FEBRUARY 2009

Each month we will be featuring a members car with photos and details.

FEBRUARY 2009

Postby jack thornton » February 3rd, 2009, 9:56 pm

Back to Car of the Month.

Well you've all read about it for months and, if you attended the Launch,
you will have seen it in all it's multi-coloured glory.
It is jointly owned by apbellamy and minimadmotorman and in their own words:


Our Van started of life in November 1987 as a BT Engineer's van,
covering the South Midlands & Chilterns district at Hemel Hempstead until March 1993.

After BT had finished with it, it passed into the hands of a builder for a couple of years.
The next owner kept it for 13 years, until it failed it's MOT to the point of being beyond economical repair.

Jack originally agreed to buy the Van from it's present owner, but passed it on to Me and John (luckily for him).

We collected the van and towed it 200 miles back to Rotherham.
We where fairly confident that we could sort the shortish list of things on the fail sheet.
Little did we know what was in store for us!


journey8.jpg
journey8.jpg (150.41 KiB) Viewed 1202 times

home1.jpg
home1.jpg (125.35 KiB) Viewed 1202 times


After 3 months spent welding up the underneath,


floor1.jpg
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floor5.jpg
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rear2.jpg
rear2.jpg (166.7 KiB) Viewed 1197 times

rear3.jpg
rear3.jpg (140.06 KiB) Viewed 1198 times

rear5.jpg
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rear12.jpg
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it sailed through it's MOT.


We were replacing a number of the exterior panels with some from a sadly departed MG Turbo as the originals where all rotten.
We decided to carry on the MG theme with Alloys and a body kit (when we get round to fitting it).


wheels4.jpg
wheels4.jpg (144.77 KiB) Viewed 1184 times


We also fitted a later Rover Metro GTA interior and the Turbo dash.


interior4.jpg
interior4.jpg (143.95 KiB) Viewed 1177 times


With the van road legal and looking the part, we turned to the mechanicals.
The original 998 wasn't up to the job, so we fitted a low mileage 1275,
a Stage 3 cylinder head, K&N Air filter and Janspeed exhaust. It's much more driveable now!


engine14.jpg
engine14.jpg (171.72 KiB) Viewed 1182 times


The van will spend the foreseeable future as a working van, but lugging car parts won't be it's only job.
In April 2009 it will be taking part in a 2500 mile banger rally across Europe.
Calais to Amsterdam in 4 days!
We will be using it as a good excuse to raise some money for a local hospice for terminal ill children.


http://www.justgiving.com/thecoyoterally

testflight.jpg
testflight.jpg (118.02 KiB) Viewed 1172 times

bodykit1.jpg
bodykit1.jpg (65.26 KiB) Viewed 1177 times


Back to Car of the Month.
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jack thornton
Club Secretary
 
Posts: 6382
Joined: January 27th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Whitchurch, Shropshire

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