w00dy's Wheels - Vana-allmymoneys-gon

[w00dy]

Off on a collection mission to replace the Octavia which sadly had to be cubed.

1st 

 

2nd

 

 

Nothing exciting sadly.

[w00dy]

Dear Chris, I wrote you but you still ain't callin', I've got a Z4, a 6 series and a 5 touring.

 

525i with a slushbox. It's as mint as it looks.

[w00dy]

Having spent much time and money on the most expensive vehicle, i've ever purchased, it is now finally getting to where I want it to be (a house move definitely slowed progress somewhat).

Any old vehicle that's barely been used over the last few years is going to need to some work in order to be used as intended and that is definitely true of my Westy. The previous owner had not been shy in spending a lot of money, but not always successfully. 

Engine

Blue smoke when cold, a stuck wastegate and oil up the tailgate to the extent that it would need a top up every 100 miles or so. It'd had a new oil pump and turbo oil lines, but the main issues seemed to be the turbo itself and the seal on the dipstick tube which was spitting oil. £2 and 10 minutes for the seal and rather more for a new turbo from Brickwerks and all is well. People complain about the little JX engine, but when it's going well it has just enough power and is fairly good on fuel for an 80s 2+ ton brick. I was worried it was past it, but a little love and it has been transformed

 

Suspension and wheels

When I first bought it the ride was very crashy and the Boxster wheels rubbed the arches quite often. A bit of investigation showed that the H&R springs were not up to the job and were binding up with the Gaz shocks set to maximum stiff in an attempt to compensate.

I solved the most pressing issue.

Then ordered some AVO -70mm  springs to suit the short Gaz shocks which ended up sitting higher than the -50mm H&Rs (a TD Westy is not a light van), went down to an 8/20 on the damping fitted new 928S 16s

 

The fronts required some 7mm spacers to clear the suspension and longer studs to suit, but the ride is now lovely and I no longer fear pot holes. I'd like to go bigger on the tyres to up the gearing closer to factory as well as lose the mismatched tyres.

The standard big rectangle on a long stick mirrors adjusted by a ball and socket are an awful piece of design and at motorway speeds they like to adjust themselves to the point of being useless. Fancy vans got heated, electric mirrors which now command good money used, but I found a tatty set in orange and painted them with texture black and fitted them (involving the purchase of a rivnut tool too add the third lower bolt)

They also suit the big bumpers much better

Steering wheel

A new steering wheel was high on my list from the start since the original makes it quite uncomfortable to brake if you're tall. As a PAS equipped van you can get a way with a much smaller wheel and one of my favourites is an almost bolt on swap (once you've spaced out the horn contacts and added a touch more to the main bushing). I found a brown 944 wheel at a decent price and re-dyed it to suit.

Stereo 

The  horrible Halfords junk that came with the van was both ugly and didn't work very well. The aerial had also been snapped off. I fitted a New Blaupunkt unit with DAB and Bluetooth alongside a new aerial. I also replaced the ashtray with a phone mount that flips open and comes in a suitably retro textured finish,

Camper bits

The original fridge got binned by the previous owner for a compressor style which runs from a leisure battery or hookup (that he kept). I found an original fridge which runs from the same LPG tank that runs the heater and stove, but also works on hookup or 12v when driving. i got Coast VW in Devon to fit and test it since they seem to know a fair bit about these vans and gas scares me.

I also pissed about with sink and heater to get them functioning correctly and otherwise all is very original and in great shape inside

Camping

Once I was happy that everything engine and suspension wise was all sorted and not about to rattle loose it was time to go camping. A few days in Gower was an excellent first test and the van performed perfectly. bigger adventures are definitely on the cards now. The design of these conversions really is special, they are built and thought out in a way most modern vans don;'t get close to.

 

As ever there is plenty I'd like to do and so many accessories that could be bought, but for now I'm just glad we can enjoy it as it ought to be enjoyed.

 

 

[320touring]

That's a braw recovery from a mildly bum clenching start. 

 

Good effort and enjoy it!

[mercedade]

Fantastic looking thing, good work on getting it where you wanted it to be

[davehedgehog31]

That looks class, good work. 

How are you getting on with the Z4? It came up on my photo memories from this time last year, I do miss it a bit!

[horriblemercedes]

Good work!

 

How do you find the head unit? It looks like just the kind of thing I need and also much cheaper than I expected

[w00dy]

19 hours ago, 320touring said:

That's a braw recovery from a mildly bum clenching start. 

 

Good effort and enjoy it!

Thanks. I'm glad I pushed through, but it's been a rollercoaster for sure.

4 hours ago, mercedade said:

Fantastic looking thing, good work on getting it where you wanted it to be

Thanks. There'll always be things I'd like to do, but using it is top of the list right now.

4 hours ago, davehedgehog31 said:

That looks class, good work. 

How are you getting on with the Z4? It came up on my photo memories from this time last year, I do miss it a bit!

Thanks. The Z4 hasn't done much since I moved sadly, such a great car, but I'm just too busy. Failed the MOT and I've done most of it, but need to sort the brake pipes and get it back in so that I can probably sell it.

3 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Good work!

 

How do you find the head unit? It looks like just the kind of thing I need and also much cheaper than I expected

 

I'm really happy with it. Only running a two speaker set-up in the van against the back drop of rattles and TD noise,, but it does everything well and looks good. Screen could perhaps display a few more characters, but that's being fussy.