Been a lurker on here for a long time, thought I'd finally join....
So, having had various beetles on and off over the years I had been hankering for a split panel van, had to be solid, had to be RHD.. I looked briefly and gave up a few times, and the idea floated away. Whilst looking on EBAY for a T4 to go to Wales in a couple of years back I found this


Some of you may recognise it, it was rock solid in all the right places, and luckily 10 minutes from my house. It had suffered the indignity of having a roof collapse on it and the previous owner fitted a new roof, this also addressed a good lot of the van's rot issues

It never made it to wales as after buying it I ran into some money issues and we ended up taking a passat, however last year it did drive from here (near inverness) right down to Boscastle without a hitch
Here it is in the railway shed in york

a bit of digging this year uncovered this


which became this


then this


poor Amanda was frozen, then this



I've fitted a basic interior which I've yet to take decent photos of but since the sun came out this year all I've done is drive it



Ian

Welcome, nice van. I remember seeing a thread on vzi about the new roof fitting!

Thanks for the welcome...
in some senses I'd have liked a van that had never been touched, but after seeing the damage the rust had done and the "squashing" uncovered I'm actually quite content.
Plus, if it was mint I wouldn't use it the same, carry building materials in it, camp anywhere...
It's in cellulose paint at the moment and I've always said as soon as it starts to get picky I'll strip the bad bits and get it into 2 pack, strangely though nothing has boiled.... yet

Here we are loading the van up for a trip to the outer hebrides next week, fingers crossed the old dear makes it

I love a nice Panel

and you got a great one there buddy

welcome and enjoy


Mark

Cheers Mark, that's some project you had, the end result is stunning though, fortunately mine isn't too rotten but strangely it's builds like yours that has me going so deep into my mk1 Escort project, real inspiration..

She made it from coast to coast, sitting at Ullapool ferry we met Donnie Munro, of Runrig fame


we made it onto the island, the van, me, amanda and dad.. Donkey goes with Amanda every time she goes away



Dad and I on the campsite, his first festival,


she made it without missing a beat, pulling like a train with 3 folk and way too much camping gear.
It's really a member of the family now

When I got the van it was orange inside, the seat covers, the interior panels etc, i didn't like it but i lived with it for a while.

in the end I stripped it out, insulated it, widened the R+R into a full width bed, new foam too. Then my (hopefully) future mother in law covered it all for me.. the reason I went for grey was although it'll never be original I just wanted a period, and commercial look.
The hardboard was a nice easy way to line the van and I rollered it a satin grey afterwards






This was Celia's (Amanda's mum) first ever go at trimming a vehicle and we're all delighted with the results, her seams are all arrow straight but my cutting of the foam is questionable so she is going to fettle a few bits and I'm going to make a table...

up north, in Golspie, for the start of their Gala week they hold a banger race, we took the opportunity to take the panel up to Dornoch for a night's camping


We parked up and i got gimped up in my wetsuit and went for a swim in the sea, then my good lady and i went for a pint, when we left the pub it was pouring down so we ran back and took refuge

Then today we got up and headed to the bangers, Sherpa ice cream van was hard as nails but a pink Impreza turbo won the important races..

all in about 300 miles in the van and she's still going well

That looks great - very tidy but not so tidy you end up being afraid to use it. Love it. Especially the interior....colour coded to Donkey. Nice touch.

Thanks, exactly the look we were going for, useable!! When funds allow I will have a Sea blue and Cum white window bus, for nice days, I'll keep the panel for general use

found out today it was built April 28h 1967, arrived soon after in Ramsgate but wasn't registered until 9th August 1967, hence the "F" plate

We have surprisingly quickly sold my house, what it means now is that we are back living with our parents until the deal on the next place comes through, could realistically be a couple of months, and the van has to sleep outside this winter

I was looking through photos from the summer and had to laugh, I can't remember which toy of Amanda's I had broken but she put on a convincing sad face

I'm full of the flu, I woke up this morning and the old Audi wouldn't start to go to work. HMMMMNNPH
The van on the other hand, parked up for winter burst into life and gave the much younger Audi a jump start.
Ever wondered how the man who drives the snowplough gets to the snowplough?

As it is life surprises you and my hovel of a house unexpectedly sold, so....... I bought another hovel of a house, and everything else vehicle-wise has been sold, is in storage or has fallen by the wayside, the van is now my daily driver, and my home, which sounds mad, in winter, in Scotland but actually it's quite cosy...

sure you didn't run over Donkey ??

Looks bad .... as she's holding a bodybag eeeeeeeeeekkkk

hope what ever it was pulled though ok


living in ya bus ??

Good show

saving the pennies while you fix ya new house up..... Good man


Mark

Cheers Mark, it all moved a bit fast and I had planned over the Christmas holidays finding a residential caravan, I ended up getting ...... for a fortnight instead, eek

I can confirm Donkey is safe and well, and what Amanda was holding was going was being heated up and heading back into the food chain

With the house having power and getting a shower and a shave every second day at work the van isn't all that bad, the extension cable in the window and a halogen heater and we are roasting!

Floors are going in tomorrow