Hello, I am asking a question that may have been posted several time before. I am looking to get information about acquiring a split screen van as a restoration project. I have no experience mechanically and no very little about bout the van except that I have liked them for a very long time.
There seems to be many sites selling restored projects ranging anywhere from 20,000 to 60,000. I was hoping to get a solid body and chassis and work from there. Can anyone recommend where I might get information about the best place to research the vans and source them? Any other information that you think would help would be most welcome. Many thanks

Here...

This forum is a gold mine! I am a beginner with a van!!!
It's all here, you just have to dig through the forum!

One simple thing to help...If you find a van to view ask to find who is local that can view with you...
If you do that they will point out issues and things which will need to be done and even maybe experience if the costs..
I went to see one with a friend and pointed out what was good and what was bad....
He did not buy but then he saw another and another friend viewed with him...
All the comments were fair and he bought..
Find someone local to go and talk to...
G

See as many as possible in the flesh to get your eye in. Preferably with someone who knows a bit about classics and/or bodywork.

Bodywork can easily cost you £10k+ to sort even if it looks good on photos to start with ...but there are always tell tale signs in real life so get your eye in for what they are to save yourself money further down the line.

We get a free magazine which advertises local tradesmen.
This has a plastic magnetic strip designed for you to hang it on the fridge.. I use one of these to assess how much filler there is on a nicely filled and painted panel....
Better than a hard metal magnet and less likely to upset the seller.
My son hates going with me to see cars because I am direct and ask questions.
But he trusts me to look for him and so do his friends. ..

Lol

Also, consider fully what your looking for in terms of result. Are you really up for a project or want a van to use soon as possible? Whats your goal timescale & what's your budget, what can you do yourself, is this realistic?

Body work is a money pit if getting it done & a hard work, time eater if doing it yourself. I recommend you draw up a cost sheet before you buy. You can jot down all the costs for each element (bodywork, mechanical refit/mods, engine build level, interior etc) to refer to at a glance when assessing busses.

I have a total project & a running van (which is my daily driver). The running van I brought earlier this year as a part finished project & having been looking for about a year (its easy to go & buy a crap shed of a van!) for something to use while I restore the other (started looking for an early bay then was pricing into just about running splits) I found part done projects could be really good value for cost & time to completion so worth looking at those.

Good luck

What he said....
I have four from OG through finisher project to Shed. ... WIP