Mr FIAT - Your #1 source for vintage car parts

General 850T introduction

Currently reading:
General 850T introduction

alastair mccallum

alastair mccallum

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
32
Points
5
Location
Suffolk
Hello all, thought I'd start a thread about my 850t. It starts with one miserly little photo I'm afraid!

bought it a couple of years back on ebay, always found these little vans funny, so one day an over eager bidding finger won me this!

at the moment it is undercover at freinds until i'm read to do - currently i am trying to restore an old house and have a couple of other cars (not fiat) that have been taking my time and money!

it is a manky camper conversion, all the fabric in the flip top is rotten, it really is quite gross! Windows are also naff and smaller than the panel side shape, though I have some aluminium framed ones to replace that fill the panels much better.

considering doing away completely with flip top and getting roof stitched back in.....

one day! :)

 
Same year as mine! looks ok from the photo, how much welding does it need? And i agree with these vans comedy value, who in there right mind thought that these would make a good camper conversion:eek: i can only just get in the back of mine... lol
 
Completely ridiculous yes. When you did eventually get there, the chances of a good nights sleep would be slim! I'm just about 6'4" so needless to say I will not be needing or wanting it as a camper!!!

To be fair I haven't yet had a good look at it. It's a seventies fiat so it will be dreadful, first impressions of rust aren't terrible, but no doubt there will have been years of filling going on! There is definitely a bad rusty bit on the rear corner of the roof.

Haven't looked at it for ages but really getting the bug to get it out and have a poke!!!
 
From what i can see of the door it don't look too bad (which is good because they are a pain to repair) and it looks complete. you should get stuck in before it has another winter behind it! mine was parked up outside under a tree for 2 years, one more year and i really think it would have been too far gone!
Next time you get a chance post some more photos! these vans make a nice change from looking at endless VW projects.
 
Yes you are right. It is at least under a lean too, so better than nothing it's just I have another car restoration on at the moment which is costing me a few pennies!! Plus a house renovation which has to take priority but hopefully end in sight!!!

Hope you are right about the rust!!!
 
Hi, great to see another van turning up out of the woodwork! I don't recognise the conversion, what's the interior like, does it have a sink, cooker etc? Do you have any more pics? Good luck with the house/cars/van etc. etc, you must have a lot of hours in your day!
 
Hi there

I think it's probably a bit home made. Afraid I don't have any pics of the inside as its at a mates and I didn't have camera at time when I put it there. The inside is mank to be honest and at the moment my plan is to probably strip it all out and remove the opening roof. I have no use for it as a camper my wife is 6' and I'm 6'4! I think it would be snug!!

Yes kind of busy with too much to do really, house nearly done though and LC back from body shop!! ;-)

Will get some more pics when I'm next with it.
 
Ha, sounds like a mixed bag indeed!
Not sure how far you are from Brandon/Thetford you're based but I have a meeting down there sometime in the next month so may be able to drop by if its not too far, help ID it (I'm otherwise based in Yorkshire). I've been into these for longer than I can remember and have pretty much all the brochures as far as I know so should have some idea depending on who converted it.
Funnily enough I'm restoring one at the mo which was a DIY conversion, funny how they never seem to have been quite finished tho! As far as the length of the bed goes, I think if you were to convert it so that you use the full length of the van you'd be surprised how long the bed would be. Just don't expect to be able to stand up in it!
Cheers,
Andy
 
Hi, just thought that you might appreciate a photo (attached) of a 'van I've been using as a shed until recently (yes really, you wouldn't believe how much stuff you can get in one!) as I thought it could be the same colour as yours, a kind of pale mauve (apart from the go faster stripes that is of course). I can't quite tell whether yours is the same colour or pale blue from the photo.
How's yours coming along, have you got any more photo's yet? I notice that there appears to be a badge of some description above the grille on yours; does this give any clues as to it's origins?
Cheers,
Andy
 

Attachments

  • WP_20140426_007.jpg
    WP_20140426_007.jpg
    2.4 MB · Views: 58
Last edited:
Vin said:
From the roof shape it could maybe be a 'Fargo'... These were made by Motor caravan Conversions of Berkhamstead.
Click to expand...

It could be, there were several different versions. This was mine - it's an 850T Fiesta. The rising roof looks similar, but although I can see marks on the photo there certainly don't appear to be the 3 deep grooves?



Somewhere I have plenty of photos including the interior, but it will be sonewhere on the computer not the phone.

Good luck with the resto. They are great campers (and genuinely work as such - a double bed in the main van & 2 hammocks in the roof!), just too slow for the modern traffic sadly (for me anyway especially sat on a plank of wood with no seatbelts!!). (y)
 
Vin said:
I remember that one. I first saw it about ten years ago. 'Chick850t' above, owned it then...
Click to expand...

Oh really, that's interesting. I can't actually remember when I sold it - doesn't seem long ago & then I work out it was definitely before I moved & that was 7 years ago! :eek:

It was stolen a few years ago & eventually recovered. I've got a feeling someone refitted the interior which was a shame in my eyes, as it was all original 1972 stuff when I had it.

I think it's changed hands quite a bit - these campers tend to for some reason, which is nothing to do with the quality of the vehicle. Wish I'd kept it in hindsight - it would be worth quite a bit now in the condition it was back then. :(
 
Last edited:
Ha, yes that used to be my van too. I bought it in Stoke on Trent in the mid nineties as a bit of a wreck (it had been sprayed externally with oil to preserve it, and the clunky engine was doing a good job of spraying the rest of the van with oil!) I used it daily albeit dog-eared as a student before giving it a restoration including full engine rebuild in 1999. After that is was my daily user again until I got a job 30 miles away in 2004 and the commute would have been painful. (That seat was indeed buttock cramp inducing though it did have seat belts when I had it.) Hence I reluctantly sold it.

I have a lot of great camping memories in that van, particularly as a then member of the Amigo and Friends Association. Still looking good in the photo! It would be a real shame if the interior has been swapped as it was indeed all original, although admittedly the brown cushions were from another Fiesta which I scrapped some years ago (most of the cushions were missing from 'OYE' when I bought it). I think it has more than doubled in value since I sold it based on the last time I saw it for sale. Thanks for posting the photo, made my day to see it again. I've added one of my own too...maybe we can start a chronology of photo's from previous owners!

Fiatfully,

Andy
 

Attachments

  • P1010020.JPG
    P1010020.JPG
    378.6 KB · Views: 38
chick850t said:
Ha, yes that used to be my van too. I bought it in Stoke on Trent in the mid nineties as a bit of a wreck (it had been sprayed externally with oil to preserve it, and the clunky engine was doing a good job of spraying the rest of the van with oil!) I used it daily albeit dog-eared as a student before giving it a restoration including full engine rebuild in 1999. After that is was my daily user again until I got a job 30 miles away in 2004 and the commute would have been painful. (That seat was indeed buttock cramp inducing though it did have seat belts when I had it.) Hence I reluctantly sold it.

I have a lot of great camping memories in that van, particularly as a then member of the Amigo and Friends Association. Still looking good in the photo! It would be a real shame if the interior has been swapped as it was indeed all original, although admittedly the brown cushions were from another Fiesta which I scrapped some years ago (most of the cushions were missing from 'OYE' when I bought it). I think it has more than doubled in value since I sold it based on the last time I saw it for sale. Thanks for posting the photo, made my day to see it again. I've added one of my own too...maybe we can start a chronology of photo's from previous owners!

Fiatfully,

Andy
Click to expand...

Hi Andy,

That's great info (y) it was still in great condition when I sold it apart from a few ominous lumps of paint on the door bottoms.

Maybe I bought it from whoever you sold to? I think the cushions were blue when I got it (will have to dig out the photos), so I don't think it can have been direct from you. That photo is from Sept 2006 by the way (y)

Cheers, Gavin.
 
Hi Gavin,

I sold it to a gentleman from the Edinburgh area from memory after advertising it on eBay. I also know that it was owned at some point by a guy called Rory, which is when it was stolen.

I've attached a photo of the interior taken just before I sold it (2004).

Cheers,

Andy
 

Attachments

  • P1010007.JPG
    P1010007.JPG
    376.7 KB · Views: 36
chick850t said:
Hi Gavin,

I sold it to a gentleman from the Edinburgh area from memory after advertising it on eBay. I also know that it was owned at some point by a guy called Rory, which is when it was stolen.

I've attached a photo of the interior taken just before I sold it (2004).

Cheers,

Andy
Click to expand...

Hi Andy,

Sorry about hijacking this thread by the way! :eek:

I bought it from someone up Leicester way so maybe they bought it from Edinburgh. The seats and flooring were different when I bought it.

Yes it ended up with Rory Cole a few years later & was stolen with the trailer it was on. If you want me to upload photos, maybe we should start a new thread. Maybe its current owner will appear too. (y)
 
Hi Gavin,
I think that starting a new thread is a great idea, maybe start a sort of photographic chronology of the van's history. It would be great to know where it is nowadays!
Cheers,
Andy
 
Ha this thread has been well and truly hijacked! Don't worry all interesting stuff!

Sorry for the lack of reply, I have been so busy with house and other projects the fiat is a bit way down the list. It is undercover though so shouldn't be deteriorating too quickly. He says with teeth gritted. I need to get a good look over it, but for definite it will be a rot box

I will get some more pics of it when over that way and post them up here for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
General New 850T owner
Replies
4
Views
3K
wjskir
W
F
General 1971 Fiat 850t coming up for sale.
Replies
1
Views
2K
varesecrazy
V
C
General 850T - How many are out there?!
Replies
9
Views
5K
rogerbeattie
R
Treaclehunter
General SELLING MY 850t
Replies
3
Views
5K
CathyBee
C
D
General Last few 850T 900T/E bits on eBay
Replies
1
Views
2K
Treaclehunter
Treaclehunter
Back
Top