Stone174

For Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 16:22:00 +0000

**SOLD **
Thanks for reading.
Richard

Going off air

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 11:59:00 +0000

Hello. I know what you're thinking - he's here again with another post apologising for the lack of posts; not much happening, winter weather, etc, etc. I thought it best to put something up here as there's been quite a few things happening under the radar over the last few months.

There's a double-meaning in the post's headline; yes, I went off-air in terms of writing anything here - apologies for the two year gap, and secondly, the much discussed and documented air ride is no longer on the van.

I had all kinds of issues, mostly with Airrex and quality (or lack of) issues with their product. Both front struts failed, leaving me with no option other than to find a quick replacement - I need the van year-round after all. This is where the wrangling started; I had bought the struts through iKustoms who originally ordered them through an Airrex UK distributer. Unfortunately for me the UK distribution had changed hands and the new party wanted nothing to do with replacing my struts. I was well out of warranty and had nothing in my way of consumer-rights as time had passed since the purchase date.

To make matters worse I had sent the struts back to the new UK distributer who then 'lost' them. I had no front suspension, no replacement, no refund, no one taking responsibility, Airrex suddenly couldn't speak English... this went on for nearly a year.

Eventually they admitted fault and honored me with a fresh set of the latest version of their front struts. I was then able to bundle everything together and sell the kit on. I look back and kick myself for going down the airride route. Having said that, there's now much better products on the market, these were unavailable when I specified my setup.

But we should only look forward I suppose. We've still been using the van regularly; Cornwall and the southwest, city breaks, VW shows, days out, it's still being used. I've made a few little changes here and there, changed a few camping products - I'll go in to more details soon.

Super September...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 12:13:00 +0000

...a month to remember!

When chatting to people about the van, one question that often crops up is 'do you use it much?'. Now at first this always seems fairly odd and I usually answer with an upbeat 'Yes, you've got to' - meaning that six years of sinking all my hard-earned in to a campervan, do you think I just look at it?

If possible I'd be away in it more but the usual commitments always get in the way. But this last month has been fantastic and, in no way intentional, we have managed to be in the van every weekend since the end of August.

Weekend one
We left work on Friday evening and made the trip to Strensham services - we overnighted here to be at Busfest for first-light the next day. Busfest was as busy as ever, as a regular visitor I don't think it would be wrong of me to say it's getting a bit same-y. Maybe the format needs shaking up a bit, maybe we'll give it a miss next year... It was nice to have a look over the new T6 van but I don't think I'll be facelifting my facelift any time soon.
By 4pm we were ready for the off. It was back to the M5 for a quick jaunt to Gloucester Services (simply the best services on the motorway network) for a shower and grab some provisions to eat further down the road. By 7pm, with the aid of a good playlist, we were parked up in our usual spot at Taunton Deane. We'd toyed with the idea of going further that evening but that would have meant stopping at an unknown location, both feeling tired we stopped, ate pies, drank a bottle of beer, watched a bit of TV and fell asleep.

Our regular spot at Taunton Deane services

We slept in on Sunday morning! It must have been all the walking around Busfest. We used our breakfast voucher (as part of the overnight parking fee) and quickly got on our way.
It's not often we have a deadline to keep but our destination was Chapel Porth near St. Agnes for the World Bellyboarding Championships - British eccentricity at it's best!

The bit between weekends one and two
The first campsite we arrived at on Sunday afternoon was Dove Meadows at Marazion - we'd stay here for just two nights before moving on.

Just two minutes walk from the campsite at Marazion

From Marazion it was a quick hop up to Falmouth and Menehay Farm Touring Park - again two more nights here before moving on.
Our final stop was a new one - there's always that element of trepidation when first arriving at a site never before visited - but three nights at Padstow Touring Park didn't disappoint. Excellent facilities, a great location, friendly staff, nice camping neighbours (plenty of VWs!) meant this is one site we will definately be heading back to.

Great sheltered pitch at Padstow Touring Park

Weekend two
This would be our last night at Padstow before the long Sunday haul home. So far there had only been one spot of rain, during the night, I guess we'd been lucky.

Weekend three
Regular readers will know that we've done our fair share of VW shows over the last few years. But a 'festival' is somewhere the van has rarely gone. Partly down to a different crowd that may not be as appreciating of my shiny paintwork and partly as neither Mrs. Stone174 or I have been the 'festival' type. Back in December last year we booked early-bird tickets for the Good Life Experience, a festival we'd heard of via Instagram friends that looked to be our kind of thing. I'll probably go in to more details in a future post but I'll say now - we're booking tickets for next year the day they are released!

Our generous pitch at the Good Life Experience (beer open!)

Weekend four
The weather forecast was good again. We'd had barely a drop of rain in Cornwall, or at the Good Life Experience, and with the van still half-packed we started hunting for a campsite that could have us for just one night, ideally within an hour's drive of home. With a yearning for some sea air we chose Red Bank Farm at Bolton-le-Sands on the west coast, just above Morecambe. Two fields, both gently sloping, one with a view of the village and railway line, the other with sea views across the bay to Grange and the south lake district beyond. We chose the latter, leveled-up, went for a beach walk, barbecued and slept well. All in perfect clear weather conditions.

The fantastic views at Red Bank Farm

So all-in, September has been great to us. We're planning the rest of the year with enough trips to break up the winter boredom and feeling of hibernation. Then there's 2016; Dubfreeze... Volksworld... Cornwall...

It's curtains for the old blinds

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 08:04:00 +0000

Here's a perfectly timed upgrade that we've been wanting to do for a while. The old internal window blinds have served us well but always felt a little 'temporary'. And since using the external cab blind more often, the internal ones were simply getting in the way... the solution; curtains.

We'd been aware of a curtain kit from Kiravans for quite a while but weren't in a position to justify the price. But thanks to a competition they were running we soon found ourselves with a nice voucher towards the purchase. As is usual in the land of Stone174, nothing is ever that simple - there's nothing in the Kiravans curtain range for the right hand sliding door on our twin slider... Time for a little Yorkshire ingenuity.

As we were keen to continue using the external cab blind, the kit ordered comprised of a curtain for the left hand sliding door, one for the tailgate, and another left hand sliding door kit (a right hand fixed window version would be too wide).

Pic: Kiravans

As you can see the curtains look nice and simple - they're always under tension so don't flap or move around - and the black-out option we went for certainly seems to work.

Fitting is relatively straightforward and the mounting kit is sufficient. Confidence with a drill is required! We started on the left hand sliding door first (all fine), then on to the tailgate (again, all fine with some very slight adjustment to the curve of the rail), and then on to the driver's side sliding door.

Here we simply 'flipped' the left hand version - the top rail is still the top rail but now mirrors the one at the other side, this fits fine without adjustment. Next we offered up the bottom rail - here it doesn't fit 'perfectly' at either end - the rear corner needed a tweak to fit and the front fouls against the door handle plastic cover.

At first I thought it would be case of 'out with the angle-grinder' and trim the rail... but on closer inspection (it's always wise to take a step back, have a brew, and mull things over for a bit) we decided to remove the door handle cover, trim it to the profile of the curtain rail, fit the rail, replace the cover - perfect!

Thanks Kiravans, not only for the curtains but for letting us be your competition winners!

Cornwall in Three

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:49:00 +0000

'So did the three-part Cornish break work?' you ask. Well yes, pretty much. The only restricting factor (when trying to keep the mile-count down) was the weather.

Basing yourself in a particular location on a particular day meant that, unless you wanted to travel, you stick with the weather in that location. On previous breaks we have often moved from north coast to south coast (and vice versa) to chase the good weather. It wasn't too big a deal and in reality we had one cloudy morning and one with that wonderful Cornish mizzle that thankfully blew out by early afternoon to leave the usual crisp blue skies and light cloud.

One part of the break that we really enjoyed was having the bikes with us:

At our first stop, Dove Meadows at Marazion, we could leave the van on site and jump straight on the the coastal path that runs around Mount's Bay in to Penzance and on to Newlyn. With a pasty or two for the outbound journey and a beer or two on the way back, the bikes opened up another viewpoint of our favourite spots. Using the parts of the national cycle network that criss-cross quite a few of Cornwall's narrow, almost-traffic-free, lanes we could reach places previously unvisited such as the lovely Tremenherre Sculpture Gardens just outside Penzance.

Then on to Falmouth and the surprising Menehay Farm campsite. A first-time visit for us and we've already booked to go back for a few more nights in September. We were given a friendly welcome and a pitch number and then left to it, just how it should be. Great facilities, level pitches, free wi-fi, a wonderful location and transport links in to town, it was hard to find fault with Menehay. Vanlife really started to kick-in here as our pace relaxed:

As the weather was favourable we opted to walk in to Falmouth; a mile and a half of down hill, up hill and down again left us both ready for a beer on arrival. The following day we chose a more leisurely route around Swanpool and Ghyllyngvase beaches. There's a regular circular bus with a stop right outside the campsite should it be required.

Finally it was north to Trewan Hall, the site we can always trust to be consistently good.

Using the bikes more and the van less had been good on the wallet too - without the need for an extra tank of diesel meant we could spend a little more on eating out than usual, and here on the north coast are the perfect opportunities to do just that - the perfect way to end the break.

We'll be doing another three-part break again in September using two of the sites mentioned here and one totally new site to us - it's got to be a good way of finding new spots without relying on one particular site for the whole break.

Splitting a holiday in three

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 08:55:00 +0000

Hello there! Long-time-no-blog. Thought I'd put down a handy tip for touring around a holiday destination without racking up too many miles. You see, in previous years of visiting our beloved southwest, we've stayed in the one location (Trewan Hall campsite) and then dragged ourselves up and down the A30 and A39 visiting our favourite spots.
This year we're trying something a little different; a holiday of three parts, each location spaced far enough apart to give us a different part of Cornwall without the need to use the van quite as much.

Our first stop will be Dove Meadows at Marazion, ideal for St. Michael's Mount, Penzance, St. Ives, Sennen and all that the very tip of the county has to offer.
Then a short hop to Menehay Farm on the outskirts of Falmouth for a couple of nights where we're hoping to sample some of the pubs and restaurants in town.
Finally, after stocking up on some provisions in Truro, we'll head up to Trewan Hall for the classic North Cornwall beaches, Padstow, Newquay, Perranporth etc.

Seems a really simple idea and one we've discussed on previous breaks - now to put it in to practice!

Stop... Spanner Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 13:25:00 +0000

Regular readers will know that I'm not the most mechanically-minded T5 owner. I will turn my hand to some jobs as you may have already read, but others I prefer to leave in the hands of the professionals. So what happens when a small job presents itself but there isn't enough information available for me to tackle the job?

Time to break out the Haynes manual! Used by car-hobbyists worldwide, the Haynes manual can really help in that gap between user-knowledge and bothering a mechanic with something quite trivial. And here it is, just released:

It says something about the popularity of the T5 for Haynes to go ahead and create a workshop manual, maybe it's release goes hand-in-hand with the launch of the new T6 Transporter?

Should you fancy getting your hands on the workshop manual, here's a handy link:

Connected camping

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 19:02:00 +0000

With the availability of campsite wi-fi ever increasing, and better 3G and 4G coverage nationwide, it was only a matter of time before some tech made it in to the van. I've already discussed watching TV in the van quite successfully with the laptop, but sometimes that can seem quite cumbersome and a bit of a chore to setup.

So with the recent purchase of an ipad mini my mind started working on how this could be integrated in to the van with the minimum amount of fuss and remaining as descreet as possible. I'm still saving up for the popular dash conversion for ipad but in the meantime here's how it works in the back of the van - perfect for those wet weekends and lazy mornings in bed.

Here's the bracket fixed to the centre of the roof section above the head of the bed:

Nice and simple, uncomplicated and quite descreet (even moreso when I paint the screw heads black). And here's the ipad holder - note that the ipad stays in it's case for ease of use:

The holder simply slides and clips in to the bracket and can be easily operated at arms-length whilst lying in bed (as demonstrated by Mrs. Stone174 whilst in bed):

And now the flexibility of everything the ipad has to offer is available; television, films and radio, weather, news, email, facebook, an alarm clock, tide times, the list is endless...

There's loads of different types of holder out there. This one was bought on ebay for around £10. Just make sure it will hold an ipad completely upside down and not just at 90 degrees.
Here's the link to the one I went for:

Winter update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 10:35:00 +0000

Here goes yet another post where I start by apologising for the huge gaps between posts; Winter is never the best season for getting out and about in the van or for just getting outside and doing all those little jobs and modifications that I'm wanting to do - it's been too cold.

So as we near the start of the 2015 show season I thought I'd jot down a little update whilst we all look forward to some warmer days and nights ahead.

I've had VWt Magazine chasing me again, asking if the van is ready for a feature yet. And again I've had to decline. The main reason still being that I don't feel the van is 'finished' enough yet - I'd be going against my 'no compromise' ethos by saying yes to a feature when there's still quite a few changes I'd like to make. So try and focus a little (and attempt to wrangle the savings and budgets in to shape) I've set myself a tentative deadline of Busfest 2016 to get everything done.

It sounds a long way off but I don't have the funds to do all the changes I'd like in one go - all the time I'm becoming conscious of newcomers to the T5-scene jumping in with big budget vans making all the mods I'd like to make... am I being left behind? Will my van still be show-worthy?

There's no way I'm stopping though, this is my van built the way I want, not for anyone else. Plus I'm banking on the final result being pretty unique - there's a few changes and additions in the pipeline that I don't think anyone else has tried yet.

There will be more info on some of those modifications soon, and a return to more regular blogging as the year gets going. See you out there...

More storage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 17:09:00 +0000

As any fellow campervan'ers will know, it's all about the storage - especially us small-van'ers. They say every inch counts when it comes to hiding/storing all those little bits and bobs you seem to acquire over the years and then carry around with you.

One area of the van I felt could be improved upon is the sliding door; two large cavities that have been panelled over with no frills by Volkswagen on all but the top of the range Caravelles and Californias. Scouring the internet for good used door panels from these models and you're quickly well in to three figures - and with no guarantee of secondhand quality (and a few dubious sources) and I'm left looking elsewhere...

Here's the sliding door from inside as it has been since carpeting the van back in March 2009:

Fairly plain and boring, not living up to it's full potential, just adding to a sea of grey carpet.

Then a couple of weeks ago whilst browsing the T5 forum, I found a few other owners that had bought a new product from Kiravans that fits the brief. It's still in a pre-production test phase at the moment but this replacement panel complete with three storage compartments is going some way to maximise every useable space in the van:

It looks a little 'plain' at the moment, still in factory grey, but once trimmed along with the front door cards and refitted with blind clips to hide those standard clips it should feel much more at home. The top pocket is ideal for things like a few bungee cords or tent pegs, the middle pocket would take a few folded newspapers or magazines, the lower pocket is ideal for a full size umbrella which neatly clips in at either end.

Great service from Kiravans too; emails promptly answered, ordered Thursday afternoon and it was delivered at 9am Friday morning. Fitting takes around 10 minutes - a little longer depending on what you may have fitted to your door already.

Release the Hounds(tooth)!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 12:56:00 +0000

After what seems like a relatively quick two weeks the van is back on the drive after it's trip to the trimmers. Our initial pre-pick up nerves soon diminished on seeing the finished results which far exceeded our expectations. As you'll know from previous posts we had given MJ a fairly tight brief - to the point that I had even photoshopped a T5 seat to explain where the fabric/leather meeting points should be (I've seen a few styles that I don't like and didn't want in my van) - I think we found the right point somewhere between 'client from hell' and 'knowing what you want'.

We also threw in a couple of last minute requests just before dropping the van off. One of which was to change the colour of all the seat plastics. Having seen a few retrims on the recent Busfest visit it was clear that good quality nappa leather meeting commercial van-grade light grey plastics wasn't going to look right. To achieve the no-compromise, factory OEM look, we had to change the colour of the plastics to the darker Caravelle-spec anthracite.

And that's quite a lot of plastic for two captain's seats:

This had obviously added to the initial one-week turnaround time, not a problem - we've waited five years for this moment! Going back to the previous posts you'll have seen my teaser as to the finish and materials chosen, a part of the brief that didn't change. Here's a few taster pics:

The front seats are pretty much perfect. Exactly the result I was hoping for - enough of a difference to make them stand out, yet not too far to look out of place - if that make sense? I'm not trying to make a 'luxury' vehicle with diamond stitching and fancy embroidery, just a quality finish that looks like something Volkswagen might have done with a bigger budget.

The rear seat trimmed to match has started the process of tying the two areas of the van together:

The bed frame might get a coat of darker paint just to help it blend in a little more. We had some fresh foam cut in the firmest grade possible (we both like a firm bed). The front edge roll makes for a really comfy seat and helps the otherwise 'square' foam look a little more rear-seat like. Another pair of headrest may also be added at a later date.

There's some exceptional attention to detail from MJ Interiors - I hardly need to say that they come highly recommended!

Another last-minute request was a pair of map pockets in the front seats:

A good shot showing the darker plastics:

A wider shot of the front seats, well worth the wait...

So that's it. Stage two will be dashboard, steering wheel, doorcards, A and B pillars, headlining, and a few other tweaks. Now to start saving up again, it won't be another five years I can assure you!

Stars & Stripes in SkegVegas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:06:00 +0000

Shortly after man put a cart behind a horse he couldn't help but start to modify it. One of the earliest modifications was paint; on the cart, canal barge or commercial vehicle, if it was designed to carry a load and the owner took pride in their carrier, it would be adorned with some form of embellishment.

As a closet hot-rod and kustom fanatic, a lover of commercial vehicles, american cars and trucks, as well as working in the creative industry with a love of form and typography, it was only a matter of time before the camper received some form of freehand pinstriping.

Now at this point you're thinking has Stone174 deviated from his current course of keeping things unfussy, clean and 'factory'? Well... maybe.

As the T5 scene has progressed over the past five years that we have owned this vehicle there has been a lot of development resulting in hoardes of converters and enthusiasts turning out good quality campers and vans. So here's our chance to add in a little individuality. Something that doesn't conform to the 'norm'.

I've admired the work of a handful of UK pinstripers, all have their style and something about them. Around a year ago I got chatting to Seaside Neil (one of the UK's finest) about the possibility of laying some stripes on the van and after plenty of communication it was agreed it would be done as part of a striping demo at the Viva Skeg Vegas VW Show.

We had decided it would only be the door shuts that would receive the treatment - a hot-rodders favourite - and in-keeping with my less-is-more ethos the striping would be kept to two colours, one darker and one lighter than Stone Blue. After some chatting about the locations on the van, composition and colour samples, Neil set to work:

Thankfully the weather was looking on our side... kind of. The wind had started to increase to the point that Neil could barely lay the brush on the van without the wind moving it - at one point one of us would be leaning on the opposite side of the door whilst a small group of friends gathered round to create a human windbreak. Things were not going well... the stripes in the picture above ended up being wiped off and started for a second time.

You can't help but admire Neil's work; as a creative I hate an audience or anyone looking over my shoulder as I try things out, but Neil would happily chat whilst striping even though the wind (and the occasional drunk) were really starting to get on his nerves. After almost three hours of battling the elements, laughter, frustration, restarting some sections and walking away from others, he was almost done.

As a final touch we had the table leg done to match, thankfully this could be done in a more sheltered spot and was finished in no time - handy as the next paying customer had been hanging around for over an hour!

By the end I felt drained, stressed, relieved, but happy that the job had gone relatively well. I've not photographed all of the striping, you'll have to have a good look around the van next time you see it. My philosophy of less-is-more still stands, you could walk around the van and barely notice anything has been done - which is the result I wanted. I also feel it could stand a little more in some spots... but only time (and the weather conditions) will tell.

Trim Teaser Two...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 07:24:00 +0000

Another quick visit to MJ interiors to check a sample of the material we've chosen for the centres of the seats. So here's a little indication as to how the trimming will look:

Dark grey Porsche dogtooth pattern fabric flanked by anthracite BMW Nappa leather finished with a cyan blue top stitch. A nod to the old-school without deviating from the OEM theme too much; quality materials, craftsman-quality finish, zero compromise.

And that's all I'm giving away...

Trim time teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 May 2014 12:30:00 +0000

At last! Time to sort the interior. I wrote in my wish list five years ago that the interior trim would be one of the last jobs we get around to - and that time has come. I won't be giving anything away just yet but will try to update the blog as regularly as possible when it starts to happen.

Because we use the van all year round it's become hard to decide when we can do without it for a couple of weeks - so we've pencilled in a date after the main VW show season has finished, mid September. Thankfully this ties in nicely with the trimmer who has a waiting list of people wanting his expertise on their projects and falls before his annual rush to get jobs finished for Ultimate Dubs; the show that many people see as the season opener and an opportunity to debut their new cars.

So who's the trimmer? After a few conversations with fellow T5 owners, much internet research, and a visit in person, we've decided to hand the van over to Michael at MJ Interiors near Shipley. Their reputation is second-to-none and they're local too (which helps us check progress if required).

The process will be a two-phase affair; front seats and rear seat first then, after saving up again, doorcards and dashboard will be trimmed to complement the seats and lessen the 'van' feeling of the standard cab - not to mention eradicating a few rattles along the way!

We had a great first visit; Michael took the time to talk through various options on leather, fabric, stitching and thread, even though both Mrs. Stone174 and I have very set-ideas on the look we're trying to achieve. Between us we made a few minor tweaks and now have the overall 'look' down on paper ready for a quotation to come through. 'No compromise' and 'less is more' are still the main themes running through the van, hopefully the end results will tie in nicely with the external look of the van and finally give us something we'd be happy to show off more than we have to date... as usual, watch this space!

Stanford Hall camping perfection...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 May 2014 11:58:00 +0000

Just back from yet another glorious weekend with great weather, great friends and a great atmosphere. My only concern is that camping at Stanford Hall is becoming a little too popular and the evening's once-quiet noise levels had certainly risen this year. It's only a minor quibble about what was an otherwise perfect weekend.

What better location for camping over the bank-holiday weekend than the grounds of a stately home? Extremely good value for money too. See you there next year - just turn the volume down at midnight alright?

Living the Vanlife - a long overdue update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 May 2014 11:51:00 +0000

Apologies again for what seems like a long break between posts but with the good-weather on our side every time we take the van out, you can't blame me for not posting as regularly as usual.

Since the last post we made our annual trip down to Sandown Park for the Volksworld Show; aweful weather on the Thursday night's half-way trip had us thinking we were in for similar to 2013 but the Friday morning dawned bright and the rest of the weekend was just glorious.

In terms of sheer variety and entertainment the Volksworld Show 2014 was a hard one to beat; the best aircooled metal from all corners of Europe, a swapmeet that you need to go around four or five times to see everything, club displays, skate and BMX displays, breakdancing, live music, sunshine, a chilled-out campsite, a few beers in Esher, this one will stick in the memory bank for a long time to come!

A few pics:

Check out the blue sky

One of the stars of the show for me

Gorgeous lowlight Ghia

Cool-flo's BMX display had men my age drooling

Vintage Speed display was jaw-dropping

Old-skool breakdance display was a nice diversion

After Volksworld we made the short trip over to the Chertsey C&CC site for two nights with a day trip in to London. On arriving and having a nice meal we headed back to the van and just as I was checking the front blind on the van a figure walked over and in broken English asked "you have been to Volksworld show? You come far?", to which I answered "yes, from up north, Yorkshire", "oh, I come far too... from Israel". Crikey. It turns out Benny (who runs a VW shop, known as Dr. Bug) has flown in to Heathrow, hired a T5 California and filled his suitcases with parts bought at the swapmeet - so many parts that he needed to purchase another suitcase before heading home the next day. We chatted for around half an hour about the VW scene in Israel, the difficulties he has finding parts, showing each other photos of our projects on our phones etc. We parted after giving him some travel tips so he could go sightseeing in London the next day where I assume he bought another suitcase!

After camping at the show next to Belgians, French, Dutch and German campers, to meet a chap from Israel who shared our passion for all things VW made the whole weekend a truly cosmopolitan experience.

Interior tweaks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:16:00 +0000

With one week to go before our annual road-trip to the Volksworld Show and a day out in London, it was time to make some little upgrades that had be mulling around in my head for a while...

One was to get the leisure battery changed for a fresh one. I'd known for a while that the old one had been struggling to get back up to full capacity so a quick trip to Go Outdoors and a fresh 100aH Numax battery was bought and replaced.

Whilst the battery was out I decided to change the old 12v DC socket that sat next to the control panel for a 5v USB socket. Reason being that we only ever seem to use that socket for charging phones so instead of an adapter why not swap the socket internals - dead easy to do with the interchangeable CBE system.

Whilst on the subject of electrics you may recall we had the van in at The Campershak recently for repairs and a few tweaks - one of these adjustments was an opening hatch in the base of the clothes cupboard to give better access to the fuse box and distribution box for the CBE system. Here it is:

As usual, great attention to detail and finish by the guys at The Campershak matching the wood grain across the doors perfectly. You can just see the fusebox in the lower pic - no more 'potholing' through the rear hatch (complete with headtorch!) just to swap a fuse - now it's a breeze!

And that's it for now - we're ready for the 2014 show season. Can't wait to get to Volksworld next weekend with two nights at the Chertsey C&CC site to wind-down afterwards... see you there!

An Afternoon with the Californias

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 08:32:00 +0000

It was with some trepidation that we rolled in to a car park full of T5s that were all very different from ours. All with owners that on first appearance seemed very different to us...

The natural preconception is that your average California owner isn't necessarily into the 'scene' but have bought themselves a slice of ready-made-cool without the usual rights of passage associated with working your way through some of Volkswagen's earlier models.

How would they view our van?

Kindly organised by my father, owner of an early T4 California, the club meet was one of several taking place up and down the country; an opportunity for like-minded owners to get together and share hints and tips on California ownership.

So after a morning of cleaning and detailing, we pulled up and aired-out:

On the whole I think most Cali owners liked it - a chance for them to see something different from their own (almost identical) vans. There were some funny comments, 'its on them modified springs' being the best, and it was great to see people's reactions when you tell them the van started life as an empty panel van, 'you'd never know' was the comment from one owner that made me smile.

On closer inspection you could see some variations in the Californias in attendance; variations in model year, headlight upgrades, interior accessories etc. One van that did stand out was a California that had more individuality than others - blacked out badges, awning and bike rack made this van stand apart from the others:

We hung around for around an hour and half, chatting away about our interior, camping trips and van life in general - it turns out that most California owners are cut from pretty-much the same cloth; they all crave the same spirit of getting-away in their vans...

Would I go to another? Probably. There's talk of a camp-out later in the year - chance for a longer natter over a beer with fellow campers...

If you're interested in a VW California or the California Owners Club, follow the link to their forum here.

Good weather, good omens...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 12:51:00 +0000

...and a long-overdue update.

It's Dubfreeze again! Back out of hibernation and raring to get the 2014 show season underway. I did start to question what on earth we were doing on Saturday morning; packing the van in the rain with a cold wind blowing sideways, meeting friends and driving over the M62 and down the M6 on a day when the media is telling us not to travel unless you have to... and we're going camping!

Good morning Stafford!

But the morning after the beers had washed away the memory of bad weather dawned crisp and bright. The temp gauge said 0.5˚C and the ice on the bonnet confirmed it. The inside temp was around 12˚C thanks to the Eberspächer and the roof staying down overnight.

Roof popped, kettle on.

The journey down was yet another confirmation that the recent DMF and clutch replacement had been a complete success - no more judder under load, everything operating as it should.

If you search previous posts you'll read about my love of Dubfreeze and the fact that it's not so much a 'show' as a reason to get out - and I'm so glad we (and many others) did - it's amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do for the spirit!

On another positive note, we chatted to someone about another 'upgrade'... not so much a modification, but definitely one to keep an eye out for. It won't be happening until mid-August but fingers-crossed this will be one thing that will make the van truly unique amongst it's stablemates. Sorry, I'm not giving anything away just yet...

The van will also be going back to The Camper Shak on Friday for a few interior tweaks and a repair to some damage done last year; nothing major, just a freshen up ready for camping at the Volksworld Show in March - see you there!

Preventative measures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 12:51:00 +0000

Okay, so Winter might not be camping and show-going every weekend but it does make for a great time to sort any little issues you might be having with your van. We've got one. It's the dreaded dual mass flywheel.

Now it's not often that Stone174 gets his fingers dirty and starts talking about things under the bonnet, but there's so much forum-talk, speculation, doom and gloom about the subject, I thought I'd do a little research and put something up on here.

Dual Mass Wha...?
The dual mass flywheel (or DMF if you like) is fitted in most modern diesel and petrol engines, both passenger car and light commercial vehicles. In fact nearly all Diesel Light Commercial Vehicles built today benefit from a DMF, providing van drivers with smoother more refined vehicles.
Engine torsional vibration (TV) has increased over the years due to greater cylinder pressure and increased compression ratios. These increases have been so great that a cure had to be found for the extra vibration. The DMF absorbs all the torsional vibration and gives the added benefits of reducing noise, reducing fuel consumption and protecting the driveline from the harmful vibration and occasional injector misfire.

Worried yet - what are the symptoms?
We first noticed ours going after the van had been stood for a couple of weeks; engage first gear from cold, pull away with a bit of gas and judder, judder, judder...
Once warmed up it all goes away. Using the van daily and it doesn't happen. Leave the van for a week and it's back.
Many people say there's nothing to worry about, it's just a build up of condensation on the flywheel, perfectly normal. I'd say ours has got noticeably worse over the past 12 months.

Time to replace?
There's never a good time I suppose, but there's always a bad one. More often than not we're in the van doing something we've been looking forward to; heading to a show, a week off work etc. The last place we want to be is on the hard-shoulder and making small-talk for several hours in the back of a recovery wagon (no offence to the AA). So, combined with a 90,000 mile service and MOT, we've chosen to replace the DMF and clutch in one go.

Is there a cheap option?
In a word, no. We're not ones for scrimping on pattern-parts, this is one item that needs to be OEM.

Parts required for the 2.5 174 engine will be:
Genuine LuK 240mm Dual Mass Flywheel
Genuine SACHS SRE Organic / Sintered Clutch Disc
Genuine SACHS SRE Pressure Plate
Genuine SACHS Releaser
Flywheel and Pressure Plate Bolts

This is an uprated direct replacement for the OE LUK Kit found on the 2.5 TDI Transporter T5 with the 6 Speed Gearbox. The Organic Clutch Disc are rated by Sachs to 390Ft/Lbs+

Parts cost is around £675. With roughly around 6 hours to fit.

What about going back to a Single Mass Flywheel?
Initially the unit cost may be lower, however in the long run damaging vibrations that were previously isolated by the DMF could affect or damage other parts of the vehicle. Failures can occur as a result of retro-fitting solid flywheels. Vibrations not eliminated by the flywheel have been known to destroy gearbox components, contribute to broken crankshafts and increase noise or resonance within the vehicle cabin to unacceptable levels.

So there you have it, not the sexiest of Christmas presents I've ever received; not quite the glamour of new alloys and airride of this time last year - but these part are just as important. The van is booked in to Aire Valley Workshop for the first Saturday in 2014 and they're keeping it for a week.

Autumn update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 09:01:00 +0000

As you've guessed by the lack of blog posts, not much is happening at the moment. We took a trip over to Campershak last weekend for them to look at making a few adjustments and repairs to parts of the interior - these should be done early in February next year, hopefully before Dubfreeze.

Whilst out in the Autumn sunshine it seemed a good opportunity to get a few photos:

Show report: VAG Squadron at JCT600

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:42:00 +0000

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Well 'they' are wrong - nothing like a bit of good old Yorkshire hospitality courtesy of the newly opened JCT600 dealership in Wakefield who kindly opened their doors (and their forecourt and their car park) for the VAG Squadron crew to put on a little Sunday Show.

The free hog-roast was a bit of a welcome surprise and was perfect nourishment after the hours of polishing the van. The event was also VAG Squadron's first birthday party and a good excuse to get together on an un-seasonally warm and sunny afternoon and raise a bit of money for charity.

I spent most of the weekend's daylight hours trying to get the van as spotless as possible, as far as my detailing skills (and lack of equipment) will allow.

Pic courtesy of Savage Photography

Parked up with another five T5's we definitely held our own and received loads of positive comments from young and old alike, just one minor negative when a few 'characters' decide to just climb in the van, I was not impressed.

In all, it was a great little gathering; a few show trophies and a raffle, money raised for a worthy cause, and a free lunch. Who could ask for more...?

Apologies again for the lack of 'regular' blogging. There's a few projects and maintenance jobs to do over winter, and we're attempting to camp at least once a month throughout winter too, right through until the show season starts again in 2014.

Cornwall trip & Busfest 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 10:16:00 +0000

I know what you're thinking; there hasn't been a post on here for a while. So here's a long-overdue update...

There's nothing much to report on the van front other than it has been in regular use as Camper, show vehicle, bike transporter, spare room, and chill-out area. Early September saw us make our annual pilgrimage to the Southwest for some camping, surfing and general lazing about, with the return journey being interrupted by a stop at the Busfest show under the Malvern hills.

Our first stop was at our regular haunt, Trewan Hall campsite near St. Columb Major. As the week progressed, the campsite emptied leaving just us with a field to ourselves.

The weather was kind so we made our usual trips up and down the spine of Cornwall; St. Ives is one of my favourites - but it's always better when you take the park and ride train from Lelant rather than struggling to drive into town and find a parking space.

The Eden Project is always quite high on our list and one we hadn't visited in quite a while. The addition of the new aerial walkways adds a great new perspective to an already spectacular site.

Plenty of chilling out with our fellow van-campers took place. If ever there was a perfect time and location for the 'snail-like' lifestyle of carrying eveything around with you, it's Cornwall in early September when the weather can change three times in a day. One minute you're sat in the fog, the next minute you're getting ready for a spot of surfing under clear blue skies.

Perranporth sunsets are always a bit special in September.

Feeling refreshed from a few days in the southwest, it was time to head north to our next stop; the Blackmore Camping & Caravanning Club site just a mile or so down the road from Busfest at the Three Counties Showground. Being on a designated hard-standing pitch isn't quite the same as the freestyle Cornish camping, but having electric hookup was nice as the temperature had cooled.

A small selection of the awesome vans at Busfest:

Busfest was as busy as ever and there seemed to be even more of our European bus-loving cousins making the trip to the show. Loads of Germans, Dutch and Belgians in attendance - they always come over with the really cool vans that never really sold in the UK; syncro T4s and cool early bays were in abundance. The show and shine was a little thin on T5's - more than last year, and the quality/taste is getting better year on year.

This year really highlighted the need to get our interior done. Sticking with the 'no-compromise' ethos, I'd really like the dash and door cards trimmed along with the front seats and rear seat/bed. Cost-wise I fear this will have to be done in two stages; we'll get the seating done first as Mrs. Stone174 can no longer deal with making the bed up with just bare foam and an Ikea throw.

As ever, keep watching this space. I'll try and put up a few musings as to the direction I'd like the interior to take, without giving too much away! Apologies for the break between posts - but you can't blame me for being out in my van all the time!!!

Show Report: Fueled Society 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 07:07:00 +0000

The youth of today - don't you just love 'em. I guess this is a statement said by many over the generations, last weekend I found myself mumbling it. And before you think 'here we go, Stone174's on another show rant' hang on, this one was a really good show, helped no-end by the glorious sunshine.

Gates opened for camping at 10am on the Saturday morning - a really good idea as it meant a real lazy day of doing very little, bagging a good camping spot, watching cars and vans arrive and generally sitting under that sun with a cold beer.

Watching the type of vehicle and owner arriving we suddenly realised that the show had a somewhat 'split personality' to it. Hoardes of young lads in nearly new cars running static drops to the ground. Thankfully they were in 'general' camping and we were in the designated 'quiet' camping - more on that soon...

The show's appeal on paper was a mix of live music, quality food stalls and a vintage fair. Combined with a line-up of show vehicles from different scenes, it can't fail to be good. But the majority of the live music was hard-rock (not appealing to the bass-loving lads), the food was a great mix of Noodles, Chili Dogs, Brazilian street food, Beers from a local brewery etc. (the majority of punters seemed to be eating chips and drinking Budweiser), the vintage fair was really cool but retro-phones, vintage tweed and teacups aren't exactly 'scene' either.

With a more diverse crowd I feel this show could really work. But should the organisers play to the masses? Or push their promotion towards that more discerning audience?

My grumble at the youth of today started when, on each visit across the field to use the facilities (of which there weren't enough), I would find myself picking up the aforementioned Budweiser bottles - carelessly discarded on a field where the next day the youths would be driving their vehicles!
Bins and loos; the two things that should be in abundance at every show.

Quiet camping didn't really work. Of the 500 camping passes sold, 400 must have been in general camping. I was amazed at 6.30pm that a security gang would come rushing over to me to check that my barbecue wasn't in the grass - but where were they at 1.30am when there's still a noise nuisance?
The location of quiet camping just wasn't right - stuck in the middle with the live music stage in one direction and general camping in the other. One of the organising crew asked us on Sunday morning if it had been okay so we explained a few issues, he agreed pointing out an area that had been suggested for quiet camping that would have been far better, so maybe next year...

Rant over. The rest of the show was great - it's still in it's infancy and the first year of being a two-day event - so I'll happily forgive most of the negative points. And a massive well-done to the organisers who never get enough praise for putting on events like this.

We woke early, tidied up, breakfasted, stuck the van on the show field and sat in the sun.

We got some great comments for all different walks of life - even the youth of today seem to like it! The mix of cars on the show field was fantastic; everything from Vdubs and Audis to Lancia, Ford, drag cars, rally cars, American cars and trucks.

Would we go again? The jury's still out at the moment. I guess having a modern, watercooled campervan and searching for that perfect car-show, I too need a 'split personality'.

Micro Mods: Window Winder Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:39:00 +0000

The cab area will be one of the last parts of the van to have any sort of modification done to it. Other than the footwell lights and the cab light it is pretty much untouched.

Then I saw this mod done on the T5 forum and thought I'd give it a go. At first glance I couldn't work out how the winder handles came off, but it's dead easy once you know...

Simply squeeze the lock-ring behind the handle and pull it in the opposite direction to that which the handle is pointing - simple. Then it just pulls away from the mechanism.

Once off I simply chopped the back of the small wheel section to remove the spinning part. Then using a small cabinet connecting bolt and some loctite on the thread, add the skateboard wheel of your choice:

Before and after

Then just replace the handle in the opposite of removal. It's probably wise when choosing your skateboard wheel to keep the diameter small, a larger wheel might put too much stress on the handle - Stone174 accepts no responsibility for your own breakages!

And here's the finished thing, for now. The beauty of this mod is being able to change the wheels for something else at a later date: