning roof vent to assist with the aforementioned issue.

That last one is a temporary measure, as when the aluminium roof is eventually fitted, he said they'd drill into the fibreglass roof and put expanding sealant into the gap. Then seal the holes they made, and fit the aluminium roof ontop. Then the heat issue in the gap is resolved, and I have the extra strength and future-proofing of a stronger, double skin roof.

So there we have it. Originally to do the door sill, remove the peeling paint and do the rear shutter door scratchs - around £700. With the added extras I don't think it'll push £1500. Once it's all done it means I won't need to return to them until the electrics need to be fitted beginning of next year.

Ed

 

[Raggamuffin]

Crimble crumble

Ed

 

[Aspychata]

That's tough. Rust.

 

[maycontainthunder]

Rust is insidious. Once it starts it is virtually impossible to eradicate. The old Volvo is suffering and will need more welding soon.

 

[Nitro]

Rust is insidious. Once it starts it is virtually impossible to eradicate. The old Volvo is suffering and will need more welding soon.

Here in the Rust Belt where I live, we call it cancer

 

[Forest Cat]

That sucks. Looks like it needs a thick layer of that rust sealer stuff on the inside of the rocker panel. If that can be done. Trying to replace all the metal sounds like a job from hell.

 

[maycontainthunder]

Here in the Rust Belt where I live, we call it cancer

On the plus side you can pull out that gas guzzling motor, put your feet through the floor and have the greenest car in the neighbourhood. To make things even easier it sheds weight each time you hit a bump.

 

[Nitro]

That sucks. Look like it needs a thick layer of that rust sealer stuff on the inside of the rocker panel. If that can be done. Trying to replace all the metal sounds like a job from hell.

Yep, it's just like a dog chasing it's tail

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

After you replace the metal apply zinc phosphate before painting .it will slow down the rusting paint just prevents weathering.

 

[Nitro]

On the plus side you can pull out that gas guzzling motor, put your feet through the floor and have the greenest car in the neighbourhood. To make things even easier it sheds weight each time you hit a bump.

Had my share of those rides.

Never been a fan of winters here in my area.
They use road salt to keep the roads safe which in turn only accelerates the decomposition.
My 1966 Chevy Caprice was from an area where they don't have our brand of weather and as a result of it it survived quite well.
She was only 22 when I brought her home to serve as a winter rat and I knew within days that she was a keeper because of how limited her rust was.

Most of my beloved 1984-1987 Toyota trucks succumbed to the steel termites

 

[Nitro]

General Motors G body series of cars built from 1978 to 1987 were notorious for rear frame section rot.
We would source rear frame rail clips from southern states to do the welded in repairs.
I had a system down to where I could replace one rear rail in under an hour while charging the standard rate of three hours of labor.
Later I had a cottage industry formed with several southern salvage yards where I would exchange engines and transmissions from northern rides for the frame clips en mass.

Our drivelines were readily available because of our rust issues where theirs were always worn out long before their bodies were clapped out.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I'll keep at the maintenence.

Whenever issues come up I'm getting them sorted ASAP.

Although I'm under no illusion this project will never be finished.

Ed

 

[Forest Cat]

They use road salt to keep the roads safe which in turn only accelerates the decomposition.

Here too, they drench the roads with salt. Cars are covered with salt soup.

 

[Nitro]

Here too, they drench the roads with salt. Cars are covered with salt soup.

They used to use a lot of cinders here too, but quit because they present another mess to get rid of.

 

[Forest Cat]

They used to use a lot of cinders here too, but quit because they present another mess to get rid of.

Last year they dumped a total of around 600 000 000 pounds / 300 000 tons of salt on Norwegian roads. That's a lot of rust

 

[Mary Terry]

General Motors G body series of cars built from 1978 to 1987 were notorious for rear frame section rot.
We would source rear frame rail clips from southern states to do the welded in repairs.
I had a system down to where I could replace one rear rail in under an hour while charging the standard rate of three hours of labor.
Later I had a cottage industry formed with several southern salvage yards where I would exchange engines and transmissions from northern rides for the frame clips en mass.

Our drivelines were readily available because of our rust issues where theirs were always worn out long before their bodies were clapped out.

Vehicles along the Gulf of Mexico have a high rate of rust damage. We don't salt the roads in the South but the year-round salty, moist air along the Gulf Coast causes rust.

 

[Nitro]

Vehicles along the Gulf of Mexico have a high rate of rust damage. We don't salt the roads in the South but the year-round salty, moist air along the Gulf Coast causes rust.

I once passed on 1976 Chevrolet truck that looked clean in the advertisement because none of the bottom of the body was rusty.
When I got there to look at it, I discovered that it was a coastal located vehicle that was all rotted out on the top side.
We never saw that here.
I worked with a guy that I used to tease that he only had the top half of a 1969 El Camino because the bottom of it had rusted away