The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

Yeah pretty gutted as I thought it was going to be head gasket then finish it up but I've just lost motivation to fix all the other little bits too and don't really want to spend hundreds getting my mechanic to do them either. A shame also as I gave it a little drive earlier and it does run nice and feels good to drive too.

Plan is just to give up for now, maybe go halves with the girlfriend on something better one day now we're both working full time but we did our travels (Asia for 3 months) last year and now both a bit career focused so unfortunately any campervan ideas are taking a backseat for a while.

Tbh if I'd just bought it as is I'd be pretty happy as it really doesn't want much, but unfortunately I bought it with 10x the problems for more than it's currently worth. Nearly given up 5 times or so and every time people have convinced me to carry on. Gotta be realistic this time and say enough is enough, it's no-one elses money but mine getting wasted if it goes wrong again

£2k was always my "if it goes wrong and I lose it all I won't be fussed" amount and that's where I'm at so probably is the best time for it anyway

It certainly does from a distance haha

No primer or clearcoat so we shall see how long it lasts, but can't get any worse than before!

Thanks! Yours looks very clean!

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Yesterday my girlfriends dad, master of DIY, came round and helped us with cutting and laying the vinyl flooring.

We've left a little area for a step up and also cut the arch liners so they fit with the raised floor. Just need to clean up the arch liners and add some trim pieces to tidy it up.

Insulated the floor with some recycled plastic insulation. Very basic but hopefully better than nothing!

Whole floor should hopefully be screwed in soon!

ZFA22000086004712 Thanks

This is sort of what I'm worried about. On all the breaker vans I've checked the rage and noticed "oil leak" in the MOT history. That's not to say the oil cooler won't be all good but it definitely doesn't help the chances

Thank you! I actually think I saw that post before but it's a massive help and I'll definitely follow that.

I'm really struggling to find an oil cooler tbh, I'm worried a second hand one will just break again. How did yours hold up after you replaced it?

Cut all the ply for the floor, just got to insulate it and screw it down. We're having a gap on one side to lay down some door mat material. I decided to cut it in this way as it makes use of 1 sheet of 2440 x 1220mm perfectly, with enough left over to fill the rear corners if need be.

Thought I'd post a quick update, some good progress and some bad news. This is over the past few months before and after 3 months of travelling.

First off, we made a template for a gear gaiter. Plan is to make one with fabric matching the interior later on:

Secondly we got back from our travels and started on the interior! Insulation begun and battens laid. Hardest bit was getting out that blooming lower bulkhead!:

Now for the bad news. We found oil in the coolant which I believed to be from before the oil cooler was bypassed by the previous owner. We had a block test done and sadly it's come back as a head gasket fault! So now we are trying to decide whether to sell up at a massive loss or to spend £400-500 getting it fixed and carry on. I've spent about £1500 on the van alone now! Runs amazing and pretty solid but already well over budget and haven't driven it once in the year I've had it.

Decisions

Where did you end up getting one from in the end?

Could indeed be, how do I know if I've got a DW8 or DW8B? Will try eurocarparts and such and see if they can suggest anywhere thanks! Imagine they'll just say to go to a dealer.

Sorry Andy, I forgot to update this post. Luckily we found a van in the exact same colour with windows and took all the doors off it

You know I hadn't thought about rear visibility, thats a good point! Still contemplating putting the rest of the windowed doors on but advantage of leaving it now is that we'd have more solid walls to use for potential storage, insulation etc, even if its not as symmetrically pleasing on the outside. 

Glad you're enjoying it! I started this thread as I love looking back and seeing how it's coming along

Yeah I would have gotten one of the disability/taxi vans but I didn't want windows all the way round, so we can have some solid walls. Has been more troublesome as no headliner or side windows but hopefully will be worth it. A part of me does wish I got a disability van, even the van we took parts off was a lot nicer; electric windows, air con, headliner, side windows etc - although not the usual lowered floor so I wonder if it was custom fitted out for a wheelchair.

Will have to check out your progress when it gets going!