Forest Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 forest - i'm not sure on the wheel choice either. i ran orion ghia / xr4i pepperpots on the last van and they seemed to suit it much better and look bigger, despite being the same size. they are in the shed and may be changed over at some point. i didn't make a straight swap as all 4 toyos on them were nearing the end of their lives... at least the mk5 xr3i jobs that are on there are completely and totally mint and, to be fair, they look better in reality than in the pictures. when it's complete i'll take some better photo's and post them here. a neighbour has an escort van on a v plate and he's got a set of mondeo st24 alloys and it does suit it i have seen the same alloys on a hatch back but dont think it looks right but for some reason does suit the van i will get a pic if you want see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 top job on cleaning the doors, i had to repair the runners on my passenger window and i know what you mean about the black sticky stuff got it every where , you must have alot of patients dont think i could of done it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bludclot Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 forest - yes any pictures would be great! a mate of mine is running wolfrace voodoo 17s on his mk5 van and although i am not a fan of that particular design they suit it very nicely indeed and look great. i refurbed a set of multi-spoke st220 mondy alloys for another mate of mine and when i put them up against my old van it made me consider having some hubs machined up and sourcing a set. i have seriously considered a set of breyton magics or team dynamics 'equinox' but i have to remember that this is a work van and 14s don't cause any problems rubbing with any of the heavy loads that i sometimes have to carry..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 ive got a set.of 14 inch azev a's in my garage if ur after some sweet 14s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bludclot Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 thanks for the offer but i'll be keeping the xr3i alloys fitted, at least until the current tyres wear out. some progress with this: mirrors - a pair of new pattern mk5b mirrors arrived and were fitted. they don't adjust as smoothly or as accurately as the original ford mirrors and the nearside mirror doesn't fit perfectly at the top on the outside. on the plus side though they are unscratched and the glass is unbroken. paint - there's an imperfection near the roof at the rear on the near side. when the roof and bonnet were examined i found a multitude of tiny rust specks in the paint where somebody has used a grinder near the van and let the sparks shower over it. my clay bar didn't take them off, some g3 was starting to be hard work to i sanded both panels with 1000 grit and booked the van in for these panels to be re-painted on 5th September. There's no shine on these areas right now and I feel happier that the whole van will have new paint rather than me machine and hand polishing for a few hours to bring them back. it also went in to my favourite installer for a day and had remote central locking and a meta alarm system fitted. i drove away some notes lighter for the experience but it makes the van far easier to use on a daily basis and more secure. i am toying with the idea of removing the locks and smoothing them over but they will probably stay. ice - when i posted last the doors were stripped of trim and clean. once the central locking was in i could complete my work. here i have re-routed the central locking wires to behind the inner skin and sound deadened the outer skin: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door3.jpg i templated the area around the door speaker hole and chopped out some 18mm mdf. 18mm is required for the base piece as the top roll of door immediately above the speaker hole sits around 22mm proud of the speaker hole level. the baffle ring can be another thickness, this depends upon the depth of the driver being installed, basically the rear of the basket needs to clear the window. http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/mdf.jpg the inner skin is then deadened. the takes up the extra few millimetres that the 18mm base plate needs for the baffle ring to sit square to the base. obviously, the speaker hole is cut out of this layer of deadening: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door4.jpg here the base plate is trial fitted with the crossover in place to ensure that the door card still fits and nothing is fouled or compressed: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door5.jpg it fits so the base plate is removed and a thick bead of (good quality!) clear silicone is applied to the rear of it around the edge of the speaker hole. mid bass drivers in particular (but all drivers really) need to be sealed from front to back. when fitting speakers in a location such as this obtaining that seal is tricky but crucial for resulting sound quality, hence the silicone. it squidges down and fills in any small recesses that might be between the base plate and deadening. another thick bead is applied to the back of the baffle ring and it is screwed firmly to the base plate: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door6.jpg some wiring starts making an appearance: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door7.jpg and the two gaps left in between the base plate, door skin roll and baffle ring are filled with glass fibre to obtain that all important seal: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door8.jpg the tweeter goes in and the mid bass cable is suitably prepared: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door9.jpg and the mid bass driver is fitted: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door10.jpg finally the door card goes back on: http://portchesterpropertymaintenance.co.uk/images/van/door11.jpg a couple of points to note: the door cards were a scrappy find and the cloth insert matches the seats - chuffed! the speaker installation sounds loud and clear and is completely hidden from view - a priority given that this is a work van and i don't know exactly where it will be left on a day to day basis. really i would have liked to modify the door and door card and had the speakers down low and on-axis, but this was decided against. there's a couple of finishing tasks to perform in the cabin area but that's the interior pretty much done. next up - underside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee grout Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Nice update I had the same problem with my door speakers fouling on the glass. The terminals required spade connections but they were angled straight towards the glass Look forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bludclot Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 that can be overcome (or at least a few millimetres saved) by soldering speaker wire directly to the terminals, favoured by me wherever possible as soldered joints can't fall off like spades! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsy Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Nice update really enjoying reading your thread keep them coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee grout Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Update?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bludclot Posted August 31, 2013 Author Share Posted August 31, 2013 haven't done any more to it these last couple of weeks, been working 6 days a week and more..... there's plans though so updates will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_big_man Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 am loving the van mate I've got a pair of mk6 electric mirrors with matching inner base plates and switch if you want them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz gti Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 hi pal you not putting central locking and elec windows and mirrors in ? one of the first things I did with all 3 of my vans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banno Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 What a cracking thread, and what a very nice clean van you must be very proud. Keep the updates coming. Best Wishes Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bludclot artatack Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 due to problems getting on this site i had to start another thread for the later updates to this, it has the same title! mk 6 van - a short project daz gti - central locking is done as started earlier!!!! a big part of the escort van appeal is its simplicity - there's nothing on it to go wrong. so to introduce electric windows and mirrors negates that. besides, winding a handle and moving a short stick is not hard work - they are within easy reach while i am sat inside!!!!! and just to prove my point the central locking that i have had fitted is sporadic at best and i will be without the van this thursday while it is investigated and fixed. how rubbish is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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