Have a buddy starting up WFP. He has a max budget of 3.2k and needs something to carry 500ltr tank and system. Only him in van so 2 or 3 seater. I've told him to look out for connect t230 but not many about in that price range that haven't been to mars and back. What should he be looking at and what engines?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-55-CITROEN-BERLINGO-1-9D-800D-LX-IN-WHITE-PX-WELCOME-NO-VAT-TO-PAY/292437095390?hash=item44169bf3de:g:qHQAAOSwEYBaZ6r-
Its the old 1.9 d faithful engine which is pretty much bomb proof, a bit flat but will do the job.
800kgs payload will hold 500 liter tank. Sad it doesn't have a side loading door though. Lower body is galvanised so pretty good as far as shell rust is concerned. Has a roof rack as well.
Son has the earlier 800 lx with 2.0 hdi engine with 500 liter tank and that is ideal. Most were British Gas owned originally and mostly well looked after. They were painted in the BG blue which is not a Citroen colour and matching colour is a bit hit and miss.
He would need to be very careful with an older Transit Connect. If he finds a cheap one then a thorough rust inspection must be the way to go. Maybe even an RAC or AA report. Those Connects have rust issues inside the sills.
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Cheers Spruce, how easy is it gong to be to get the tank cage on. Is there room to work at the sides to get the bolts in?
An upright 500 liter tank will fit ok and is best width ways.
This is in the car derived van catagory so has an extended floor covering the rear passenger footwells in the equivalent Multispace.
There are access holes which will allow you to get a spreader plate behind the nut with a bit of fiddling for the front of the tank frame. We used 3 high tensile bolts in the front with spreader plates. The back of the frame extends past the diesel tank so access is from underneath for spreader plates. We again used 3. The middle hole mustn't be in the center of the frame as that is directly above the brake distribution manifold for the rear wheels.
Whilst its not totally necessary imho, I also welded on two lugs on the sides of the frame and drilled 2 holes in the floor. These holes are above the diesel tank slightly to the side so I was very careful not to drill into the tank. (There is a gap between the underneath of the floor and the top of the fuel tank. I didn't lower the diesel tank but I did consider getting a spreader plate onto these as well as I could have probably reached them through the narrow gap between the tank and the chassis rails.)
I fitted nutsets into these holes and secured the lugs to the floor with the right size bolts that aren't long enough to reach the top of the tank. (If my memory serves me, the gap is around 25mm, but I wouldn't state my life of that figure.) They aren't meant to be an additional safety feature, just an added buttress to stop the sides of the tank flexing as son goes round corners. (He drives like a bit of a lunatic.)
On this van we fiberglased the floor and a little up the sides to create a tub. We didn't do this with his first van (same van but he overfilled the engine with oil and had a diesel runaway.) At least with this van the footwells won't fill up with water when I accidently forget that the transfer pump is filling his tank up. The overflowing water will run out the back doors.