Table of contents for Issue 93 in VWt

2020 show season temporarily on hold In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation and restrictions regarding public gatherings, VW show organisers are currently working hard to re-schedule early-season events later in the year when hopefully everything will have returned to normal. So for now we’ve temporarily suspended the VWtevent calendar, and will endeavour to bring you an updated list of shows and events in an upcoming issue. In the meantime, please refer to individual event websites and / or social media postings for further information. October 3-4 The VolksWorld Show (re-scheduled) Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ www.volksworldshow.com Email: volksworld.show@kelsey.co.uk RUN A SHOW? Please do keep us posted if you’ve re-scheduled an event Email: vwt.ed@kelsey.co.uk Win this Camper For 2020, Just Kampers Insurance is giving away this stunning 1970 VW…

The ‘Apehaus’ is a 1993 2.4 diesel Caravelle, which I’ve had for nearly 10 years now. I like to think of it as being a bit like an armadillo – crunchy on the outside, but soft and smooth on the inside. In other words, external ‘ratina’ with a comfy interior. It’s lowered via -50mm springs at the rear, with the front torsion bars wound down to level it, and I’ve fitted 17in JBW SMAs. Over the years I’ve had my fair share of mechanical traumas with it, but on the whole it’s a reliable hauler that gets used. Well used, and well abused! Inside I’ve re-upholstered the front seats and ¾-width rock ’n’ roll bed in tan vinyl with squared panels stitched in white, and there’s curtains all round to…

Nature or nurture? It’s a fascinating debate, and no doubt one that will rage until the end of days. But on this particular day we present to you a case firmly rooted in the nurture camp. Dave Custance grew up watching his dad, Rob, convert Type 25s, and later a T4, into Campervans for the family. Following a feature in an issue of VWt, prompted in part by Dave’s friendship with photographer, Matt Woods, Dave’s world changed and he himself became the converter. “I bought this T5 in 2009,” he recalls. “It was only five years old then and I converted it into a weekend Camper for my partner and me. It turned out well and, a few years later when Matt suggested we shoot it for the magazine, I…

It’s no secret I despise winter. If I could hibernate in September and wake up in April I’d be quite happy, but instead I shiver and moan, while counting down the days ’til the show season kicks off again. And traditionally for me that is signified by Dubfreeze rolling around. Sure, it’s still cold, but the cars, stalls and the people that attend are enough to cheer up even this miserable old git. Stafford County Showground is roughly 3½ hours’ drive from the Essex Riviera, which makes for a very long day out. So, like many others, we decided to make it an overnighter this year (please note space is limited so camping must be pre-booked and costs £7 per unit / £10 per adult). The plan was to buzz…

Gearbox and clutch issues aside, it didn’t take long for the Steves to find a long list of other issues to deal with. Consequently, we ended up replacing anti-roll bar drop links and balljoints up front before replacing all four shock absorbers (and a few bushes and clips, too). The lads then suggested I should add engine oil and an oil filter to my ever-growing shopping list – oh, and it seems the battery had seen better days, too. But hey, I’m not about to cut corners or overlook issues as you can’t put a price on safety.…

So, you’ve seen the moulded carpets, but how about the interior door panel kits? These are ideal for Camper conversions and come ready to install to make life as easy as possible for the DIY converter. There is a wide range of colours available, together with a variety of designs, including classic, plastic-welded horizontal lines (as per air-cooled VW Type 2 trim) or these more contemporary diamond insert panels, which work great with the whole Sportline theme. Carpet and panel kits are available to fit all T5 and T6 models, both SWB and LWB, single or twin sliding door and tailgate / barn door variants. Check the website for further details, up-to-date pricing and fitting guides…

• Lovely jubbly Pop-top-equipped three-pin pig is straight outta Peckham • Spoiler alert pt1 Why pay for expensive parts when you can upcycle an old pallet and some shelf brackets? • Spoiler alert pt2 Or, if you’re feeling a bit more fancy, a couple of lengths of plastic pipe and some ornate ironmongery • Snowboardin’ evacuees Pete ‘the meat’ Simpson and his bros’ made the last ’plane home before all flights were cancelled • I double dare you I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who call my Camper a Van • Big in Japan If you’re a fan of subtle, less-is-more styling, the Japanese custom Van scene is not for you…

Two-tone or not two-tone? Dear VWt,why do some people dislike two-tone Transporters so much? I recently posted on a club forum that I was considering painting the lower half of our Camper red and was shocked to find that it was a truly Marmite topic! Jo Fuller via email VWt: Volkswagen saw fit to build two-colour Transporters from the start and, even today, you can order a brand new T6.1 in a variety of two-tone finishes, so ignore the haters as it’s your Van and you can paint it however you like. Lockdown Transporters Dear VWt, What are the rules regarding wild camping in Wales? Last week I was told to take two weeks holiday while the company restructured so, rather than stay in west London waiting to get ill,…

Surpassing expectations and always looking fresh, Paul Wallace’s T5 has come a long way since he was “blinded by the glossiness” of his purchase. “I just wanted something to put my bikes in and head off for the weekend with my other half,” he tells us, but he’s gone a bit further than that, and the end result is a Van some of you may be surprised to learn is not as youthful as its appearance suggests. We’ve known about this Van for some time, thanks to Paul’s association with a very well-respected tuning company, but we’d been keeping our peepers on his work for a good while, tracking the progress of the build. When it was ready to shoot, every time we made a plan it seemed the stars…

Our home away from home is a 1996 VW T4 Caravelle, ‘Oliver. We adopted him four years ago with just 69,000 miles on the clock and since then have turned him into a fully functioning Camper. He still has all eight original seats, some of which fold down to form the bed base when we camp out. A handmade rear kitchen unit by day turns into a fold-out double bed by night and there’s also curtains, dual gas hobs, a double DIN DVD player in a custom made console, drive-away awning and other camping essentials. Despite his age, Oliver has proven to be the most reliable set of wheels we have ever owned, and we have been up and down the country on many epic adventures with him, as well…

So I took the plunge and purchased a T4 California, which is fitted with the 2.5-litre petrol engine (so I can still drive into London at present) and a manual gearbox. While it is certainly a lot newer than my Subaru-powered Type 25 Camper, this Van is getting on for 30 years old now, soI knew it was going to require some kind of restoration and running repairs. An initial check up revealed the body would need some welding here and there, not to mention plenty of paintwork but the price was right. And hey, it’s a factory-built California so what’s not to like? The test drive revealed some issues, which included a slipping clutch and some graunchy gear changes. While I plan to do the welding myself at home,…

“We just wanted a new life to live” Up for a bit of vicarious adventure, Camper fans? Good. Then you had better turn the vicari-ometer up to 11 because it rarely gets more extreme than this. As I sit down to pen these words, it feels almost impossible not to give a relatable timeframe. The coronavirus pandemic has taken grip and, as social distancing is ramped up and we become more distant from our neighbours, the thought of jumping in an old T4 and hitting the Pan-American Highway is more than just appealing – all of a sudden, it feels like a life goal. Back in the heady days of total freedom, Marc Fabian (27) and Kathrin Kloda (26) put in the hard graft to make this dream a reality.…

This is my 2006 T5 2.5 (AXD) 4motion Van. It’s an ex-electrical supply board fleet Van, which belonged to an agency that helps maintain our electrical network here in Ireland. Yellow is the company’s fleet colour. I bought it via an online auction without viewing so it was a bit of a gamble, albeit one that paid off. That was the beginning of an adventure that saw a big build with a lot of maintenance, upgrading and a full respray along the way. I have just installed a pop-top from Austops and a side awning and am getting it ready for my next European trip this summer. I have carried out all the work myself (except the respray), including removing the engine after a catastrophic failure of the water pump.…

As someone who has been into VWs since an early age, my assumption is usually that owners of these vehicles find inspiration for their builds from within the VW scene. Maybe it was a Van they saw at a show that made them decide on a colour choice, for example, or perhaps it was one they saw in a mag, or parked up in their local town that dictated wheel choice, or interior. But more recently, through writing for VWt and our sister magazines, Camper&Bus and VolksWorld, I’ve come to realise that it really does take all sorts. And that, as the VW movement continues to grow – largely due to our beloved Transporters – inspiration often comes from places you least expect. Perhaps it’s due to my own single-mindedness…

“bridge the gap between camping in a tent and being in a warm and cosy Camper” It’s funny how a simple life can often seem more attractive, even when you’re in a pretty comfortable position. Kind of like being a married man with kids and an expensive, well-equipped Camper, but seeing a young couple with a two-man tent and being envious of what they have. I guess we’re all guilty of chasing a dream of having more – more money, more expensive toys, more toilet rolls (topical). Quite often, though, having more eventually results in some kind of epiphany. Maybe it’s an unexpected change in circumstances, either personal or financial, but once it comes, you’ll feel overburdened by having too much stuff. This is the ethos behind the Stitches +…

Whilst searching through a bag of old parts the previous owner had supplied, we stumbled across this rusty and seized rear brake balancer. Sure enough, it was the original part, but he’d simply removed it completely and teed off the brake pipes. Volkswagen went to great lengths to develop parts like this so simply disregarding them is foolish, to say the very least. The idea of this pressure regulator is that it allows more pressure to the rear brakes when the vehicle is loaded. When there is more weight in the rear, this bracket on the rear suspension beam is compressed, which opens up the internal valves to allow more pressure through to the rear wheel cylinders. Without it, the rear brakes are receiving too much pressure, which means there’s…

At some point in 2019 I visited Newton Commercial (see Issue 90) and, whilst checking out the pre-formed carpets for Mk1 / 2 Golf GTi models, we got round to discussing the potential of creating something similar for the T5 / T6 range. One thing led to another and, a few weeks later, I dropped the VWt project Van off at Newtons, where it was stripped out and used as the development vehicle for a whole new range of Transporter trim. The initial plan was to develop a one piece, pressure-formed carpet kit to replace the original, commercial-spec rubber cab flooring. Up until now, the only options available were either to pay a coachtrimmer to make a bespoke carpet kit or, for those on a tighter budget, purchase a set…