brock
Full Member
Posts: 101
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Post by brock on Aug 20, 2011 16:10:24 GMT 10
Folks, I have seen a very original zestline that ticks all my boxes - issue is the draw bar is rusted through - Can anyone tell me the best way to approach this? So far I have come up with - *walk away from the van in the hope that a better one will turn up? *separate the body from the frame - somehow  - and then get an undercarriage made at the local trailer joint? Or is there some other way? Any ideas and hints most gratefully accepted - because - OH MY GOD IT'S A ZESTLINE!!!!!  |
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Post by bobandjacqui on Aug 20, 2011 16:44:18 GMT 10
Hey Brock, I think you answered your own question It's A Zestline ;D ;D ;D They are very thin on the ground and if the draw bar is the only issue get someone that does steel fabricaton to have a look at it before you part with your hard earned cash. That's my two bob's worth  ;D ;D ;D Cheers Bob |
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Post by kaybee on Aug 20, 2011 16:44:47 GMT 10
Hi Brock , it's a bit hard to make comment without knowing the extent of the problem, some pics of the affected area might help. Most likely scenario though is as you said, separate the body and frame. It's probably do-able, but if you have to have someone do it professionally it might very quickly become too expensive , often jobs like these are fine if you can do it yourself but not so good if you're outsourcing. The other thing you might want to think about is the condition of the rest of the steelwork.....given that drawbars are often of heavier material than the rest of the frame, you'd want to make sure the remaining metal isn't affected by rust too......Col.
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Post by overlanda on Aug 21, 2011 21:26:01 GMT 10
Hi Brock We have replaced lots of draw bars and part chassis rails and lots of other bits over the years but it is very hard to put a price on it without seeing what has to happen and how far the damage has gone . The other problem is that in most workshops they cannot jack the van high enough to work and weld on them so you are crawling on your back and getting covered in red hot sparks ( they can hurt for a long time) so a lot of places are not interested in looking at that type of work .We have a jacking system that can lift 6 ton and 1.8 meters high so we can lift most vans and work safely under them but unfortunately this comes at a price . Regards Gerald
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brock
Full Member
Posts: 101
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Post by brock on Aug 22, 2011 9:27:41 GMT 10
Hi folks, thanks for all the info While from a very rough inspection the chassis looks ok, the draw bar is completely fundamentally fadoodalated  I hope to get pics up later tongiht now I am back in town. I anticipate that the ideal scenario is to figure a way to separate the body, jack that up and remove the entire undercarriage and get a trailer shop/handy guy to make a whole new one and slip that back in. how hard can it be?!!! ;D ;D ;D Still waiting to hear if the people will sell, and how much they want for it. |
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- and then get an undercarriage made at the local trailer joint?
