First coat of paint

Today I have made some brackets to hold the beams in place.

And then i have placed the 2nd sheet of hard board.

The cupboard at the back is finished and ready to be painted.

I am gonna leave it to dry for a week.

Back cabinet

At the back there is no way of holding the beams to fix the ceiling. I had to build a unit. The beams will slot to the front of the unit .

I am now ready to stick more insulating foam behind the back beam.

Lining the roof.

I haven't got any lining on the roof and last time i slept in the van, I had a lot of condensation. So this weekend i decided to do something about it. I had to find a way of attaching some 3mm sheets of hardboard on the ceiling.

I have cut one length of 25mmx30mm wood and squeezed it between the arches. I then stuck some insulation to keep the van warm.

All the beams are now in place and the ceiling can be placed.

The beams allow me to nail the sheet of hardboard in place and keep the shape of the roof.

The back of the van hasn't got any arches. I had to build a shelf. it will be very useful to have as a cupboard and it will also keep the beam in place. I will give it go tomorrow.

Could this Wallpaper be useful ?....

Tonight I went to my DIY shop to have a look round and I found this wallpaper.... Could I do someting with it? May be I could... Hum hum... I need to think about it.
What am I gonna do with that?

Speaker Compartment part 2

Today I have finished the compartment for the speakers under the seats. I have used 2 Infinitiy 9623i. The amplifier is a Takara 400W.

Unit finish with bed down. We can see the recess for the bed support.

And with the seat up.

Speaker Compartment Part 1

Today i have started to build a compartment under the rock'n roll bed. I will install two 6"x 9" Speakers and the Amplifier.

The piece of MDF is ready to be cut.

This is where the compartment will be.

With the seat down, everything will be hidden.

The hole for the first speaker.

Both holes are now done. I also had to cut the left side of the board to fit the shape of the van for a perfect fit.

ipod setup

ipod 3G Nano with remote

The dashboard is immaculate so I don’t want to do any modification that could ruin it. I decided to use my 3G Nano ipod as a head unit. The modification consists of drilling some holes in order to fit an ipod cradle into a spare ashtray. You never know, I might want to fit the original one back. The ipod would not be able to deliver enough power on its own so I had to use an amplifier to feed the speakers. I have modified the cradle in order to allow me to switch the amplifier on/off. The IR LED is now visible through the grill of the dashboard to give a better range for the remote control.

Lots of Dremel work

Cradle modified to add swich and take IR out of unit

Volksworld

VolksWorld March 2008

Today I went to town and I had to stop at the magazine shop to have my weekly read of all the VW magazines available. What a surprise when I opened the new issue of Volksworld..... This month featured an article about the Ace Cafe and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was my Kombi! It's the first time my van has been in a magazine. That's cool.....



Volksworld Ace cafe

Arms & Leaves

Front Beam Arms

A lot of parts are sold on an exchange basis at T2D. This allows them to modify the parts in order to sell them with their narrowed setup. Searching for interesting parts for my front beam I have managed to find these Split Screen Arms & Leaves on the internet. The axle supporting the shocks will have to be shortened on the upper Arms while the Leaves will have to be narrowed by 2" in each side in order to fit on the 4" Narrowed beam.

Front Beam Leaves

T2D Visit

Saturday 5th January 2007

The weather is excellent! I fancy A trip to Cambridge today, to go and see the guys at T2D. www.type2detective.co.uk. The reason for that is that I like the idea of 'slamming my ride.'Before I decide what I need to do, I want to make sure that all the modifications I will do will not be irreversible.I managed to get lost just before Burwell but as soon as I arrived close to the area, I knew it was there. A few split Screens where outside, some of them slammed to the ground, others still original height, even a Barndoor and a Samba. It’s like being in heaven. The door of the garage is open and a few guys where hanging around waiting for customers. I asked “Is it T2D?” and one of them replied “No it’s next door.” Some people are really in the wrong business.That’s it I am there, everybody is very busy, working on different projects. A crew cab has just had an IRS kit fitted; another guy is fitting drop spindles. Paul took me upstairs to discuss what will be the options.I don’t think I will be able to do the front and the back of the van in one go but I booked the Sat 5th April to do the complete Front Beam setup. So it’s going to be 4” Narrowed front beam, shorten leaves, slammed arms, Drop spindle, CSP Discs, double circuit brake. I also took the opportunity to reserve a Rancho gear box, coming straight from States. I can’t wait now !!!

Christmas 2007

Wednesday 26th December 2007

Guess what Santa brought me for Christmas? All these books……..I should soon be up to scratch on rebuilding an engine.

Slough Swap meet

Sunday 11th November 2007

Today, direction Slough. This is the annual swap meet where it's possible to buy nearly anything related to Volkswagen aircooled. The swap meet is organised inside a sports complex. It's very good because all the traders have plenty of room to set up. Outside there are loads of enthusiasts with their vehicles, karmann, buggy, beetle, kombi, etc...

Have a look here !!

Ace Café

Saturday 10 November 2007

Ace Café

This weekend the SSVC has organised a meet up at the Ace Café in London. www.ace-cafe-london.com/. It is more a meet up than a car show. The car park is for sellers only, so all other vehicles must park on the road or even on the kerb, a few Beetles and other aircooled VW's turn up as well.

Usually a biker bar, the Ace Café is today full of Volkswagen fans, everybody is happy to have a beer and American burger on site. The atmosphere is very 50’s.

I have made this video to give you a feel of the day.

Nice Split !!!

I couldn't leave this show without treating myself so I had to buy this very nice 4" Narrowed Front Beam. Thanks to Paul from T2D.

Brighton Breeze 2007

Friday 28/29 September 2007

Back in April, I booked the Brighton Breeze ticket and a hotel for the weekend, but since then I have bought the van. Never mind, it is a very nice hotel with a sea view so I might as well enjoy it.

The sea front is empty on Friday afternoon. Only a bay window is there on Madeira drive.

It is time to contact Neil the president of the SSVC. He told me that I could leave the Kombi nearby at the campsite, where I know it will be safe overnight. I come back to the hotel to chill out for the evening.

Saturday morning 7a.m, time to pick up the van, I think I am the only one awake at this time of the morning in Brighton. By the time I came back to Madeira drive a few vans are already there. I park mine, and people are starting to arrive in a constant stream.

By lunch time the site is full, about 1000 Vans are there, it's amazing.

I have put a video on You Tube. Click on the Logo and Have a look.

A lot of trade stands are there as well, it is a very good atmosphere. And it's incredible to see so many vans on display in one road.

Madeira Drive (Brighton)

Photo found on volksworld website. http://www.volksworld.com/photos/events/1778/4/1/brighton-breeze-2007.html

Vanfest 2007

The camp.

Saturday 8/9 September 07

It's still dark but it's time to wake up. It's gonna be a good weekend.

The tools, the awning, the tent, the bedding, everything is in the van and it's time to leave. I am going for my first show and I hope I will make it without mishap. Malvern is 200 miles away according to the GPS and it should take 2 hours, but in a 1960 VW it might take a bit longer :-)

After a few stops on the way to check the oil and especially to recover from the uncomfortable hard bench seat, the show gates were in sight. About 100 Vans are already there. It was a good idea to leave early because there's still lots of space available to pick a good spot for camping.

The awning is up and the tent is ready, just to store all the stuff I don't need in the van. Tonight I will sleep in my camper...

The weather's great and the show's amazing, with 100's of volkswagan van owners and enthusiasts chilling out and admiring the vehicles. In the evening some bands where playing live music.

It's incredible the number of second hand parts you can buy at Vanfest.

A cool Van

Rat Look