www.imageshack.us for hosting pics.
then scroll to the bottom of the page to get the direct link and paste it in the insert picture option on here.

 

welcome to the site Exodus

type2ireland is a good site, you'll probably find someone local to you on it too.

I've one sitting in a shed myself, going to get around to it some day..

 

exodus, DO IT!! restore the bus, an Irish panel van is a rare beast. All the parts and panels are available, and relatively cheap compared to more modern vehicles. It will appreciate in value as the years go on too so you won't lose on it if you decide to sell down the line (it's be a shame to sell the van since it's been in your family so long

).

If you want to do a bit of camping, fit a camping interior and maybe a sliding door with a window already in it but DO NOT CUT YOUR PANELS FOR WINDOWS!!!! It'll kill the originality of the van. If the van has any signwriting on the sides, leave it!! You can't replace genuine old signwriting and will only add to the appeal of your classic commercial.

I'd love to see some pics, try photobucket.com for picture hosting too, very easy...

as Kevin said, get your ass over to type2ireland.org , we'll be waiting for you. I've got a '74 Westfalia camper by the way.

 

Exodus; if its been in storage for 20 years have a look at it and see if it has any rust issues... if all is well bodywise, just give the mechanics, brakes etc an overhaul and run it in its original paint...
...as Trev said an original RHD Irish panel van is a rare beast these day - I have an original Irish 77 Type 2 panel van which was converted with curved glass and rear seats put in by vw Ireland to make a mini bus when new; lots of rust issues but I refuse to sell it as its got good history.... some of its history isnt all good; its had a bodged recolour/repaint proberly during the 90's...

...throw up some pics; Id love to see it in its original paint (light blue???)

 

Thanks for all the replies, Im liking here already! Yea i had ideas of cutting windows a year or two back, but i dont see the point now, I basically want to get it back road worthy on a tightish budget. Although if your going to do it, do it right i suppose? From the pics you can see some rust, but i didnt have time to really check the extent of it? it Could be surface rust or else is could lie deeper in the panels. I quickly tested the clutch etc see if it went into gear and it did without any major noises etc? anywyas heres the link guys, thanks again for your feedback, greatly appreciated.. Notice the vintage port-a loo on the passenger seat haha http://www.flickr.com/photos/33850204@N06/

 

If your looking for parts www.justkampers.com will have what you need or brickwerks.co.uk. I've got a few bits delivered to Cork and their forums are very handy as well. If you need panels then Alan schofield (www.ahschofield.co.uk) are supposed to be very good. Best of luck!!

 

that is no small undertaking Exodus, be prepared for a long haul.

keep it original like Trevor said

best of luck!

 

wow. . .very nice . . .sort out mecanics and that and just drive it haha or if u dont like all the rust ting do a total res. . i am sure thre is lads that would get thre hands dirty just to c an irish bay van back on the road . . i would be one of them!!!

 

I realise how serious the undertaking is, but a question ive been wondering is , can it be done over a long period of time, i.e. how do i get myself in the position where i have a solid sealed vehicle that i can gradually clean out and redbuild. For example i dont want to be praying it doesnt rust because its left in my driveway. Original is what it shall be kept. Any changes made will be quickly reversible!

 

feckin love these vans,,,had a pickup years ago but it was to badly rotted,but still knocked a bit of craick out of it round the field for a few years...

 

QUOTE (MK3 Concept @ Dec 30 2008, 08:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If your looking for parts www.justkampers.com will have what you need or brickwerks.co.uk. I've got a few bits delivered to Cork and their forums are very handy as well. If you need panels then Alan schofield (www.ahschofield.co.uk) are supposed to be very good. Best of luck!!

vwspares.ie - Justkampers stock, cheap delivery from Kildare.

 

seen worse

while we are talking about Justkampers:
QUOTE Officially known as the Camper, but affectionately titled "Vancake", this super low-rider is the world's lowest Volkswagen bus. Call us crazy, but we don't see this niche having a super stringent competition at this point. And to add even more to its wonderful allure, there's a little back story to go along with its awesomeness.

 

QUOTE (draycottgirlz @ Jan 8 2009, 10:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>seen worse
Em thanks lol ! Good to see some parts available in ireland too!

 

love it. i personally would be in favour of the complete resto. but put original paint colour back on it etc. it would be far from the hardest resto in the world given its nature. not like you have to strip out much interior. lol.

i suppose first things first is to get in there and have a proper dig around especially underneath and suss out the rust situation.

could your restore it where it is or does the shed need to be emptied.

 

QUOTE (conord @ Jan 14 2009, 11:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>love it. i personally would be in favour of the complete resto. but put original paint colour back on it etc. it would be far from the hardest resto in the world given its nature. not like you have to strip out much interior. lol.

i suppose first things first is to get in there and have a proper dig around especially underneath and suss out the rust situation.

could your restore it where it is or does the shed need to be emptied.

Well i live far from where the van actually sits at the moment. But the shed itself is relatively clean, and waterproof (i hope) . I dont think i'll move it until im sure wheres its going. So then when its sealed and rust proof i can leave it in the drive way with a cover hopefully

 

Instead of opening a new thread just decided to update this one, got her started today and out around the yard. Engine is solid, and now just waiting to get a bit of welding done ! Heres a video of her starting today

 

good man!

on the button.

 

Thats a cool panel you got there, i think you should just weld up the structural holes / floor, slam and drive!

WELD - SLAM - DRIVE

Thats a great colour for a patina'd VW would look awesome panned out! Love the reg plate too!

Heres my old 79 panel on a cut and turned beam!! Gawd I miss that bus!

Heres she is at Santa pod, draggin!

Panel vans rule IMO

 

love these vans,
theres a very nice van in swords i've seen out and about only once or twice, painted navy blue with race style number on the side of it,
looks like its use as a tow wagon for his single seater race car which is painted to match.
theres another one i seen too but its in far too bad a state. crying shame really as its used as a skip

 

@Dirty1 , That's a sweet looking panel van, mine has alot more spots of bubble-rust on the roof etc, How can you treat the rust while keeping original paint? currently trying to source repair panels, not having much luck though, also insurance will be a problem! A few setbacks but i hope to have her roadworthy before September!
@ Alan B. Yea its always a shame when any classic goes beyond a state of repair! I got lucky though! I have seen a few very very crusty ones being completely overhauled. One of the t2i members has an old P&T van , which was in rag order, but now has been stripped and nearly fully repaired last time i checked! There's hope for any classic i reckon!

 

Weld up all the structural holes and then just use boat wax on the rust! Deckies 56 Oval on Eircooled.com has its original barn find rust/patina treated with wax, lives outside with no problems! Theres other ways too, paint the repair and distress the paint to look like the old paint on rest of van!

A lil inspiration perhaps!

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=367787

http://restowagenuk.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3167

 

the one in swords being used as a skip is beyond repair im afraid, the roof pannel has rotted away all the way around nearly.
the same as on the front. the whole bottom edge has rotten through. not sure whats holding them together to be honest.

thought of another one i was told about too.
a later van with the square bit on the front rather then the V.
was driving for a while and given to the owners brother who drove it into the ground.
the engine needed work and he parked it up in a yard my uncle and the owner owned/used to store equipment and was left to rot.
had a good poke around in it when i went out there for a look and sadly it was very very bad.
maybe not beyond a resto but it would take alot of money to do it up and it too had the roof rotten nearly all the way round the frount and half way down the sides.
a crying shame tbh

 

I'm liking your thinking Dirty1 , but how would you get the paint distressed so that it would blend perfectly with the rest of the van? Also , anybody know who can lower these things? I've seen a few methods but some either ruin the ride, or arent structurally safe? Anybody have any suggestions?

Its a shame when they get to a state where they are just beyond repair, and become more repair panels than original structure. I got lucky that mine was stored in a relatively dry shed!

 

Exodus, unless it needs very minor repairs, September isn't a realistic timeframe. Bodywork takes aaaaages and you haven't even sourced the repair panels yet. I don't mean to piss on your chips but take it from someone who's been through rust repair on a few cars, it always takes longer than you think.

Have you tried www.vwspares.ie or www.justkampers.com for repair panels? If it's available they should have it. vwspares.ie is an agent for justkampers. You can save seriously on the shipping by buying through vwspares.ie.

As for lowering, there are a couple of options: welded-in adjusters in the front axle or dropped spindles and simply re-indexing the splines on the rear axle. It's not rocket science but there aren't too many everyday mechanics who would take on such a job. Talk to John at www.krazykombis.com (Kilkenny) or Dave at http://bugbitz.com (Armagh) about lowering, they'd be able to do it for you...

 

Thanks Trevor, as you know I'm new to this so don't worry about pissing on my chips! I have a welder ready available to do the work, although not sure i trust him with the outside bodywork!
How sealed up does the bodywork need to be before its road legal? I've heard talk of engineers reports to sign off on the structural integrity of the vehicle?
Thanks for the advice on lowering, I'll make sure to get on to KrazyKombis about lowering!