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Motorhomes rock


smellmycheese

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1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I always pass them on the M5, bollock flat out doing 40mph on the hills. 

Yeah, I get glared at by the driver's - likewise the ones in those massive Hymer things which look like an upturned ocean liner plonked on top of a 1.6 Fiat/Peugeot van as I go howling past them and disappear into the distance on the motorway.

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Getting stuck behind them on a single carriageway is murder though!

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2 hours ago, sierraman said:

I always pass them on the M5, bollock flat out doing 40mph on the hills. 

But that's part of the experience, the scene, the camaraderie, the actual fun.

And that's in third gear. And if it slows a bit more to 35mph, there's nothing you can do but wait for it to drop to 25mph  before you can use second.

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27 minutes ago, barefoot said:

But that's part of the experience, the scene, the camaraderie, the actual fun.

And that's in third gear. And if it slows a bit more to 35mph, there's nothing you can do but wait for it to drop to 25mph  before you can use second.

In a way, that’s part of the ( limited) appeal to me , I spend my life at 90, even when I’m not in a hurry. It’d be nice to just trundle along like a modern day horse drawn gipsy caravan.  Although when Mrs N suggested if we get one that we can tour the Highlands , I did think I’d put it on a trailer for the first 300 miles- a bit like , oh I don’t know, a caravan...

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Having found out a couple of weeks ago both my leisure batteries were fcuked in the motorhome (obviously whilst sat in a field with a sea fret reducing visibility to a few yards) and having to buy new ones, this week I ran out of gas (the cooking / heating etc, again whilst sat in a field). Did you know there's a national shortage of Calor Gas (propane) in bottles?. No, neither did I until I tried to replace it. Seriously, there is a shortage of the size that are used in motorhomes and caravans.

Motorhomes are a great way relax, but can be expensive when things go tits.

 

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9 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

a 1.6 Fiat/Peugeot van

None of the Talbot/Fiat/Citroen "seville" vans had a 1.6 litre engine.  Some very very early ones had a 1.8 petrol, but they are pretty much all gone now.  Most are 2.0 carb petrol, the other options being 1.9XUD, 2.5D and 2.5TD.  Some Fiat-badged models got the fiat 1.9TD engine too.

They're really not that slow.  Not as quick as a modernz, but you have to remember the Seville "J5" van was released in 1982, meaning the engine technology was firmly 1970's.  A similar age transit would be both far more rotten and somewhat slower.

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4 hours ago, Talbot said:

None of the Talbot/Fiat/Citroen "seville" vans had a 1.6 litre engine.  Some very very early ones had a 1.8 petrol, but they are pretty much all gone now.  Most are 2.0 carb petrol, the other options being 1.9XUD, 2.5D and 2.5TD.  Some Fiat-badged models got the fiat 1.9TD engine too.

They're really not that slow.  Not as quick as a modernz, but you have to remember the Seville "J5" van was released in 1982, meaning the engine technology was firmly 1970's.  A similar age transit would be both far more rotten and somewhat slower.

Fair enough!  I've only really known one and that was owned by a neighbour.  All I know was it was slow as a wet week and tappety as hell.

I'd love a shot of one to compare to the Merc to be honest.  A lot of this is down to gearing as well I'm sure.

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On 9/6/2020 at 2:30 AM, Zelandeth said:

All I know was it was slow as a wet week and tappety as hell

Probably a 2.0 carb engine.  They can go massively out of tune and produce about 3bhp.  Problem is that people treat them like a modern engine and do nothing to them.  It was a fairly crude/old engine even when introduced in 1982.  It needs 1960's levels of tinkering and upkeep.

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On 9/5/2020 at 9:05 PM, busmansholiday said:

Did you know there's a national shortage of Calor Gas (propane) in bottles?.

Get a filling pipe made up so you can fill directly from LPG pumps on a forecourt.  Much much cheaper, although the practice is somewhat frowned upon, so the crafty thing to do is fit an automotive-style LPG filler on the vehicle, but pipe it to a calor bottle.  Then just be a bit careful how many litres you put into it.

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5 hours ago, juular said:

Would there be any love for a thread on building a motorhome/campervan from scratch? I've done 3 now and recorded building my current one to the last detail. Might help those who want a camper but don't want the huge cost.

100% yeah

Love to see how this sort of thing is done, would like to try it one day but probably won't get round to it anytime soon. 

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On 9/5/2020 at 12:49 PM, barefoot said:

But that's part of the experience, the scene, the camaraderie, the actual fun.

And that's in third gear. And if it slows a bit more to 35mph, there's nothing you can do but wait for it to drop to 25mph  before you can use second.

The journey is part of the adventure! I am never in a rush when driving the camper as there's no point. It will cruise along at 55ish all day apart from when you get to a hill! Sometimes get up to an indicated 70 when overtaking but not for long. I have a cb fitted so when in convoy with my mates it relieves the boredom! 

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On 9/6/2020 at 12:15 AM, catsinthewelder said:

Wasn't the slowest van ever the Merc 308D? ?

We had an ex Mil Ford A Series (Transit on steroids) with a custom ally box body. Weighed in at 5 1/2 tons. Power came from a 3 litre V6 petrol motor (a la Granada) above 55 mph, pressing the accelerator only made more noise and and used more fuel. As it only did about 9 mpg, this wasnt really advisable. Progress was somewhere between leisurely and glacial. It did sound good though.

On the upside, if you were in the passenger seat, you could put your feet on the dashboard, enjoy the cool breeze from the wide open sliding door. The stereo was banging and it had a rooftop verandah which was ideal when workong at festivals. It would easily sleep 8 people if you were friendly with someone else of the opposite sex and were happy spooning. :D:D:D

I dont have any photos of it, but it looked like this.

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Except it had bull bars and the front bumper was replaced with a railway sleeper.

Oh, and the bullet holes in the rear bodywork.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Spent a few weeks this summer smoking about Cornwall and Devon in this. Also bits of Norfolk and Kent (on different weekends!)

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2005 Jumper (Ducato) with the 2.8 four and auto box.  Once off the line it belts along even with the tanks brimmed (has wet room).  Gearbox works very well (a great pairing, must admit was surprised) and is young enough to be thoughtful to change down for you on descent. Fuel mileage proved to be surprisingly good.  I likened it to driving a Luton-size van, but with (almost) the relaxing air of a down-scale American RV.

Belongs to my parents, retirement gift to themselves to travel Europe, which they did for 40k (miles). Seemed a good way to blow my inheritance. Which they have!

My only other experience of camper vanning was borrowing a friend's 1979 VW Bay, 2.0 auto on carb, that drank and drank, was perky but tiresome. And frankly quite dangerous when you saw how thin the metal between you and the outside was.  A crumple zone special when driving, and a literal box room allowing you to smash your head constantly when stationary.

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