Off topic by request - Borgward

[Thread Bear]

I was asked to show some pics of the Borgward Isobella Van a while ago. Finally got to it. Indeed I have put it on eBay in case it sells before locking it in another shed, unused. So for more info take a look at the auction and I need not pollute the BX forum to much with off topic chat.

[Philip Chidlow]

I can safely say I've never seen one of those. Off topic? I guess it is, but thanks all the same for sharing it with us

[Dollywobbler]

Wow. That is a thing of great beauty! Swap for a leggy TZD?

Hold on - it's got a 1.6 Ford Diesel! I've got a water pump for one of those!

[Paul296]

Well there's 'off topic' and then there's 'Borgward Isabella van'! I wouldn't worry too much about that one Threadbare. A thing of great beauty indeed and like Phil, I had absolutely no idea such a thing even existed - lovely - thanks for posting.

[Tim Leech]

Thats glorious! shame about the "Lump"

[mat_fenwick]

Don't worry about going off topic! Some of the most interesting thread on here have been those that went off on a tangent. Personally I like it, and I'm quite a fan of re-engined cars. To me it's a little twist that makes it more interesting although obviously devalues it to the purists.

[Thread Bear]

Interesting reaction. I have grown used to seeing it around and the slightly American hearse looks do not jump out at me anymore. It was instrumental in gaining a Gothesque girlfriend for a while, but thats another rather fun story.

I made a stupid mistake with this car. I chose the wrong engine as I listened to the wrong people. As I was flat out doing up bubblecars, I bought the work in. It was only after I had got ripped off by the guys that put the unit in, another cautionary tale of trust, and the abuse of it, that I realized that the 1.9 XUD appeared in the Sherpa based DAF Pilot. Therefore there was a good chance that I could have put a 1.7 turbo engine in, which would have been perfect. A little more umph without going silly, retaining the economy and standardizing on parts, as I had the last of the previous BX back then.

I picked up in a bulk deal, some 12 years ago, a Wolseley 4/44 with my MG Magnette ZB Varitone. Now to look at they are much the same car. Unbelievably about 85% of one will not fit the other! Both worked out as coming in at just £50 each, in a deal for 10 'scrap' cars. Those were the days. As make weights, and being a bit of a geezer, I have remote storage and habitually bunged various swaps and make weights into buildings to sort out whenever. They joys of trading and serious shedding, another of my favorite topics, is 'Shedding'. 12 years on and the MG looks like the buy of the decade. Sadly the 4/44 is, and will probably never will be, worth anything much. It was underpowered and was harking back to wartime values in a 'modern' world with MG TC Mpag bits and odd transmission even in its day. The MG was, and is, the better car and the badge does the rest. Pretty quickly the 4/44 gave way to a B series version illogically called the 15/50 to keep up with launch of the ZB version of the Magnette.

I like the idea of gaining reasonable performance in traditional style with old fashioned leather seats, wood dashboard with a silly light on the radiator and squity back end, have do something about that last one. This is probably preferable to re restoring the Borg, though it handles very well. While vans are great you get minus points like charged more on tolls and ferries, slower speed limits and they can be a pain to drive. Besides I think the Borg ought to return to original, it has a value I am afraid the old Wolly does not. Besides I look forward to gaining a pretty nice original Borgward Coupe in the near future. I am not sure I need two Borgwards in my life.

As a back up driver something like the Wolseley 4/44 with uprated mechanics and one of the better none brain diesel engines fitted is now going to be as cheap as chips to drive, even using the chip oil! No tax, no MOT, cheap insurance and by using sensible technology cheap and reliable spares, so mostly MGB etc running gear. Why would you not do this if you have the opportunity to be able to? Indeed the only draw back is for classic car insurance you need to have a modern car in use. Well call me old fashioned but that is where the BX comes in. Very little newer I have the remotest interest in owning. I had thought the modern would be a Range Rover, for towing and winter duties, but to get a simple one without loads of gubbins, stupid expensive exhausts, big dick overbores and too many doors and everything else I do not want, it will be older than the BX! Its like when Dinky toys all went to low friction 'hotwheels'. Just not the same anymore, BORING!

[merlyn]

"like"

[citsncycles]

Lovely, but if I had the money I'm afraid I'd be spending it on a GS van I know is up for sale.

I've also had my own idea (if I ever get round to it) of an oldie with more modern running gear, starting with a Rover P4, any model, but a 4pot one would be easier. There have been people drop the old Land Rover 2 1/4 diesel engine in for a period style conversion, but because of the way Land Rovers were developed you can bolt anything up to and including the 200 TDi onto the original gearbox and mounts (although there may be space issues for the turbo - I'm not sure). Alternatively I have an old Perkins Prima TD engine in the barn that would bolt in with a conversion kit.

[Thread Bear]

A Maestro Perkins engined P4 Rover 80 just like my great chum Dave's? He has done all the hard work but failed to carry the project through to the road. A great shame. Indeed he is now talking of getting an early LWB Land Rover and moving the engine into that. So sadly I cannot tell you how good, bad or indifferent such a creation might be. However it is a relatively good course of known parts so the risk element is low. Dave fell foul of brakes. Basically he would not invest in sorting them out, got a new intensifier that blew instead of sucked, but mounted it the wrong way round, we think, and knocked the end out of it. Might have been stiffed at Beaulieu, though. It also had a starting issue but that again was attempting to create reliability out of junk.

GS van, now that is an interesting bit of swag. I could fall for a GS in time, I fancied one back in the day but it never happened. I think the engine put me off.

[citsncycles]

I must admit I heard horror stories about cam faliure and the like on GS's, which is why I took so ling to get one, but it's only really the very early ones, plus apparently a faulty batch of 1300 GSA's which had issues. I gather part of the problem in the UK was people not driving them hard enough, and I was once advised to keep them above 2k rpm as much as possible as the low engine speeds can accelerate wear.

I've done 45k miles in mine, and the engine, bar a few oil leaks, has been great. It's been daily transport, load lugger, tow car, bed and Challenge vehicle over the years - those on last years Challenge will tell you how well it goes!

One thing you do need with a GS is an ability to weld and panel beat! Panel supply can be patchy, and what is about isn't always cheap, but if you're patient you can pick up some bargains as not many other people are looking. I have ended up making up a lot of my repair sections though, as the parts just weren't there.