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Poppy’s Adventures in France

We live near Oxford so Calais was not practical
as we wanted to hit Bordeaux, so we went
Portsmouth to Caen and Le Havre to Portsmouth
as the return due to pricing and availability. We got
a good rate through the camping and caravanning
club discounts that more than paid for this year’s
membership fee. We also took out AA European
cover, although it was about £80 a week on top of
the annual cover charge, expensive but reassuring!
In theory every town in France has a mechanic
and they are all the older fashioned mechanics
who know our simpler engines extremely well,
chances are this extra insurance would have
been unnecessary.
Prior to setting off, we had been having some
engine issues and multiple mechanics locally had
looked at it, most recently a half day that resulted
in a cable tie forcing the air filter to always run with
warm air intake not cold. A very expensive cable tie!
Our latest tank of petrol showed running figures of
just 18mpg which wasn’t good either. We decided
that actually the real issue was the carb and since
we have a second van and that one has the same
original carb, we could swap them over and see
what happens. One quick read of the Haynes
manual and a bit of Internet research and the swap
took around 10 minutes! What a transformation!
Poppy had more power, better idling, no cutting
out, no holding back and the problem was solved
just before the trip. Following the advice from
our illustrious President Malcolm at a recent AGM
weekend, we also bought a split charge relay and
fitted it, total price £7 and that charges the leisure
battery when the engine is running, the solar panel
keeping it going when parked.
Other prep work for a big long trip was to make
sure that on board were the bits that we might
need. Spares – Rocker cover gaskets, throttle and
clutch cables, set of plugs, points, condenser and
coil. Some wire and termination plugs, electric
tester (even the screw driver with the light bulb
from the pound shop), set of bulbs, some fuses
and a fan belt. We also took 2 litres of oil, checked it
each day and in fact only used about 300ml across
the whole trip. Then we packed the tools – Set of
sockets, adjustable spanner, screw drivers, feeler
gauges and of course a cork screw! Other useful
stuff – torch, you need a high-vis jacket per person
and they fit under the passenger seat along with
a cheapo (we paid £2) plastic triangle also under
there as they need to be accessible from the cab
area. We didn’t bother with the breathalyser, you
are supposed to have two but there is no fine for
not having one. If you wear reading glasses, you
are supposed to have a spare pair in reach of the
driver too. We took the log book, MOT, insurance
doc and a photograph of each one just in case and
we needed them to get out of the UK as a lot of
stolen vans used to get driven out of the country.
We also kept our passports with us at all times
even when out for a walk, just in case. The Michelin
2017 map of France and a sat-nav for those times
when the map just doesn’t do it were essential.
We stayed at the camping and caravanning
recommended site on the Saturday night in

Caen as the ferry docked around 9.30pm and
it was literally half a mile from the ferry port but
expensive at £26 per night. The morning was
bright, the sky looked promising and the van was
running well, our ultimate aim was Bordeaux but
given the breakdowns of recent years, we were
just going to enjoy what fate brought us. Maybe
Sunday would see us stay over in Nantes? Well the
motorways are for fast cars and you can pootle
along in your van on free roads and they are all
deserted, beautiful countryside and clean villages
and towns. Nantes came and went before we
stopped at the supermarket for bread and cheese
and by late afternoon we arrived on the west coast
at a village called Jard sur Mer about 200 miles
from Caen, Poppy running better than ever, the
site found in the Aires book was six euros per night
and was right by the sea, a little village for strolling
and they had an ice cream shop too. Monday
morning waking up hearing the ocean and we
still had no plans or sites booked for the rest of the
trip. We bought a book from Amazon of the Aires
Camping Car Europe version, there are signposts
all over too of big camper vans signposting a place
to stay – often a car park in town but most are
free, pretty, clean and have CDP and fresh water,
although some charge for the water. That evening
we were in St Emilion, on a vineyard having a BBQ
and drinking wine made from the grapes that
surrounded us on all sides.
We had never done the exciting bit of setting off
with no booking for the night and just looked at
the map each night for where to head the next
day. Sometimes the Aire that we aimed for just
didn’t cut the mustard, often we found something
better on the way, vineyards being our favourites
and along the way we stayed by the Dordogne,
the Charantes, on vineyards, distilleries and in
pretty villages. Sum total cost apart from the
first night was twelve euros site fees and we
came back with a lot of wine bought from the
people who make it. We visited Bordeaux, Bourg,
Cognac, Bergerac, Monbassilac and other places
making wines plus cultural places like Oradour sur
Glane (a village retained as it looked after a 1944
massacre) and Arromanches les Bains (scene of
the Normandy landings) amongst others. Day
time exploring towns, villages, medieval chateaux
places of interest.
As usual, at each fill we log the fuel consumption as
we have done since purchase and we managed to
get up to 29.7mpg averaging 26mpg across a 1,400
mile round trip which alone saved us £100 on
petrol. Since June 15th this year your mobile works
in Europe on your UK mobile contract so there are
no extra charges which meant we were online and
able to make and receive calls without worry. The
overnight ferry from Le Havre meant a full day of
fun and exploring (and ice cream) before getting
on the ferry as it took us home. Docking at 6.30am,
we zoomed through the English countryside and
were home by 8.30 just before the locals started
heading off for their Saturday shopping trips.
What would we do differently? Well for sure we
loved it so much that we want to go back soon.
We would know that on Bastille Day the shops
shut at lunchtime making our last afternoon’s trip
to the Hypermarket to fill the van before getting
on the ferry a fruitless venture! We’d go for longer
and spend more time practicing French before
heading off. What a fabulous time was had by
all. There were a great deal of campers sharing
their experiences, one from a Dutch couple who
annually drive their modern van down to Italy, take
the ferry to Greece and have 3 weeks wild camping
on deserted beaches. Maybe once we retire that
will be possible! There were no flights involved, no
hotels, we did eat out quite a few times but plat
du jour gives you great quality food with lovely
ingredients for a set price meaning that the whole
trip was really very inexpensive and we arrived
home with 20 bottles and a whole lot of memories.
Anyone know the nearest place I can get moules
et frites?

The VW Wave

Nobody really seems to know where the
customary “VW Wave” originates from, but as
much as we might like to think, it is not exclusive
to VW’s. A cursory nod or wave amongst
same classic vehicle types is commonplace.
Maybe it’s because we own them, but the
acknowledgment shared between owners of
VW’s feels friendlier and more genuine. The
wave seems to further connect us as owners
through shared experience and therefore
respect. There are different types of wave to
consider, some of the more popular ones are:
 The Shaka (Hang loose dude VW wave) –
Originating in Hawaiian Surf culture, this one
is reserved for the super cool, laid back types
who are confident enough to pull it off!
 The “I have the same!” – Reserved as a
note of respect for owners of the same
types, a “Good choice! I feel your pain but
I get it” level of recognition.
 The “I love all VW’s” – An unashamed
acknowledgement of all VW’s no matter
what type.
 The nod – For the slightly non-committal
types.
 The afterthought day dreamer’s wave –
The one that happens as the other vehicle
is already passing you and you realise that
they had waved.
 The overly enthusiastic wave – Coming
from non VW owners who love your VW and
the life they think you have because of it, or
those of you who have forgotten that for
whatever reason you are not driving your
VW that day!
 And finally, the “non-wave” – For those
moments when you realise mid-wave that
there has been no response from the other
vehicle and you try desperately to nullify
your embarrassment by pretending it
never happened!
Despite the differing types of wave available
to us, there seems to be a developing trend
that has classic VW owners worried, the VW
wave is dwindling. Some call it snobbery,
some think it’s the growing number of
work/play transporters (those that make it
increasingly difficult to discern whether you
are waving at a slightly bemused tradesperson
or a campervanner!) However, as daft as the
wave may sound to some, it is all part of VW
ownership. There’s nothing quite like the little
smile that spreads across your face as you share
a moment of recognition with a fellow traveller,
or watching the look of surprise as your non
VW owning passenger tries to ascertain what
just happened as you share a wave or a flash of
lights with another driver.
We already feel pretty special driving our VW’s,
no matter what age, shape or condition they
are in, so we are encouraging you all to put
aside the snobbery, leave the air-cooled verses
water-cooled and new verses old differences at
home and drive and enjoy your VW’s, waving
manically at every owner you pass!
What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe
you’ll be left hanging, maybe you’ll wave at
a person who subsequently thinks you’re
nuts, but we guarantee you’ll leave a smile on
their face.
So keep waving and we’ll be helping to keep a
tradition alive that is yet another reason these
vehicles are so special! If you see us on the
road, give us a wave, we’ll be the ones waving
manically back at you!
The opinions expressed here are the personal
opinions of the author and do not necessarily
represent the views and opinions of The
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners Club.

The next club magazine is on its way

The next edition of the club magazine has been finished by our Editors and looks fantastic. It should be arriving through your door soon! If you are enjoying the club magazine and have a story about a trip, an upgrade, a restoration or just a tip, send a contribution to our Editor at editor@vwt2oc.co.uk.

Wakey Wakey!

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Yes, it is that time again. Hurray! Finally, after the long winter in our non-mobile houses, we can get out our beloved vehicles.

Checklist

Hopefully you all followed the article Time for bed/ to help put your vehicle to bed for the winter. Now that spring is in the air and we are starting to think about getting out and communing in nature, this is a key time to get things ready.

Doors locks – there’s nothing more annoying than a failed lock. get it fixed now before the season really gets going. Door lock issues can be very straight forward but a simple lubrication can be key. Pun intended. A non residue lubricant is best to move the dirt away as WD40 can leave enough gunk to create issues. We favour silicon spray. A little into each lock.

Windscreen wipers – did they perish in the cold winter freezing them to the windscreen. Inspect and replace now.

Water – check the radiator if you have one. Ensure that the bottles that you emptied in the Autumn / fall have no mice, carefully hidden Christmas presents or mildew. Clean with a weak Milton solution if it is drinking water or food related.

Batteries – check the charge on each battery with a good meter. A flat battery can indicate an earth leak. A failed battery needs careful investigation.

Carburettor – Or equivalent. Check for good operation, no stuck flaps or other deterioration over winter. If you are a professional, this will be straight forward. If you are an amateur, a test drive very close to home will highlight problems! But only after the other checks.

Brakes – your vehicle should roll easily, otherwise this can indicate jammed brakes. Parking in gear for long periods of time can be better for your brake health than a jammed set of brakes. Check the brakes for operation. Check the brake fluid level. If it has been more than 5 years, change the brake fluid as it is hygroscopic and slurps up water incredibly quickly. Water is not a good fluid for applying the brake pads to the disks.

Seals – inspect all door seals for any signs of damage, water ingress or other problems and sort them out now. Glue any loose bits back down with the correct glue.

Windows – ensure that they all open and close fully. Or at least as fully as they did last year if applicable!

Ignition – Once you are feeling confident, get in to your pride and joy and turn on the ignition to number 2. Look at the lights on the dashboard. Check there ARE lights! Are they what you expect / are used to seeing? Have you got fuel (for those with a working fuel gauge)?

Crank it over – don’t expect it to start immediately but things should kick into life within a few seconds.

A little test drive on your driveway will allow you to test the brakes, maybe the steering and other important parts. Softly, softly.

Stay local, take your phone with you and warm clothing. Just in case!

Once you get home, assuming that you have a big smile on your face, make a list of snags, get indoors, put the kettle on and start planning for your summer.

Check out the events page and come and see us at a meeting soon!

Ask The Mechanic – Fitting reversing sensors

The Mechanic then received a question from Club Member,
Peter Rogers, who asked:
I have a T2 Bay 1978 model, and want to fit reversing parking sensors. I was planning on fitting the sensors to the rear bumper, but the installation instructions state that they should not be fitted to metal.
Is it possible to fit the sensors in the metal bumper with insulation around the sensor unit, or will the sensors still not work?

With no previous experience of fitting parking
sensors, this one got The Mechanic thinking.
From research, it would seem that parking
sensors work more effectively when mounted
into plastic bumpers and most retro-fit
instructions seem to state this also, however due
to the age of the vehicle, there is a lack of plastic
to mount the sensors on the rear of the vehicle
(or anywhere!), but there may be some possible
solutions, although they have not been tested
and are advice only.
A late bay rear bumper has a centre depressed
section for an optional rubber centre strip. The
sensors could be mounted into this strip and
that may stop any interference from the metal
bumper, they would also be virtually invisible
due to the black strip and black sensors.
These strips are available from Just Kampers for
£45 or you can buy the pair for the front and rear
so the bumpers still match for £85.
Another idea could be to make holes in the
bumper with larger diameters than the diameter
of the sensors. Then fit rubber grommets
into these holes and then fit the sensors into
the grommets, thus providing an insulated
mounting point for the sensors that should be
minimally distorted by the metal bumper.
Grommets are available cheaply in most DIY
stores or online

The Mechanic – Dinitrol for T1, T2, T25

This instalment of The Mechanic looks
at how you can protect your VW for
years to come using Dinitrol products.
The biggest threat to any classic vehicle is rust
and unfortunately our beloved Volkswagens
seem to suffer badly. Rust is an iron oxide that
forms by a reaction between iron and oxygen
in the presence of water. With the British
climate being renowned for its rainfall we
need all the help we can to keep rust at bay.
There are numerous products on the market
to help combat rust, if you do your research
there are various opinions on the most suitable
solution. Waxoyl and Dinitrol seem to offer the
best results and the choice of which product
to use comes down to personal choice or ease
of application.
WAXOYL is a long established and proven
method for combating rust. It is a petroleum
based wax product with self-healing
properties that contains oxidation inhibitors
that slow down the growth of rust. It works
by covering the treated area, thus preventing
water and air contacting the treated area.
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.
Waxoyl is generally suitable for use on vehicles
that have been restored and have fresh
metal welded into them, whereas Dinitrol is
designed for vehicles with existing surface rust
due to its rust killing abilities.

Guide For a Split, Bay or T25
The range of rear engine transporters are all
unique in their own way, but all suffer from
corrosion in the same way. One problem that
is particular to a Camper is that we create
more moisture due to us living inside, just
boiling a kettle will produce large amounts
of rust inducing steam, sleeping in the van
presents its own problems as we sweat and
breathe out moisture. The underside of any
Van is straight forward to protect. The usual
suspect areas such as inner sill, front valance
etc are easy to access from underneath, but
the inside structure is more challenging. The
front and side door cards are easy enough to
remove but the rear will require removal of the
interior furnishings and panels to gain access,
a time consuming exercise but worthwhile!

Member’s Motor – Paul and Suzanne Dunstan – Lola

Sitting by the log burner one cold winter’s
eve, my wife Suzanne and I had a very
uncomfortable chat with decisions to be
made just after Christmas last year; Delilah
our 1970 Early Bay had become the problem
child all VW parents hope won’t happen. After
several years of happy times, forgetting all
the damp nights from the leaky pop top and
refusals to start after a weekend away, the
steady drip of cash to keep her going turned
into a deluge when we found out her engine
problems, whilst not terminal, were not good
news. Our soul searching kept coming around
to the inevitable; we’d have to let her go, listen
to our heads and not our hearts. We’d toyed
with the idea of getting a T4 a few years ago
but air-cooled was always the previous winner.
Who couldn’t fail to love the look, the sound
and the feel of the old Bays and Splitties?…
Only the hopeless romantics and the ones
with deep pockets!
Everything happened in a whirlwind shortly
after the New Year. Delilah advertised and sold
within a matter of days to a wonderful fellow
from Kent who would have the time and
expertise to return her to her glory and just
days after and several viewings of vans in all
conditions and specs, we picked up a T4 2.5TDi
SWB short nose, new conversion from Will at
Coast Campers near Bognor. Will had turned
around an extremely sound, low mileage work
van, fitted her out with a ¾ rock n roll bed,
swivelling double passenger seat, Dometic
twin burner and sink, 240v/12v fridge, split
charger, hook-up and plenty of storage by Evo.
Suzanne soon had her named Lola (think The
Kinks / trans-porter) and we began adding the
personal touches. We are Pagans and into our
Nordic heritage and culture, so we set about
sourcing decals to make Lola look that little bit
different to your average camper. It’s surprising
how much you can save by not looking at
camper/vehicle stickers and decals and look at
interior decorating instead!
We traded in our Skoda estate and downsized
to a Fiat 500 and I immediately began using
Lola as a day runner, something I’d never even
contemplated with Delilah, and as soon as the
weather picked up we started to get away for
weekends and day trips. So far, we’ve travelled
the Hampshire countryside, done Dorset and
Wiltshire, and sailed over the Solent for a long,
long weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival.
Our first weekend away was to Eype/West Bay
near Bridport; Highlands End campsite is on
the cliff tops and has excellent facilities to suit
all needs and pockets. We love Dorset as it’s so

close and it offers everything for a weekend as
relaxing or active as you’d want. We even took
Alfie the pug with us but the pesky rabbits
occupying the campsite on the clifftops kept
him alert all through the small hours with their
thumping and such. The luxury of having a
van that was guaranteed not to leak helped
with the relaxation but missed having a pop
top, meaning we had to bend double or kneel
down to cook. The ease of shifting a lever and
pulling out the bed was fantastic, especially
putting it away again in the morning rather
than the near IKEA building process we
needed with Delilah’s bed. I’d never got around
to finishing the hook up on Delilah either
so having power to the van took away that
modern day first world anxiety of smartphone
battery watching and also meant we could
take an electric kettle with us for that lifesaving
morning cuppa just that little bit quicker.
Soon after the Dorset trip, we were off to
the Stonehenge Camping site at Berwick
St. James. What a wonderful site, with big
communal fire pits, small but spotless facilities
and only a 4 mile walk from the hallowed
stones themselves. They even have VW only
pitches! We’re already looking to book there
for next year’s Summer Solstice so we can fully
appreciate the atmosphere and meet up with
other like-minded V-Dubbers.
6 months in and Lola has given us back our
freedom to get away when we want and know
we’ll get back without the worries we all have
when on the road in a 47-year-old air-cooled.
We just did the VDub at the Pub festival at
Wimborne with friends who hired a T6 camper
(we’re in the process of getting friends hooked
on campervans). It’s a great little family
friendly weekend and there was every type
of VW under the sun there. As always you get
to wander around the campsite and arena
being nosy and chatting to other owners
(shout out to Steve and Dee with Matilda)
comparing interiors, engines, colour schemes
and everything in-between and always come
away with ideas for the next addition or
modification. When time and money allows,
ours will be to get Lola a pop top to save our
aching backs and knees.
I know we’ve lost some of the kudos and
glamour we used to have but in their own way,
T4’s have character and can be whatever you
want. Reliable and versatile, Lola will hopefully
last as long as the originals with the same
amount of dedication and TLC and will give
us many years happy ‘vanning in the future.
We’ve already got the next weekend sorted,
Somerset with our latest campervan convert
friends (keep it quiet though, they’ve got a
Renault – we tried!

Camper hunting – Keith Bolton

It all probably began when I was at university
back in the seventies and my supervisor had
an early 60’s Split Screen in which he drove
most of his students on course visits. I was the
proud owner of a black and chrome Honda
SS50Z motorbike, which I would take along and I
used to race the VW back from our trips. The result
was always the same: I easily out-accelerated
it, but then on the long straights it gradually
hauled me in with its 60mph top speed. Once
it was ahead I hung on in the slipstream until
gradual asphyxiation forced me to fall back to
watch helplessly as the speeding Kombi slowly
slipped away, laying smoke like a WW2 destroyer.
It was in those days that a love was kindled, and
it lay unrequited through many dalliances with
big Citroens, British sports cars and assorted
Land Rovers.
Then a couple of years ago, my Defender betrayed
my trust one more time. I knew instinctively that
it was over and what I had to do and that was to
seek out my first love: My wife, Jenny (different
sort of first love) and I decided we would look for a
Camper. We knew we could offer it a good home
because we had already had a garage able to
accommodate the Defender. Jenny, for different
reasons, was equally keen to enjoy a break. Not
long ago I had to drive a borrowed and stricken
T25 at night in rural South Africa and met lots of
friendly people every time I stopped, the problem
being that I couldn’t persuade them ever to get
back out again! We knew we would forgive an
old Camper for breaking down because we knew
that’s what they do and also because everyone
says it’s how you make new friends.
So here are some experiences and tips we picked
up on the way. I hope not ALL of it is obvious.
First was to go to shows and flatter owners into
showing us round their Campers, asking to
see their best welding repairs. Then I turned to
websites where I found most on Car and Classic,
Auto Trader and eBay. Split Screens were out of
range, so as is so often the case, I went for a younger
model and was easily seduced by the softer lines
and less expensive tastes of Bays, especially early
ones. So began the long phone-calls and longer,
fruitless trips from which, to summarise, I learnt
to be very suspicious of: anything selling near a
canal, anyone poor at maths or grammar (body
110%, drives excellent, etc.), anything just painted,
anything wet and trader jargon (got to be right,
good clean motor, first to see will buy, etc).
Now for some hopefully practical tips, especially if
like me, you are not mechanically talented :

  1. Find a local specialist you can trust. I was
    extremely lucky to come across Jez and Lou
    at Dubtricks near my home in Harrogate, who
    actually spent ages humouring me and looking
    at photos of possible purchases which I took
    to show them, even though I wasn’t even a
    customer. They were just really prepared to take
    an interest and offer advice – though I suppose
    they might have reasoned that if I turned
    up one day with a basket-case, I might try to
    persuade them to work on it!
  2. Best tip – Take a camera with a powerful flash
    and photograph every inch of the underside of
    as possible. Holes appear through Waxoyl as if
    by magic when you get the pictures onto your
    computer and I could easily have bought a
    lovely looking late Bay from its confident owner
    if my photos hadn’t shown it to have a chassis
    with a LOT of extra ventilation – holes show
    as jet black against the reflected wax surface
    and weld lines show up like a relief map of the
    Yorkshire Dales.
  3. Take a WEAK magnet, like a fridge magnet. A
    professional-looking heavy magnet has expert
    pose value but it’s more like a metal detector
    and will find metal deep beneath, whereas a
    fridge magnet will fall off if there is filler under
    the glossy paint. Also take a powerful led torch.
    Used at an angle, paint texture changes
    and panel ripples show immediately.
  1. VW in the sixties and seventies had OCD and
    plastered their vehicles with ID plates. The
    Camper we bought has to date revealed plates
    next to the windscreen, behind the driver’s seat
    and deep under the carbon on the floor of the
    engine bay. It is good if these match and even
    better if you check it all out on the internet from
    the m-plate codes behind the driver’s seat (on
    our U.S.A. import). It is also fun because of what
    else you find. I dug up from under the front
    seats an anti-Vietnam war badge, something
    to do with a rabies clinic, a strange-looking
    cigarette end and a scary looking dead spider.
  2. Documents – Ideally import documents and UK
    log book which all match up. Historic vehicle
    status is great for forty year-olds and apart from
    free road tax you should still be allowed into
    London freely once new emission zone rules
    come into force in 2020. This could spread to
    other cities, so it’s a thought.
  3. Choose your van based on the seller and where
    the vehicle lives, as well as the Camper itself.
    Ours had lived in a big garage in a big house
    in the country with a Porsche and the owner’s
    kids all loved it, so maximum points there. I
    should add that my wife does say I am easily
    fooled!
  4. Beware the prices of spares. Ours had a broken
    jalousie window from a break-in attempt and
    it took me six months to find another and
    that basic-looking little Westy folding table
    top will set you back around £200 on eBay in
    mint condition. I thought I might need a new
    front-hinged roof as mine was warped into a
    pagoda impersonation (I wondered at first if
    it was a rare Japanese import) and they seem
    totally unavailable. Luckily Jez and Lou with
    a combination of a super hot day, probable
    extensive sunbathing lying on top of the roof,
    lots of leverage and remarkable skill, have
    returned it to shape without it cracking. I still
    don’t know how they did that, but it saved me
    over £2000 on a non-original replacement.
  5. In my view, don’t worry about left-hand drive or
    right-hand drive. There seems to be a premium
    for right-hand, but you are never remotely
    going to overtake anyone so it’s just not an
    issue. I’m OK with my German VW having
    German left-hand drive (OK it’s American, but
    same point, sort of).
  6. Lastly, to come back to the beginning, it’s really
    all about rust. European vans will probably have
    been restored, but a recent paint job will stop
    you knowing how well, despite photos – I am
    a photographer and can make ANYTHING look
    good! USAs, South Africans and Australians
    may be rust free, but may not if they lived near
    the coasts (most South African ones) or in salty
    winter cities (lots of USA ones). Conversely,
    European interiors are more likely to be in good
    condition, but at least you can readily see if the
    hot climate ones have baked themselves to
    biscuits and dust.
    So, after it all, we have a lovely Early Bay Westfalia
    Campmobile, with an original interior in amazing
    condition. It has never had any welding and it’s
    recently been to Dubtricks for a new engine,
    clutch, dynamo (though it’s ended up with an
    alternator as the Hella recon dynamo was faulty),
    replacement fuel lines, rewires to make it less likely
    to immolate itself and some UK headlights (despite
    passing its last mot with USA lights!) The thing
    is all this is incidental to having good bodywork
    and a good interior, everything mechanical can
    be fixed and there are clearly specialists out there
    who are enthusiastic, expert and a pleasure to
    work with. There are also excellent parts suppliers,
    such as NLA, Just Kampers and VW Heritage with
    prices for moving bits reasonable, far less than
    for modern vehicles, though if anyone knows
    of a LHD early bay steering box for less than the
    average mortgage, do please let me know! We
    can’t wait to get it back on the road.

Member’s Motor – Ian Crawford

One Careful Owner For 44 Years!
Continuing the new addition to Transporter
Talk magazine from the last issue, the second
instalment features Club member Ian Crawford’s
van “OTK 666J”.
OTK 666J is a ‘71 Bay Window, Danbury
conversion with a tin top roof.

Ian bought his camper in 1972 with 9,381 miles
on the speedometer for £1,270 and has a current
agreed value of £14,000, not a bad investment!
The speedometer now reads 92,249 miles,
meaning that in 44 years of ownership Ian has
covered an impressive 82,868 miles.
Ian’s camper has been garaged all of its life
and every winter it is “Put to Bed” and then
emerges again in April. Maybe this is how he
has managed to keep the bodywork and paint
completely original! The paint has never been
touched up and there is no known rust. All
door and window seals are also original, apart
from the Windscreen and Tailgate seals as these
were replaced when new glass had to be fitted
due to vandals throwing bricks! Ian’s secret to
keeping the rubbers soft and pliable is Talcum
Powder (don’t tell everyone!)
The 1600 AD Twin Port engine is still the
original that was fitted at build and it has seen
some work carried out over the years. In 2000,
Ian decided to fit a re-conditioned 34 PICT 3
Carburettor as it would have fitted originally
and what a difference this made to the running
of the engine, starting first time, every time!
The first major service that the engine received
was in 2001 at 60,547 miles. This service
consisted of a top end overhaul with new
valves, guides, push rod tubes, flywheel oil seal
and a new clutch. Work was carried out by F
Tuthill of Wardington.

In 2003, OTK 666J was back to F Tuthill for
more work. This time around work included
replacement of all fuel lines due to petrol smell
when driving (always worth doing), a new
clutch return spring, brake fluid and another
flywheel oil seal. The engine was also treated to
some fresh Fully Synthetic 20W60 oil.
Lastly, despite all of Ian’s efforts with the
previous work carried out, in 2014 the engine
was out and taken apart for all internal bearings
to be replaced. Once again, this work was
completed by F Tuthill.
The interior is that of an original Danbury, but
over the years Ian has tailored the layout to suit
his own needs. These personal touches include
a gas fridge, 2 ring gas cooker, water supply
using a 12v submersible pump, a porta-potti
and a 240v inverter for using a razor (no electric
hook-up). As well as these customisations,
Ian also designed and fitted his own IR Beam
security system and in 2001 he refreshed the
interior with some new cushions and curtains
from Individual Interiors of Upton-upon-Severn.
It is clear to see that Ian has looked after his
camper during the 44 years of ownership and
his efforts were recognised in 2004 when it was
voted “Van Of The Year” by members of The
Volkswagen Type 2 Owners Club. Well done Ian,
we hope you have many more happy years of
T2 ownership.
With all work completed, we have had another
excellent summer of camping and looking
forward to a winter where the work required
on Bluebell is reduced somewhat!
Despite all the hard work and effort, we
wouldn’t change our campervan and the
memories we have with her.
Here’s to more memory making and we
wish our members happy memories in their
vans too

The Mechanic – Engine Bay Fire Suppressors

With the summer holidays looming and
everybody planning their travels and holidays,
have you planned your maintenance and
checks of your VW in as much detail? It is
very important to keep your van maintained
properly, but with the hotter weather and
longer than usual journeys; even the most
well maintained engines can suffer problems,
such as perished or split fuel hoses. Something
such as a split fuel hose could mean really
bad news for classic (or even modern)
VW camper owners.
Every summer there are reports on social media
of at least one classic VW that has caught fire
and been lost. Although good maintenance
and preparation should prevent this, there is
always that small chance and a fire suppression
system will provide extra insurance against
losing your van to a fire.


Fire suppression systems are now readily
available and vary in function and cost.
There are manual systems that operate using a
lever and cable to activate the suppressor and
there are also automatic systems. Automatic
systems are preferential as they require no
input from the driver to activate.
Within the automatic suppressor range there
are two main systems that prove to be the
most popular.


The first one is a cylinder (much like a fire
extinguisher) that is mounted in the centre
of the engine bay over the engine and if a
fire occurs in the engine bay, the vial over the
nozzle melts, releasing a gas agent at 240 psi.
The nozzle is designed to ensure 360° dispersal,
meaning that the gas will completely fill the
engine bay. The gas is released at -19°C so will
cool down the engine bay helping to prevent
any re-ignition of petrol vapour. This system is a
small scale version of what is used within oil rigs.

The second automatic system is also a cylinder,
but rather than mounting the cylinder directly
over the engine, the cylinder is mounted
within the engine bay (usually) but out of the
way, (usually the left rear side of the engine
bay is most spacious). This system uses a linear
detection tubing which is installed throughout
the engine compartment. This tubing can not
only quickly and accurately detect a fire but
also extinguish it before it can damage adjacent
components. The tubing is connected to the
cylinder valve and charged with nitrogen or
compressed air. This pressure is utilised to hold
back the extinguishing powder in the cylinder.
Should a high temperature or fire occur, the
pressurised tubing will burst and the powder
will be deployed from the burst hole directly
onto the fire.
Both systems are fully automatic and come
with a full fitting kit.
Fitting is relatively simple and requires no
wiring or electrical input.
The first system with the 360° dispersal nozzle
can be purchased for approximately £60-
£100 and the second system that utilizes the
linear detection tubing can be purchased for
approximately £180-£250.
The design is personal choice and we would
not merit one over the other, but The Mechanic
has had experience of fitting the second system
and found it simple