If you are hankering for a life change then this is the thread for you. 1 - Get yourself on ebay with a budget of £3000 and high hopes of grabbing that t2 bargain. 2 - Smash the buy it now button extra hard at the first sign of a type 2 camper with wheels that point forward - do not under any circumstances look at the condition of the rest of the van. 3 - Pay for it cash - DO NOT PAY FOR IT VIA PAYPAL - you do not need reassurance of your obviously superior buying skills or state of vehicle. 4- Telephone the nearest collection and delivery company arrange for their driver to come and collect the cash from you on the way to collect your vehicle - remember to tip him and the seller. 5 - Ignore phone calls from said delivery driver at the collection address who is only ringing you to advise you keep your money as it is a complete shed so as he can nip in and get it for himself at a cheaper price. 6 - Keep calm when said delivery driver returns with your new holiday machine shaking his head and looking at you with complete pity - He is only jealous. 7 - Call wife , kids and neighbours out - sit in van pretending to steer, make engine noises (it might have a flat battery?) paarp horn and look very pleased - ignore the wife's tears and smile while she takes pictures for facebook to give her mates a good laugh. 8- Inspect interior and make a note of all items that need replacing - It may be a good idea at this stage to consider the consequences and cost of a divorce. 9 - Slide under the vehicle and admire the multicoloured rust areas - T'IS ONLY PATINA. 10 - Show knowledgeable friend your shrewd purchase and invite him to have a poke around - ignore his hilarious laughter from the bowels of the underside - he is merely delirious with envy. 11 - Listen carefully as he spits out the words " rustbucket " and " complete wreck" between fits of coughing and tears of joy. 12 - Make a tentative phone call to a local vw restorer - make sure you are sat down when he explains the price of restoration. Tell him thanks and promise to call back - turn to wife and cry. 13-Make a mental note of the tools you have at your disposal and try to get an account set up with a reputable vw parts supplier. 14 - Speak to your boss to rearrange holidays and explain that you may in the near future require company loans and a sympathetic ear sooner rather than later. 15 - Take up night classes at the local college to learn welding - The tutor will know you have a just bought a camper from your daft grin and complete and utter naivety - he will take to you and refer constantly to you and your camper as a sort of class favourite - he is on your side and he admires your resolve in the face of adversity- he also has a good laugh about you in the pub afterwards with his mates. 16 - Explain constantly to the wife that shopping is out of the question now and so too are holidays, new clothes, gas bills and the credit card is of the utmost importance. 17 - Use your machine mart account wisely red and shiny usually means tears sooner rather than later. great fun getting the proper tool later though and the new experience of working with tools that work without snagging - smoking or stopping is worth the double expense. 18 Learn to enjoy cold and wet weather, it is your friend- comfort yourself with this thought- lying on your back outside while cutting bits off your van is cheaper than sitting by the gas fire watching tv in the warm living room. 19 - Wax lyrically to your friends on the vw forum about your experience, post up pictures of your self induced torture, ignore those who post up pictures of the job done properly. Enjoy the moment and blag bits off them as soon as you have made new friends. 20 - Buy a machine mart spray unit, two litre of primer a half litre of thinners and bring your hard work to a reasonable state. ignore neighbours who moan about overspray on their car and washing they are simply trying to get you and your wife to clean their car and do their weekly wash on the cheap. 21 - Take pictures from favourable angles return to ebay and list it as a rolling resto- that simply needs a service ( or engine) a final respray and a mot certificate before they are set for smiling journeys far and wide in their new classic camper. 22 - Do not relist this classic for a third time - these time wasters have no taste, do not appreciate the amount of work and hard earned you have put into this elegant machine so it will just have stay until you have remortgaged the house - sold the wife, the watch and the kids to finance the finishing of the project. 23- Moan continually to anyone that will listen about the cost of rubber door seals, nuts bolts, bulbs brake pipes and anything else with a genuine vw label atached, you will soon find out who your friends are. 24 - If at the end of your resto you are still married - have a job - and any money left prepare for the first outing and a trip on the big yellow taxi - you will have got something wrong and it will break on that journey- The wife will smile wryly - the kids will moan and you will get stressed - But it is all worth it in the end! DECIPHERED FROM " RHUBARBS RESTO" AND OTHERS!
Good to know I was gunna b on the right path with my resto pretty much exactly how I saw mine going haha
console one"s self that an engine out job is only 4 nuts, And, if you ,prior to purchase ,ever>smoked, drank, went to gigs/footie or indeed out at all ,those habits ,hobbies are done and dusted ! great post PP2.(sourced a 12ft times 8" times 6" length of wood today,am well pleased, chopped it into axle stand type blocks)
not blind but not to far behind ...................( oh I could have entered that in the other days poetry day !)
you could also add " Mid way through the process, pay good money to wander around a field full of shining examples of other peoples handiwork, paying particular attention to the no-expense spared restorations, the likes of which you hope to achieve, but in your heart-of-hearts know you never will. Purchase something new, chrome and shiney to compensete for that insidious sense of inner despair. Note to self: Begrudge those who seem to have money to burn
I bought pretty much first one I looked at properly, having never driven another n knowing little bout them really, but who cares in the words of lil Wayne YOLO and I may get hit by a bus tomorrow ( probably my own rolling off the drive when the brakes fail haha)
I think it's far to easy to spend time worrying about all the little imperfections and end up not using the damn thing. Once I've got an interior back in I'll just be using it and keeping on top of regular maintenance instead of worrying (or try to at least!)
