Body work

[cmm303]

Body work - I know nothing! My 20yr old Bongo has been patched, had new wheel arches which are now bubbling at the bottoms. I've been told the cross members are good but it has plenty of signs of the dreaded metal cancer underneath and on top, like round the windscreen. I didn't pay a great deal for it 4 yrs ago so could justify spending a fair amount if it gave it another 6-10 yrs of life. Drove around a few locally recommended bodyshops yesterday, from a small place that couldn't fit the bongo in to huge multi-car paint shops. All said they don't do rust work, i.e. cutting out, fabricating and treating. I wanted a ball park figure so I can make a decision whether to starve it of funds and run it into the ground or maintain it with a view to it still being around in 6+ years.

I see experts, past and present (Bongolia comes to mind!) doing this sort of work or talking about it on here, but am I after work that is no longer commercially available? Recommendations / suggestions very welcome.

P.S. This comes after a visit to the motorhome exhibition which makes you realise what a unique (and cheap, but shhh don't tell Bertie) vehicle we have in the Bongo.

[winchman]

Try a landcover forum you will find a local bloke who will weld on his drive a lot cheaper, we have one locally who saved my discovery, Two new box section sills, new rear cross member, patches on the chassis and floor all for £400, garage wanted more than that for the sills alone

[Bob]

Might be worth travelling to Ian Taylor or Forum member Kloonsey, both well thought of.

[g8dhe]

Your closer to Discount Trucks (aka Gerry and Fred) than I am! There doing my machine at present including arches a bit of sill and the roof line;
http://www.g8dhe.net/bongo_images/tin_worm/

[cmm303]

Thanks all, as always very helpful.
Didn't realise Discount Trucks did bodywork. I'll certainly enquire. Geoff, did you strip out the interior or was that part of their service?
Just had a Mobile mechanic/welder on phone who knows Bongos - would weld on drive then I'd need somebody to do any undersealing and a bodyshop to do the finishing and painting.
Heard via FB of a classic car restorer in Cardiff who has done a lot of work on a Bongo at a very fair price.

Liking the choices. Also does demonstrate that Bongos don't have to die because of rust. And I kinda like these old ones. It has an accelerator cable!

[Bob]

Someone on here recomended these guys in Clevedon a while back:

http://www.mooresmotorcars.co.uk/

I can't remember exactly what he had done but was pleased with it. He said they didn't know a huge amount about Bongos but being VW specialists do know a lot about rust and were happy to do it.

Since the work won't involve the cooling system I'd trust them.

[g8dhe]

Geoff, did you strip out the interior or was that part of their service?

They can do the arches without removing the side conversion, they have a technique it seems One stands by with an extinguisher ready to put out the flames should it be necessary! Although with petrol versions they have to drop the petrol tank Gerry said, but it didn't seem to cause them any problems, even without top access due to the flooring.
So all I did was empty the van of all "bits" from cupboards and storage and gas cylinder, the rest I left t them!

[cmm303]

Excellent!
Good to hear they don't need 3, with no. 3 by the phone ready to call the fire brigade

[cmm303]

Someone on here recomended these guys in Clevedon a while back:

http://www.mooresmotorcars.co.uk/

I can't remember exactly what he had done but was pleased with it. He said they didn't know a huge amount about Bongos but being VW specialists do know a lot about rust and were happy to do it.

Since the work won't involve the cooling system I'd trust them.

Ta Bob. It assumes the floor by the rear heater isn't touched yet.

[Bob]

Good point.