Innehållsförteckning för December 2016 från VWt

There are two things grating on me this month. Despite what everyone who sends me an email and doesn’t get a response within five minutes may think, this is not my only job. The very nature of the publishing industry these days means we all have to diversify in order to keep doing what we really love. As a result, I also take pictures and knock out a few words for a variety of other publications, including our sister titles, Camper&Bus, VolksWorld, Retro Cars and even, dare I say it here, Fast Car now and then. That means I get to see quite the variety of tasty vehicles. What have I learned from this? Dark interiors are always boring, and they’re a massive pain in the rear to take photos…

Just Kampers believes clubs have been an important part of owning a VW from the beginning, and are a part of the scene it’s keen to help keep alive. As such, JK’s new Owners Club Discount Card offers a number of perks and benefits to members of VW owners’ clubs that will help make life a little easier. As part of the new system, JK will send you a discount card that can be used online or over the ’phone. You will still be entitled to JK’s standard free delivery on orders over £35, and priority dispatch, but you’ll also receive the club discount on top! To apply for your Club Discount Card, contact robert.steward@justkampers.co.uk with your name, address, contact number and the name of the VW club you…

“Believe it or not, nothing like this exists in the VW product range” Ask Jon-Paul Lockyer to take you down the dump, or whack half a tonne of sand and cement in the back of his Doka, and you will most likely be met with a few choice expletives, followed by a random act of violence. It’s no surprise really, I mean, look at what he’s created. But not many people would look at a T5 Doka (short for Doppel Kabin, or Double Cab in English) chassis cab with drop sides and think, ‘You know what, I’m going to make that into a show winner,’ but then not everyone is Jon-Paul. Head honcho of the well renowned firm that makes the only front splitters worth having for your T5.1 –…

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the Vans we cherish and become somewhat obsessed with are to a lot of people simply a tool to pursue a passion, or get a job done. Amidst all the hullabaloo about stance, stereos, subtle body modifications and crazy engine transplants, there’s a whole raft of people who treat their Van as a lifestyle accessory, rather than the main motivator behind every social gathering they attend. Vans such as these facilitate their lifestyle rather than become the lifestyle, and that’s an important distinction to make. However, in our experience, such Vans are often fitted with some of the highest specification equipment, and built with a standard of fit and finish that means it would be criminal for us not to bring you more on them.…

There’s something extra special about Phillip Moore and Caroline Nixon’s Van. It’s a fantastic example of home brewed creativity and good, honest, hard graft. Through the self-titled collective of Driveway Dub Developments, a group of good mates that includes Transporter stalwarts, Adrian ‘Mole VW’ Coomber, and seat swap supremo, Karl Guthrie, this quartet of ingenious VW fanatics have built three of our favourite T4s over the last few years. We featured Mole’s 20V turbo T4 (VWt issue 34) and Karl’s green machine followed shortly afterwards (VWt issue 35), but not before he’d given us a quick blast up the A2 to slightly scare us and show off the effortless cruising ability of this most ingenious engine swap. Although VW’s 1.8 20V turbo lump comes in for a lot of stick…

I first got my T5 from London about a year and half ago, from a company called Diamond Drilling. Let’s just say I think it was white, with damage to the back doors and the rear passenger side. The Van spent rather a lot of time at my friend’s bodyshop getting straightened out before being re-sprayed in Toffee Brown metallic. Once painted, I meet Stefan from Tiki Customs at Busfest and got the bonnet hydro-dipped, and it all kind of blossomed from there. I came up with all the mad ideas and Stefan put them into practice. We put bonnet vents in, then smoothed the door cards using multiple coats of plastic primer, then dipped them in carbon, did the dash and even put a reversing camera into the centre…

I bought my Van new in July last year when I needed something long wheelbase for work. I’ve always been keen on VW Transporters, having owned a T4 previously, so it was an obvious choice really. The first step was to get a JPL splitter for it as I think the Sportline front end looks slightly bland without one of them lower down. As I really wanted to run the Van low, but use it every day for work carrying heavy materials, lowering on coilovers wasn’t really an option for me, especially with some customers’ properties needing a 4x4 to get on their driveway! I spoke with JPL Automotive about the options and we came to the conclusion that HP Drivetech bags and struts, coupled with AccuAir eLevel, was the…

“Oliver has proved to be the most reliable set of wheels we’ve ever owned” Let us introduce you to our home away from home. ‘Oliver’ is a 1996 T4 Caravelle. Since adopting him just under a year ago, we have transformed him into a fully functioning Camper, whilst still retaining his original features. We have even kept all of his eight seats intact, though these are folded down when in camping mode. He now has a rear kitchen unit, fold-out double bed, drawers, curtains, electric portable shower, twin-burner gas hob, double DIN DVD player (in a custom-made console), drive-away awning and many other camping essentials, all of which were built in true DIY fashion. Although at first being sceptical of buying an older vehicle, Oliver has proved to be the…

“It’s arguably a more rounded show as a result” “A frankly incredulous 8.474 second quarter at 167mph out of a four-wheel drive Mk2 Golf” “This month’s cover star Doka took a Top 10 water-cooled trophy” Why has VW Action always been a force to be reckoned with? Because it’s been there from the start, and has moved with the times. It’s changed location several times and even its owner over the years, but it now has everything you could want in a VW show, all within the confines of the UK’s best and most family-friendly drag racing venue. Just as Santa Pod has evolved and improved the facilities on offer, so Action has gone from strength to strength. So, whether you seek top quality show vehicles, world class VW…

Another month of you sending us your favourite interior tricks and tips, your coolest Vans and more besides. Don’t forget, this page doesn’t always have to be VW-centric. If it’s inspired you, let us know This month we’ve been out and about at Brands Hatch, Busfest, Grill-n-Chill, The 5th of Low-vember meet and some other places we can’t even remember. You keep sending us your inspirational Vans and the styling cues that keep you excited about your build and we’ll keep putting them in here. There’s one Van in particular that stood out to us this month – Pete and Steph’s static slammed T5.1 that rolls along at such a crazy ride height, we’re genuinely surprised they manage to get anywhere. Check it out as the big Van opposite. Then…

Air apparent I, for one, have a huge issue with the ‘Hate is in the air’ letter from Issue 48. First of all, I’m rather surprised that you guys decided to run that letter as rather a lot of your feature Vans seem to feature the set up that’s being criticised. Secondly, does the writer not realise that the latest and most advanced set ups are every bit as reliable as any factory suspension set ups currently on offer. Consider that the likes of BMW, Range Rover, Mercedes and even the VW Phaeton and Touareg have all been rolling around on air suspension of sorts for years. It’s very short sighted of Mr. Rice to criticise a system he doesn’t fully understand, or probably really want to understand. Yes, problems…

My hunt for a new (-ish) work van began in the early part of January 2015. Having found and viewed a few disappointing numbers, a local used VW specialist led me to this one – a bog standard, poverty-spec T28 102 Startline with a handful of factory options. Naturally, things didn’t stay stock for long, with the addition of new smoothed VW bumpers, Sportline splitter, spoiler, sidebars, colour coded 18-inch alloys and H&R -40mm springs. And there was me thinking, ‘yeah, that will do nicely!’ Wrong. Since then, a Transit has replaced said money pit for work. Side windows have now been cut in and the interior sound deadened, insulated and carpeted. It’s been dropped over various 20-inch alloys and several different suspension set ups, finally landing on staggered fitment…

“The world’s biggest Transporter show” “this is the show of the year for us” “hotly contested show ’n’ shine” The Ws WHO? www.busfest.org WHERE? Three Counties Showground, Malvern WHY? Because it’s brilliant WHEN? 9-11 September As the rapidly growing water-cooled Van scene continues to evolve, Busfest has morphed into what we consider the best show on the current VW calendar. We’re not about to doubt its claim of being “The world’s biggest Transporter show” as it is absolutely massive. And with the current level of popularity of VW’s water-cooled Vans, it’s no wonder trade presence, visitor numbers and show ’n’ shine attendance was as good, if not better, than we’ve ever seen. So, if there’s a product you’re considering buying for your T4, ’5 or ’6, there’s a…

VW fans, Megan and Dennis Everson, are friendly enough, although a cute tilt of the head followed by total silence won’t earn them any favours in a magazine interview, regardless of the publication. Aside from the awkwardness of the whole situation, writing a story on their so-called ‘Dub Cart’ after being totally blanked becomes a real challenge. Thankfully, they’ve also arrived with a seriously cool custom T5 for us to photo, and their guardians, Tony and Donna, were far more forthcoming on the information front, you know, being human and all. “We had a Mk1 Golf years back, then bought a Vauxhall Vivaro van, but soon saw the light and realised we really needed another VW,” says Tony, who was a keen golfer at the time. “When Tony said he…

“They work alongside VW DRLs as well” Auxiliary automotive driving lights – that’s what they are. If you’ve watched any kind of rallying or off-road motorsport over the years, you’ll be familiar with the concept of adding ultra-bright driving lamps to aid night vision, but it’s not all about hurtling through a pitch black forest at 100mph, there’s a place for improved headlights in everyday driving situations, too. Lazer Lamps are not only lighter (no pun intended) and more aerodynamic, both of which have obvious benefits, they also provide a greater contrast to your surroundings, thanks to the ultra-bright, daylight white balance they emit. Being LED-based means they draw comparatively little current compared to halogen-style lighting systems, so are more energy efficient and produce far less heat. The T5.1 grille…

There’s a heap of dedication involved in owning and driving a Van static dropped to this level. We first spotted Pete and Steph’s T5.1 at Big Bang in 2015 and, having clocked it more recently at the Grill-n-Chill show, it’s clear this is a Van on a mission. Word has it that this is the lowest static T5.1 in the UK, thanks to a suspension turret raise, hub mod, extra low coilovers and adjustable ARB drop links. The rear camber that this thing rolls along with must involve new tyres every few thousand (hundred?!) miles, and we hope to bring you more on it very soon. You certainly don’t see many sets of 17-inch OZ Breyton splits kicking around, and when you do they tend to be attached to BMWs.…