ROAD TO NOWHERE?

Poor old Debby.

She has now been well and truly stripped down.

Before the great engine massacre

Even with just her one metal body panel removed, Debby's front end was fully exposed. Under the bonnet, the engine bay consisted of two vent ducts up each side. The pressed metal ducts provide the support for the front end structure. They were in an acceptable condition but were rotten where they met the floor for driver and passenger footwells. This meant they had to go.

A column shift gearbox was never going to be viable for our needs so we decided early on we wanted a more modern drive train with automatic transmission, which will no doubt upset a number of classic car enthusiasts...

We were given a Ford Granada 2.0 to try for size, it wasn't in good shape but it came in useful for sizing. The Ford lump was just that little bit too big. We wanted something petrol, reliable, lightweight, rear wheel drive, cheap, plentiful and around the 1600cc size as the original. The engine that sprung immediately to mind was the Mazda MX5. With the decision made we removed Debby’s engine.

Out with the old engine

With the engine out and sold onto another Debonair fanatic (who promised to take care of her) we had good access to continue removing rotten metal; a task Phil undertook with boundless enthusiasm and countless grinding discs.

Once everything under the bonnet was clear, we turned our attentions to the rest of the afflicted metal around the front. The windscreen surround and dashboard are one component on these Bedford CA vans and this was also rotten where water had been trapped. This too was removed for restoration purposes.

Dash and Windscreen Component

In short our beloved van was left with no engine, radiator, fuel tank, drive shaft, dash, floor, interior walls or headline...for now she was a mere shell.