I have been doing lots of small jobs not much that looks good for picture but essential to rebuild the van. This week i got a few big jobs done, the main one is the AAZ engine is now in position, its not wired or plumbed yet but i only got it in Friday then the big freeze happened and its just too cold to be in the garage at the moment.

i started putting the front of the van together, got the front light bar on, the SA grill, the clear indicators, i haven’t put the top grill on yet as it will need to come off again to bleed the cooling system

i got my wheels on too, the tyres will need to be changed for commerical tyres but it will be fine while i’m rolling it would the garage.

you can also see the side bars i made up in the photo above

i also started making up the door cards, i have the front two made, i still have to make the rear two

so i think thats where i am at the moment, the finish line is getting closer but there is still a lot to do

oh i also got the the van completely rewired, took all the old wiring loom out, put in a diesel loom, remote central locking, immobiliser, bluetooth car kit and stereo system, as well as wiring in my front lights and rear load bed lights

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As you can see the outside of the van is getting there, all the windows are tinted and back in the van. They even got a hose turned on them and so far no leaks but the real test will be when i start driving the van again.

I also got the light bar painted and installed.

The underside of the van is also nearly done.

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Its just the inside of the van and the backs of the dropsides but its a start.

the dropsides look rough because they are!! they where coated with stonechip on the inside before i primered and painted them

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We spent most of the week doing body work, anyone who has undertaken this type will know its fill, sand, fill sand, sand some more, fill a little more sand a little more.

I also had to do some work on the locker door, I got new doors but one of them was so full with filler that drastic action was needed.

Here was the original.

I cut the skin off the old which wasn’t bad but the frame was rusted.

Marked it off on the new door, cut out and replace. A lick of filler and it was job done.

Today it so nice and warm that I decided to prime the body. It turned out well but highlighted a few spots that will need a little bit more work.

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I’m going to have to try remember what i have done in the mean time.

Well i do remember doing the locker floor and and load bed, both where cleaned off with wire brushed and then stone chipped.

I don’t have any picture of the locker floor, but i do have the weld on a new catch for the door. After the load bed the focus shifted to the inside, i want to start getting the interior ready for paint but stumbled across a problem straight away. The caravelle seat it a tight fit in the doka, too tight, especially when i wanted to raise it up a couple of inches to fit a speaker system in underneath the seat. When raising the seat I also have to make a mounting system to mount the seat to which will have to be welding in place which is why all this had to be finalised before i could start painting the interior.

First set was to create the speaker box so i knew how high the seat needed to be. This was the first attempt but the boxes where too high and even my feet where dangling so i had to redesign the sub boxes to give me a lower height but still the same volume of air inside so there would sound their best.

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00325-20100429-2030-500×375.jpg[/img]

You can see the height difference between the first and second attempt.

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00327-20100430-1335-500×375.jpg[/img]

This is the finished box.
[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00336-20100504-1247-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00334-20100504-1247-500×375.jpg[/img]

Now i had the height of the seat base, i could figure out the height for the back of the seat. Surprise surprise, another problem the seat back was too wide for the van and the door wouldn’t close. Lowering the seat again wasn’t an option as I wanted the speaker system but i had to have a narrower seat back. Out came the grinder and welder!!

I took off the seat cover to expose the metal frame, cut about 1 and half inches off the frame and welded it back together. Repeated on the other side.

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00329-20100430-1516-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00330-20100430-1521-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00331-20100430-1525-500×375.jpg[/img]

With the cover back on you’d never notice the difference and now i have enough clearance for the door to close comfortably.

I decided to finish the speaker box just to have it DONE.

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00338-20100504-2147-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00342-20100504-2224-500×375.jpg[/img]

Now i could finish getting the interior ready for painting. The floor was cleaned and stonechipped.
[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00361-20100511-1803-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00362-20100511-1804-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00363-20100511-1804-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00364-20100511-1804-500×375.jpg[/img]

As you can see the rest still has to be primered and painted red but the focus had to change again. I got a loan of a pipe bender so i had to make the light bars while i had the opportunity. It was my first time trying to bend pipe and there was a few lessons to learn. Firstly when using 2″ pipe, don’t use the 2″ former if you do the pipe will kink.

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00352-20100510-1356-500×375.jpg[/img]

The 1.5 inch former works well for 2″ pipe, don’t ask me why but it does.
[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00355-20100510-2036-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00365-20100511-18051-500×375.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.gacurley.com/cars/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IMG00359-20100511-1803-500×375.jpg[/img]

So thats where things stand at the moment. I have had some help with the van, my brother in law stephen has been idle since he came back from Oz so he have been a second set of hands for the last few jobs.

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I had also cut off the tail gates, i’ll have to figure out a way of putting them on again but the pins where ceased in the hinges but i’ll sort it out in time.

I also cleaned off my workbench!!! Should have taken pictures to prove it.

Next while i’ll be sanding the body if anyone wants to help your more than welcome!!

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