Our Upcycled Camper in ten days.

whos that sticking their fingers up out the back window

 

Great write up, looks fun

 

Well it aint me. I was in the field waiting with a bunch of strange dubbers. Good job these vw folk are friendly on the whole - especially when you find some with a kettle on the go. Happy days. We must we must get Stig done........ we must we must.

 

we cant wait for that week abroad with the shreks

 

Nor can we...... what do you reckon Barn, shall we get back on the road for this years show................... as an ice cream van

 

Great story and the interior looks brilliant, very impressed. I presume you've still got it.

 

Cheers, Yeah we still have it for the mo!

 

currys on the move

 

So guess it could be time to do the next instalment of story telling

On this occasion we had upgraded our front cab bed to a canvas bunk, all posh and proper like!

We were in our local Halfords when a couple walked by, took a couple of steps back, went forwards then came back to us and said we have one of those too, actually we have 3 but only 1 on the road, if you ever need any parts give us a shout - we were over there rather quickly, however they had been sat for many years abandoned in a field, but we got a few bits, and rescued a pair of bunks and made a good one from the two to go in the cab!

Our daughter reckons its the best thing ever to sleep on!

Anyway, Not sure if we were just desperate, keen, mad, very optimistic or just plain stupid but we decided to venture slightly further afield and caught the ferry to the North Island - all loaded up with our bikes on the back (well three of them, the fourth one fitted quite nicely in the bathroom and saved us paying any more on the ferry for being over length).

Not sure where to begin on this one, it was over before it started really, but we kept persevering and had one of, if not, the best holidays ever.

We headed of to the Great Dorset Steam Fair for the first night, its not that many miles away from the ferry port, trouble was we couldn't get it to start on the ferry, and then when it did with its phut phut bang we clung on for dear life, as our adventure began, we stopped off in the new forest for a walk (ok it was already in need of having to cool down but this seemed a good excuse), followed by a nice picnic and on we went, we made it to the GDSF in good time, well in enough time to get in for the evening, and again it was great pulling up and not having to set anything up, however it was a little warm inside!

That's the problem in the summer of having the engine in the cab - even the dog found it too much!

We headed into the Steam Fair for a good evening, and on one of the fair games, Master B managed to win a mahoosive bright pink elephant - which then become the LT of chaos Mascot. It wasn't like their wasn't any space for it. After a good nights sleep, and a great cooked breakfast we were ready to move on, well we were, the LT wasn't - the guy next door came up as Mr B started to look at the engine now it was finally cool, and changed over the coil, leads points, condenser, rotor arm etc (Whole ignition system) and said I used to have one of these as my work van, great vehicle but not very economical and S*** reliability (you aint wrong there mate) (we won't tell you at this point the mpg) do you need anything/any help? Nah we're alright ha ha! So we timed it up by ear (tinnitus inclusive) and on we went, well for 5 miles anyway, before it started playing up again, fortunately the roads were not too busy at this point and there were places to pull up easily enough, we decided it would probably be too much to get down to Swanage in one hit (all 20 something miles of it) so detoured (not very far) to Wareham Forest, fantastic campsite, and we had a great day here, cycling round the forest and chilling!

All relaxed and feeling brave we thought we would carry on down to Swanage where we were booked in for the next three days, well, it wasn't far away, but it seemed like a very long journey 5 miles at a time, (By this point we had established that the carb was that worn, that by the time the choke came of it was sucking more air through the spindle bushes than your average hoover , therefore it was 5 miles at a time, and then 2 hours to cool down and on you go again) After a few scenic stops and a rather frightening experience on a slip road(breaking down at the end of it just as we wanted to get of - one of the worst places ever to break down - my golly do vehicles come of them fast) we realised that if you leave the choke out and keep your foot flat to the floor it will keep running! And then just hold on for dear life! And ride the rodeo!

Our campsite typically was at the top of a bloody great steep hill - how we ever got there I am not sure even we know! But we did, only to get told we were too early to book in, and to come back! Upsetting the first of many £50k motorhome owners Mr B wanting the shortest distance possible to drive, went out the entrance (which was one way) with flames firing out the exhaust along with many phut phut BANGS! Fortunately they still let us in, and we managed to get parked up, however, it was amongst lots of £50k plus motorhomes, and we cannot begin to tell you the looks upon their faces as we park up, people were telling their children not to go near the bus, and to turn round on their bikes/scooters etc before it! It took a couple of days for people to realise we were people that showered and actually quite a normal family! (err, that may be questionable by some) The first thing we did was got out and tied the dog to the tow bar, maybe this didn't help us with peoples typical stereo typing!

We decided now we had got to our main campsite of the holiday that from herein it was probably safest for everyone that we left it parked up and used our feet and bikes from herein! We even braved a bus (not the VW type - just a public one) and enjoyed the rest of our holiday! If anyone wants a nice chilled out place to stay with some fantastic beaches and scenery then this is it! Never realised the UK had beaches like it!

Still being stubborn, ok, in all honesty, knowing it was probably to big for the RAC Cover we had, we begun our journey home, choke out, foot flat to the floor, strapped in, hold on, lets go!

We drove back - all 35 miles of it, but in 4 stops, ok plus 2 for the 2 ferries and we drove it through our driveway gates! All on our own steam! Literally!

The drive through Poole was quite scary, coming up to roundabouts with right foot hard to the floor, knocking it out of gear, standing on the brakes whilst pulling up on the steering wheel hoping that nothing was coming because by this point the air leaks in the carb etc meant we had no vacuum for the brake servo (By the way Mr B is just telling me now - how bad this all was ) back into gear, clutch up and go, some gaps were big enough and some were made big enough but we had too as we couldn't stop! (He is lucky I didn't know all this at the time) How I am ever to trust him driving again I am not sure but we made it home with no more dents than we left with, and plenty of memories!

By the way Mr B is portrayed as being rather reckless here, but me being one of the worst front seat passengers there probably are, have to say that, he actually handled it all very well, and even I hadn't caught on just how bad it all was - until now!

A friend of ours lived three miles away from our house, we hadn't been home long when he contacted us and said he had heard us going phut BANG phut BANG past his house and all the way to ours whilst he was sat outside having a beer! Oops!

As to the MPG = well the word OUCH springs to mind! It may of been cheaper if we had of taken the carb off and stood there with a Gerry can pouring the fuel in!

 

errrm nothing changes then

 

No, don't be silly! pmsl - You still wanting to come on holiday with us? We promise we will behave!

We will even put another engine in it by then, or if your really lucky have Stig done, hmmm or should that be if I am really lucky!

 

Since our last adventure, we haven't really got anything to report, we moved it to the yard about three hours before the MOT ran out, in which Mr B took great delight in driving it through the main town of the Island and past the cop shop going phut phut bang! But it was all ok as it was less than 5 miles away.

And there it has sat, however, after 4 months of being sat there, when we went to start it the other day it started on the first turn of the key - there can't really be that much wrong with it.

I went to put it up for Sale the other day, the stunned look of silence from the children said it all and needless to say the ad didn't get typed.

We are not sure of our future plans with it, unfortunately we didn't get the number plate off it before the MOT ran out - we were too busy having fun in it so that needs thinking about! And it was a bloody good camper! Hmmm.,.,.............time will tell.

 

we will come over for sure .

 

Pics will follow but I have had enough excitement for one evening and Barn - we look forward to it.

 

No problemo!

We have been good thanks but just a bit chaotic. House move, stuff at work, Internet wo's as we took over an existing TalkTalk account and last Saturday we got a lurcher puppy.

How's all the Burnouts?

 

Well its in for MOT today, Mr B took it to the MOT Station after he finished work Saturday, and it will go in at 3pm today! Fingers crossed

Wonder how many pages long the failure sheet will be!

The results of today will shape the buses future, however as soon as you hear it start straight off and you get inside it, it just makes you wear the biggest grin!



In for MOT as we are having to move out of where it has been being stored since the MOT ran out and its too big for a recovery truck! At least we are legal to move it this way! And we get to know what the future is with it!

 

update please

 

Well it failed but ........................................................................................ we may just have to do it!

Only 8 failures.

No.2 on the failure sheet is the most amusing one:

"Exhaust noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar vehicle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition - pmsl (for anyone that has heard it, you will know what we mean)"

Guess the buggy twin cannons didn't help with that then!

The other failures, were emissions (We know it needs a new carb - if anyone has one going let us know and guess the exhaust probably doesn't help with this either, Front Offside Side Light not working, rear fog lamp not working, front windscreen washer providing insufficient washer liquid (it would help if it had water in), front brake pipe excessively corroded, and the brakes are S***.

So nothing too serious, and judging by the grin on Mr B's face as he drove it into its temporary new home, it will be back on the road for another season.

We had already said, emissions and brakes were a definite fail, so its not too bad at all! The other bits are almost insignificant - now we need some time to sort the daily, the bus and now this the Purple Peril.

Oh and 4 advisories of slight corrosion!

 

Sounds like good times Sam, I missed @Barneyrubble at the show This year I may be in the new project

 

You planning on keeping it or doing it and selling it on! A bargain that was! If we had the time/funds we would of done

When does it arrive?

PS Hope you and family are well - long time no speak!