Innehållsförteckning för April 2017 från VWt

“I’ve got to have a go at it or I can’t write about it with any kind of authority” I am a self-confessed mechanical numpty. It’s not that I’m not keen to have a go, it’s just that what takes others half a day always seems to take me at least twice that long, and inevitably involves breaking various clips and lots of inadvertent swearing at my neighbours as they wander past me and the Van. It doesn’t matter how many YouTube clips I watch, or workshops I hang out in, working on cars just doesn’t come naturally to me. Why is this, you may ask? Is it because I see what others are doing and think, I’ve got to have a go at it or I can’t write about…

T6scoopsBusinessVanoftheYear2017 That’s right, your favourite Van was named Best Large Trades Van, while the Transporter Kombi took the honours for Best Crew Van for the third year running, and the Transporter was named overall Business Van of the Year in the 2017 running of the Business Van awards. Ralph Morton, editorial director of Business Vans website, said: “The Transporter once again has shown itself to be a consistently formidable vehicle, and the ideal choice for tradesmen to use across the country to progress their businesses.” And if ‘they’ don’t necessarily want to ‘progress their businesses’ they can always lower it, fit a set of 20s and go fishing, or mountain biking, or camping, or just hang out at shows with their mates. The T6 is the Van that does it…

After reading your great magazine and hiring a Campervan for our anniversary in October, my wife (Rosie) and I decided we definitely wanted our own. Actually, it was that and discovering we can’t have children that gave us the push we needed to take our lives in a new direction and adventure together. At first, we gave ourselves 12 to 18 months to look around and do some research, then we saw this one for sale and simply had to have it. We are both impulse buyers, so it didn’t take long to make a decision! Only a few weeks after hiring and thinking about getting one, we had ‘Jean-Claude. He came complete with a Salop Vans / Bebb lifestyle conversion inside with a three-way fridge, M1 rock ’n’ roll…

The online poll via the VWt Facebook page for our Van of the Year trophy went off well this year. Though many different Vans featured in the voting, at the final count the overall victor was the Quattro drivetrain, 444bhp, 4.2-litre V8-equipped T5 of Andi Riley from Yorkshire-based T4 Transformations. Despite what appears to be a widespread assumption that this Van was a no expense spared, blankety blank chequebook build, you may be surprised to learn that Andi and his faithful sidekick, Liam, did the vast majority of the work themselves, with the Van up on axle stands tucked away in the corner of the workshop over the course of just over a year. Okay, so not everyone has the mechanical ability to pull off something this extreme, or indeed…

Paul Howes has always been into anything with wheels and, as a time-served HGV Tech, has worked for a number of garages and main dealers over the years before going it alone in the classic car restoration business. But it was his dad that got him into VWs: “After my dad bought a ’96 T4 Caravelle in 2001 – he’s still got it to this day – it really sparked my interest in the VW Van scene.” It wasn’t until 2012, though, that Paul really started wanting a Van of his own, and so began a long, hard hunt. He decided that he wanted something that could be practical as a workhorse to tow customer vehicles for his business during the day but also be plenty of fun at the…

“VW say these lights simply don’t fit… we can now categorically state that is bunkum” We’ve long been fans of the facelift rear lights from the T5.1 Sportline and Caravelle, but up ’til now have believed what VW has always said about them not being compatible with older models. Dimensionally similar to the run-of-the-mill T5 units, but with updated aesthetics and square edges, the newer rear lights can really enhance the back end of pre-2010 Vans. Unfortunately, in its wisdom VW only released the later Sportline and Caravelle models with tailgates, so slotting a pair of these lights into place on a barn door model, such as our 2007 project T5, seemed impossible, due to the difference in the radius on the bottom corners of the two types of rear…

 VWt: Hi Kate, how’s it going? Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, we really appreciate it. “Red and black two-tone leather interior – what’s not to love?!” We know it’s been popular for retro-fit upgrades pretty much since its inception in 1950, but how do you react to the current aftermarket obsession with VW Transporters? We’d imagine, in the grand scheme of things, it’s a rather niche concern compared to the numbers that are sold through the UK dealer network? KT: My pleasure! Following the launch of the T6 in September 2015, the Transporter is going from strength to strength – we sold nearly 25,000 last year. So yes, by comparison, the aftermarket element is a niche – but it’s an important niche because…

Cool Water display Ex-VWt cover cars and some really cool rides take up residency on the The Surrey Lawn in a display of some of the very best examples of T4, T5 and T6 Vans from Europe. If you have a Transporter that you are looking to convert, it is a great place to pick up ideas and get the inside story of the builds. If you are looking to buy, remember the cars for sale area in the front car park. Entertainment There will be a great mix of music to suit all tastes, including the Del Sharronsand The Breakfast Club. Top Bananas, the world’s tallest band, will also be on hand to welcome you to the show and play throughout the day for your entertainment. Jim from The…

I bought my Van four years ago as a white, converted Panel Van and re-mapped it with some Pendle Performance ECU tweaks within a week. I wasn’t happy with how it looked though so, after a few months, I fitted FK coilovers and a set of BMW X5 Tiger claws. This phase lasted a few months before the front seats were swapped for Audi TT items. It was camped in a few times like that before I decided to change it up, so painted half of it black with rattle cans outside my house one day. Roughly a year later, I stripped the dash out and had it flocked, smoothed the front and rear bumpers – losing the number plate recess along the way with help from T5 guru, Shaun…

After making my mind up about wanting a T5, I decided to take the plunge. After looking and looking, I ended up buying a T28 Panel Van from eBay (‘Borris’ I call him) about two years ago now. I then put some decals and wheels on the old boy and carried out a few modifications inside. The first trip I embarked upon was a road trip around Scotland and the Western Isles – quite possibly the most beautiful part of the UK to my mind. It was -8degC at one point but we awoke to the most incredible view of Glencoe behind us. Last year’s long trip started off from my home town of Northumberland and took us right up to the Outer Hebrides. That was in November 2016, and…

“The paintwork was dull and it was absolutely mingin’ and mucky when I got it” There it sat in the car park at The VolksWorld Show last year. Rear wheels obscenely tucked, with sidewall profiles so tiny the rims appeared to float like an ethereal being, barely contained by such angelic ’arches. The rear camber seemed scarcely believable, the spacing of the rear wheels so snug, so perfectly calculated that the stretched 35-section tyres sat within a gnat’s clearance of the rear ’arches, as did the lip of the limited edition Vossen wheels, moving more than a few passing visitors to comment that one or other would surely come to harm as the compressed air moved about the suspension system. If you’re down with the kids, you’ll be fully aware…

It’s 6am on a cold and relatively bleak winter’s day. The sun is just about to peep above the Yorkshire hills in the distance and both Van owner, Lee Etches, and our snapper, Adam, are freezing their bits off in the name of VWt. It takes a very special Van to provoke such an early morning raid from one of our most valued snappers, but Lee’s is definitely worth it. Purchased as an ex-demo, 2011, low-mileage minter from a local VW dealer in the middle of 2012, Lee actually traded up from a rather swish (although, as it turned out, largely useless) Porsche 964 to take ownership of this Van, with just a smidge over 8,000 on the clock. “With a couple of littl’uns to squeeze in, the Porsche just…

“This is proper, old school British engineering” The Ws WHO? gazshocks.com Tel. +44 (0)1268 724585 WHERE? Rayridge House, Swinborne Road, Burnt Mills Industrial Estate, Basildon, Essex SS13 1EH WHY? Bespoke and off-the-shelf shock absorber and coilover manufacturer Various members of team VWt have been rolling around on GAZ suspension for the last 15-odd years. Ever since our Jimbo figured out that he could actually use a set of spanners and a socket set he’s put his faith in the Essex-based emporium of suspension tweaking. From a Peugeot 205, through a Series 1 RS Turbo to a Mk2 G60, B2 Passat on air ride and even a BMW E30 with a V8 in it, GAZ has covered the lot for him, so it’s no surprise to see the company’s products on…

You don’t need to see the London Underground-style ‘Party Bus’ mat in the back of Martin Retter’s unique T4 to know this Van is all about the smiles. Head round the back and you’ll see straight away the reason it is usually the centre of the party – the bar, the sounds, the DJ console and, of course, Martin and his family welcoming friends and strangers alike in whatever show field or campsite they happen to be on. The ex-American car fan is all about the social side of Van life and rarely ventures onto a show ’n’ shine field, instead he prefers to use his Van for the reason he bought and built it – having fun with like-minded souls. He is the first to admit it’s a bit…

It’s been a long journey right from the start. Travelling from Bexhill to Fort William in the Highlands of Scotland to collect the Van – 1,226 miles in 28 hours there and back, no less. I insured my newly found girlfriend and my best mate on my car. We all jumped in the motor with tools and the dog and drove through the night, arriving at 9am the following morning. After looking round the Van, it was in a really bad way, but it drove down the road okay, so the deal was done. I whacked some trade plates on it and drove it all the way back home without any issues. Once back at the workshop, my work colleague at the time told me I was mad and it…

March The VolksWorld Show* 25-26 March Sandown Park, Surrey www.volksworldshows.com Dubs at the Mill 31 March – 2 April Haselbury Mill www.scrumpydubbers.co.uk April Vee Dub Family Weekender 7-8 April Oak Tree Arena, Somerset Elemental VW Show 8 April Rayleigh, Essex www.elementalvw.org.uk Dubshed 8-9 April Eikon Exhibition Centre Northern Ireland www.dubshed.com Elsecar at the Races 9 April Doncaster Racecourse www.elsecarattheraces.com GTi Spring Festival 9 April Santa Pod Raceway www.vwaction.com/gtispring Clubs Unite at the Beach* 9 April Warren Farm, Brean, Somerset Bus Types VW Show 14-16 April Oswestry Showground www.bus-types.co.uk Big Bang* 21-23 April Santa Pod Raceway www.big-bang.co.uk Stanford Hall* 30 April Stanford Hall, Leicestershire www.stanfordhallvw.com May Van West 5-7 May Warren Farm, Brean, Somerset www.vanwest.net VW Budburg 6-7 May Oulton Park www.vwbudburg.com Early Edition 14 May Sywell…

“enough beer and cake to displace Windermere” The opportunity to bag a big house with a hot tub right next to Lake Windermere was too good to miss, so our annual holiday with good friends, Caz, Chris, Rick and Helen, was booked a good six months ahead of our late September journey to the Lake District. We don’t really do relaxing holidays, preferring instead try to cram as much in as possible wherever we go. Caz, our resident cartography fanatic, kindly checked out our walking and mountain biking options, while my planning went as far as checking how far we would be from the local pub. Unfortunately, our ‘local’ was actually a lovely four-star hotel – with the attendant price tag – and wasn’t the kind of place muddy mountain…

“achieving the right balance between aesthetics and driveability is an eternal battle” There is a wealth of aftermarket suspension choices out there for the T4, T5 and T6 modifier right now. To the point that it might all seem a bit overwhelming to begin with, but in this article we aim to simplify it a bit, and share with you a little first-hand experience along the way. There are four distinct methods of lowering any water-pumping Transporter, which can be broken down as follows: fixed height lowering springs; height-adjustable coilovers; air ride and hydraulics. Within these sub categories, things quickly become a lot more complicated. For example, you should always fit shorter shocks with lowering springs and coilovers are generally adjustable for damping properties as well as height. And then,…

Feature Van • Sex on the beach T4 How to • Facelift your T5 to T5.1 spec, complete with light bar lamps Feature Vans • A 300,000-mile T4 that looks as fresh as the day it left the factory • A facelift ’5 that lives life on the floor Road trip • 4000-miles to the Eastern Bloc. Who can tell us where they are? (See pic far right) Don’t miss it! To subscribe visit here: http://shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/VWT *Contents subject to change because if there’s one thing our Jimbo is consistent at, it’s being inconsistent. It’s also now show season so the beer will be flowing and everything is about to kick off big style. Hey, being predictable only makes life boring anyway, right?…