Surround Sound

After our most recent little trip in Buttercup, we've spent the last week or so tinkering and doing bits.  Well obviously, when I say me, I really mean Dom. I fully admit that the dream of owning a VW van again was mine and not his. I fully admit that part of the reason this dream is now a reality is because I knew I could rely on him to help with the maintenance.  But hey, he gets to enjoy lovely weekends away in her so he's not complaining.  Due to Dom's tinkering we now have three major improvements to the van and they shall be detailed below.

Air Filter

Our little van had been sorted by our mechanic but unbeknownst to him or us, the air filter was not functioning properly. We discovered this while we were away last time when we found it rolling loose in the engine bay. Despite repeatedly re-attaching it and it seeming firm the same thing happened once we'd travelled any distance.  This meant that our old friend the chugging had returned, a horrid smell of fuel filled the cab, she kept stalling at the lights and the power seemed pretty naff.  Look we know we're not going to get 70mph out of her but we were hoping for 50!

So on our return, Dom set to work.  Remembering an old tip from someone who repaired his bike once he came in search of coke can.  This is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack in our house. We don't drink coke! In fact we don't drink fizzy drinks full stop!  However, a dig around in our tin/can recycle box found some old Pimms cans (they don't count as fizzy drinks!) and Dom headed for the engine bay with his tool kit.

I wish I could tell you exactly what he did but I can't. All I know is the Pimms can was used to create a lining between the air filter and the pipe (?) it needed to sit on top of. This lining made for a snug fit and hey presto the van now runs like a dream.  If there are any VW fanatics reading this who want a more technical explanation please get in touch via the comment box.  We now enjoy journeys without stalling, chugging or lack of power. We motor along smoothly and can even tackle up hills in fourth gear... The moral of this story - drink Pimms and upcycle!

Bespoke Divider

Under the rock and roll bed is a large storage area.  This is perfect for our wellies, walking boots, shoes etc. However, the Power Management system for van (the thing that powers the fridge, water pump etc) is also located here and as we all remember from our Science lessons water and electrics don't really go.

Dom has been like a man on a mission selecting a piece of wood he could adapt into a divider.  Not one to be troubled by a problem like two separate pieces of wood that were too small, he set about making joining brackets, sawing off a corner so it fits snugly against the shaping of the area and attaching said divider to the storage box.

And while he has been busy doing this I have been able to blog, write, sort things for my business, get the weekly shop and generally get on with whatever I needed to.

Key message here - if you are passionate about owning a van, make sure you or your partner is passionate about Van DIY!

The Stereo System

Music is very important to both of us.  I listen to music all the time.  My music taste is eclectic with everything from Abba to Led Zepp nestling in my collection.  As for Dom, he's a musician and although he doesn't actually listen to as much music as me (and certainly not with the same wide choice) he likes to listen to his music on quality speakers.  

Buttercup came with a stereo so we asked the Camper Shak to re-position our speakers in the front cab and Dom bought an amp to make sure the sound would be even throughout.  As Buttercup's original stereo didn't appear to work, we ditched it. Luckily my dad and brother chipped in and bought me a new stereo (with DAB!) for my birthday.  Now it just needed fitting.

And this is where the issues began.  The wiring system in Buttercup left a lot to be desired.  Between Mike from the Camper Shak and Mark the mechanic they must have removed about 10 metres of unnecessary and useless wiring from various parts of the van.  They both said there was lots more to be done to tidy it up. And this was Dom's next job.

Despite being pretty handy with electrical stuff, nothing had prepared him for the random wires, connectors and strange bulbs he found.  More wire was stripped out and eventually we were left with the bare essentials.  Armed with a soldering iron, two steady hands and some help in the form of my slightly terrified and shaking hands we set about hardwiring the stereo in. After what seemed like forever the stereo was switched on...and we had sound!

Hurrah! 

We were so delighted we took her out for a spin just so we could listen to some decent music on a decent sound system.

We know that this isn't the end of the jobs that await us (well Dom) but at least now he can listen to music as he works!

And on that happy note, I'm off to make sure that our supply of Air Filter linings is kept healthy! Cheers!

Demolition Day!

Today we are off to visit Buttercup at the Camper Shak where she is undergoing her make over.  Because of this, it seems an appropriate time to describe the couple of days leading up to the day we handed her over to Mike and Diane.  Here goes...

Demolition Day Arrives

Having spent weeks choosing cupboards, cookers, fridges, flooring, upholstery and curtains we had one major job left before we took her in - we had to strip her out!  All the old cupboards, curtains, carpets and other fittings we no longer wanted had to be removed. Although the Camper Shak would have done this for us, we decided we'd like to have a go at it ourselves.

Surprisingly, this summer has actually been pretty good by British standards. There have even been days when it has been deemed 'too hot'!  The week leading up to Demolition Day was full of days like this.  It was scorching!  The pressure and heat had been building and the threat of storms was definitely in the air.
Having woken up that Friday morning I was writing in my office which was bathed in gentle morning sunlight.  Anyone who writes will tell you that it can be pretty absorbing. I don't know how long I'd sat there but I suddenly became aware that the sunlight had been replaced by thick, black clouds and the rain was bouncing off the ground. Not only that, Thor had decided it was play time and for the next hour a storm raged above our house.  At times it sounded as though Thor was indeed, banging his hammer directly on our roof.  Brilliant! This was our one day to clear the van and we were going to be soaked, hit by lightning or both!
By the time we set off to collect Buttercup from the garage, Thor had become bored and Apollo was doing his best to get back on the scene.  This clash of interests meant it was muggy, close, sticky and downright uncomfortable.  Despite this, we got Buttercup back to Southport and onto my dad's drive way.

 

Hammers at the ready...

Funnily enough, neither Dom or I have stripped a VW camper of its fixtures and fittings before so we had no idea what to expect.  Arming ourselves with the work man standard of tea, hammer and screwdrivers we made a start.

First out were the old curtains and carpet. I was surprised just how easy the carpet was to remove. Thankfully no nasty glue was holding it in place and once the seatbelts under the rock and roll bed had been untangled it just came out in one easy piece.  Can't say I'm sorry to say goodbye to either...

                                      

      

The next job was to get the old units out.  Dom was tackling these and again was surprised just how easily they came out!  It was a bit alarming just how flimsy they were.  It seems a miracle that the cupboards hadn't just rattled themselves loose over the years.  The one thing of real quality though is the original cooker, a little Flavel number.  It's in great condition and Mike is going to incorporate it into our new swing out cooker unit.  So despite the heat and mugginess, Dom managed to remove the units pretty quickly.

                  

 

By now we were extremely hot, sticky and more importantly starving.  But one more job beckoned before lunch could be devoured.  The pop top (which is original) was in need of a really, really, really good clean.  Years of muck, dust and who knows what else had clung to every bit of the canvas.  Only one thing would be strong enough to tackle this...Cillit Bang!  Let me give you a piece of advice.  Should you ever find yourself needing to clean the canvas on a pop top, don't do it on the muggiest day of the year.  Spraying and cleaning in those conditions was like having an indoor shower that just didn't get you clean!  Grim was most definitely the word!

Once that was done and lunch had given us a much needed energy boost the last remaining job was to remove the old speakers.  I have had nothing to do with the sound system as this is Dom's area of expertise.  He would rather listen to nothing than listen to music through rubbish speakers.  Having inspected the old speakers they passed the stringent test but still needed to be removed as they will be relocated in the foot well of the driver cab.  The screws had obviously been in place for some time but eventually and with a bit of help from some, shall we say, encouraging words they came out!

So there she was, in all her empty glory.  The inside looked both bare and incredibly large with nothing but the bed left in it.  Which was just as well as we had a LOT of rubbish to take to the tip!

We had expected a nightmare job stripping Buttercup but it was actually far easier than we imagined.  And if you've got your own van that needs a revamp I would definitely recommend you do this bit yourself.

The next stage of the re-vamp we were more than happy to leave to the experts at The Camper Shak.  And on Monday 7th July, I dropped her off with Mike and Diane.  She will be totally unrecognisable when we collect her and I for one can't wait!

Next time - Beautiful Buttercup!