Mercedes Vito W638 day van project
Discussion
Howdo all,
My first post here / long time lurker tho.
Spent a bit of time looking for a cheap van project to get stuck into this year - didn't really fancy a T4 as there are one or two of them about and fancied something a bit different in and around the same sort of budget. We looked at a few options (Bongos, etc) but settled on a Mercedes Vito which are plentiful and cheap and admittedly, mostly rubbish. I'm planning to turn it into a simple day van for a few weekends away, like what 99% of the country has these days
Just leaving this up as a bit of a build thread so I can track my progress.
Well, here it is:
Not the prettiest thing in the world but somewhere to start from.
Good bits:
Great engine/box etc, relatively low miles (130k), mechanically all seems sound for now at least. Most of the electrical stuff works.
Bad bits:
The usual terrible rust eating through just about everything, most of the door locks don't work, someone's had a go at painting it and it's not gone terribly well. I think it's been broken into at some point. Glow plug light is on. Oh, and it's the absolute rock bottom basic spec, manual windows an all. It's also absolutely filthy.
First jobs are giving everything a good scrub, then sorting out the interior to get it basically useable while I start swapping out the rusty panels.
Will update when I've done something
My first post here / long time lurker tho.
Spent a bit of time looking for a cheap van project to get stuck into this year - didn't really fancy a T4 as there are one or two of them about and fancied something a bit different in and around the same sort of budget. We looked at a few options (Bongos, etc) but settled on a Mercedes Vito which are plentiful and cheap and admittedly, mostly rubbish. I'm planning to turn it into a simple day van for a few weekends away, like what 99% of the country has these days
Just leaving this up as a bit of a build thread so I can track my progress.
Well, here it is:
Not the prettiest thing in the world but somewhere to start from.
Good bits:
Great engine/box etc, relatively low miles (130k), mechanically all seems sound for now at least. Most of the electrical stuff works.
Bad bits:
The usual terrible rust eating through just about everything, most of the door locks don't work, someone's had a go at painting it and it's not gone terribly well. I think it's been broken into at some point. Glow plug light is on. Oh, and it's the absolute rock bottom basic spec, manual windows an all. It's also absolutely filthy.
First jobs are giving everything a good scrub, then sorting out the interior to get it basically useable while I start swapping out the rusty panels.
Will update when I've done something
I've always fancied a Vito for the same reasons - don't fancy the whole VW thing and associated scene, and BMW never made a van (shame) so can't have one of those - so Merc always seemed like a good idea - but the horror stories I've heard about rust from 2000-2006 or thereabouts really put me off!
vsonix said:
I've always fancied a Vito for the same reasons - don't fancy the whole VW thing and associated scene, and BMW never made a van (shame) so can't have one of those - so Merc always seemed like a good idea - but the horror stories I've heard about rust from 2000-2006 or thereabouts really put me off!
Same here,like the Vito but the rust...vsonix said:
I've always fancied a Vito for the same reasons - don't fancy the whole VW thing and associated scene, and BMW never made a van (shame) so can't have one of those - so Merc always seemed like a good idea - but the horror stories I've heard about rust from 2000-2006 or thereabouts really put me off!
You can own a VW van without going all 'scene' you know. I don't have a garland hanging from my rear view mirrior, no air ride, no 22" wheels... I know what you mean though. 
Keep the thread updated OP, good luck tackling the rust!
Cheers all, was a bit worried I was going to be shouting into the void with this one.
Rust is definitely the Vito killer but I think most vans of this era suffered similarly. I don't think mine's too bad yet fortunately, to my eyes it needs a driver's door, some work on the rear arches and I would like to replace the front wings as they've started to bubble and it's probably all downhill from there. The tailgate is showing signs of rust where the dodgy paint job has flaked away. Apparently the previous owner had some welding done on the underside, it's heavily wax oiled.
Anyway, brief update. Removed the plumber-spec roof rack and fitted some V-Class alloys I picked up on eBay for £100, so... tada:
For another £40 I also picked up this:
The seller kindly threw in the upgraded support struts - as you can probably tell I'm very pleased with how cheap Vito bits are. This needs a bit of work, there's a small crease below the window and some dings near the numberplate recess so I have a bit of stuff to be going on with. It's completely rust free though :thumb:
Rust is definitely the Vito killer but I think most vans of this era suffered similarly. I don't think mine's too bad yet fortunately, to my eyes it needs a driver's door, some work on the rear arches and I would like to replace the front wings as they've started to bubble and it's probably all downhill from there. The tailgate is showing signs of rust where the dodgy paint job has flaked away. Apparently the previous owner had some welding done on the underside, it's heavily wax oiled.
Anyway, brief update. Removed the plumber-spec roof rack and fitted some V-Class alloys I picked up on eBay for £100, so... tada:
For another £40 I also picked up this:
The seller kindly threw in the upgraded support struts - as you can probably tell I'm very pleased with how cheap Vito bits are. This needs a bit of work, there's a small crease below the window and some dings near the numberplate recess so I have a bit of stuff to be going on with. It's completely rust free though :thumb:
Great stuff! - will be keen to see how this pans out 
These will make it look slightly younger, worth it for only a tenner (for both!)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-E-Class-W124-W2...
These will make it look slightly younger, worth it for only a tenner (for both!)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-E-Class-W124-W2...
Edited by KillerHERTZ on Wednesday 8th November 21:05
Good luck, I did a full on camper conversion on a Transit 3 years ago and it served us well.
All (non VW) vans rust, manufacturers respond to the market which is fleet buyers who'll keep them for a couple of years or 200k miles then replace, so they want cheap vans and don't care about longevity.
First thing I did was sort all the rust and use Dinitrol everywhere inside and out. Even so, rust prevention is a constant battle with vans.
The reason VWs are so popular is that they're galvanised, so suffer far less.
All (non VW) vans rust, manufacturers respond to the market which is fleet buyers who'll keep them for a couple of years or 200k miles then replace, so they want cheap vans and don't care about longevity.
First thing I did was sort all the rust and use Dinitrol everywhere inside and out. Even so, rust prevention is a constant battle with vans.
The reason VWs are so popular is that they're galvanised, so suffer far less.
Right, apologies for the lack of replies/updates (time flies!), have been doing stuff and it feels like I've spent a lot of hours on it but nothing has been hugely "visual" so I've collated the small bits together in an update post. I do wonder where the time's gone sometimes but that's the nature of these things I suppose...
It's been too cold to crack on with the bodywork so I've made a start on the interior. Had a look underneath and the floor is sound and there's just a bit of surface rust to deal with in the rear, so after hoovering out 20 years worth of discarded plumbers bits and grime I sanded off the brown bits and broke out the hammerite before getting on to the insulation.
Looking at the bare interior of a van is a bit intimidating to be honest, every job seems dependent on something else being finished. But you have to start somewhere, so I decided to get some carpet/insulation on the walls to warm things up a bit.
First off, knocked up a couple of simple trim panels for the inserts using 3mm fibreboard.
So onto the main job. I bought a package type deal with the carpet which included a few cans of heavy duty spray adhesive which seems up to the job. The actual fitting is not particularly technical but wrestling with 2m of heavy carpet is awkward, long winded and occasionally a bit frustrating, end result looks nice though. Will be boxing off the wheel wells so will come back to that later on, likewise the sliding doors which are rotten and need replacing. Total cost around £50 for carpet & adhesive, around a weekend's work at my snail's pace
Insulation is, apparently, an issue that generates a bit of discussion with people who know more about this stuff than I do, and some people spend an awful lot of money on it. Personally I'm not 100% convinced. I've seen conventional fibre-glass insulation used but I didn't fancy a mouldy van so I used what I had to hand and layered up 4/5 sheets of industrial strength bubble wrap into individual panels to fill the cavities in the wall. Scuse the out of order photo, forgot to take a picture before getting the carpet on.
Little bit homespun I know, but no-one's going to be looking at it and it fills the holes nicely... Total cost about £20 and probably at least as effective as some of the options out there - that said, I'm going to do something a little bit more conventional for the roof as that's where most of the heat is lost.
Next up I grabbed some cheap end of roll vinyl flooring from a well known auction site. Nothing particularly technical here, started off by cleaning up the existing sub floor (decided to retain this as it's in reasonably good nick, and stuck solid with some truly epic glue. Whoever fitted this meant it to stay fitted...).
Little bit too much adhesive tbh...
Finished off with some chequer plate stuff, did the other angles but forgot to take a picture. Not 100% delighted with this but it'll do for now.
Right, essay over, good work if you've made it this far. Next up, roof insulation, cladding, some bodywork (maybe)
It's been too cold to crack on with the bodywork so I've made a start on the interior. Had a look underneath and the floor is sound and there's just a bit of surface rust to deal with in the rear, so after hoovering out 20 years worth of discarded plumbers bits and grime I sanded off the brown bits and broke out the hammerite before getting on to the insulation.
Looking at the bare interior of a van is a bit intimidating to be honest, every job seems dependent on something else being finished. But you have to start somewhere, so I decided to get some carpet/insulation on the walls to warm things up a bit.
First off, knocked up a couple of simple trim panels for the inserts using 3mm fibreboard.
So onto the main job. I bought a package type deal with the carpet which included a few cans of heavy duty spray adhesive which seems up to the job. The actual fitting is not particularly technical but wrestling with 2m of heavy carpet is awkward, long winded and occasionally a bit frustrating, end result looks nice though. Will be boxing off the wheel wells so will come back to that later on, likewise the sliding doors which are rotten and need replacing. Total cost around £50 for carpet & adhesive, around a weekend's work at my snail's pace
Insulation is, apparently, an issue that generates a bit of discussion with people who know more about this stuff than I do, and some people spend an awful lot of money on it. Personally I'm not 100% convinced. I've seen conventional fibre-glass insulation used but I didn't fancy a mouldy van so I used what I had to hand and layered up 4/5 sheets of industrial strength bubble wrap into individual panels to fill the cavities in the wall. Scuse the out of order photo, forgot to take a picture before getting the carpet on.
Little bit homespun I know, but no-one's going to be looking at it and it fills the holes nicely... Total cost about £20 and probably at least as effective as some of the options out there - that said, I'm going to do something a little bit more conventional for the roof as that's where most of the heat is lost.
Next up I grabbed some cheap end of roll vinyl flooring from a well known auction site. Nothing particularly technical here, started off by cleaning up the existing sub floor (decided to retain this as it's in reasonably good nick, and stuck solid with some truly epic glue. Whoever fitted this meant it to stay fitted...).
Little bit too much adhesive tbh...
Finished off with some chequer plate stuff, did the other angles but forgot to take a picture. Not 100% delighted with this but it'll do for now.
Right, essay over, good work if you've made it this far. Next up, roof insulation, cladding, some bodywork (maybe)
Benjijames28 said:
What's the goal then?
Just something for the odd week/weekend adventure at the coast/mountains. I work away a lot over distance so it would be useful to have something I can crash in between jobs too, rather than endlessly slogging it up/down the M6 as present.KillerHERTZ said:
Great stuff! - will be keen to see how this pans out
These will make it look slightly younger, worth it for only a tenner (for both!)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-E-Class-W124-W2...
Ha, least of my worries These will make it look slightly younger, worth it for only a tenner (for both!)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-E-Class-W124-W2...
Edited by KillerHERTZ on Wednesday 8th November 21:05
Mark Benson said:
Good luck, I did a full on camper conversion on a Transit 3 years ago and it served us well.
All (non VW) vans rust, manufacturers respond to the market which is fleet buyers who'll keep them for a couple of years or 200k miles then replace, so they want cheap vans and don't care about longevity.
First thing I did was sort all the rust and use Dinitrol everywhere inside and out. Even so, rust prevention is a constant battle with vans.
The reason VWs are so popular is that they're galvanised, so suffer far less.
Cheers Mark. Had a look at a couple of transits, would have been my first option, but would have needed to spend a bit more to get something half decent. Saw plenty of rusty T4's too though, so decided they were probably all much of a muchness.All (non VW) vans rust, manufacturers respond to the market which is fleet buyers who'll keep them for a couple of years or 200k miles then replace, so they want cheap vans and don't care about longevity.
First thing I did was sort all the rust and use Dinitrol everywhere inside and out. Even so, rust prevention is a constant battle with vans.
The reason VWs are so popular is that they're galvanised, so suffer far less.
Not really into vans...but this is a good read !!
No idea what engine you have in there, but I presume it is tuneable to some extent, either to increase mpg or power, or a bit of both perhaps ?
These modern vans seem to have more than enough 'grunt ' ....they seem to fly down the motorways anyway !!
Keep the updates !
No idea what engine you have in there, but I presume it is tuneable to some extent, either to increase mpg or power, or a bit of both perhaps ?
These modern vans seem to have more than enough 'grunt ' ....they seem to fly down the motorways anyway !!
Keep the updates !
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