Innholdsfortegnelse for September 1, 2015 i VWT Lifestyle

There’s been a spate of rubber boots on track rod ends splitting prematurely recently. We’ve even experienced split boots on brand new track rod ends on Buses that haven’t left the garage! As split boots are an MoT failure, why not get under your VW and check yours now? Ignore a split one and you’ll end up with a much more difficult and expensive job on your hands as you’ll soon be replacing the track rod end itself. These replacement are cheap and easy to fit on Splits, Bays and Beetles from ’66 onwards. From £3.75 each. www.justkampers.com…

And rightly so, after all, who doesn’t love a Split Screen Bus? Iconic, classic, timeless and the last word in automotive cool, right? And yet, running a piece of technology that’s the best part of half a century old means they’re not exactly practical, convenient, or cheap. Or always that pleasurable either. In fact, with some owners having to spend as much time under their ageing VWs as they do in them, owning a Split can be false economy. Thankfully, the heart often overrules the head for lovers of all things old and VW, and that’s the reason so many Splits live to roll another year. But what if you simply don’t have the time, energy or skills (or a decent group of long-suffering friends with any of the aforementioned),…

Despite initial impressions, this Bus hasn’t been built to win trophies. Nor is it some weekend play thing or open cheque book restoration commissioned by a trapped soul with deep pockets. You know, the sort with a longing for a free-and-easy lifestyle, only to find that rolling around under a Bus on your driveway trying to replace a worn out gear coupling might be free, but it certainly ain’t easy! No, this Camper is the creation of a man who simply appreciates high-quality workmanship, coupled with the best materials. With a manifesto like that what better base to start with than a Volkswagen Campervan? The owner and man responsible for the finish of this lovely ’75 Bay Window is 44-year-old Kenny Green of Ecowagon (www.ecowagon.co.uk), based in Cornwall. Kenny: “I’ve…

WELCOME TO BUSFEST What started as a small event called VANFEST in 1994 at the Malvern Showground UK, has grown to become the world’s LARGEST INTERNATIONAL BUSFESTIVAL event for owners, lovers and enthusiasts of Volkswagen Transporter Vans. Held at the MALVERN SHOWGROUND over a 3 full days in September, with over 8000 vehicles 25000 people attending plus over 300 trade stands the BUSFEST provides absolutely EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you could possibly want to do with VW transporters plus a whole lot more. BUSFEST CAMPING TICKET INFORMATION • ADULT Weekend CAMPING Price is £37.00 Per Person.• The CAMPING UNIT Price will remain at £20 (for a 7m x 7m plot) (2014 prices).• Your camping unit (Camper/Awning/Car/Caravan/tents/ combination) MUST…

Newton Commercial are now offering these spiffy new interior panels for Type 25s. They’re available as either individual panels or complete kits and are made from automotive grade hardboard with 3mm foam beneath the vinyl surface. The panel here has an OEM-style welded pattern and a chrome strip as standard. All panels are supplied with fixing clips. A full trim kit comprises two front door panels, a sliding door panel, opposite sliding door panel, a pair of rear side panels (inner tailgates), a pair of side panels (wheelarches) and a tailgate panel. All fixing clips are included. Prices start from £76, up to £569, and they’re available in various standard or custom colours. www.newtoncomm.co.uk…

1967 SO42 Westfalia, Brian and Kay Griffith Tell us a little about your Bus Around three years ago I completely stripped it down to a bare ’shell for some much needed restoration work, but with a sympathetic approach in mind. The idea was always to keep it stock, and to retain as much of the original Bus as possible. Did it need much doing to it? Bodywise it wasn’t in too bad a condition, just requiring a few patch repairs, but this was the perfect opportunity to return it to its original colour of Pearl White. The Jalousie metal louvred windows polished up really well, and I used new stainless steel screws when they went back in again. What about that lovely interior? The original Westfalia interior was in a…

I don’t know about you, but when I look at an old VW that has modified suspension and alloy wheels, I assume the owner is of a younger persuasion. Being in my 40s myself, and owning a lowered VW, this might seem like a funny way to be thinking, but then I’m still ‘young’, right? Several of my VW friends, who are also in my age bracket, also own lowered VWs, and as most of them have been involved in the scene since they were young(er) whippersnappers, it just seems normal to me. But when you discover the owners of the Bay you see before you are not only new to the VW scene, but also in their 70s, and specifically wanted a lowered Bus with Porsche-style wheels, you realise…

“No, no, no,” I growled through clenched teeth, and stamped repeatedly on the accelerator. The Bus was spluttering and losing power. “Come on!” We were on an incline on the A27, four miles from Portsmouth docks, where our ferry was to take us overnight to St. Malo for a tour of Brittany. We lurched one final time and drifted to a standstill. The lights on the dash went red and the air turned blue. Ali and I cowered against the barrier as cars sped past our marooned 1978 Westy, his hazard lights blinking in the murk of a muggy June evening. This was to be our first major trip in what had been dubbed ‘The Golden Bullet’ by our neighbours, and since contracted to ‘Bully’. We had bought him late…

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ONE Hi C&B, during a recent trip I had a rear end shunt, (ooh er Mrs.). Joking apart, I am now trying to find out who supplies a rear bumper-mounted spare wheel carrier as I bought my old damaged one from a well known internet auction site. Hopefully you or a reader can help with this for the insurance estimate. I have attached some pictures to help with the identification. By the way, even though you didn’t publish my 2013 trip to France, I forgive you, keep up the good work. Thanks, Ray Hambly, via email Hi Ray, thanks for the email. Last things first, I'm pretty sure we sent you a reply saying we needed better / larger pictures but never heard back from you.…

This third generation Double Cab Transporter left Volkswagen’s Hanover factory destined for the UK. By this time VW was celebrating the fact it had produced its six millionth Transporter. More to the point, over 1,250,000 were Type 25s. When new, the Type 25 Pick-Up would have been an expensive purchase compared to the Japanese offerings your average builder could have bought, so this one must originally have been purchased by someone who was doing well and wanted something a bit more exclusive. Nearly three decades on, that’s exactly what Lee Tyrell from Brixham in Devon was after when he commissioned Creative Customs of Street, Somerset (www.creativecustomssw.co.uk) to work their magic on the ageing workhorse. For a living, Lee runs the Breakwater Bistro in Brixham and wanted something special to run…

CONTACT DETAILS MORECAMBE AND WIZE Unit 2, Whitegate Business Centre, White Lund Industrial Estate, Morecambe, Lancashire LA3 3BS morecambeandwize.com Tel. 0844 879 7265 The Lancashire town of Morecambe is decreasing in population, and it’s not alone. It’s a common story afflicting far too many of our seaside towns, as people move inland in search of a steady wage. But it’s not all doom and gloom, far from it. The town, made famous by one of our most highly celebrated comedic geniuses, who used his birthplace’s name in his stage name, is undergoing a resurgence – not in stand-up comedy, but in the world of Camper restoration and conversion, and the names of its home town’s most famous sons live on at VW restoration specialists, Morecambe and Wize. We go behind…

JOBINFO TOOLS & MATERIALS USED 10 / 13 and 21mm spark plug socket Spark plug removal tool Ratchet Extension bar Flat screwdriver Needle-nosed pliers Feeler gauges Grease SKILL LEVEL TIME TAKEN 4 hours COST DIY: From £50 for parts and materials Pro : approx. £200 parts and labour Last month we covered the basic checks you need to do before embarking on a road trip in your Bus. We mentioned in that feature that you need to service your engine too, so here’s how you tackle a full ignition service to keep your Bus in tip-top condition. Old VWs didn’t get their reputation for reliability for nothing and, if you keep up with servicing and maintenance, they really will go on for ever. However, just assuming that and not doing…