Less than a week ago, I hard a co-worker mention that her boyfriend was going to scrap his old Transit in 2 days because it won't pass a TK (Technická Kontrola = technical check, similar to a "MOT" in the UK) and someone offered him 2200 Kč (92 €) for it. So I got his number and offered him 2500 Kč (105 €) because I just happened to need to bring home some large things that wouldn't fit in my little Yaris... Well, we talked for a while and I now own a van.
It had sat for several years and been neglected for even longer than that, so it's about what you'd expect: Rusty arches and sills, the bottom of one of the rear doors rusted off and the other is bent and won't open, and the ends of the floor rails will need some welding too (but just the ends, the rest is surprisingly solid!), the front tyres need to go ASAP, the speedometer doesn't work (although the odometer somehow does) etc. Not great but not too bad for what was literally the cheapest driveable van in the country (the next cheapest one costs twice as much and isn't any better). The engine seems to be alright, the brakes work (the front pads and rotors were replaced a few thousand km ago), there's no play in the steering (unlike the gearbox!) and no vibration. All I've done so far was replacing the battery (only because the previous owner wanted it back to put into another car) and pouring in a few litres of diesel that I'd poured out of another car's rusted tank.
The goal of this project is to repair ALL the rust, then clean and treat any remaining surface rust and paint the whole thing blue. And, of course, replace all the fluids and any worn/damaged parts. I also want to do some small modifications like replacing the side panels in the cargo area with aluminium sheets and adding lots of anchor points to the floor so that I can actually strap things to it properly. The engine/gearbox will also have to be reworked somehow, they're far too soft and I don't like it.
It had sat for several years and been neglected for even longer than that, so it's about what you'd expect: Rusty arches and sills, the bottom of one of the rear doors rusted off and the other is bent and won't open, and the ends of the floor rails will need some welding too (but just the ends, the rest is surprisingly solid!), the front tyres need to go ASAP, the speedometer doesn't work (although the odometer somehow does) etc. Not great but not too bad for what was literally the cheapest driveable van in the country (the next cheapest one costs twice as much and isn't any better). The engine seems to be alright, the brakes work (the front pads and rotors were replaced a few thousand km ago), there's no play in the steering (unlike the gearbox!) and no vibration. All I've done so far was replacing the battery (only because the previous owner wanted it back to put into another car) and pouring in a few litres of diesel that I'd poured out of another car's rusted tank.
The goal of this project is to repair ALL the rust, then clean and treat any remaining surface rust and paint the whole thing blue. And, of course, replace all the fluids and any worn/damaged parts. I also want to do some small modifications like replacing the side panels in the cargo area with aluminium sheets and adding lots of anchor points to the floor so that I can actually strap things to it properly. The engine/gearbox will also have to be reworked somehow, they're far too soft and I don't like it.