Hi all, Been a member on here for a while now, but I've only just built up courage to document the ongoing "restoration" of my own van, Tortuga. I'm going to blame this on the fact that I'm a newbie to the classic car scene, only have a general idea of how a petrol engine functions and have no real engineering skills to speak of - unlike everyone else on here (or so it seems)! My intention was to get a van that was solid underneath and mechanically sound, but more or less empty inside - I can do woodworking skills! - and to be fair Tortuga did fall into this category, but with fewer doors and attached fittings as well as having been off the road for around about 18 months. Since I lack both the required mechanical and engineering skills and any of the required tools, the job of getting Tortuga back on the road and through an MoT was left to people with more expertise, as was the task of painting the whole thing. Once completed (although lighter in the pocket regions) I had the empty, powered shell I was after; a blank canvas to work on. So this is what Tortuga looks like: Since I got her back, I've been working on installing Dynamat soundproofing, concentrating mainly on the interior at the back. This is now nearly complete, so the next stage is to add insulation and having read other posts on here, I think I'll be using Low-E for the bulk of this. I do have a roll of 1/4" Dynamat thermal insulation, so I'm wondering if I could use this for the floor? I'm also wondering if its worth adding loft-type insulation to the recessed parts of the sides in addition to the Low-E?
Dont worry dude about your lack of skills I taught myself to mechanic weld and paint but my woodworks so poor i cant even knock a nail in straight Im looking forward to the rest of your rebuild pics
Tortuga looks lovely man! Dont worry about lack of skills mate, this is the place to learn Looking forward to seeing what you do with the interior. I like that Dynamat, looks amazing (I love shiny things, haha). must have set you back a pretty penny though?! that stuff is expensive! P.S. if you ever decide to upgrade to shinier wheels, can I have first dibs on those?
I've always wanted a VW camper (well I wanted a Beetle until I realised surf boards wouldn't fit), so I needed someone else to get it back on the road. Now it's at that point however, I want to do most of the stuff myself...
Looks like a very nice van mate, don't worry about having the skills now they will develop over time you've just gotta get stuck in. looking forward to seeing more
Time for a brief update, although without pictures Work been limited due to a lack of time, but since the last post I've managed to remove all the purple tinting from the rear window, soundproof the sliding door and most of the roof in the back. Now work is held up by a lack of soundproofing and insulating materials, plus the lack of free time!
You don't live in Birmingham by any chance? It's just I saw a white bus just like yours in Erdington on Saturday afternoon.
It just so happens that I do! Saturdays have been declared Busday so that's usually when I get a chance to mess about with Tortuga. From the name I'm assuming you're also based in a similar area?
Soundproofing of the rear completed! Well OK, I've still got a section of the roof in the back to do, but the sides, boot , floor and door are done! Pictures to follow soonish once I get them on the 'puter. Next job checking out the wiring (!) - best described as "rats nest, well used" - as well as a couple of other issues; wondering if I should drop the engine as I seem to have oil coming from somewhere...
Yes, I live in Erdington - I was out shopping when I saw you. Was that you? It was on the junction of Station Road and Short Heath Road, on the corner where the Red Lion pub is.
Tbh I'm looking forward to the interior! Plan, scan and post my ideas (and pictures @womball) tomorrow - the call of the pub was too great this evening!
Finally managed to organise pictures for the completed soundproofing of the rear. And realised how samey they actually are Plan for the interior is currently being worked on - basing it around the Westfalia layout with a full height wardrobe and 3/4 width R&R bed...
