I feel your pain! And having gone to bed on good news about getting Arthur back this week it now turns out the gear box may be knackered too. To say I'm depressed this morning Is an understatement. I feel totally out of my depth wondering what next. No reflection on birdy's work which has been excellent - I just totally understand what you are going through
Endless problems. It's not something just associated to our beloved Bays. Buy any vehicle 30 plus years old and you'll have 'em. It's supposed to be a labour of love. And if you can't carry out the labour yourself then you've no choice but to get your wallet out. I'm now into £20k, which'll rise to £25k by the time I'm finished. I originally thought that buying the bus and turning it into my dream bus would cost no more than £15k. I could barely afford that. Increasing costs sure gets me nervous. But what other choice do you have? Stop? Stop and sell? No way! I guess it comes down to the question: how much do you really want it? I think the same rule applies to restoring houses. Whatever your estimated costs, double it and work out a contingency plan.
Hello I think, its getting to you like others say, you haved a bad weeks work, and Christmas coming and its something you dont need, and i guess weather like it is wet, drizzlie and chillie wont help your mood either, Realy hope it all sorts out for you, chin up, summers realy not to far away hehe
As everyone's said, 'You're not alone'. Only a fool thinks they'll buy a van and trundle off into the sunset after 'a bit of work'. Welcome to tlb - the house of fools. We've all done it, and some of us still are. As our mechanic once said, 'You're working on an old vehicle and working through a rolling list of maintenance and repairs' Unfortunately you're also dealling the previous owners 'improvements' and the occ spanner your van throws at you for 'fun'. Chin up, you've joined the madhouse, feel free to laugh!
I'm on my 3rd engine in 3 years (original rebuilt) I'm in to deep and theres still loads that need sorting on it ,dont give up as youve got a great camper there
thanks everyone. I've had so many touching PMs and messages. I really, truly mean it - THANKS for making me feel better, THANKS for making me realise I'm not the only fool out there , THANKS for reminding me of the bigger picture and THANKS for making me feel like one day I will be able to do so much more myself. I might not love my bay at the minute, but I do love this forum and its lovely members And pffffft it's only money - I'm sure nobody will mind beans on toast for Christmas ;D
Dont worry you guys - its the first 15 years of owning the bus that are the worst. After that you give up on having a pristine resto (almost) but if your wise you have the memories of al the fun youve had.
Its old - its cool - and at the mo, most people can have one to enjoy - so its not a closed shop and one a lot of people want to join (sadly, unlike splitty's nowadays). I find it a kick in the nuts everytime its something small that's needed , as very little is cheap (and a lot of it is poor quality), then you have to search for it, find a price, find the money etc etc. Fit it - and then it breaks. Or then you notice a rust bubble. For me, I concentrate on the fact that it will never be perfect, that it doesn't have to be most of the time, and that at some point I'll get to it (usually when I can afford to). And then, you rattle along, get a lot of smiles, laugh at how stupid owning one is, wave at like minded numpties - and thank god that we don't have the trailer queens and ar$e hole purists ruining it completely for us all.
I only dropped my steering box so as could I could do a small amount of welding above it last week, ended fitting new steering box arm, drop arm, drag link and tie rods and steering column rubber joint...labour of love but a drain on the wallet, but that said she is an old girl and I love her. Mark
Bless you mate! It is totally normal to have these feelings being the owner of a vw! If only there was a magical potion you could drink that would make everything seem better!! (think gin!! ;D) I think so far everyone who has seen your superviking has serious envy over your sleeping camping capability! So deinitely stick with him! and now you have someone you can trust doing the work remember once its done its done right! By being on this site there are people here with a wealth of information who can help you dip your toe in the DIY world on mending him and if you break down when us lot are about we can errrr offer a tow! :-[ Naw I jest i can usually show you how to mend it with some gaffa tape to get you on the way again!! Keep the faith and think about your next camping trip !!
I know how you feel. There is always stuff to do but now I don't know how I'd use my weekends without the van. It's also fun to learn new things. I don't know much about engines but I'm planning to get the engine out to replace fuel hoses and check for leaks. People at work think I'm bonkers. I don't think they expect an office girl to play with motors! I've even got overalls.
