Mercedes vario 814 self build bus to FLT palace

Where? passenger side where the steps used to be?!!!
 
Jamesh said:
Where? passenger side where the steps used to be?!!!
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Yeah ...theres a buddy seat in there wt the minute which overhangs the big hole in the floor 😁

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I have the step and wheel arch on order but having trouble getting the sills and inner sills ☹️ they may have to be fabricated from scratch
 
Eggs said:
Can't make omelette without breaking eggs.
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Yep i keep saying that too. Theres no point in putting a wad of cash in to a van that isnt structurally sound ...ive seen a few of these builds that just seem to ignore the body etc and its going to cause probs in the future. Much easier to weld an empty shell than it is with a load of flamable stuff in it.

Although i have to admit its a bit daunting seeing it in its present state
 
Langtoftlad said:
At this rate... you'll be able to get it rated at under 3500 kgs...
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It apparently still weighs about 4250kg at the minute . Thats what the scrap dealer weigh bridge said anyway. But once its all welded back up it will be fine.
 
I've gotta ask, with all the work you're having to do wouldn't it have been better to have paid a bit more and got one that didn't need so much work?

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Great progress Tam! Having started with a lot of rust,by the time she’s done you’ll know exactly what you’ve got. If you’d started with something better you’d could have left a lot of trouble hidden.
 
Minxy Girl said:
I've gotta ask, with all the work you're having to do wouldn't it have been better to have paid a bit more and got one that didn't need so much work?
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Couldn't find one ...panel vans are rare in the uk ...ones with a side barndoor rather than a slider even rarer. Did find a few in germany around the 10k mark with similar mileage etc but you then needed to add another 3 grand to that to import it . Lots of busses came up for sale in the uk but regardless of condition id still have had to remove seats , interior etc . I wanted one with the tailgate rather than draughty rear doors and i wanted the 7.5 tonne ...many are only 6 tonne ...so thats how i ended up with this one. Granted theres more welding required than i innitially thought but at least when its all done ill have a solid base vehicle to build on and the load capacity i need for carrying a motorbike etc. Think it might take longer than 6 months to build though ...i may well be travelling next winter with a mattress in the back 😁
 
Podney said:
Great progress Tam! Having started with a lot of rust,by the time she’s done you’ll know exactly what you’ve got. If you’d started with something better you’d could have left a lot of trouble hidden.
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Yes i agree ...theres been a few came up on eBay since i bought this ...and theres still no guarantee whats under a fresh coat of paint. The engine and chassis on this one are sound ...and passing a dvsa inspected mot with only the brake problem due to the lack of weight means its a pretty good base despite not looking like it at present. I could have bodged a lot of the bodywork and just started fitting an interior etc but its never been my way....even my old VW's got torn down before rebuilding
102.JPG
 
Not sure if you've thought what you're doing for the bike rack but I heard today that box section prices are going to jump up soon. So if you were gonna get some, the sooner the better.
 
monzer said:
Not sure if you've thought what you're doing for the bike rack but I heard today that box section prices are going to jump up soon. So if you were gonna get some, the sooner the better.
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Nowhere to store it unfortunately.
 
Those merc sprinter seats i bought for the cab unfortunately don't fit ... despite the vario being wider than a sprinter the gearstick is floor mounted rather than dash mounted and theres not enough room for the storage base which is a shame. So its back to the drawing board on that score ....but ive just sold the sprinter ones for £150 so thats a nice tidy profit of £120 for nowt 😁
 
Northernraider said:
Those merc sprinter seats i bought for the cab unfortunately don't fit ... despite the vario being wider than a sprinter the gearstick is floor mounted rather than dash mounted and theres not enough room for the storage base which is a shame. So its back to the drawing board on that score ....but ive just sold the sprinter ones for £150 so thats a nice tidy profit of £120 for nowt 😁
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How about VW transporter ones got to be Slimer?

I can measure if you want?

Just put the bins out 28x18 at seat level (double)

24x14 at floor level....

Cheers James
 
Jamesh said:
How about VW transporter ones got to be Slimer?

I can measure if you want?

Just put the bins out 28x18 at seat level (double)

24x14 at floor level....

Cheers James
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Yeah i thought about them ...will measure the space later once ive put a floor back in .
 
Podney said:
Great progress Tam! Having started with a lot of rust,by the time she’s done you’ll know exactly what you’ve got. If you’d started with something better you’d could have left a lot of trouble hidden.
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Couldnt agree more. Much better to buy one that hasnt been tarted up and this one definitely hadnt :LOL: .

keep at it Northernraider it must be a bit daunting atm but keep doing it right and you will end up with a usable MH that will last for years. not like the video of the flouncy impractical fashion statement that was posted earlier "we converted it in under 6 weeks ,forgot to put the water heater in but it has got 2 USB charging points??" !!
 
Looking forward to your progress on this build Tam.
Good luck and hope all goes well for you.
 

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