We are all just back from a great week at Petruth Paddocks near Cheddar. Here are some photos of our time there.
Another one in the bag! Petruth Paddocks
Category Archives: Public
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!
Upcoming club event – Petruth Paddocks
It is all systems go for Petruth Paddocks – are you going? Hope to see you there!
Tuesday 11th April – Monday 17th April 2023
End of Easter Camp at Petruth Paddocks, Cheddar
Last year’s April event was such a huge success, we’re going to do it again! Just a bit earlier, again starting at the tail end of the Easter weekend. Come for as many or as few nights as you like.
This well-run site with “the best showers and loos” according to our attendees, sits at the foot of the Mendip hills and within a 20-minute walk into Cheddar, its splendid caves and numerous coffee shops. There are also two supermarkets just over half a mile away, and a Post Office in the village. It’s a level walk into Cheddar, and around half of it is traffic-free, more if you’re just going to Sainsbury’s.
Wookey Hole caves, Wells cathedral, and Glastonbury are within easy reach. Check out www.petruthpaddocks.co.uk to see information about local footpaths, buses, and cycle-ways. On-site facilities include free wi-fi, washing up, and electric hook-ups, as well as those loos and showers.
We’ve secured rally rates again, £15 per unit without electric hook-up instead of £15 per person. Electric will be charged through a pre-payment meter. And we’ll only pay one nightly fee for doggie companions per unit, saving £3 a night for any extra dogs you may have!
In addition to our Club BBQ on the Saturday evening, I hope we’ll be able to offer one or two activities – a coffee catch up on the Sunday morning; a gathering near the Club gazebos and listen to some early evening, easy music from our own Lorna James and/or other members; a belated Easter egg hunt if we have little ones in our group – I’ll work up the details as we get closer to the event, based on numbers. There is also a local pub, so if all else fails we’ll be able at least to wander along there if we fancy a change of scene for a natter. It’s all in the pot at the moment!
The site operates a Behaviour Bond and a nattering-only policy after 11pm, so if you’re after rock n roll, it’s probably not for you. You can read more at www.petruthpaddocks.co.uk/groups/adult-group-booking.html – your Club is covering the bond. Please note if your party breaks the site’s rules, you will be asked you leave and you may be removed from the club. Not that I expect that to be an issue!
Find out more about what’s going on locally, attractions, facilities, pubs, activities etc. and more about the site itself at www.petruthpaddocks.co.uk
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!
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!