After talking to Nick at the AGM, I told him that I was fitting a “Litesteer” to my 1979 late bay, he suggested it would be a good article for the magazine. The Litesteer kit is not the cheapest but on delivery, the quality of the kit I received was very good, and the instructions easy to follow. Plus a 10% club discount was a bonus!

The parts and harness are of top quality and made to last. First job was to remove the old steering wheel column, disconnect the battery and remove the pedal cover.

Next remove the kick board, rubber mats, disconnect wiring, remove steering wheel and disconnect the column from the steering box.

Next the column needs to be cut, using the spacer this give you the exact position to cut the column to ensure it fits without error. The plate then needs drilling to take the ECU, fitting the new unit was easy.

Next run the harness under the van to the battery and connect to the positive terminal, follow original harness and clip to it. Plug in four connectors to the ECU and one to the light switch.

Connect battery to earth and you are ready to go. I could not believe the difference it has made, it is like driving a new modern car, Baldrick is better than any T6 VW camper. With its 2000cc Type 4 engine and twin choke Webber, large sump oil cooler it makes a very good tow bus.

The whole process takes only a few hours with the box of parts costing between £834 and £1,194 depending which vehicle and they will fit it for £300 extra. Remember that you can get 10% off as a club member!

Another option instead of the Litesteer is a package available on eBay for £295. This also takes a few hours and needs the steering column cutting but this package does need a small amount of welding of the steering column as well plus a bracket to stop the column from twisting. Just search eBay for “Bay window power steering”.