Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i VWT Lifestyle

Remember me telling you about the ratty T25 Westfalia Club Joker that I'd left a note on last summer? Well, get this, the owner finally got back to me out of the blue and asked if I was still interested in buying it. Of course I was straight back to him with a 'yes' and quickly arranging transport to rescue it. It hadn't moved for over a year and early enquiries had revealed there was an issue with the engine. Me being English and the owner French, and obviously not that mechanically minded, I didn't manage to find out precisely what was wrong with it, but I was hedging my bets that it could be sorted relatively easily. Other than that, visually it's best described as 'scruffy' though from a…

Owning a Bus is about the ability to get away from it all once in a while and if, like us, you’ve been champing at the bit to set off on your next adventure, this practical guide will help. The secret to a successful trip is to dial out the emotion for a second and approach going away in your classic Camper with a level head and a list of things to do and check beforehand. Have you got all the equipment you need, have you carried out the necessary vehicle checks, and do you actually know where you are going? If you’ve candidly overlooked any of the above, sod’s law it’ll come back and bite you once you’re on your way. And when you’ve got the family with you,…

There are all sorts of mods that can be made to an air-cooled Bus to help reduce the risk of a breakdown. Electronic ignition (below) is the obvious one as it eliminates the worry about setting the points gap inside the distributor and that in itself could be a godsend if you’re in the dark by the side of the road. Oh, and don’t skimp on quality when it comes to ignition components – it’s a false economy buying cheap stuff. Carefully chosen upgrades can help with driving your Bus, too, such as brighter bulbs, a power steering conversion and servo-assisted brakes. Budget for around £1000 for a power steering conversion kit and £200-£300 for a servo.…

Poor preparation leads to poor performance, or so the saying goes. Wise words, because servicing your classic Camper so it’s in the best mechanical nick possible is the best route to hassle-free touring. The following pages provide a general guide to inspecting and servicing your Bus, whether you have a go yourself or prefer to employ someone else to do the work. Go as far as you want when it comes to preparation. Looking for rust, for instance, should be a regular job. Waggling a raised road wheel to check for play in suspension bushes and wheel bearings may be something you leave to the annual MOT test. The sort of checks that should be conducted before any major trip include an overall inspection of the tyres and exterior lighting…

I’ve owned my 1600cc twin-port Bay for nearly 11 years. And right from the start I was determined to ensure it could cope with a family holiday that involved camping in mainland Europe and transporting four bikes for my wife, myself and our two boys. Quite a tall order for a 40-year old vehicle I thought but, hey, Bay Window owners have been doing this for years, so why couldn’t we? The build-up to our trip took careful planning and lots of preparation. I spent months working out a list of parts and modifications that could be fitted and tested in time. Since having it, I’ve fitted a fridge, leisure battery, interior lighting, hook-up with mains sockets, two different homemade kitchen set-ups, two sets of front seating, a hammock and…

Old is cool. Unless you’re talking dad dancing at weddings, older generations of anything are invariably better than whatever is happening today. By better, we don’t mean technically, but stylistically. You know? Visually. Even something that went through the doldrums for a while eventually has its day. You just need to wait long enough for it to be old enough to become retro. Like the VW T3, or Type 25 if you prefer. Looking back, this writer personally knew of at least two near mint T3 Panel Vans that were left to fester on driveways. Vans that today would be snapped up in a heartbeat but back then simply weren’t worth the hassle of dragging home and saving. Hindsight is a terrible curse. Where are we going with this intro?…

We don’t care how wild you think you can camp, you can’t beat being comfortable. Yes, there are plenty of ways to try and stay warm using thermal clothing and extra thick duvets but you can’t beat a heater quietly ticking away giving you lovely warm air. Until a few years ago such heaters were a considerable outlay. Costing upwards of £800, fitted, understandably they were often left off the build list of many a self-built Camper conversion. Now the game has changed, with the advent of the cheap and very affordable Chinese diesel heater offering comfort for all at a fraction of the cost. There’s other aftermarket heaters around that might prove a better long-term bet, of course – so you pay your money and take your choice. If…

65 YEARS AT HANNOVER! It’s 65 years since the first ‘Bulli’ rolled off VW’s Hannover production line. And looking back, it took some doing! You can almost picture the scene. Freezing cold conditions, followed by snow and then all-consuming mud as 1000 labourers started work in March 1955 to get Volkswagen’s new Hannover plant built in order to make their Bus. Meanwhile, a small makeshift town is swiftly erected with site offices, supply sheds, huts for accommodation and canteen tents. It sure must have been grim for all involved. Finished the following year, on 8 March 1956 to be precise, production of the Bus finally got underway – and since then more than nine million have left the factory. But the story doesn’t end there because the plant is currently…

Kieren and Helen Cole, 1979 Bay Window Here’s our family Van, Neppie, taken from the name of the colour [Neptune Blue, L50K]. We’ve been using it a fair bit recently for days out in between the various lockdowns. Our first Van was a 1974 Late Bay. It was a UK model with a Devon conversion and I made the rookie mistake when buying of thinking it looked good so it must be good. I think I paid £12k for it but it needed lots of work so we did what we needed to do, kept it for a year and then sold it on. We learnt a lot from that Van about what to avoid and also about the type of interior we wanted, namely a full width bed! The…

WHAT’S FOR BREKKIE? Where from: www.cadacuk.com How much: £135 Even if you’ve got a built-in stove, you can’t underestimate the appeal of being able to cook outside. After all, if the sun’s shining who wants to be stuck indoors? But without sounding too dramatic, getting the right stove can make or break a camping trip in your Bus. Now, there’s basic stoves that will do the job and stoves like the Cadac 2 Cook 2 Pro which will make preparing food so much more enjoyable. We were sent one to test and one sunny morning we put it through its paces rustling up a typical fry up. The first thing that impressed – and this is where the Cadac stands head and shoulders above most of its rivals – is…

There’s a vast range of modern equipment that can be used inside a classic air-cooled Camper to make trips away more successful. A fridge, or at the very least some means of keeping food and drinks cool, is essential. A cool box packed with ice packs may be adequate, though a camping fridge is the best solution. Expect to pay upwards of £350 for one, whether it’s a compressor type (similar to a household fridge that uses a compressor to chill the inside to a specific temperature), or an absorption type (uses a gas flow heat exchange system to remove heat and lower the inside temperature) that can be run on gas as well as electricity. Fridge technology has progressed and some of the latest camping fridges are efficient enough…

Recall what you were doing the day Harry and Meghan got hitched? Though topical right now for all the wrong reasons, it’s not exactly the moon landing, or JFK, but whatever your take on the whole thing, it was unarguably a day full of that thing we British do best – pomp and ceremony. You may have been glued to your TV set, you might even have made the pilgrimage to Windsor itself or, like Darren DuRose and his wife Wendy, you likely had bigger fish to fry and largely missed the whole thing. This particular fish is from 2004, has a 2.5 TDi engine and a beautiful Reflex Silver coat. Okay, it’s not a fish – in this case it’s a T5 with a ’5.1 facelift that, at the…

There are two distinct groups of VW owners these days – the old sweats who like to get their hands dirty and bolt their own projects together, and the new money let’s call them, who don’t have the skills or time to build something, so pay through the nose to have something built. You only have to look in the classifieds to find Buses advertised around the £30-£40K mark which, in fairness to those vendors, is roughly what they would have paid to the specialist that did all the work. So it’s hardly surprising that whenever Jaime Brazier takes his 11-Window out, he’s met with remarks from people who assume he’s spent large having his ‘big bucks Bus’ restored to how it looks today. The truth couldn’t be further from…

Owner info Name: Ian Cushway Job: Editor Car: 2006 T5 Multivan Work this month: Interior valet I am always reprimanding my kids for the way they treat the T5. It’s neglect; there’s no other word for it, and as soon as I’ve given it a weekend clear out, there’s a fresh selection of sweetie wrappers, half-eaten packets of crisps, books and Barbies in the back come Monday morning. They love travelling in it, but the fact that it always ends up resembling the automotive equivalent of a wheelie bin is just a bit soul destroying. What doesn’t help is the light grey seat fabric which seems to show every sticky sweet trail and water stain. Anyway, I thought it was a about time I did something about the rotten state…

Volkswagen ads of the day described the Type 2 as “the box on wheels” but “can of worms” would arguably be a more apt description these days. A lot of old Buses aren’t so much a wolf in sheep’s clothing as they are a turd in a Mulberry handbag. Even when you’ve paid good money for one, you can still uncover all manner of hidden horrors should you dare to dig a little deeper. This was certainly the case for Tony Cotterill, who having been away from the VW scene for a number of years, got back in the saddle with this right-hand drive South African ’66. Our man of the hour says: “Being from South Africa I thought it would be rust-free, but little did I know… I presume…

Living the dream with your VW on tour can soon turn into a living nightmare when a problem emerges, such as a splutter or sudden lack of power. Although it’s impossible to anticipate every potential glitch, there’s lots you can do before a trip to help avoid some of the common hiccups – or at least fix them should they arise. You’ll find a separate guide to a pre-trip inspection and service on p38-41, so assuming you’ve done this preparation work, it’s wise to consider the tools you may need should your Bus break down during a trip. The list is potentially endless, so let’s start with a common problem such as a flat tyre. Even if you don’t intend to change a wheel yourself, check the condition of the…

Apart from keeping totally on top of maintenance, the thing that’s going to help most to avoid being stranded on your next trip is an insight into how your Bus works, and how to fix it yourself. For this, we highly recommend booking yourself onto one of the Type 2 Detectives’ regular Bus Boot Camps where you will learn about what makes your Van tick. And importantly, the fundamentals of how to get it going again should it shudder to an abrupt halt. For more info, visit www.type2detectives.com…

It can seem like an impossible task packing clothes, food and the family inside a Bus for a long-distance trip, and the list continues to grow when you add an awning, bedding and towels. Be ruthless and take only what you need. Classic Transporters can swallow a large amount of food and luggage providing they are carefully packed, but it’s essential to ensure heavy items are low down and lightweight items are higher up – in the event of an accident, pots, pans and anything heavy can easily injure people if they become airborne. If you are taking a bike rack, make sure the reg-plate and rear lights are clearly visible, or fit a light board instead. And regularly check the bikes are secure whenever you stop for a break…

Seen Volkswagen’s latest camper offerings? Lovely, aren’t they? Models such as the California 6.1 are truly amazing machines and worthy descendants of the old air-cooled Westfalias we’ve all come to love. With their bang up-to-date running gear, plush interiors and gamut of sophisticated gadgets, these new vans undoubtedly share the same DNA as previous campers even if the technology used is vastly different. While the contemporary look and feel of these new Vans will appeal to many, there remains a chunk of us that still swear by the original. This doesn’t mean we can’t improve on the vintage breed though to narrow the gap between how they handle, drive and fulfil their purpose compared to newer vehicles. That said, it’s not always easy to get it right as these enhancements…

The term ‘staycation’ has been talked about so much over the last 12 months that it’s questionable whether its status as a portmanteau of stay and vacation is really valid anymore. Like podcast, motel and brunch before it – we’ll simply forget that it was ever made up of two separate words. The adoption of a very American word in ‘vacation’ may seem a little odd until you realise the true British version would be ‘holistay,’ a term sure to become the Betamax of the search to describe the event. The very definition of a staycation has also somewhat morphed. Originally thought of as literally a ‘holiday at home’ when you might take a string of day trips, yet always return home the same day in essence not requiring accommodation,…

Over the long life of the Volkswagen Type 2, the models have seen some seen some pretty extraordinary colours. Even Germany, a nation generally on the reserved side, couldn’t avoid the garish tastes of the 1970s, when flamboyance often transcended taste, and Volkswagen gave us such glorious shades as Brilliant Orange, Chrome Yellow and Sumatra Green… quite possibly all on the same vehicle, had a VW customer requested it. And while the hues were much the same as to be found elsewhere throughout the VW range, the fact that Transporters were a much larger canvas and, at least for the first two or three generations, often had two-tone colour schemes, made them the most colourful of all Volkswagens. And certainly among the most eye-catching. When the Type 2 was born,…