Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2017 i VWT Lifestyle

April 28 – 1 May - VW TOMIE (The Only Meet Is Essex) Orsett Showground, Essex www.vw-tomie.co.uk April 30 - Stanford Hall Lutterworth, Leicestershire www.stanfordhallvw.com May 5-7 - Derbyshire Dubs VW Festival Wardlow, Derbyshire www.derbyshiredubs.co.uk May 5-7 - Vanwest Brean, Somerset www.vanwest.net May 14 - Dubs at the Park Berkshire www.dubsatthepark.co.uk May 19 - June issue of C&B on sale May 19-21 - Vanjamboree Kelham, Newark www.vanjamboree.co.uk May 20 – 21 - All Types VW Show Bodelwyddan Castle, Wales www.alltypesvwshow.co.uk May 26 – 28 - Volksfling Biggar, Scotland www.volksfling.co.uk May 26 – 29 - Wurzle Dubz Bridgewater, Somerset www.wurzledubz.co.uk 16 June - July issue of C&B on sale…

’69 Panel Van, Helen Lochrane, Kent Helen’s ’69 Panel Van was shipped in from California about nine years ago, and she added her name to the log book about two and half ago. “I bought it as an empty shell, straight off the trailer” she laughs. “It was totally empty inside and was a non-running project. It had no keys, but it had no ignition barrel either, so that didn’t matter anyway, but as soon as I saw the top of the roof with its sun-bleached paint I knew I wanted it.” The exterior doesn’t look like it’s had a great deal done to it, but that’s the look Helen was aiming for. Obviously the sun-burnt paint wouldn’t last long in the UK climate so it’s been protected with liberal…

It’s funny how fashions change, but it wasn’t so very long ago that Late Bays were stupidly unfashionable. I’m old, so I remember when you almost couldn’t give one away. Never mind one painted beige. And stripes? Well, they were deader than disco. Try telling any of the above to the kids of today and they won’t believe you. The vehicle gracing these pages is the epitome of cool now. Odd is good and the geek has finally inherited the earth. Which is just as well for John Meers, the owner of this ’79 one-time Riviera. Not only because this is his current ride, but because he’s clearly always marched to the beat of his own drum and displayed a penchant for the unusual. You want proof? At the time…

For many of us, owning a Campervan is about the freedom to pack up, ship out, enjoy the open road and some different scenery. There’s near endless opportunity for short and long trips throughout the UK, but for many of us Europe is near enough to be a very real option. Driving through Europe can be an absolute joy, but there’s a surprising amount to think about before you set off. Hopefully this article will make it a little easier for you. First things first – lets get planning Sure, you can get down to southern Italy for some sun, or up to Scandinavia to see the Northern Lights, but it’s probably best to start off with a short, simple trip if it’s your first time taking your Bus abroad.…

JOB INFO MATERIALS USED Staples Wood strips Fringing TOOLS USED Various Spanners / Screwdrivers Staple gun Bradawl SKILL LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 TIME TAKEN 6 hours COST DIY: £400 approx. for parts / materials. Pro: £700 approx. parts and labour. Last month, we showed you how to breathe new life into a tired original pop-top; repairing damage and applying fresh paint to hopefully make it last another 40 years. This month, it’s time to refit it to the Bus using a new canvas and rubber seals, literally putting the icing on a Bus-shaped cake. Our project ’73 Westy was similar to many import Buses, in that the original fabric pop-top canvas had pretty much disintegrated. Fortunately, we still had the original fixings to hold it to the roof.…

Herman Vügten is based in Germany and, like many of our German friends, he got into Volkswagens through the water-cooled scene. If you’re at all familiar with either of the German VW mags - VW Speed and VW Scene - you’ll know how much space is devoted to the water pumpers, making the air-cooled scene appear a little more niche. Whilst Herman cut his teeth on a hopped-up Polo G40, Golf GTI and Passat VR6, he eventually saw the light and now drives around in a Bus with an all original 6 volt 1500cc engine. One that produces a mere 42hp. Such are the charms of a Split Screen Bus that even if you drive something quick daily, there’s much to be said about jumping behind the wheel of a…

Can you imagine putting in the planning application to any council in this country asking to close an entire town off for an entire Sunday? You’d be laughed out of the door. And yet, that’s exactly what happens every year for the Freddy Files, in the town of Ninove, Belgium. Life on the continent seems a bit more relaxed than it is in Blighty. For us, a Sunday is as busy as any other day of the week, and gone are the days of quiet Sundays where all the shops are shut. But you can’t help thinking that for one day a year, Sunday is arguably the busiest day for the residents of Ninove, when Freddy comes out to play. Ninove has become a staple part of a great many…

WHO IS HANS? Our man Hans is the expert’s expert. He was at Hanover in the glory years. Think of him as a German Uncle Albert, albeit one you want to listen to when he starts talking VWs Having recently been coerced into helping a neighbour mend his broken lawn mower, I was shocked by how few tools some people posses. How do they manage? The nincompoop didn’t even own a socket set, just an adjustable spanner seemingly made from chocolate that he said “fitted everything.”Oh, the horror. “Bring it over to my garage” I told him, and suffice to say, he was amazed by the amount of tools in my arsenal. This is because, if you own old vehicles, you’re going to have to maintain them and fix them…

100W FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANEL ROOF TOP MOUNT KIT – £399 This new solar panel system is exclusive to JK, and could be a real game changer. The main two points about this solar panel kit are that 1) It’s fully flexible, and that 2) It’s self repairing. Made from a super high tech material, it’s just 4mm thick and the material will ‘flow’ to repair scratches or damage to the surface. The control panel is mounted underneath, rather than on the top side, and so looks far cleaner and smoother than some of the others on the market. This solar panel kit is ideal for keeping your leisure batteries topped up, or powering appliances in your Campervan. It’s supplied with a dual battery charge controller, five meters of cabling, an…

Having rolled out of the Hanover factory in 1965 as a Microbus, you could say this Camper was over 50 years in the making, as it took that long for it to be transformed into the Camper you see before you. But, that’s not entirely correct, because it only took five months for the actual work to be done, the rest of the time, you could say it was just waiting for the transformation to happen. The transformation from well-travelled people carrier to perfect Camper is down to the Bus’s current owners, Bob and Jenty Whitbread, with Bob saying: “The Bus was shipped over from California in 2005. The lady who imported it was a child minder and had originally planned to use it as a school bus, but due…

Simon Spooner’s story is one we hear with depressing regularity at Camper&Bus. Having always wanted an air-cooled VW, and having finally taken the plunge with little to no idea about what he was getting into, or how much it was likely to cost, he entrusted his new found pride and joy to a so-called VW specialist who promptly ‘restored’ his Bus with copious amounts of old newspapers, glass-fibre and underseal. Yes, people still do that! At this point, we normally hear how the disheartened Bus owner decided to sell up and turn their back on a scene that fleeced them, but not so Simon. He turned this unfortunate turn of events from a big fat negative into a huge, life-affirming positive; and rather than be downhearted, he now views it…