The College Minivan Part 2
Update! 1st April (honest!)
Frank and I sat looking at it one afternoon, whilst having yet another brew and he remarked on the rather poorly fitted 'A' panels. I had to agree, and the screen lowers were a bit ropey too - oh! and those wings are a bit of an eyesore aren't they? I had a really good look around the rest of it and came to the conclusion that 'A' panels, wings and a careful prep, would have it ready for a nice fresh coat of paint before the season starts! I bought a pair of genuine wings from Dutton-Forshaw Rover and the inner and outer 'A' panels and windscreen repair pieces from Minisport at Padiham. I am amazed at the condition of the original van front panel so I left that alone. I ripped into it with a thin cutting disc on the angle grinder and easily removed the wings and A panels. The shell was quite good in its main structure, so the parts mentioned above will be all that need replacing. I will say at this point that this van has spent most of its life under cover, usually in a heated workshop, and was washed and hosed underneath on a regular basis. Only in recent years has it been allowed to gather mud under the wings, with not enough time allowed for the TLC which it had in its early life. If sentimentality is pushed aside, then you could certainly say it has earned its keep!
This is how it looks today (5th April), there is very little serious rust on the inner wings but a couple of areas will be dealt with around the inner edge of the new interior A panels
