Table of contents for August 2017 in VWt

Low info What a fantastic cover Van on the front of Issue 56 of VWt, and a credit to Martyn Wilson for producing such an innovative and unique vehicle. I have to say, though, I felt slightly short changed by the write up. Why bring us a Van of such significance and then fail to mention its most important element? Clearly there was an awful lot of time and effort invested beneath Martyn’s T4 to get it sitting as it does, but scant mention of what’s actually been done in the feature. Come on VWt, I expect more of you as you’re usually on the money when it comes to mechanical changes and always give us useful, in-depth information rather than throwaway comments that mean very little to those with…

Hi guys, last year I was sitting with the technicians here at Greenhous VW Van Centre having a chat about how much customers spend on their Vans and conversions, which then posed the question – can you have a nice, reliable T5 on a ‘sensible’ budget? Myself and one of the technicians decided to take up the challenge. In my experience, very few T5s dip below £4,000 so I consider myself very lucky to have managed to pick up a 2005 1.9 LWB Panel Van in Indian Blue with 120k on the clock and full service history for just £2,000 inc. VAT. Granted, it wasn’t perfect, but then what would you expect for that sort of price? After many hours of cleaning and polishing, I got rid of all the…

“A very easy way to while away a Sunday. And soak up all of the trends that are bound to influence Van styling this year” After breaking down on the A14 on the way to the show in my Mk1 Golf – turned out the low tech rotor arm had seen better days, but thanks to the RAC man who drove to Peterborough to get me a new one – I eventually pitched up at Sywell Aerodrome around 2pm to find the event in full swing. This spring season opener from the Edition38 crew has moved from All Saints rugby ground in Northampton, after outgrowing the venue, and there were some concerns that having such a vast field to occupy, along with one of the hangers, might backfire on the…

“the opportunity to hang out, talk and actually meet people, instead of just… online communication” WHERE WE STAYED: In the car park, Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey MUST SEE / DO: • The VolksWorldShow • The Bear pub, Esher High Street • Cool Flo party, The Ski Lodge, Sandown Park • Khyam quick erection competition • Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU (If you fancy a few hours not taking in Europe’s best VWs) HOW MUCH? • Weekend ticket: £38, not including camping • Fuel: a combined total of around £1,200 for all of us, though none of us used more than a tank of diesel getting there and back, not even those from Carlisle! WHERE NEXT? • Bug Jam, Santa Pod, 22 July For many of…

“Without going too mad, we were sure we could turn the build around [in two weeks] and have it ready for the show” When it comes to transforming a Volkswagen Van, many people do it gradually, the vehicle and its build evolving during ownership rather than being built to a specific timeline. But when the team at Caledonian Campers, based just outside Glasgow, decided that not only were they going to exhibit at the forthcoming Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show, hosted at the nearby Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), they were going to show a Van that had not yet been built. Having started out on classic air-cooled Type 2s, Caledonian Campers has worked its way up to the point where all generations of Transporter, including the…

The continued onslaught of attractive Vans never ceases to amaze us, and it’s clear the T4-T6 scene is gaining in popularity and credibility all the time. If you’re not a part of it, why not? If you are, but we don’t know about it, send us a picture and tell us a little about you and your Van to vwt.ed@kelsey.co.uk. We’ve been out papping this month at Just Kampers’ Open Day, Brands Hatch Speedfest and the VAG extravaganza that is Early Edition. Here goes……

JKtackletheMilleMiglia Anyone who follows Just Kampers via its social media channels will know its Managing Director and a group of its staff have recently returned from the world famous Mille Miglia road rally, following the 1,000-mile route from Brescia to Rome in Italy. Competing in a 1956 Oval Window Beetle with a twin-carb Okrasa-style engine onboard, the JK team of Mark and Josh Reynolds managed to work their way up the grid by a phenomenal 206 places following the three-day endurance test. Supported by JK employees, Pete Dempsey, Alex Noel and Stephen Gosling, who towed the Beetle out there and followed the route of the rally (at race speed!) in a T6 4Motion Panel Van, the diehard enthusiasts reported nothing but good times, with zero mechanical issues with either vehicle…

This is ‘Lucas, our 1.9TD (ABL), T4 800 Special Campervan. We bought him in August 2016 and have been fettling, replacing and modifying him ever since, mainly to make him reliable and look cool for the 2017 season. We bought him on a whim from a guy in Folkestone who did the original conversion and never really used it. We’ve since fitted new Vauxhall XVR seats on CMC swivel bases, a stainless exhaust system, leisure battery and a headlight wiring upgrade kit from Rayne Automotive, not forgetting new discs, pads and balljoints all round. New Meyle heavy duty shocks and Vogtland springs have also found their way on, increasing (yes, increasing!) the ride height slightly as I want to tow a car trailer once my 1969 Triumph TR6 is finally…

“The six-speed ’box from a later 180 BiTurbo Van totally transforms the way it drives” In Issue 45 of VWt we bought you a T5 that didn’t really get the coverage it deserved. The Van in question belonged to a canny young Italian lad from Lancashire and was, and probably still is, one of the highest spec, most highly modified Vans we’ve ever featured in the mag. And now it’s back. Never mind the housewives of Cheshire, or the WAGs of TOWIE, this is how cosmetic surgery should be done. A T5 (or should that be T6?), with enough front to oust any St. Tropez-coated fake with a claim to celebrity. Join together brothers and sisters, say no to fake bosoms, stick-on hair, weird eyebrows and fingernails made from old…

July Camper Marmalade 7-9 July Horam, East Sussex www.campermarmalade.co.uk Dorset Volksfest 14-16 July Pikes Farm, Poole www.dorsetvolksfest.co.uk Volksweald 15-16 July Penshurst Place, Kent www.volksweald.co.uk Bug Jam* 21-23 July Santa Pod Raceway www.bugjam.com Dubs At The Castle 21-23 July Caldicot Castle www.dubsatthecastle.co.uk Camping at the Castle* 28-30 July Eastnor Castle www.volksworldshows.com Dubtoberfest 28-30 July Cheltenham Racecourse www.dubtoberfest.co.uk August VW Whitenoise 3-6 August Euston Park, Thetford www.vwwhitenoise.com MIVW 5 August NH Hotel, Noordwijkerhout, Aanbieding www.mivw.nl Le Bug Show 5-6 August Spa Francorchamps, Belgium www.vwbugshow.be/en/ Tatton Park VW Show 6 August Tatton Park, Cheshire www.vwnw.co.uk V-Dub Island 11-13 August Isle of Wight www.v-dubisland.com Beach Buggin’* 6 August Southsea Common www.beachbuggin.co.uk VW Festival* 11-13 August Harewood House, Leeds www.vwfestival.co.uk VolkStyle Base 13 August Airport Weeze, Germany www.volkstylebase.com Endless Summer VW Show 13…

“I very nearly choked on my Ricicles when I got the price back” We’ve all been there. Your Van is on the ramp and it’s gone in for a ‘simple’ job. The ‘book’ says it’s a two-spanner job that shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Well I, for one, would like to meet whoever writes that ‘book’ because it’s obvious they’ve never tackled the job we’re about to embark upon over at my trusty local VW specialist, Andy’s Motors in Welling. It all started out as a really annoying power steering squeak, as if the auxiliary belt that drives the power steering pump was jumping. You know the sort of noise it sometimes makes on full lock when you put extra pressure on the rack. When this noise…

If in doubt, use the specification VW recommends If you want to open a can of worms, one of the easiest ways is to take to a VW forum and post a new thread asking, “What oil should I use in my [insert model here]?” The air-cooled world will debate this topic endlessly, and much depends on the state of tune of the engine, but for water-cooled VWs, things are a little easier. Or are they? The issue with later Vans is that they can be specified from the dealer with either fixed (or variable) Long Life service schedules, depending on the anticipated use of the Van. The longer service intervals are possible thanks to advances in lubricant technology and, while many owners feel that covering anything up to 18,000…

“concentrate on finding the right base vehicle instead” Gavin Wheeler is a keen surfer, and has been since the age of 10. And it was from around that age he began to nurture a dream of owning a VW Camper, something synonymous with the UK surf scene. For many, that dream would sadly remain just that but, for Gavin, he was all about making his a reality. Towards the tail end of last year, Gavin’s father moved to Cornwall, a region the family knows well as they holiday there a great deal – at least four times this year alone. By this point, his yearning for a VW Camper had reached fever pitch, but owning a third, purely leisure vehicle is always a bit of a luxury. Like many, Gavin…

Every now and then a Van emerges that has a function that far outweighs its form, and is therefore doubly cool because it works for its living. Chris McLeod’s Van is the perfect example. We first saw it at The VolksWorld Show, with Chris’ hammock tied to a nearby tree, a mountain bike slung out back and a bank of solar panels mounted on the roof. We had to find out more. Turns out Chris is a house restoration specialist and is currently working at a huge Essex mansion, so regularly needs accommodation on site and in between jobs. His T5.1 is the ideal solution. A trip to see Lee Johnson at Johnson’s Auto Electrics saw to the pallet-based furniture run. “They were in the car park when Chris turned…

Spotted at the recent Just Kampers Open Day, we had to find out more about this 2009 T5 Sportline Edition X build. Apparently number 111 of 150 X pack, last-of-the-line T5s, built just before the facelift version came out, this 2.5 174 Sportline Van used to be the daily works ’Wagen for Kevin’s plumbing business, but is now all about leisure. Recently retired, Kevin decided to, as he put it, “jazz it up a bit,” and that’s an understatement if ever there was one. The Midnight Blue hue remains as bought, Kevin having bought it brand spankers, but that’s about all. 20in AXE wheels now contain a comprehensive Reyland Motorsport 362mm (front) and 335mm (rear) AP Racing front and rear disc and caliper package for unprecedented stopping power. It’s lowered…

“I’m a big believer that you can’t really call something your own until you’ve bled on it” Long-term VW lover, Lee Malyon from Southampton, is one of those chaps you can’t help but enjoy having a chat to, and boy can he chat! We’ve known him for years through the Golf scene after he built a balls-to-the-wall Mk2 Golf track car, and then a lovingly screwed together, super subtle Mk5 GTi as his daily driver. So when he mentioned he had a T4 sitting in the garage at home, our ears instantly pricked up. Really? We quizzed. What’s it like? “It’s alright,” he said, “I just spent the last year jazzing it up a bit and I’m thinking of selling it soon. “We’ve had it since 2010, when I was…

“The splines… are identical across T5, T6, 2004-on Caddy, Scirocco and Mk5-Mk7 Golf” A common upgrade nowadays, but one we’re constantly quizzed about, is changing to a new age VW steering wheel. Not only does it make your T5 or newer’s cabin look big pimping, it also dramatically improves the driving ‘feel’ of your Van, allowing you to pretend you’re behind the wheel of your favourite GTD / GT / GTi / R Golf. The parts may not be cheap, but the change can be made in just a couple of hours by following our comprehensive guide to T5 and T6 steering wheel swaps. What became immediately clear when researching this article was there’s an awful lot of confusion out there about what wheels will and won’t fit the T5…

 VWt: Hi Nico, you’re no stranger to modifying new wave Transporters, why do you think they’re so popular? “the variety of parts… allows you to reflect your personality through your passion” NP: Hi James. I believe it is the direct legacy from the old VW Buses. It is the simple way of life and being able to escape from your day-to-day routine for a night away, a short weekend or holidays. Also the variety of parts, of all kinds, available to modify them allows you to reflect your personality through your passion. VWt: What got you into Vans in the first place? NP: This takes me back to when I was 16. I started motorcycling when I was in France and raced a highly modified, two stroke, 125cc bike, which…