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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline |
Advice - new member Afternoon all,I recently purchased a Bedford CF 250 Autosleeper as a project (I've always liked the way they look since I was a kid), and while I knew I was buying taking a punt on a rust bucket I have just discovered just how much of a rust bucket! I have taken it to a local restorer (as while I have a garage and can do a lot of the internal work, I really don't have the equipment or knowledge to restore anything serious on the body work). Seems a very straight up guy, doesn't (appear) to be taking me for a ride but then this isn't my area of expertise. Basically he seems to think that basically all the wheel arches are completely knackered, along with the bottom of almost every panel, including the entire front window surround and bonnet. He seems very straight up, and from what I can see when I look further I can't disagree with his assessment. Assuming we find a few replacement parts (one question I have later), he seems to think it will take around 400-500 hrs of effort to get it back to the point that I won't have to patch weld it every year to pass the MOT (including the whole thing re-sprayed back to it's original state). At around £40/hr that would put it at £20k to get it back on the road restored and rust free, but with me still to re-do the camper interior. Needless to say this is beyond what I originally expected, so am after some advice. 1. Are there specialist Bedford garages / restorers who know how to get hold of parts etc. so it would take less overall hours if I took it to them? I would love to have the room and equipment to do it myself, but it just isn't feasible. I don't want it to be show quality, I just want to get another solid 10 years out of it while my young family is growing up (so am not looking to get my money back, just value for money out of it over the longer term). 2. What is the going rate for someone to fix up an old rust bucket like this? £40 / hr (this is in West London) seems expensive to me, but I have nothing to compare it to. 3. What is the availability of parts - e.g. front doors, bonnets, window frames, pre-fab wheel arches etc. Is it a case of me locating scrap yards that are breaking old Bedfords and being lucky? e.g. if I do get this guy to start do you think it feasible that as we encounter pieces that just can't be repaired finding a replacement that is less buggered? 4. Any advice re. what I could offer to do to reduce the cost (e.g. areas where we can do something cheap and cheerful that won't make a big difference)? Thanks in advance for any help or assistance, I'd really like to restore this car but my wife will never let me spend that much on it :) Clifton |
 Mon 23 Dec 2013 @ 14:12
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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline |
Hello Clifton, Welcome to CFUK and to Bedford ownership. I don't doubt for a minute that your restorer contact is being very honest about the amount of time and money he would require to make your van showroom perfect and weatherproof. Bedford's are old and they go rusty. I purchased mine in 2010 and it was rusty. It had some chronic panel damage too. I had every intention, like you, to restore it and drive a near-perfect Bedford. Its now 2014 and my van is as rusty as it was back then, with the same panel damage. Its a terribly expensive game this restoration business. A much cheaper option, in my experience, is to lower your expectations, do what you can with rust removing agents, filler and rust proofing paints, take each MOT as it comes and deal only with the pressing problems, and just try to enjoy it for what it is... A rare van and in my opinion the best looking British van produced in the 70's and 80's and thereafter. So its a rust box. Most of our vans on cfuk are. We love them though. ---------------------- |
Mon 23 Dec 2013 @ 19:14
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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline |
As for spare parts... Adrian bailey at roverland is the go-to supplier for all parts. For anything he hasn't got try eBay or breaker yard search websites. Some parts are easy to obtain, some are almost impossible. It helps to have a catalogue of reference numbers as some parts can still be obtained from stock through professional car part suppliers. ---------------------- |
Mon 23 Dec 2013 @ 19:17
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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline |
Thanks spookytim, very sage advice! The only worry I have is that any effort expended making the interior good will then be undone at some point by needing to repair major body work or having pieces fall off as we bump down some off beaten track my wife insists is actually a road and we absolutely must travel down! |
Mon 23 Dec 2013 @ 19:58
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bluebedouin Global Moderator Posts : 2444 Location : Northampton,England. Status : Offline 
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I can only reiterate what Tim's already said.We had our van for almost 14 years & spent about ten grand altogether.Just do the important bits first & keep it on the road as long as possible.Although there wasn't a lot of rust on ours, here's an idea of what can be accomplished with a ---------------------- |
Mon 23 Dec 2013 @ 20:53
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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline |
Thanks, that really helps keep things in perspective. I'm going to go back to my original plan of stripping the interior (to then rebuild), deal with anything structural that's a standout issue once I have it completely stripped back and can see everything, and call in the experts when needed :) first things first are getting it completely water tight, especially considering the weather at the moment! |
Tue 24 Dec 2013 @ 11:32
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bluebedouin Global Moderator Posts : 2444 Location : Northampton,England. Status : Offline
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A good investment would be a welder & if you need them lessons.Unless you want to get it back to original condition,any old piece of metal will do to bridge a hole & then patch up with filler.Unless it's structural of course. I'm no great shakes at welding but the finished article wasn't too bad.A coat of paint works wonders! 
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Tue 24 Dec 2013 @ 14:05
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