Hi Peter,
You asked for opinions, so, I'm sure there'll be lots that agree and disagree - lolBut, without seeing any pictures, if you're sure the yellow HX is genuine Sandman, I'd be looking at it like this;
In terms of the rust, whilst it initially sounds bad, it doesn't sound quite as bad as one of the vans I am doing! (have you got any photos?)
The idea that once a car has had rust in it it will always rust is a popular one, but there's a bit to consider there. If all the rust is properly cut out, and the welding repair properly done, and properly and carefully prepped, and (eg) iron oxide dust isn't allowed to be left in the vehicle whilst this is happening, and a high quality rust proofing is properly applied before paint of course, there is no reason to think the vehicle will rust any faster than a similar rust free example.
I may get hammered here, but I reckon a thing to consider is that all of these cars, (in fact any car) rust free or not, will rust eventually if left exposed to the elements, or even sometimes garaged. So whilst its fair to say if you remove rust from a vehicle the vehicle will rust again eventually, its also fair to say that a non rusty one will rust eventually as well.
Sills and beaver panels aren't usually that bad as rust repairs, the replacement panels are available at affordable (grimace) prices, and getting em welded in (or better still doing it yourself) is achievable at reasonable cost.
In terms of the 3/4 panels, that's more difficult, but also usually pretty do-able, more pricey, but ya know, whats it worth to you as a machine? A number of members on this site have been dealing with issues in repairing those panels. Ive got one van that needs a massive 3/4 section repaired on one side, and a bad one on the other, and big problem with the roof. It was once original Sandman, and my decision was to save it, and it has a while to go yet. And the project has stalled for winter, cause I'm a bit over it atm, but eventually, I know it will get there.
One area of issue you seem to have however are the body seams? It may not look as bad with the paint blasted off it. There is at least one current thread looking at repairs on those body seams on this site.
Regarding that body seam, you might also like to have a look at product called "Metal Blast", it will get right in there and help you clean it up better than you'd expect, there's pictures of how that product works on the thread on 'Rust Bullet' in Paint and Panel.
Regarding the clutch set up, I reckon for the HX, theres no good reason to change to hydraulic, the conversion will butcher the car - something which you seem to be trying to avoid (extra holes in the firewall). It will also always be evident as not original (as its the wrong spec), and it is very hard to get it to look like a factory install anyway.
Its also a lot of mucking about, and you'll probably find you'll need fiddly parts you possibly hadn't considered immediately (from the arrangement at the pedal to the arrangement at the clutch housing) and these parts are not nearly as easy to come by as they were once. Not cheap either! Could be something as simple as one clip ,or bush you realise you re missing, and you'll have people try and charge 25 bucks for it!
The rat trap set up(s) have been criticised yes, and they may look a bit far fetched to some, but, isn't that part of their mechanical intrigue and aesthetic? For the most part, (I think it should be said), they function well, and are pretty reliable - like 15 -20 years reliable till something (might/might not) need to be done to rebuild, make em work again - and not usually too pricey to fix one broken element in the chain (or trap as it were).
If one thinks about a hydraulic clutch generally, there is probably more maintenance (fluid change will be recommended at approx 3 years, slave cylinders eventually leak, and when the master eventually goes it always costs a bit more than you actually expected... just a bit.) So I dunno why the rat traps cop so much grief, -maybe the Ford brigade started it! I reckon they' re a perfectly serviceable unit when you consider the treatment they get and the miles they cover. I mean, how often do you hear anyone suggesting an HX Kingswood is unreliable?!!
In terms of the gearbox, I'm not the expert but Celica five speed used to be the go, I think people do Supra now, but I can say that in terms of (only two) conversions to the the Celica box I've driven, in both, the gear shift was set too far forward for comfortable driving (you had to lean forward to put it into third, first or reverse) and yep the floor was butchered for one of those (don't know about the other) so you need an expert on the right spacer plate. If you want a longer final drive ratio/better economy, you could consider changing the diff ratio instead/or as well?
Seems to me that the yellow HX sounds saveable, it doesn't sound as bad as some others, I like Vombils last post on it may as well, get it started, (cheaply at first) and see how it progresses. I'm not an advocate of compliance plate swapping though, never have been convinced of that, I've always thought repair whats there.
So why not do up the WB, and work on the HX on the side, the sills and beaver (avail from rares - reasonable price), and then for the 3/4s, leave till later, find a donor, or if there's only a small amount of rust in the 3/4s the rares 3/4 panel might cover that too). The 3/4 replacements will turn up eventually if you keep your eye out most likely. In that case, no need to cut any donor van up, and you get 2 vans!
Can you put up any pics of the rusted areas?
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