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Upcoming club camp – ABC Barnstones weekend

Just a week away is the ABC, our annual AGM, BBQ and Club Camp – are you going?

Get together with members and hear what’s happening in your Club at our short AGM. The Barnstones site has served us really well over the last several years, and is located in Great Bourton, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 1QU, just a couple of miles off the M40.

Scene of our earliest club BBQs, which are free for members, we’re very much looking forward to going back. We will be using a local hall to host the AGM part of proceedings, along with light refreshments. Just bring your membership card with you.

Price per night is £15 for a pitch (van with or without awning), but electric hook-up prices cannot be quoted at the moment, due to uncertainty in the market. I’ll share this information as soon as we have it, but please be reassured, we will be able to power the BBQ food storage safely 😊

I will be making all the bookings, just let me know your dates, how many adults, children and dogs, whether you need electric, and whether you’re bringing an awning. Places are limited so contact me soon to reserve your spot! Please do not book direct as there may be insufficient space on the rally field.

The site itself says, “Barnstones is a very attractive 4 star AA award winning site situated on the edge of the pretty village of Great Bourton. 3 miles from the historic town of Banbury, other attractions nearby are Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and the very beautiful Cotswolds area all within a 20 mile radius of the site. The site is very mature with beautiful landscaped grounds, full serviced pitches and hard standing pitches are available, all pitches have hook-ups provided, the high quality toilet block provides free showers, dishwashing facilities and a full laundry room. Wi-Fi and a children’s play area are available. A local pub serving very good food is 200 yards from the site.”

Another one in the bag – Bolton Abbey and Embsay Steam Railway

Just back from a weekend away in Yorkshire at the fabulous steam railway. Here are some of the pictures from the club members having fun!

Ask The Mechanic – Electric hook up

Many people ask!

230V electric hook up allows you to use campsite
supplies to give you mains 230v sockets inside
your van, meaning you can use those everyday
appliances whilst on your travels.

The easiest way to tackle a 230V Mains Hook Up
in your van is using a kit that comes with all the
parts you need. These are readily available and
Just Kampers sell two great kits (don’t forget your
discount) that have either a surface mount socket
or flush mount socket.

The kit should contain:
• Inlet Socket (Flush or Surface Mount)
• Consumer Unit (25amp Draw)
• 2 x 13amp Sockets
• 2.5mm2 Cable (Socket to Consumer Unit)
• 3 Core Flex (Consumer Unit to Sockets)
The kit should be installed by a professional, unless
you are confident with wiring and we would still
suggest that the install is tested by a professional
following self installation.

Upcoming club event – Bolton Abbey and Embsay Steam Railway

Friday 16^th to Sunday 18^th June 2023

Father’s Day Weekend – Club Camp and Display at Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway

It’s an extra-special one – bring along your Dad, or Dads, or just join us anyway 😊 Ride on a steam train, take afternoon tea, and discover a new obsession! We already have several members signed up to join us at this exciting event, but there are still places, so get in touch to secure yours!

On the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales and within around 50 miles of the Lake District lies this wonderful piece of mechanical Victoriana.

The railway dates to 1888 and there is a mile and a half easy walk to the Priory, which is supposed to be rather gorgeous. We will camp at the station on the Friday and Saturday nights, the loos will be left open overnight, and daytime snacks will be available to purchase from the onsite café. I hope to be able to BBQ on the Saturday night but there are logistics to work around – more on that nearer the time. You are welcome to bring other generations of Fathers with you, there is a pub within a very short walk that offers accommodation – http://thecavendisharmsembsay.co.uk/. We are asking for a minimum £10 donation per van per night to go to help support this volunteer-led piece of history. If you would like to ride on the train and/or enjoy afternoon tea, please pre-book on their website.

www.embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk

Prices seem reasonable – train rides are available from £13.50 for a one-hour adult journey, £20 with breakfast thrown in, or £29 if you include afternoon tea. There’s also a Rail and Sail option plus dining choices – see loads more on their web site!

Ask The Mechanic – Indicator and Wiper Switch

Indicator and Wiper Switch Assemblies Removal and Repair

The first step is to remove the steering wheel
from the steering column. Before you start,
it’s worth straitening the steering wheel/front
wheels so that when the steering wheel goes
back on, you know where to line it up.
The steering wheel is fitted to a splined shaft
within the column and is fixed with a single
24mm nut.
To access the nut, the horn push in the centre
of the steering wheel has to be removed. The
horn push is usually made of plastic and is often
brittle, so prizing off with a screw driver or metal
scraper is not the best idea. I found that using
a finger nail was sufficient, working my way
round the horn push and lifting upwards (see
pic 1).
With the horn push removed, the 24mm nut
should be revealed and there will also me a
lead and crimp connected to a spade terminal.
Remove this crimp to disconnect the lead and
move to one side to create some space for a
spanner.
Using a 24mm ring spanner or socket and
ratchet (an open ended spanner can slip easily),
loosen the nut but do not remove at this point
(see pic 2).
Mark the position of the wheel in relation to the
shaft using chalk, pencil or paint pen to assist in
lining the wheel back up on fitment.
Now, with the nut still fitted, give the steering
wheel a tug upwards to free it from the splined
shaft. It should become loose but the fitted nut
will prevent you from smashing your face with
the steering wheel (believe me!).
With the wheel loose, remove the 24mm nut and
lift the steering wheel off too. This will expose
the indicator and wiper switch assemblies fitted
to the top of the column (see pic 3).
At this point, you want to remove the cap from
your windscreen washer bottle to depressurise
it (otherwise you will create a drinking fountain
later on!) if you have pressure in your tank,
you’re the exception

Now you can begin to remove the switch
assemblies. Undo and remove the 4 small
screws that hold switch assemblies inside the
steering column and keep them safe with the
24mm nut from earlier.
Now it’s time to disconnect the electrical
connectors from the switch assemblies. Around
halfway down the steering column, the plastic
shroud ends. Underneath this shroud is three
electrical connectors. The two nearest the
driver seat are the two plugs for the wiper and
indicator switches. Give these a gentle tug to
disconnect them and tuck them to one side,
they can’t be mixed up so don’t worry.
With the electrical connectors removed, you
can now begin to pull the switch assemblies up
and out of the steering column. Do this slowly
though as there are two pipes connected
to the back of the wiper switch assembly
for the windscreen washers. These can be
disconnected at this stage and should have
been depressurised earlier (see poic 4).
Now you should be able to remove the switch
assemblies, but be careful not to break the
plastic wiring sleeves as these tend to quite
brittle with age.
With the assemblies removed, I could now see
what had happened with my indictor lever,
the bottom part of the lever mechanism that
operates the switch had snapped ( see pic 5).
The indicator and wiper switch assemblies are
joined to form one piece but are easily split.
They are held together with four metal sleeves
and the two parts can be split easily using a
screw driver (see pic 6).
Once they are split, you can replace either the
indicator or wiper switch assembly (or both)
and fit the two back together using the four
metal sleeves.
Once back in one piece, fitment is the reverse
of the removal. The hardest part of the fitment
for me was locating the wiring plugs under the
plastic shrouding into the correct location to
push the connectors home. This picture helped
me to locate the plugs and they are shaped
in such a way that they can be guided into
position (see pic 7).
Once reconnected, I would recommend that
you test all of the functions of the switches
before refitting the screws and steering wheel,
in case you have to take it all apart again!
Don’t forget that you have marked the steering
wheel to line it up when you refit it too.
The last test should be the horn and don’t forget
to re-pressurise the washer bottle!

Ask The Mechanic – Dinitrol for T4, T5, T6

Dinitrol Guide For Modern
Transporter Types
12345
In the last issue, The Mechanic looked at
Dinitrol products and how to use it with classic
transporter models. For those of you that own
a modern Transporter, here is a guide for T4, T5
and T6 models.
Dinitrol is an oil based product that contains
rust inhibiting ingredients to treat and stop rust
after it has been applied. It also forms a barrier
that prevents further corrosion occurring.
Dinitrol is supplied in several different forms,
a cavity wax for use in inner sills etc. and an
under body wax that dries to a flexible tough
film to withstand rain and salt.

Due to modern manufacturing techniques,
the later range of Transporter is less prone
to rusting, but like all Volkswagens they will
eventually fall prey to the dreaded rust bug.
Although treated with rust protection from
new, it is recommended that this is maintained
and renewed after several years of use. As with
the earlier Vans, converting these into Campers
creates the added problem of moisture
generated by cooking etc. Again, removal of
the interior and inner trim is the only way to
get a comprehensive finish. Treating a newer
Van will help preserve it for the future and can
add to the resale value at a later date.

Member’s Hack – Ian Crawford’s starting issues

Long time member Ian Crawford had issues with his van that he bought in 1972 at a year old. He still drives it! I should point out the van was a year old, not Ian.

Ian says:

An unusual problem solved the other day. My van would only turn over 2-3 times when
ignition switched on, then it just refused to do anything! I connected my battery charger to the terminals (before switching on) and the lights showed the battery was 20% efficient.
I then switched the charger on and literally within 15 seconds it said 100% charged. I
disconnected and switched off the charger and attempted to start the van.
As before, it only turned over 2-3 times then it wouldn’t do anything. Reconnecting the
charger it again showed only 20%! Once again, charging for around 15 seconds showed the battery 100% charged. Time to retreat and think hard as to what the problem really was and how to solve it. I slept on it and the next day I had a brainwave!
I decided to remove the battery earth strap from where it is bolted to the chassis. Using a steel wool pan scourer, I gave the bare metal a thorough good scrub as well as the underside of the fixing lug of the earth strap. I also smeared Vaseline over both surfaces.
I then refitted the earth strap into the chassis fixing hole and went to start it up. Surprise surprise, it started first time!!
So if you have experienced problems with starting, maybe removing and cleaning the metal around the fixing of the earth strap will solve it.
Hope this gives members some useful tips.

Another one in the bag! Petruth Paddocks

We are all just back from a great week at Petruth Paddocks near Cheddar. Here are some photos of our time there.

Impromptu Sunday evening communal dinner

Member’s Motor – Liam Quinn – Doris

Ever since I was a young boy I have had an
interest in all things automotive and camping.
My uncle used to have a Comer camper which
my mum and dad used to borrow so we could
have a family holiday. These were some of the
best times of my childhood and I first saw a
1976 Westfalia when I was about 7 years old. It
was green with a green Westfalia interior and
was owned by my sister’s friend’s grandparents!
I thought to myself, “When I grow up I would
loved to own one”. I had tried many times over
the years to own one but could not afford one
due to one thing or another. It then came to my
30th birthday and I thought life is it too short to
not follow your dreams, so I set out in the search
for my camper.
I purchased Doris in July 2013. She is a 1972
crossover with day van interior. I had been
searching for a bay for some time and had been
to see quite a few. I stumbled across Doris in
a Piston Heads advert and fell in love with her
straight away. She was painted in the desert
camouflage paint you see today. Situated in
Ipswich, which was a 6 hr drive from where I
live in Skelmersdale, I had to go and see her so
I booked a week off work and called the seller,
driving down the next day. I finally had her in
front of me and she was better in person than
in any pictures, although she needed some
jobs doing. I took a test drive and had a massive
smile on my face, so had to buy her. It was late in
the day so was unable to get the funds until the
next day. I booked a hotel for what seemed like
the longest night I have ever had. I was finally
fulfilling my childhood dream of owning an aircooled camper! The next day I was up early and
it took most of the day for the bank transfer to
go through, but finally she was mine. I set off on
the 7hr trip back up north and it was the best
drive I had ever had. I named her Doris May after
my late grandmother who passed away in 2012
at the age of 100.

Here is a small account of some of the work I
have completed on Doris:
Interior
I took out the dash and rear interior and retrimmed this myself with vinyl and laid a
laminate effect floor. I also insulated behind all
the panels and then later added a new leisure
battery and LED lighting with some brown
suede thermal curtains. After driving Doris for a
while I found I needed a little more storage for
camping gear, so then with the help from my
mother, I built a rear buddy seat and trimmed
this to match the rest of the interior. VDO
gauges were added to the cab along with a
rose wood steering wheel, followed by another
re-trim of all the dash panels.
Exterior
I wanted the classic wheel look for Doris and I
have always loved white wall tyres, so I fitted
a set of Atlas whitewalls which completely
transformed her look. I wanted a full length roof
rack but the cost of them was so high I found
a good used 3 bow instead which helped me
towards the desired look, I might add a 2 bow
to the front in the future. I purchased clear
front indicators, clear and red rear lenses and
refitted the all important VW badge to the front.
Another addition was the air vent ears which
aid to the engine cooling.
Mechanical
Doris came with a 1776cc engine with twin 40
IDF Webber carbs and a custom made exhaust
with a fat boy muffler, which the neighbours
love at 7am in the morning!
Unfortunately the gearbox had a bad second
gear syncro so had to be replaced along with
the shift rods and shifter. I talked to a few people
and decided to upgrade the standard gearbox
to a freeway flyer and changed the lightened
flywheel she came with back to a standard one
with a new clutch for good measure.
In 2014 – 2015 after the show season I left
Doris on my drive over winter under a cover
and then when it came to MOT time she had
developed a few issues. The front brakes had
seized, so the callipers were replaced with a
late bay conversion and the twin carburettors
needed to be rebuilt as they were leaking fuel
into the oil. I also decided to get the ignition
system overhauled and upgraded, so found a
new old stock Brazilian Bosch 009 distributor
and had an electronic ignition fitted with new
plugs, coil and leads at the same time. Other
upgrades were red MST Serpentine pulleys, a
fuel pressure regulator, new rear tinware, EMPI
bolt on rocker covers, a breather box and the
most important thing, an automatic engine
bay fire extinguisher. If I could give any advice,
it would be to fit some sort of fire suppression
system to your engine bay and check your fuel
lines every year as I have heard too many horror
stories of fires destroying peoples’ pride and joy.
The engine and gearbox work was carried out
by a local VW specialist, White Hill Garage in
Chorley, they were great at giving me advice
and sorting out issues with Doris and also gave
me pointers on how to fix things myself, they
certainly know there stuff
Following the issues I had in the past, I set out to
find dry storage for Doris and fortunately came
across a large barn space to rent. This has given
me the opportunity to fit it out with tools so I
can not only keep Doris out of the elements
but keep her looking her best as well. I now also
have the space to tinker and personalise more.

One of the best memories I have was camping
near Stratford upon Avon. My mum and dad
went down to stay in a cottage and invited
me down to join them, but I wanted to camp
in Doris so I decided to pack her up and set
off down there too. The drive down was great
despite being on my own and it was great
seeing all the people passing, smiling and
waving. Once there, I set about finding a camp
site to stay for a few days. The site I found was a
great, cheap little site next to a pub. I was only
going to stay for a few days but decided to stay
for a week! It was fun to just get out in her and
drive round all the little B roads, it’s just what
she is made for and the best trips are always the
ones where you have not booked anywhere
and just turn up.
The best thing so far with owning Doris is the
VW community, or family that comes with
it. Being a shy and anxious person I found it
hard to meet and talk to new people. I went
to my first big camp out at Busfest in 2015 and
camped in the VWT2OC area where I met some
great people who made me feel so welcome
and at home and I have made some friends
for life and this has given me the confidence
to talk and interact with new people. I was also
fortunate to win top 3 bay windows at 2015 Bus
types show and shine.
It’s not just the vehicle you buy into, it’s the
lifestyle and the feeling you get seeing others
when you pass, smile and wave. I am sure this
will now be a passion for life and the main thing
before any upgrades in 2017 is to get out in
Doris more by going to more shows and get
out there camping.
We spotted Doris on Instagram when Liam
tagged the Club’s new Instagram page with
one of his pictures and we fell in love with her
look.
We hope to meet Liam and Doris at a show
sometime in the future and will be sure to give
you a wave if we see a camouflage Bay rolling
down the road.

Cold air in the cab? Here’s a quick fix!

Phil Jones asked:
After some suggestions please – with colder
weather on the horizon has anyone got any
ideas to heat the cab whilst driving. We have
a heater in the back for when hooked up, but
warm airflow into the cab is non existent…
Thanks in advance!

Andy Carter answered
Standard set up on my T2 will pump hot air into
the cab but it doesn’t seem to have an effect on
the temperature! I think it leaks cold air too much
from various places. Making sure the fresh air vent
is fully closed helps, as does stuffing socks into the
dashboard directional vents!
Other than that, gloves and a woolly hat are
all i have, so interested in what other responses
you get…

Graham Sims answered
We have taped over the windscreen vents with black electrical tape, stops a considerable cold draft.
Also socks in the circular dash vent pipe works a dream. Simply pull out vent cover, stuff in sock, replace
cover. Takes less than 5 seconds! Our cab sometimes gets too warm!