Bongo Fury

Not a pretty sight my beloved 1998 AFT is suffering badly from rust on the boot, bottom of the slider door and rear arches, I was aware when I purchased her that it had some previous DIY work done in these areas...she survived last winter but this winter it's a sad sight.

Unfortunately credit crunch so I don't have the funds to get it remedied professionally.

Can anyone recommend a magical DIY / interim solution before things get serious?

Thanking you in advance

On a 98? I've seen a few crumbly 95's... The tailgate and sliding door aren't a massive issue, wait for a non rusty same coloured equivalent to pop up on ebay or wherever... The arches are another matter. Some on here have grafted some non rusty arches from a breaker onto their vehicles, it's pretty big money labour wise though.

Is it a silver bongo?

There is really no short cut to getting rid of rust....you can bodge it and it will look o.k. for a few months... as the Big'fella above says ..wheelarches are tricky....had mine done 6 months ago...£80 for the 2nd hand arches and £500 to have them fitted....proper job but cost a lot.

Aye, you get what you pay for, that's especially true with bodyshops. It may be an idea to pick up a second hand set of original bongo arches to at least cover up the rust till a more effective repair can be carried out... But then there's the task of finding affordable arches...

What's your bongo like for rust on the front wings where the wing meet the lower arch creepy?

bigdaddycain wrote:What's your bongo like for rust on the front wings where the wing meet the lower arch creepy?

Slight signs of early rust...light colour that wipes off with T Cut but I suspect theres something hidden under there.

Going to have a good look over it at the weekend in the light....any tips to look for?

Just been searching on doors and arches...ouch!

Spot on again BDC....I forgot about that bit....my passenger side was bubbling there...so I had that cut out and done at the same time.....It's almost always the "2 starter battery" bongos that rust....North Japan mut be a tough place to live.

I may be in a position to get you some replacement rear arches from a 2000 bongo, i'll make some checks. Pm over the weekend. The sliding side door MAY be possible also... What colour bongo do you have?

bigdaddycain wrote:I may be in a position to get you some replacement rear arches from a 2000 bongo, i'll make some checks. Pm over the weekend. The sliding side door MAY be possible also... What colour bongo do you have?

I could be interested if not needed by creep. Would 2000 ones fit a '95?

Bin Bongoed wrote:

bigdaddycain wrote:I may be in a position to get you some replacement rear arches from a 2000 bongo, i'll make some checks. Pm over the weekend. The sliding side door MAY be possible also... What colour bongo do you have?

I could be interested if not needed by creep. Would 2000 ones fit a '95?

Rear arches? Yes. Sliding side door? Almost certainly.

Interesting thread on here earlier today about a guy who does what sounds like excellent work at good prices if you can get yourself to Cannock (and leave the van there - that's the tricky bit!). See:

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =3&t=28104

Just wheel arches. Sliding door is OK. Mind you, it's raining out there! Who know what I'll find in the morrow.

haydn callow wrote:Spot on again BDC....I forgot about that bit....my passenger side was bubbling there...so I had that cut out and done at the same time.....It's almost always the "2 starter battery" bongos that rust....North Japan mut be a tough place to live.

Dunno how i missed this post... No warning was issued whilst i posted mine...

I wasn't aware of the twin battery rust issue haydn, makes sense though now i think about it.

At the cost of your replacement arches haydn, i reckon they would have been "leaded" After being welded on. This process is a bit of a lost art, where molten lead flows into the open seam, sealing it, then a skim of filler before the final paint.

bigdaddycain wrote:I may be in a position to get you some replacement rear arches from a 2000 bongo, i'll make some checks. Pm over the weekend. The sliding side door MAY be possible also... What colour bongo do you have?

mmmm Sounds interesting, Flat White

Keep me posted

Many thanks...

bigdaddycain wrote:

haydn callow wrote:Spot on again BDC....I forgot about that bit....my passenger side was bubbling there...so I had that cut out and done at the same time.....It's almost always the "2 starter battery" bongos that rust....North Japan mut be a tough place to live.

Dunno how i missed this post... No warning was issued whilst i posted mine...

I wasn't aware of the twin battery rust issue haydn, makes sense though now i think about it.

At the cost of your replacement arches haydn, i reckon they would have been "leaded" After being welded on. This process is a bit of a lost art, where molten lead flows into the open seam, sealing it, then a skim of filler before the final paint.

Yep...almost all the rusty arches I have come across are "winter pack" bongos...somthing to consider when buying...mine had been recently bodged when I bought it on import......I would look closer at 2 battery bongos if I knew then what I do now.