Bongo 4wd refurb *DO NOT DELETE*

[Bongolia]

Drawer handles from my desk!!

[mikeonb4c]

Drawer handles from my desk!!

Oh dear. Wooden are they? I can just see the MOT tester breaking the news:

"Well apart from the fact that it has a rusted member and someone appears to have welded a steel plate over the hole in its rust filled bottom, it appears your Bongo has a rotten knob thats about to drop off. If you try and drive with that, your liable to do yourself and your passenger an injury. Its a fail i'm afraid."

[Bongolia]

NSR Vent panel
So having got the rear cross-member sorted I turned my attention to the ventilator panel on the nearside.
The back plate of this had been sorted when I repaired the cross-member but the "wedge of cheese" support panel on the outside and the vent bowl still had to be sorted.
This is what it looked like when I first removed the bumper.
You can see in the second image the bottom of the wedge panel has been cut out

https://goo.gl/photos/Y1vyj2enJBtUsqHUA

Here you can see after patching the wedge I left a drain at the base, there is no drain on the OE one.

https://goo.gl/photos/AjFYtYnsK3csGmT49

Because of the complex shape I have formed the repair panel from two sections.The following images show it in various states of forming before fitting.
The shaping was achieved using a sandbag and bossing mallet. It is in 20SWG as was the original panel. The discoloration is caused by the Fertan.

https://goo.gl/photos/vLqmuUw2PFW1HiSr9

This is the panel after final tweaking and it is ready to be fixed into place after the wheel arch has been fitted.

https://goo.gl/photos/p5fuAVRvfs3rR5Dx7

This is the panel final fit.
The inside of all the vent panels where 1k epoxy then seam sealed with PU sealant before welding into place, obviously some of this will burn off during the welding and will be treated again before waxing later.
It has continuous edge welds down the left vertical , two MIG plugs to the aperture, five MIG plugs across the bottom edge and on the right vertical,stitch welds attaching it to the rear panel/cross-member.

https://goo.gl/photos/AZC9LKAHUGv7n88J9

Rear wheel arch next, get yourself a coffee and sandwich for this one.

[Bongolia]

Near Side Rear wheel arch and inner arch.
Bit of a long one this.
These images show the cleaned off arch and then another with the merc arch placed over.
https://goo.gl/photos/2PAS5T2ifgbgfPVM6

I first cut a template of the door edge so I could mark points to check for correct spacing when the new arch was let in.This allowed me to drop the template over the merc arch and I could then see what all the fuss is about with slicing the arch and letting a piece in. You can see here that the rear dog leg is fatter and the shape leaves the original curve set by the sliding door aperture. It seems to make the rear seem "heavier some how when viewed in conjunction with the front wing dog leg. sorry but I didn't manage to get a shot of that before a paying job took over the ramp next to me.
https://goo.gl/photos/eqjraz1fNhz64pyT8

Basically (1) you need to maintain a measurement of 14" from the rear lamp panel to the edge of the rear of the arch else the bumper will not line up correctly. (2) you need to ensure that the measurement of the dog leg, the bit between the back edge of the sliding door and the lip of the wheel arch,looks like a dogs back leg geddit ,to match the OE panel. (3) the merc arch is not the same shape as the inner arch. whilst it touches at each end the curvature is wrong and will not match the few spot weldable bits a flange that are behind it, so that means to achieve all these things you need to slice the arch and insert a section like others on here have said.
So where do you put the cut to do this?
Here..
https://goo.gl/photos/DrrGeqKn6ncnf5X97

The measure with the the "T" and "B" are from the OE panel, by rotating the two pieces you are able to meet all three requirements. The infill is a cutting from the end of the arch.
So having got the slice in the right place I then needed to remove the flute pressed into the merc arch.
I used hot shrinking to do this.
If you think about it the metal is stretched by a heavy stamping machine to produce the flute you can see in the arch panel.
If you were to smack this flat you would end up with a big baggy piece or a badly creased and chewed up panel. Nasty.
What you need to do is push all that stretched metal back into the steel it was stretched out of!

You do this by heating a hot spot about the size of a 5P coin to blood orange and using a shrinking hammer,a shrinking hammer has a cross hatch surface on one side and a planishing face on the other, draw the heated outer edge into the centre hot spot and finally tap the hot spot down. By repeating this process around the edge of the flute you will push all the molecules back from whence they came.
Ideally you would use gas welding equipment for this but I don`t have that kit any longer so I used a high output blow torch instead. Not ideal for tight hot spots but OK for this.
Heres a couple of images to give you the idea.
https://goo.gl/photos/PvuieQrDWnXLcNYZ7

Next I need to remove the old arch. I prefer to unpick panels carefully. Then I can see how it was put together and it also preserves the under panels in case you need to make templates etc.
Having used a thin cutting blade to cut out the upper portion of the arch I then grind through the edge of the panel using a scurffing disc in an angle grinder until two edges appear. I am able to separate the panels and as you can see the inner arch,or whats left of it, is still intact.
https://goo.gl/photos/1vZkWZEKh7sRrpqG9

The inner arch is only spot welded to the quarter panel arch with a few spot welds. If you think of the arch as a clock then it is welded between 7-10.30 and again between 3.00 and 5.00. in between this there are none just a rolled edge with no flange and that is glued to the outer quarter panel.
You can see in these images the spots on the left of the arch, the right hand spots are attached to the bit I cut off, and the rolled edge of the centre inner arch. The rust hole will be put to good use later.
https://goo.gl/photos/CppugfY1S4mJ9oP57

So a few years down the line and the adhesion gives up on the panel and you have the flexing I was talking of in my previous posts made worse!

I need to say here that the Wasp is a refurb not a restoration.
A restoration is when you return the vehicle to the manufacturers ex factory condition.
A refurb is when you make a vehicle safe sound and presentable.
So there is nowt wrong with whacking the Merc arch on as is.
With a refurb you can make alterations as you wish and modify areas if you think they need modding....

I am modding the wheel arch.

Anyway for now back to the arch repair panel.
First I need to set up check points to ensure I get things in the right place so this is a bit of a bobbing and weaving game . I need to repair the inner dog leg of the arch first as this is very badly corroded.
I cut it out and drew up a template. The template is much bigger than the the finished part as I need to draw a curve into the metal the surplus will be trimmed of after I have the shape.
The OE panel has compound angular shapes and I am not able to reproduce these with the equipment I have so I will use the bag and bossing mallet to draw a twisted conical shape and allow me to square off at the top of where it joins forms the flange to spot weld too.
Here is the old piece as it is being removed.
https://goo.gl/photos/hQs7LAogWKyZWjbC7

On the bench inside and outside image and the pattern.
https://goo.gl/photos/jdD7eNenWmUb5Q6UA

Then the shaping and fitting.18 SWG.
The flange is set using pliers and all the surplus is drawn into one point,the temptation is to slit it here and weld it but its best to draw it to a point and shrink it down as in the previous bit once I know its correct. The last images show it temporarily fixed in place and the measurements checked.
https://goo.gl/photos/2vs41uYoCuf1LF6R8

Now I return to the repair arch as I now have some thing to hang it on!
The three pieces are fitted back to the Wasp and tacked in place , then removed and sliced through to remove the excess and the three pieces are butted together and welded, Important that the welds penetrate as the surface will be scruffed flat inside and out.
https://goo.gl/photos/49EUyX5hB7EmzMwK6

The panel is refitted over the quarter and secured in place with grips. The surplus is marked and trimmed of. Then the panel is refitted under the quarter panel. this is how it will be finally fixed.
https://goo.gl/photos/49EUyX5hB7EmzMwK6

Now I have some lines to work from I make another template for the rear end so I am able to remake the inner arch that is missing.
https://goo.gl/photos/JYuJ3Fz17FusT6jn9

Now for the mod. I am going to add a flange to the inner arch so that I can spot weld around the entire repair section and hopefully take out some of the flexing around here. Not doing this I believe would lead to unwanted flexing of the repair piece and premature failure of the repair.
Heres the process pretty self explanatory from the images. 18SWG.
https://goo.gl/photos/TozhHZM7C4Tf1Aay5

From these images you can see the area that needs to be fabricated and the need for that template at the back, the arc was taken from around the edge of the arch repair section.
https://goo.gl/photos/C8GKzZfHDb3ozceAA

The infill will be made from three section including the flange strip. Another one of those compound angular shape changes means another bash of the old bag.
The piece was welded into place. Note the gap at the top this is so the the triangular panel can swop over. At this point the clearance between the outer and inner panels is tight and I dont want a bump here!
https://goo.gl/photos/TFT7h4jF4q9CKQDt8

And now the triangle!
Note the cack welding here!
5.00 pm Friday night and I ran out of Argon, this is what a weld without shielding gas looks like. A crazy ring round and we manged to loan a bottle for the weekend. Thanks to Dean of DJ Motors for that.
The loose flange has been tacked at the bottom to from the correct arc as per the template and the panel template was taken from that.
https://goo.gl/photos/JNHZp6DPnaiXib7k7

Saturday morning and after a full English at the cafe the welds to the rear inner arch are completed. A little fiddling with the dog leg and that was welded in too.
I refitted the arch under the panel and was not happy with the way it laid. During the hot shrinking of the flute it had set up stresses in the panel , bit like a biscuit tin lid and I felt sure that this would lead to distortion during the welding. I did try shrinking it out but the flame size was too great for tight shrinking. So I chucked it out and did another.
I left the rear flute in place and just shrank the front on this one. I also did the fillet as an overlap joint and joddled (stepped) the top where it met the quarter.
The new sections where fitted scribed in, trimmed back and measurements checked before fitting the fillet.
https://goo.gl/photos/6AZGTztsEESe5Nj59

The repair panel was refitted and pinned into place before the fillet was welded in. It was then removed and the hidden section welded and the surplus cut off before joddling the top edge to bring it closer to the overlapping quarter panel.
https://goo.gl/photos/6AZGTztsEESe5Nj59

With the panel removed all the areas were treated. The overlap panel was teased open to allow zinc paint to be blown into the joint and all was left to through cure before refitting. Notice the rust hole from earlier is now a 25 mm bung hole to allow future treatment wax top ups directly to the flange.
https://goo.gl/photos/E71H2HUnM1T651m67

I have left the overhang at the ends of the repair panel these will be trimmed back when I make the closing panel for the rear and the sill section on the NS. Final fit and a check all is good. All the welding areas on the face are wire brushed out and the MIG is given a trial run on a piece of scrap to make sure the feed speed and amperage are right and then the panel is welded in to place.
Note clever use of rear caliper as cigar holder
https://goo.gl/photos/7qWkGuJPAjxNDhre7

Welds are dressed and just the spotting up of the arch and a bit of fiddling about at the back closing panel etc. Sorted.
Distortion was minimal so I should get away with a tight loading along the weld eyebrow and a bit of polyester over that should see it done.The bare metal has been sealed with bright wax to prevent corrosion. This can be easily removed with thinners when I come to lead it up.
https://goo.gl/photos/iGcg22KCRDrL89ba6

Next is the NS sill panel.

[mikeonb4c]

Wow, wot a great read. The saga continues!

[Bongolia]

NS sill repair
So taking a break from wheel arches I went for a bit of light relief in the form of the NS sill repair.
This is the damage.
https://goo.gl/photos/ghrUvYEUpoKipz5a8

An image taken inside the rest of the sill shows that this is the only area seriously affected by corrosion.
This would have been avoidable if it had some form of waxing in the box section. There are two OE bungs in the inner wheel arch to allow for this.
https://goo.gl/photos/AzUkuW42RQURJY1t5

The sliding door had to be removed to gain access and the template from the arch repair was used to get the arc for the repair piece. I have not finalized the joint to the rear arch that will be done when the door is refitted. The rusted sections are removed and cleaned up ready for the repair panel and Fertan applied.
https://goo.gl/photos/jf5mKCBVBvKmV1Bq9

The panel was made up in two sections. The first is tacked into position and the arc checked before finally butt welding into place ready for the lower section.
https://goo.gl/photos/Z8ZgkAty75JHhUZn9

Lower section welded in place, lap jointed and MIG plugged. Fertan applied with the dog leg to be finalized after door refit for checking.
https://goo.gl/photos/Hh6cnQKeKF3oqD8C8

The only other issue with the sill on this side is previous accident damage and later, I suspect, damage from incorrect placement of a jack on the sill flange.
The dimples you can see in the images are from a pin puller. Small nails welded to the damaged area are used with a slide hammer to pull the damage out when access to the rear of the panel is not possible.
Areas like this should ideally be lead loaded as body filler here can lead to hidden problems if the adhesion of the filler is compromised as in this case,you can see this where my finger is pointing.
As I intend to fit sill covers the sill will be dressed and stone chipped.

https://goo.gl/photos/1czhgkSqzq1pYG1r9

Next is OS wheel arch.

[Bongolia]

OS Wheel arch and inner arch.
Here is the damage.
https://goo.gl/photos/zHiwaocc62xfxfHn6

After cutting out.
You can see the inner arch is not salvageable so I will need to sort that first.
As I said in previous posts there no spot welds around the upper of the arch adhesive is used instead. The wasp will have a spot weldable flange around the arch.
https://goo.gl/photos/kRs4LBg6qvSTzUycA


The arches I am using are for a Merc Sprinter.They are about 40.00 quid for a pair on fleebay. A lot cheaper than others I have seen out there, they are zinc coated and of good quality.
As you will know from the NS arch post I screwed up the first attempt on that side so had to use the other one of the pair. Luckily I had a second pair "in stock" for another job so I thought I would use that pair on this side. One as the inner and the other for the outer.
Thankfully this side does not have the alignment issues of the other. The problem of the dog leg thickening is not an issue here but the measurement of 14 inches from the lamp panel needs to be maintained and the fit to the front of the arch needs to be right or the alignment of the plastic sill cover will be out.
Simply put it needs a small fillet added to the centre of the repair panel and also the inner arch.
https://goo.gl/photos/o6oRgnq3pfNJwUfE6

The inner arch corrosion is cut away and the Merc arch trimmed down to form the inner arch.
I have left a small area of the original panel at the end of the sill this is used for reference and will be trimmed off before the weld in.
In the images you can see what looks like corrosion but is actually Fertan that has dried on the panel.
The trimmed panel is tacked in place,three smokees, and the same is done for the rear section.
Once the outer arch has been offered up to check the positioning is correct the excess is removed from the inner with a thin cutting wheel.
https://goo.gl/photos/MyoDp6yggqQZkocP7

Happy that all is going to line up the weld areas are zinced and the two inner arch sections and fillet are lap welded into place.
After a clean up the area is given two coats of zinc and left to cure overnight.
https://goo.gl/photos/qAAPE2SEY38EJU878
To be contnued...

[Bongolia]

Ok, so inner arch sorted now to pop in the outer, similar to the ns in as much as the repair panel will fit under the quarter panel.
Everything is made a lot easier here as the inner arch is a perfect match to the outer!!
After trimming to allow for a 3/8 ish underlap? The panel is given the Cenobite treatment to lock it in.
https://goo.gl/photos/3yNr3zAar19ALfDv5

A final check for alignment and weld it up!
To the right below the fuel flap you can see tiny raised marks in the panel these are from a pick hammer called ticking or picking it is used to tighten a panel that`s springing and shows that this area too has had some accident damage at some time!
Had a bloody hard life has this Bongo!!
https://goo.gl/photos/oddnZgvsZF2ZJdj19

You can see that the inner arch sits slightly inboard of the outer, I should have allowed for this but guessed it in thinking that because the outer would be fitted under the OE quarter this gap would be made up, it wasnt!
Not a problem though as there is enough on the flanges to allow for a descent spot weld.
https://goo.gl/photos/2UFFLAungoJu8Bzm8

Next job to do is a bit of a toss up.
Logically the next and last part of the obvious corrosion repairs to be dealt with is the roof but I am not sure of what approach to take. I have ruled out a complete fiberglas cap as it would be too time consuming for a one off.
I intend to fit an awning here so I may build the brackets into the roof repair. I would prefer to have it mounted utilizing the "staple" mounts on that side but I do not have the dimensions or fixing positions for the awning so I shall probably wait until that arrives.

So I am left with digging around for hidden rust and stripping of the dodgy paint or what seems more likely leading up the arches and sill welds ready for polyester leveling and rust proofing the repairs I have done so far.
So keeping the roof and screen pillar as a separate job.
Anyway I have one guy out sick tomorrow and a busy day with testing and general works so I doubt that I will get back to it much before Wednesday.

[mikeonb4c]

An amazing tale. Hope you're keeping all this in a Word doc, with photos, so it can be published in a suitable magazine - it certainly deserves to be

[Bongolia]

An amazing tale. Hope you're keeping all this in a Word doc, with photos, so it can be published in a suitable magazine - it certainly deserves to be

I havn`t no, maybe I ought.
I just thought it of interest to other Bongo peeps but I suppose it could help the cause.
I did get an article published in a cycling mag yonks ago. It was so heavily edited I did not recognize it at first they even changed a couple of images to stock photos of the wrong island!
Hey-ho.

[mikeonb4c]

An amazing tale. Hope you're keeping all this in a Word doc, with photos, so it can be published in a suitable magazine - it certainly deserves to be

I havn`t no, maybe I ought.
I just thought it of interest to other Bongo peeps but I suppose it could help the cause.
I did get an article published in a cycling mag yonks ago. It was so heavily edited I did not recognize it at first they even changed a couple of images to stock photos of the wrong island!
Hey-ho.

Your investment in writing up the tale is not far short of your investment in the work itself. With growing evidence that people want to save (their) Bongos it'd be a bit of a crime if your write up's just faded into obscurity on here, in my humble opinion.

[Bongolia]

Lead Loading the welded areas and arches.
Lead loading has a bit of a mystique about it but its really quite straightforward if you take reasonable care and follow the process correctly.There are plenty of videos showing techniques but this is how I do it and reading this in conjunction with a video may help those who want to try it.
First off an image of the kit you would need for those who choose to have a go!

Moving clockwise we have paper sheets to catch the lead that falls or is filed off , this can be melted back down and used again, although the cost of the sticks is expensive it is cost effective as the dross can be recycled
The blue cloth is close woven material,roller towel, cut into 1ft long lengths and soaked in water,this is used for wiping over when tinning. If you can get plumbers moleskin then use that as it doesn't pick up the tinning and makes for a much neater wipe, sadly I was not able to find anyone that knew what the F I was talking about!
So I used roller towel.

Next is the sprayer,. This has a solution of washing soda mixed into warm water and I will explain why you need this later.
Then we have the paddles in a baking tray of tallow. These where cut from an oak floor board and shaped up with an angle grinder. Any close grained hardwood is OK for this, melt the tallow and soak the paddles in it overnight so the fat gets into the wood then burn the ends.
The blowlamp a neat tool this one,it self ignites and extinguishes immediately so it is very useful when you need to ditch it and use both hands.
Then there is the grinder that has a paint stripper wheel attached this is used to buff up the surface first.
Then completing the circle the lead sticks themselves. These are 70/30 lead and tin. The tin gives the material better amalgamation and adds a bit of "hardness" so not as soft as 100% lead then.
And that is the stuff you need to get the loading done.
The peculiar shape hammer on the floor has nothing to do with this at all it just got itself in shot. It is known as a Donkeys Dick, Cannot think why, just traditional I suppose.
https://goo.gl/photos/kB7hZr5EEuvdMgPNA

Preparation
You need to take care in the prep. Using everything you can chuck at it clean the area thoroughly removing any slag and oxides from the weld beads and surrounding areas. Here I use a paint wheel,wire wheel, sand blasting, followed by a thorough wash out with panel wipe or thinners.
If you dont get this bit right then you will have problems at the tinning stage.
https://goo.gl/photos/QN9YbQbt7BfYoX1F8

Warming and application of solder paint.
After the solvent wipe warm the whole repair to an even temperature. not hot but just comfortable to keep your hand on, this will chase out any old solvent or moisture in the weld beads and panel and help with the solder paint.
Next paint on the solder paint make sure you go beyond the area you want to lead.
https://goo.gl/photos/Qpx4aQ518a4Y4jFL9

Tinning
You are going to be getting the panel hot and distortion can occur if your not careful. It is a good idea to keep a larger area than you are working warm this will help counter any distortion, don`t be tempted to quench the panel/lead if it does distort you will likely make it worse, move on to another area and the chances are it will sort itself as it cools.

Using the torch bring the area up to temperature working about a foot at a time. I start at the lower edge but it is your preference as to where you start. For the sake of the post I have started in the center!
Warm the area until it starts to go as in pic one the grey paint starts to look like a galvanized patch, keep the heat on wafting it over the area until it sweats silver beads and a sort of toffee apple floats ton the top no hotter or you may burn the tin off.
https://goo.gl/photos/L7jnD3kEX3oL9x9S6
There is no need to melt the solder paint until it runs off but some prefer that method. Now using your damp close woven cloth wipe the area over, you will see a bright almost chromium surface appear this is the tinned surface, work about a foot at a time.The cloth will likely pick up bits of solder so turn it frequently or go to another piece if you need.
Move swiftly along to the next section repeating the process and wipe from the cold edge into the just tinned area. Continue this until you have wiped the whole area.

Should be something like this.It looks scruffy but its fine there are no dull areas and that is what you want.
lf you have dull patches it likely means the prep wasn't right or temperature was not hot enough, let that bit cool re-apply the paint and go over that bit as before.
https://goo.gl/photos/MEdHARoDyGsZWNeP6

The next bit is crucial but is often missed .
Now the area has been tinned it is very important that we remove any remnants of the solder paint. Solder paint is acidic and if you dont get this out or neutralized at this stage you will have early failure of the repair.
Simply the acid will eat away at the steel and the first you will know is when you see a raising of the lead work by which time it will probably have penetrated through the steel panel and you are back to square one again.
So this is where the sprayer comes in. I use washing soda two desert spoons to a 750ml bottle of warm water . You can use Baking soda or any alkali mix.
Spray it into the the crevices and joints . You cannot do this too many times!
Just apply it give it a little time and then do it again at least five times .
Finally wash it down several times with warm soapy water, blow dry and warm the panel back up to chase out any remaining water.
Acid corrosion is a common reason for failure of lead work.

https://goo.gl/photos/EEddALEJdCDFGSBS7

Now the fun begins.
Your floor paper should be nice and wet now that is fine as it will be catching any drop off of lead from the loading.
Here is the tricky bit.
You need to warm the tinned surface and the stick of lead at the same time. Your looking to get the stick "stiff plastic".
If you look at the tinned area it will be grayish from the soda solution and when you you start to see this becoming shiny that is an indicator that it is at the right temperature to receive the lead.
You must amalgamate the stick lead to the tinned surface to ensure proper take up so the two things need to come together temperature wise at the same time, the heat of the stick needs to be right as does the tinned surface. So heat the two equally.
When the temperature is correct is correct you rub the stick into the tinned area working about 5-6 inches at a time pay particular attention to the weld beads.
You have control of the heat if it starts to run pull the flame away.
Carry on around the arch like this.

Now allow the area to cool off a bit, melt the tallow in the pot and get the paddles ready to use. Start back at the beginning with the same process of heating the tinned panel and the lead stick. When you see the stick become plastic push a lump onto the panel and sôrt of snap it off do aboit 6 inches at a time. It doesn't matter what it looks like at this time you are just loading the panel with the right-ish quantity of lead.
Remember you have control of the heat if it starts to drop pull away the heat and push the lump back into where you want it.
Now heat the loaded lead to a plastic state and push it well into the weld bead and then an approximate contour with the paddles.
https://goo.gl/photos/PCwnwk7LHwyqc7cK7
Keep dipping the paddles in the tallow else the lead will stick to them and drag your work..
https://goo.gl/photos/K19e8Kh82P3BaRse9
Dont worry about smoothing it out you will be doing this this with the body blade when we come to shape the repair. Carry on around repair like that.
If you have a low spot then you can just reheat and add a bit or drag some from a high spot across.
You should end up with something like this.

https://goo.gl/photos/ZMQ78EJ3UfzqRMxo6
Allow the work to cool once you are happy that you have enough material in place.
Pick up the paper sheets and collect the fallen lead into a pot.
Wash off the whole job with thinners or panel wipe to remove any tallow. You dont want this being filed into the work or you will have problems at the paint stage later so brush with copious amounts of solvent and wash it down with warm to hot soapy water after.

Put down fresh sheets of paper to catch the fillings and you are ready to start shaping the lead with a body file.
My preference is for a busted half round blade.
https://goo.gl/photos/VY4Y5bDEAdGDUwzz9

I am using the lead to cover weld joints so I will be finishing with polyester stopper before priming.
The point of leading is it amalgamates with the steel it will flex with the panel as steel would and will not separate it can be dressed when cooled just as you would a steel panel, pinning and filing if you wish too.
Here it is washed down and ready for leveling
The lead reclaimed will be cast into thinner sticks.
https://goo.gl/photos/txu2Wkc5APau8Rp5A
Now watch a few videos for the torch technique.
Good luck!

[Bongolia]

An amazing tale. Hope you're keeping all this in a Word doc, with photos, so it can be published in a suitable magazine - it certainly deserves to be

I havn`t no, maybe I ought.
I just thought it of interest to other Bongo peeps but I suppose it could help the cause.
I did get an article published in a cycling mag yonks ago. It was so heavily edited I did not recognize it at first they even changed a couple of images to stock photos of the wrong island!
Hey-ho.

Your investment in writing up the tale is not far short of your investment in the work itself. With growing evidence that people want to save (their) Bongos it'd be a bit of a crime if your write up's just faded into obscurity on here, in my humble opinion.

Your not wrong there!
Its easier to do it than explain it.

[Bob]

Many thanks.

[Bongolia]

I think I have the video link think going But video has workshop banter and swearing in the background.
What I need is suggestions as to software I can use to delete the sound from the vid or bleep out the swearing.
Any suggestions please.