BUGA Community
General Category => CF Bedford Chat => Topic started by: able on November 30, 2008, 04:45:39 PM
-
how are you all?
i joined a week ago and have clocked up 12 hours reading here already ???.
i have my deposit on a old van (swb '78) and will be doing it up to get out of the mini van trap (six kids) in two to three weeks.
i have had a few private msg's to and from respected members and they are top notch at helping out new members, i have seen the good the bad and the ugly in examples and thank all who post not just finished pic's but also the ugly truth about what it takes to get a thirty year old vehicle back on the road.
i will be doing nothing fancy with the beddy, just a back to metal clean up and repaint....
and i take it the ideal position to be in is to have all running gear changed to easily bought (Holden) parts?
anyway after twelve hours reading and looking at pics here i thought i would say hello and thank you for being here.
i look forward to your advice and eventually finishing my bedford with it!
-
also hours and hours of reading on the old site too!! its under buga forum in the main menu. check it out man
cheers and welcome to buga.. were bedfords are a way of life!
congradulations on your newly purchase too! watch out youll catch the beddy bug!
ben
-
Welcome able
Yes there are plenty here willing to help or give advice, just dont believe a word of what the B&E crew say :D
Feel free to look around and ask any questions as there is a wealth of experience here.
Warren
-
Greetings Able...Good to see another beddie fan on board! When you get a chance throw up some pics of your new ride..We luv pics on this site!!!cheers..John Abbott ;D ;D
-
warren!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! watch out! or well rope you into our group too!!! THe B&E&W crew!!
-
i intend to start the pics in a album when the flat bed drops of the van.
i will probably start my own thread with pics and running commentary so i can get help as i go.
im getting the fella to write a list of all body parts he has changed but will take pics for clarification on here.
im no pro... i have the usual experiences of youth when it comes to cars (beer and sanding if i remember correctly)
i want to do this with my own hands so i can be extra p*ssed off when some one backs into it after a week of being on the road ;D (joke i hope)
a bedford was the dream car of my youth and i forgot that dream untill i was fed up with the minivan.... time to live the dream i say.
-
able have you done any bodywork on beddies before ? if not ill list you all the tools Id never do without!
its all basic stuff but my fav would have to be a curved adjustable bodey file :) there not expensive and will flex to suit the beddy body profile.
so once youv adjusted it on a good panel you retain the shape.
-
i have never heard of that... all cars i remember helping on had alot of flat panels and you just watch around ridges....
ill google it thanks.
(edit)
looks like this?
(http://www.sulco.co.nz/products/598/466/277/small/3201571.jpg)
a list will be invaluable! i cant even guess how many liters of under coat/color and clear i will need.
im buying a new compressor and gun, i have never painted a car before myself but i have used my smaller compressor to paint furniture.
tips on compressor minimums and spray gun nozzles would be handy to...
the compressor i was looking at is $400 and is a 2.5 Hp with a 50L tank... will that do? or do i need more power?
with six kids im on a budget.... one needs wheel chair space (folds up) as she survived a brain tumor but was left with stroke like symptoms down one side and lost her eye sight, this leaves me on a pension (im her carer) so after i get it home im looking at 1.8 thousand (after the compressor and gun)
$1800 should get all the tools and paint should it not? ben has me thinking of sharpening up my welding skills for the rust i will find when i start paint stripping.
i have a small mig already.
-
;D thats my toy!
-
hey that body file looks awesome craig.. cheers!!
-
can you give us a rough price of what we shold expect to pay for one of these doveys craig?
cheers
ben
-
mine was $69.00
-
you can always get a second hand one and buy a new blade - places to get from: paper, internet, car shows, swap meets ...
With a body file you also need a slap stick and or shrinking hammer (slap sticks are easier to use) and also a good panel dolly
you really need to be shown (taught) how to use these as there is a knack involved
I don't want to put you off or anything, but if you don't intend on doing up any other vehicle then buying all this stuff is a waste, maybe borrow or rent it if possible, or pay someone to do it for you.
Some years ago a friend of mine went about restoring his Chevy Nova, he had no experience (panel wise) and I ended up fixing it for him, took longer than it would of if I had just done the lot myself.
My advice, borrow some tools, get an old damaged panel (guard, door or something) off a wrecked car and play with the tools and try some repairs, including cutting out a section and welding it back in. If the panel has no dents, put some in it (ball pein hammers are good for that lol), repair the panel, sand down, prime and even paint. if you are happy with the results and comfortable doing it all then move on to the bedford, otherwise weigh up your options.
Good luck
-
advice listened to and heeded busy.
i have just contacted my cousin who has brought many a bomb (classic Holden ute's ) back from the dead to virtually show room condition. he has experiences with mig'ing new panels and sections back in and hates bog with a passion... he has agreed to rid shot gun through the restoration.
although its been a while since he has done a car he works at a window frame powder coaters and is the heart beat of the place... he operates a spray booth three times longer then my house but the most important thing is he is constantly hand spraying and welding.
put that together and i thing im alot safer then going it alone.
i will always have use of the compressor as i use it for nail gun/air tools on a regular basis and im known to be fond of sanding and painting old furniture from time to time... i was sick of the smaller one always kicking in after five nails on the nail gun.....
true story.. i once helped a mate move and he had a old short cupboard he had no use for as it was shabby looking with its three mil ply skirt all banked up from hitting steps on moves... i took it home and removed the skirt and gave it the old sand paper treatment and painted it burgundy and the same mate a few months later not only didn't recognize it but offered me money for it :o
-
can any one help me out with the exact width, length and height of a swb in feet or meters?
have to give the info to the transport company so they can decide on a flat bed or a semi...
thanx in advance.
-
4.2m long
1.920m wide
2.0m high
-
thanks heaps hotrod!
-
hey the SWB I just bought is 2060 wide outer wheel to outer wheel with mags on , so it wont fit on a standard car trailer
-
man everyone wanted that van you bought toolking!!! done well fella!
cant wait for the restored article!
cheers
ben
-
money come in today ;D
i payed the remainder i owed on the van and rang the fella who i have arranged to transport it to geelong.
i offered the seller another $50 to buy a few cheep blankets because their will be a lot of spare parts in the back and a spare window that i don't think will look good with a spare auto through the middle. ;) , he didn't want it and said he was already rapping them in old blankets he had lying around (nice of him).
the transport fella is organizing the move from wadonga to geelong and sez i will have it before the end of the week! still has not rang back with a exact day yet...
so i went and picked up the compressor... i ended up getting a 3hp/245 lpm 15amp (scorpion)
it has two heads (i spose you call them that?) and at the bottom of one of them it seems to be leaking oil around the gasket... i also noticed they over filled the sump with only a small amount of air can be seen on the clear bubble and it states half way in the instructions...
so i take it i give the bolt a nip up on the head and let out a little oil untill its sitting at the correct level?
cant wait for my bedford! i have already told the misses not to judge it going into my man cave! she is only allowed to judge it coming out!!! :D
-
well its arrived....
looks rough and looks like i will be looking for interior components....
took alot of choke to get it started...
petrol tank looks weird and hangs down low with a v shape to the bottom of it?????
only surface rust on gutters (yippy!)
alot of surface rust underneath.... maybe left with grass growing long underneath?
looks like a spare front end in the back and lots of brake bits and pieces, i will unpack it later to see what goodies i have, i think i flooded it so its not in the shed yet.......
i will go down and pick up supplies to get started and will take some pics to see if you fellas can tell me some info and point out if some parts are mods.
good to be bedy'd!
-
Good luck able! ;D
-
i don't need luck! i found you guys. ;D
tank is a mod... hangs down to low so i will have to get a stock one with brackets of ben in the future.(im sure he has one or two....)
i went and spent $800 on paint supplies and then a another hundred on a orbital sander. they are ok to use on a car to strip it?
unpacked the back and i have windscreen, extractors, inlet manifold with carby, second hand disk brakes, complete front end, auto to match the 186, bonnet, spare engine cover and a few other bits and bobs.
front window rubber looks in bad shape so i might be up for one of those (ben again) and the front door rubbers are old or missing in places.
overall im very happy.. a few dints but nothing to cry over... i take it they all get a little punched in on the side door where the clasp is from a gust of wind????
-
i thought you got a bargin before you mentioned all those parts far out man!!
yeh i have both those parts your after..
doing well fella!!
ben
-
i forgot to mention two back doors.
-
any rust in the back doors?
cheers
ben
-
i think i will be using the spare door that come with.... their is a little bit of rust on the set that is on...
i will chose the better ones.
my mind is screaming plate the whole back.... i don't know what is involved with road worthy or engineers when you close the back off...
i will never use the back doors with the back being used for seating area for the kids so i suppose its a option i could look at.... looks good too...
-
Able
Think seriously about removing the rear doors, as it can be a real pain to only have the side door for access.
With the back seats in mine upright I have about 2 feet deepth for storage, eskies, cloths bags all the ancillary junk 4 kids can want to drag around, if you have to get to it via the side door.....well you will soon regret it :D
Warren
-
nah plate it man it will be sweet!!! dont listen to warren.. he is just practical kinda guy haha.. nah actually do listen to him.. hes a top fella!!
ben
-
HEY BEN, Have you got a tribe of kids??? Our Beddy is all closed up and I'm considering openning it up, just for the ease of access, i.e BBQ , More important The """ESKY"""".
We're too old t have a heap of these, :) :D ;D :( :o ::) :-[
Cheers Brian & Carole
-
nah man.. ive got no kids cause i married my van and i got black beddy spade so she cant have any kids.. but i still seem to adopt more and more beddies.. maybe one day ill be able to born beddies with all the fibreglass stuff im getting into! new fibreglass beddies wahoo!! see how we go with that lol
ben
-
nah man.. ive got no kids cause i married my van and i got black beddy spade so she cant have any kids.. but i still seem to adopt more and more beddies.. maybe one day ill be able to born beddies with all the fibreglass stuff im getting into! new fibreglass beddies wahoo!! see how we go with that lol
ben
I wondered what that ring of soot around your mouth was Ben, now I know :D
Benny the Bedophile ;D
Warren
-
i suppose i do not use the back door on my minivan because they had to put the gas tank there...
if i had a few feet without a tank i would use again....
their is enough room for tanks under bedfords so yer makes sense to keep the doors.
does look bloody good without though.... i should stop looking at all of your gallery's and concentrate on the reality that im doing up a practical everyday car and not a show car.
advice assimilated.
-
Able
After looking at you gallery all I can say is that it looks like you have a very clean, straight and prettywell rust free body.
I would advise not to over capitalise in the van, as you said it will be a daily driver, so spend your money on the important things, better brakes, sound deadening, carpet, good quality seats for the munchkins, maybe airco and in house DVD player.
Get a motor built to run straight gas, and get it on gas and it should last you for years
Are you thinking of putting any windows in the van ?
-
Please don't put windows in your van...
It's hard enough now to find a window free van.
I know it's only my opinion but no windows look GREAT :)
Janet
-
Yes Janet they do look good, but with a back full of kids on a trip, well youd go bonkaz :D
Warren
-
i have been thinking about the windows....
this is what i have come up.... please tell me if im off my rocker.
i was thinking of setting up cameras (like the flush reverse cameras) and having a plasma tv for the kids so that if they are not watching a movie they could look north, south, east or west with a flick of a switch\remote.
that way i don't need to buy windows or chop the van. (less access for rust)
i will have to have good aircon...
i like it with no windows but the kids deserve a view... of my rocker? :)
-
That does soud like a pretty groovy idea, but what if the kids wanna all look different ways at once? Maybe get a few DVDs? I put tiny little ports in the side of ours for the back seaters to view out if they wanna. But mostly the little fella wants to watch movies, play games or sleep. When the views not there you don't seem to mis it as much adn you don't have to worry about the sun belting in and burning your kids while they sleep leaning into the corner of the van. ;) Or all over each other squerming "get off me, don't sleep on me", "Daaaaad he's sleeping on meeee!". :D
-
and with no windows they have a legitimate case for asking "are we there yet?" ;)
-
Able
The cameras/LCD idea sounds good if you really don't want windows, plus you can plug a PS2/xbox etc into it.
But for day to day stuff, I find my kids like to see where they are.
I have windows down the passenger side, but not the drivers side, and if you talk about stuff as you drive along they can miss out.
Oh and I used to get arguments between the kids about someone else looking out "their" window :(
Warren
-
Yes, I guess kids in the back could be a problem. ???
Guess I'm coming from a old vanners opinion.
Many vanners hope to get their hands on a window free van and when we hear about peole wanting to cut windows into a window free van it makes us cringe.
But it's your van, do what's right for you and your family;D
-
HeHe
Windowless vans are for making Kids ;)
Windowfull vans are for carting the kids around - once theyve ben made :D
Warren
-
HeHe
Windowless vans are for making Kids ;)
Windowfull vans are for carting the kids around - once theyve ben made :D
Warren
Ben made? Wouldn't that be another little van? Otherwise known as a VSWB (Very Small Wheel Base) ;D
-
Opps, that was ment to Be "BEEN"
But Ben made sounds bettera :D
Warren
-
i could always put in four plasmas on the inside where the windows would have been and only have two cameras (left and right)
virtual windows anyone ;D
-
i could always put in four plasmas on the inside where the windows would have been and only have two cameras (left and right)
virtual windows anyone ;D
Sweet! ;D You could tell the kids it's bedtime and show images of the night sky ;)
-
Guess another idea would be to get a side door that already has a window.
I'm sure the windowless door would be easy to sell. ;D ;D
-
Guess another idea would be to get a side door that already has a window.
I'm sure the windowless door would be easy to sell. ;D ;D
There is someone on here that just replaced their window door for a windowless. Might still have the old side door available?
-
im happy windowless.
more protection from rust, more privacy...
my eldest girl is hitting the 15/16 mark and in the mini van at the lights you can get car loads of young drunk idiots hanging out of their rust buckets yelling all sorts of comments....
i will just have to get very good aircon for the summers.
i also thing no windows adds a little mystery....
-
Guess another idea would be to get a side door that already has a window.
I'm sure the windowless door would be easy to sell. ;D ;D
There is someone on here that just replaced their window door for a windowless. Might still have the old side door available?
It was HotRod up in Brissy who replaced the windowed door - see his gallery
Warren