Just getting started, 1972 Crossover Devon

Hi everyone, I recently bought my first camper and may have bitten off more than I can chew but I am looking forward to the adventure

The camper is a 1972 crossover Devon and was purchased from the drummer of a rockabilly band in London. About 20 years ago a carpenter owned the van and he removed the original pop top roof and replaced it with a wooden one



After searching and purchasing a pop top I made my first mistake in buying a Danbury roof :-[ but hi ho Silver came to the rescue with the devon roof off his camper.

After a long drive with the roof strapped to a trailer that was probably too small (definately) I took to removing the wooden roof, sanding back the rust on the lip the roof attaches to, priming it and painting it.



The roof has been dropped on for now to stop leaks and I will add photos as it is properly attached, It was a precarious 1 man manouvure untill I got an extra pair of hands to help lift from inside the camper



Lots to do on this camper and think this may be a slow resto as I intend to use the camper this summer while it still has MoT but after that hopefully this thread will get more interesting.

 

Looks like a good van mate if I were you make a list of jobs that need doing and parts that are needed for it and start ticking them off , may it easier for me

 

Hi there and good luck with everything

Are you from Bourne, Lincs as,if so, we are 5 miles down from Colsterworth and could potentially offer a hand with the heavy jobs!

I started a resto three years ago but it came to a halt when we went to NZ for a while and I started a new job when we got back but everything is on track for the start again

Our bus had just gone through the MOT when we bought it but the engine blew so we couldn't use it and ended up buying an abused T25 which we did up and used for getting away in

Off work today with a bit of a chest infection that customers wouldn't thank me for visiting them with (I'm a hospital sales rep!) so may start my old thread up again to help with the motivation!

Mr B

 

Hi and welcome. Good luck with your adventure (an interesting description) keep the updates coming.

 

welcome along

looks like your going to be having a lot of fun and spending a lot of money ;D

does it need much bodywork and what are your plans for it?

 

Hi Mr B, I am in Bourne, Lincs, thanks for your offer of help I will most probably nee it , be cool to pop across and see your bus at some point

It does need quite a bit of welding on the body, but as it has MoT till Oct so gonna enjoy the van with the family and repair as I go.

It needs a new outer sliding door skin, both rear corners, offside battery tray, nearside can be saved, offside rear arch and prob sills etc, and will need outriggers and jacking points replacing at some point but not serious.

The van has a belly pan and after reading the resto threads on here I am scared to take it off for fear of what I might find

I plan to make the Camper solid again and then repaint and want to do as much as possible myself. I would like to recondition the engine so that I would have little worry about taking the family abroad in the camper and travel a little in it

Inside I am making a removable cooker unit as there is no interior at the mo!

I don't plan on this happening all this year and see it as a long project which is why I want to make full use of the camper this year.

Thanks for the tip baybug, I am gonna start my list this weekend now, after I maybe remove the centre belly pan :-[

 

Nice work on the poptop, rather you than me.

It does look like it was made for your van

You should try selling on the Danbury roof in the classified section.


Enjoy the summer and good luck with the winter resto work.

 

looks good, good luck, and keep the resto thread up to date

 

We'll have to sort out viewings next time you're over this way

Once the weather picks up we try to get away at the weekends (we're lucky enough to have a T5 as well) and we do the odd show so may be able to hook up at one of these if you're into that scene

Hope you enjoy your travels in the bus and look forward to meeting you at some point in the future

Mr B

 

Welcome and good luck with the restoration.

 

welcome to the world of welding and grinding - She / He looks a great baseline project all the bits are there leave it stock looking but just lush - I be watching so do a good job ----- lol


Respect to you

Dale

 

Welcome to the Devon Crossover club...!! 8)

Looks like you have a good project on your hands..!! And with the list thing, you'll be ticking off stuff as fast as you will be adding stuff..!! It's a VW Bus thing..!! )

 

Welcome and good luck with the resto

 

Picked up the rock and roll bed amd upholstry today, gonna use tomoro to spend time fitting the floor and bed now the roof is properly fixed on )

Will get some photos on here once it's fitted.

 

Wow almost a year on and just adding to this thread!! Used woody for the year and was even in the TLB lineup at Peterborough Willow fest, that was an eventful weekend!

Well after woody went through his MOT unexpectedly I still want to repair a few panels so made a start this eve removing the real nearside lights ready for removing the corner tomorrow, will also try to get photos of the interior as its has been spruced up scince the photo's below.



Did a bit of digging around the valance, should have really


And the interior as was



Will try to update more regularly, I want to drop the engine to replace the gaskets and seals as I think the rear main seal is leaking oil and perhaps the pushrods. Is a gasket set and rear main seal from JK all I need to do this? I also intend to sort breather pipes while engine is out after reading the many threads on here.

 

Keep it up fella

 

Been productive this weekend, now got to spend money

Dropped the engine with a little helper prepping for the drop


Engine was dropped and then I started taking apart the bodges rear corners and rear valance


Think I can rescue this tray, only the edge is rusted


Best bodge, well thick filler on top of mesh, and what is that we see behind?



Some bits of pine, must have been the carpenter that owned the bus before me, felt happier using his chosen material, also confirms that woody was the correct name for the bus

I then made some card templates to repair the bit behind the corner next to the rear valance (D post?)



Also I want to replace the breater pipes on the fule tank while I can get at it. What should I do this with and should whatever I use be clamped onto the pipes? At the moment it is just pushed on!

 

Hi again mate and hope you are well. This covers a fair bit of stuff about the breathers and mine had the original pipes replaced at some point and were just a push fit

http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/fuel-tank-breathers-are-connected-to-what.22639/#post-372845

Not really made much progress since posting last year but really do need to get going again as I found my wife checking out how much incomplete restorations were going for on ebay!

My problem has always been having and eye for perfection but not the skills to achieve it but we're never going to be show winners and having a good solid van to use is what I'm aiming for now!

Loving the bodge with the wood and mesh though - I had a Capri when I was 19 and that seemed to have most of a chicken coop covered in newspaper hidden in one of the sills - how I laughed!

Good luck with your adventure and it would still be great to catch up and compare experiences

Mr B

 

Hi Mr B

Thanks for the encouragement and it would be great to meet up, seeing as you are so close, even before Woody is ready. Its a bit lonely in Bourne . The intention is to renew the seals on the engine, repair the rear corners and valance, put engine back in and hopefully before Bug Jam! Not sure if I got 2 hope's
Cheers for the link, gonna check it out now

 

Did a bit at school today and fabricated the bottoms to the D posts (?)


Hopefully have these welded in at the weekend, making the return for the corners tomoro.