T2 611D rotting scuttle panel advice required, please?

[gregcashbrown]

Hello all,
I'm considering buying a 1997 T2 which has been pretty well looked after and had some recent welding done, however the scuttle panel is pretty gone at the driver's side upper corner and going elsewhere, and as I understand this requires the windscreen to be removed I could really do with knowing approximately how many hours it would take a bodyshop to repair it?

Any opinions from those in the know would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg.

 

[clarkmichigan55b]

Good afternoon and welcome,
A lot of time and effort to do a job like this and also are the panel/s still available from Mercedes. If the rest of the vehicle is as bad i would walk away and find another vehicle.
I Know your vehicle is a T2 but it gives you an idea of the work involved i have enclosed a link to 6 D Diesels who has just finished a T1 van like mine and his videos of the work involved in doing the job.
Hope this helps.

 

[Rockron]

The panel under the windscreen is simple to remove it's not actually a scuttle but a cover/rain shield. A job that doesn't require more than basic DIY skills assuming no rusty screw dilemmas, no more than an hour or so to complete.
Unbolt and remove the wiperarms
Unscrew the 2 plastic weather cover discs off the wiper spindles
Remove the 4 screws securing the cover panel.
At each end of the panel is a small plastic grille secured with screws can be a little tricky removing these.
Remove the rubber seal running along the leading edge of the cover panel which secures it to the front flange of the steel scuttle below.
The panel can now be removed the rear flange just tucks under the windscreen rubber by a few mm. easily pulled away.
When you remove this cover panel/rain shield the steel body scuttle panel below windscreen is revealed.
Be prepared to sight a load of rust, unless you're very lucky. Unfortunately this is one of the areas that rust invariably gets a real hold on aT2
The windscreen isn't difficult too remove, just a conventional rubber seal, dry fit. No sealer or adhesives. And yes I've carried out removal and refit several times, twice solo. But it is large & bleeding heavy of course!
If I have any relevant pics I'll post up on this thread.

 

[gregcashbrown]

Good afternoon and welcome,
A lot of time and effort to do a job like this and also are the panel/s still available from Mercedes. If the rest of the vehicle is as bad i would walk away and find another vehicle.
I Know your vehicle is a T2 but it gives you an idea of the work involved i have enclosed a link to 6 D Diesels who has just finished a T1 van like mine and his videos of the work involved in doing the job.
Hope this helps.

Thank you, and as although some of the areas renowned for rust have been replaced or welded, such as arches, and the bulkhead from the inside looks as though it may be good, I've seen other bits such as a quarterlight and step that need welding, and given what I now know to be the T2/Vario's reputation for rusting and my lack of welding ability or facilities it might be more than I'm willing to take on.

 

[gregcashbrown]

The panel under the windscreen is simple to remove it's not actually a scuttle but a cover/rain shield. A job that doesn't require more than basic DIY skills assuming no rusty screw dilemmas, no more than an hour or so to complete.
Unbolt and remove the wiperarms
Unscrew the 2 plastic weather cover discs off the wiper spindles
Remove the 4 screws securing the cover panel.
At each end of the panel is a small plastic grille secured with screws can be a little tricky removing these.
Remove the rubber seal running along the leading edge of the cover panel which secures it to the front flange of the steel scuttle below.
The panel can now be removed the rear flange just tucks under the windscreen rubber by a few mm. easily pulled away.
When you remove this cover panel/rain shield the steel body scuttle panel below windscreen is revealed.
Be prepared to sight a load of rust, unless you're very lucky. Unfortunately this is one of the areas that rust invariably gets a real hold on aT2
The windscreen isn't difficult too remove, just a conventional rubber seal, dry fit. No sealer or adhesives. And yes I've carried out removal and refit several times, twice solo. But it is large & bleeding heavy of course!
If I have any relevant pics I'll post up on this thread.

Thank you, and that's very helpful, and although the bulkhead looks ok from inside the van I wouldn't base a decision to buy it from this, however the fact that the rain cover can be removed to inspect the bulkhead might mean that the owner might be tempted to do this in an attempt to facilitate a sale.

As one mentioned in a previous reply, however, rust elsewhere, this model's reputation for rust, and my inability to fix bodywork myself may win the day.

 

[gregcashbrown]

On a side note, and related to a comment as to the availability of body panels, how generally available are spares parts for T2s?

Based on my checks they seemed to be surprisingly available, however maybe I wasn't checking the most relevant examples?

 

[Rockron]

The T2/Vario body is notorious for body rot as you are well aware. You can 'normally' expect the sills (double skin), wheel arches & valances to go first, followed by A pillars & front scuttle. On the other hand the load floor never rusts......18mm top quality marine ply!
Unless someone values their time cheaply and can weld (light gauge panels in particular}, then it's very likely to be a very costly job to remedy the rust problems almost inevitably to be found on a 26 yoa van. However this particular van might be the exception

Mercedes held some panels at least up to a few years ago when I ordered rear valance and windscreen outerframe.
ebay have eastern Europe sourced replacement sills and wheel arch repair part panels available, I've never used these, but was informed they are not the ideal fit and may take a bit of fettling, also the gauge is on the light side.

 

[gregcashbrown]

The T2/Vario body is notorious for body rot as you are well aware. You can 'normally' expect the sills (double skin), wheel arches & valances to go first, followed by A pillars & front scuttle. On the other hand the load floor never rusts......18mm top quality marine ply!
Unless someone values their time cheaply and can weld (light gauge panels in particular}, then it's very likely to be a very costly job to remedy the rust problems almost inevitably to be found on a 26 yoa van. However this particular van might be the exception

Mercedes held some panels at least up to a few years ago when I ordered rear valance and windscreen outerframe.
ebay have eastern Europe sourced replacement sills and wheel arch repair part panels available, I've never used these, but was informed they are not the ideal fit and may take a bit of fettling, also the gauge is on the light side.

It's had a fair bit of welding done recently, which when I was unaware of their reputation for rust assumed might mean no more would be required for a while, however it seems as though that unless every bit of original bodywork has been replaced that this is probably wishful thinking.

It's a pity this is such a foible of those vans, as otherwise it's perfect as a vehicle that combines many of the advantages of campervans and motorhomes, and for me has an undeniable charm.

 

[Rockron]

I think you might find it very difficult to obtain a relatively rust free example nowadays. The last T2 Vario sold in the UK was in 2013.
So the youngest is going to be around a decade old, enough time for the rot to get a hold.
Possibly the best option would be to consider a factory built motorhome such as manuf. by Clou, RMB, Vario, Phoenix all German and all LHD, many of their motorhomes are based on T2 chassis.
There was a major change made in the Type2 mid 90s, the venerable 4.0L non electronic om364 was phased out and the Type2 became the Type2 Vario with 4.25L electronic managed engine, all to meet Euro 3, 4, etc standards. Also wing and grille panel were design tweaked a little, otherwise the body generally was exactly the same.