VW CAMPER & BUS - June 2016

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PLUS
INSIDE JOB
Exploring the
world of interiors
SHOW REPORT
The big one! The
2016 VolksWorld Show

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SUPER ORIGINAL DORMOBILE SCOOBY-POWERED DOKKA A TALE OF TWO WESTYS
ROUGH DIAMOND
“Changing the paint in any way would be a crime”
PLUS
INSIDE JOB
Looking at Split
Screen interiors
HOW TO
Restore Westy
louvred windows
WEEKEND AWAY
Ge ting away from it
a l in a T4 in Whitstable
The world’s best-se ling VW Camper magazine
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OONRAKER R BESPOKE SPOKE’77C
CAMPER PATINA’D 1960 KOMBI
RAN
AND DE ESIGN
ROAD
Trip
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ROAD
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Bay Window
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The world’s best-se ling VW Camper magazine
Trip
Contents
June 2016
CAMPERSCENE FEATURE BUSES TRAVEL TECHNICAL
50
CAMPER SCENE
12 News
18 Letters
22 Readers’ rides
26 Inside job
32
58 66
42
FEATURE BUSES
32 Split Screen
Family Camper built
around a colour scheme
42 Type 25
Early Holdsworth
Wedge given the works
50 Bay Window
Bought to sell but never
to be sold
TRAVEL
58 Road trip
One woman and
her dog do Europe
66 Show report
Fab Freddy’s Belgian
beer and VW bash
72 Show report
The VolksWorld Show
from a Bus perspective
TECHNICAL
80 Hans Klapp
Sexism sells, or at least
it did in the ’60s
86 How to
Alternate thinking in
the engine bay
THE LAST WORD
98 And finally…
James flings a cat in
amongst the pigeons
80
86
72
CAMPER&BUS 5

To find out more go to: vwcamperandbus.com
ADVANCE
TICKETS
on sale
NOW
29-31
JULY
2016
Camper &BUS Show
Eastnor Castle
2016
DATES
ANNOUNCED
July 29-31
Camping
AT THE
Castle
Join us at the UK’s most
stunning VW show venue
SPONSORED BY

29-31
JULY
2016
Camper &BUS Show
Eastnor Castle
2016
DATES
ANNOUNCED
July 29-31
SPONSORED BY
The VW Camper&
Bus Show has
established itself
as a must-do event for
thousands of VW lovers.
This family-friendly
festival, with VWs as its
stars, takes place this
year over the weekend
of 29-31 July at the
historic Eastnor Castle in
Herefordshire, arguably
the most picturesque
location on the show
calendar. So come one,
come all, everybody is
welcome. We’re sure
there will be something
to entertain everyone.
Advance tickets can
be purchased now at
discounted prices at
www.vwcamperand
bus.com
FREE t-shirt
when you buy advanced
tickets before 29 May 2016
If you buy a weekend ticket in advance, yo ou wi
ll
both save cash and be sent a free show t-shirt!
An advance weekend ticket, which covers
your
weekend entry and camping, costs just £39, a
25% saving on the on-the-day price. So
don’t
delay, order yours today. To take advantage of
this fabulous offer, book by the end of May
Clubs
If your VW club is
interested in coming to
the show, we are offering
large club plots so you
can all camp together and
save your members some
cash. Check out the show
website for details
Don’t miss out on this year’s most exciting show!

Show ’n’ shine – prizes galore!
The real stars of The Camper&Bus Show are the VW Transporters, in all their
guises, plus the air-cooled Beetle of course. With a show ’n’ shine, club displays
and some special displays, there is plenty to play for. If you want to enter
your ride for the show ’n’ shine, sign up in advance by contacting Amy at amy.
nicholls@kelsey.co.uk. Alternatively, you can just turn up and enter on the day.
Either way, you have to be in it to win it…
DOG FRIENDLY EVENT
Only
£39pp
Children
go free!
Everybody welcome,
including the dog!
Best pooch, dog / owner lookalike competitions
and a canine obstacle course make this a doggyfriendly
weekend, so bring your four-legged
buddy. You never know, they might win one of the
coveted C&B rosettes.
Van Man leads the fun in the kids’ zone,
organising soft play and arts and crafts,
while in the main arena there will be a variety
of activities, some to just sit and enjoy,
others to participate in. Plus there will be
trade stands and a swapmeet, both great
places to pick up a bargain, or that hard-to-
T4-T6
Transporters
New for 2016, we have
introduced some special
show ’n’ shine categories
for late model water
coolers. Make sure you
let us know what you are
bringing in advance, we
love to hear from you
Book now: www.vwcamperandbus.com/show

29-31
JULY
2016
A great weekend away
for all the family!
Camper &BUS Show
Eastnor Castle
SPONSORED BY
Soapbox Challenge
After the fantastic success of last year, the
Soapbox Derby returns for 2016. With a
new course, with extra challenges added,
the Eastnor Castle all-action Soapbox
Derby is sure to be one of the highlights of
the weekend. We would like to encourage
as many of you as possible to build a racer
and participate on the day. Maybe you
could get together with some mates and
build the ride to beat all others? It need
not take you months, or even weeks,
some of the best entries last year were
built in a weekend. Before you start
building your noble steed, or your chariot
of power, check out the details on our
website. Let battle commence!
ADVANCE
TICKET PRICES
Weekend: £39 per person
(includes camping)
Day: £13 (09.30-19.30)
Kids 16 and under free all
weekend
SHOW TIMES
Campers: open from 13.00 on
Friday 29 July 2016, closes 19.00
on Sunday 31 July 2016
Day ticket holders: 09.30-19.30
(Saturday), 09.30-17.00 (Sunday)
Live entertainment
We’re lining up the perfect mix of
music to soundtrack your weekend.
We’re not talking banging Euro
techno or hardcore dubstep, but a
great selection that is guaranteed to
get everyone up on their feet. Keep
checking the website for updates to
find out what we have lined up for you
2016
DATES
ANNOUNCED
July 29-31
Book now: www.vwcamperandbus.com/show

Camperscene
Things to do, places to visit and things to buy in VW land
NEWS PRODUCTS YOUR VIEWS YOUR RIDES
VW Heretics meets
Stuck at a loose end after work
in the summertime? Then why
not get yourselfe along to one
of the regular monthly VW
Heretics meets down at VW
Heritage’s massive Shorehamby-sea
HQ?
These gatherings take place
on the third Thursday of every
month and the next one by the
time you read this takes place
on May 19.
As ever, there will be a
resident DJ, a goodly number
of cars to perv over and the
equally scrumptious sausage
shaped perfection from the
trusty pork purveyors Camper
Vanatics. The VW Heritage
shop will be open until 9pm for
any parts you may need – call
ahead or use click and collect
to beat the queues. Stay in the
loop at vwheritage.com
BAY FRONT
BRAKE BUNDLE
KIT 1973–1979
Just Kampers are now offering this front
brake bundle kit for late Bay Windows
built from 1973 to 1979. It consists of
two front brake discs, one set of four
brake pads and one brake pad fitting kit.
These new anchors will fit any Bay with a
1600cc, 1700cc, 1800cc or 2.0-litre engine,
in left or right-hand drive. Price: £97.62
www.justkampers.com
Magazine binders
If your magazine collection has attained
epic proportions, as all good VW lovers
should, then you need a binder to keep
them in. These were available
a number of years ago and
are finally back by popular
demand. They’re the perfect
way to keep your precious
magazine collection in pristine
condition and each holds a
years worth of your favourite
tome in snug safety. They cost
£9.95 each and are available to
pre-order now.
http://shop.kelsey.co.uk/
product
12 CAMPER&BUS

REAR LUGGAGE
BAR SET
If you’re running a Microbus set up in your Split or Bay Window, these latest
additions to the Air Cooled Accessories range should be of interest. Made from
fully polished aluminium these luggage bars are reproductions of those once
found on Deluxe Sambas to stop your luggage/parcels flying around. It goes
without saying, they’re not suitable for use with rock ‘n’ roll beds, but they’re
the perfect finishing touch to a people carrier. Cost? How does £70 grab you?
www.aircooledaccessories.com
The ’72 Crossover Bay represented
a somewhat strange time for
Volkswagen’s pressings department as
it tried to make the move from Early
to Late Bay. As a result there are a few
unusual quirks that only the eagle eyed
enthusiast would notice.
These wheel arch panels, for example,
feature the late flared lip to the arch with the early
style step, so if you have a Crossover Bay that’s suffering
from wear and tear, this is the remedy you’ll be after.
To get in on the action have £300.95 at the ready and point
your web browser towards vwheritage.com
VANGO TENTS
Crossover
arches
What’s this, a tent in a Camper mag? It certainly is, because lets face
it, if you’ve got a big family and a small Bus a tent is a great way to
create extra living space, especially when they’re a quality item like
this new SuperBeam offering from Vango. With sleeping space for up
to eight inside and generous king-sized bedroom (70cm per person)
and generous living space, any family should be able to camp in
comfort. Using their AirBeam technology, they can be pumped up in
just 30 seconds. A Vango tent such as the Illusion 800 costs £1,250
and can be bought from www.vango.co.uk
BRISTOL
VOLKSFEST
Held over the weekend of June 17 - 19
at Washingpool Farm, Bristol, BS35 5RE,
2016 marks the 24th anniversary of this
awesome show. Its organisers say this
gathering contains “All the best of the
VW lifestyle and a large sprinkling of the
Bristol culture and music scene” which
tells you all you need to know about it.
This year’s event features a vintage
Beetle display, celebrating 70 years of
the Bug . The show ‘n’ shine on Sunday
will have loads of cool VWs on display
and the trade area has everything from
car spares, accessories, autojumble,
clothing, jewellery, and memorabilia.
There’s an international food court,
onsite bars, sponsored by Bath Ales,
mainline bands, national DJs and a late
night silent disco.
Other onsite features include, German
and multinational military display, low
rider national championships, the world
famous Upfest urban street art displays,
BMX ramps and vintage funfair rides,
including the The Wall of Death.
New for 2016 will be a full-blown
VW auction, hosted by local motor
auctioneers, Clifton Auction Co. including
online auction bidding, valuations and
celebrity auctioneer.
For more information and tickets visit
the website www.bristolvolksfest.
co.uk
Follow us on twitter.com/CamperandBus
GOT
SOMETHING
TO SHARE?
Tell us about it at
camperandbus.
ed@kelsey.co.uk
EVENT
LISTINGS
MAY
Stanford Hall
1May
Stanford Hall
www.stanfordhallvw.
com
Dubs at the Mill
6-8 May
Haselbury Mill nr Yeovil
www.scrumpydubbers.
co.uk
Vanwest
6-8 May
Warren Farm Holiday
Park, Somerset
www.vanwest.net
All Types VW
Show
14-15 May
Bodelwyddan Castle,
North Wales
www.alltypesvwshow.
co.uk
Dubs at the Park
15 May
Easthampstead Park
Conference Centre,
Wokingham
www.dubsatthepark.
co.uk
Vanjamboree
20-22 May
East England
Showground,
Peterborough
www.vanjamboree.
co.uk
Vanfest
27-29 May
Malvern
www.busfest.org
JUNE
VW Expo -
Stonor Park
5 June
Stonor Park
www.abvwc.com
Deva Dubs n rods
10-12 June
Shrewsbury Showground
www.devadubshow.
co.uk
CAMPER&BUS 13

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Camper &BUS Show
Eastnor Castle
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CAMPERSCENE your views
Readers’ mail
Got something you want us, or the rest of the VW community, to know? Then this is the
place for you. Email, Tweet or send it snail mail and we’ll share it here
LETTER
OF
THEMONTH
BIRTHDAY GIRL
Hi, on behalf of my 800-year old daughter, I would like to say thank you to Van Man and
the rest of the VolksWorld team for a fantastic day at The VolksWorld Show this year. She
was very happy celebrating her birthday at the show, especially in the kids' zone. It made
the day that little more special for us all. Best regards,
Gavin Olliffe, via email
PS both my daughters say thank you again to the lady who painted their faces for them.
Hi Gavin, you’re more than welcome. Either that’s a typo or your daughter
looks great for her age! Cheers – JP
SCAMMER AND BUS?
Dear C&B, you have a 1962
Split Screen advertised for
£5,780.
I sent the vendor an email
on the 5th April asking to view
the Bus. They replied that it
was now in Falmouth, Devon
although the ad was only
posted the day before.
As described in your article,
how to spot a scam, they then
went on to say I could buy it
through eBay and Paypal.
I think this ad is a scammer
and you should remove
the advertisment before
somebody loses their money.
I have also passed it on to
the fraud people. Regards,
Nick Skipworth, via email
Thanks for the tip off Nick. A
number of eagle eyed wouldbe
Bus buyers have emailed
in about this particular ad.
As we’ve said before, the
classifieds are uploaded by the
seller / scammer and someone
here goes through them to
winkle out the dodgy ones.
Occasionally, however, one
slips through the net, as has
obviously happened here. That
advert has subsequently been
removed, but all we can say is
stay vigilant and, if something
looks too good to be true,
it probably is. At the risk of
repeating ourselves, if you are
at all unsure, walk away. There
will be another Bus. – JP
18 CAMPER&BUS

YOUR
VIEWS
Got something to
say? Emails us at
camperandbus.
ed@kelsey.co.uk
vwcamperandbus.com
VW Camper&Bus Magazine, Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe
Barn, Berrys Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG
CLASSICS IN CLASSIFIEDS?
Hi C&B. I’ve been a subscriber to
VolksWorld since 1990 and also to
Camper&Bus since you started. I’m
seriously not impressed with the new
ownership. Particularly with the
classified section. Only one Camper
for sale, three Beetles and the
remainder of the two pages is taken
up with non-VW and classic British
car parts.
If I wanted a British classic or a
Ford Focus space saver wheel, I’d be
looking elsewhere, not in my VW
magazine!
I hope this isn’t a taste of things
to come as I will be voting with my
feet and going elsewhere. You joked
about a test between Campers and
Transits. Will you have to do this if
your new bosses tell you?
You don’t have a monopoly in the
magazine scene. There are others
out there, (which I used to subscribe
to, but to cut back my monthly
INSTAGRAMAGE
outgoings, I cancelled and just
kept yours). I will have no problem
with going back to a genuinely VW
dedicated publication. Many thanks.
Stuart Kerry, via email
Hi Stuart, there are bound to be
changes when a magazine is sold,
as different publishing houses
have their own ways of doing
business, but the bottom line is
the classifieds will only be full
of VWs if people send enough
adverts in. Does it really matter if
a few inappropriate ads sneak in
as long as we’re still able to keep
producing the rest of the magazine
you like? As for the tests between
Transits and VWs, that was a
throwaway comment from our
marketing genius. What is it they
say about sarcasm not coming
across in print? Thanks for your
support over the years, we hope
you stick with us. – JP
EDITORIAL
Group Editor: James Peene
01959 543587
Email: camper&bus.ed@kelsey.co.uk
Art Editor: Michelle Mitchell
Group Sub Editor: Mike Pye
Contributors: Gordie Woollacott,
Cathal O’Toole, Mark Walker,
James Wallace, Hans Klapp,
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CAMPERSCENE your rides
Readers’ rides
Your pride and joy is our delight to share, so here they are
’72 Bay Window, Wayne Storer
Ten years ago, Wayne Storer was out
driving his car one day in Biddulph, Stoke
on Trent, Staffs, became lost on a housing
estate and, in the process, came across a
1972 Bay Window Camper for sale. Back then
the Bay was painted in a deep purple colour,
and Wayne decided to make a spontaneous
purchase! However, when he got the Bay
home and started poking around with a
screwdriver, the bodywork wasn’t as good as
he had hoped for, and in the end the entire
lower 18 inches of the Bus needed replacing,
along with much of the chassis. The remaining
purple paint was removed and the Bus was
repainted in VW Marina Blue and a white
more commonly used on Minis.
The interior had some homemade wooden
units, which were of very good quality but
weighed far too much, so Wayne installed
a complete new interior utilising pale wood
fascia units. He also replaced the headlining,
re-trimmed the seats, fitted an MCJ wood rim
steering wheel and an EMPI shifter. He admits
he completely underestimated how much a
new pop-top roof would cost, having seen a
good many at shows and thinking they would
only cost around £100! “I got my Stanley
knife out, cut the pop-top fabric away and only
then discovered it would be just a little bit
more than £100 to replace,” he winces.
The Bay is powered by a 1600cc engine
with twin 34ICT Weber carburettors. Wayne
told us he plans to complete a little more
work in the engine bay to bring it up to the
standard of the rest of the Bus. “The children
have grown up with the Bay, which has been
really good, as they have enjoyed camping
weekends and holidays in it, as well as
attending a good many Volkswagen shows,”
he enthused. What a great start in life.
22 CAMPER&BUS

’72 Devon Bay Window, Richard Cartwright
Midlands-based
Volkswagen enthusiast,
Richard Cartwright,
purchased his Bay Window with
a Devon interior conversion from
his local VW repairer, around 13
years ago. “I’d been travelling
around the UK on the lookout
for a suitable Bay and, would
you believe it, found just what
I was looking for almost on
my own doorstep,” explains
a clearly delighted Richard.
“I paid £1,600 for it, which
over the years I’ve owned it
has proved to be a very good
investment. I’ve retained the
original Devon interior layout,
which has all been refurbished.
“About 11 years ago I had the
bodywork repainted, and 10
years ago when Just Kampers
were selling brand new 1600cc
twin-port engines for £1,000
I decided to buy one. Since
then, the engine has clocked up
around 20,000 miles.”
Richard’s Bay is used
throughout the summer months.
He has enjoyed many camping
weekends away, as well as
attending classic car shows and,
while he admits to loving his
continental holidays in the sun,
every year the Bay is used for
a week’s holiday somewhere
in the UK. It has been driven
everywhere, from Lands End
to John O’Groats, and Ireland,
too. As a result, the paintwork
is just starting to bubble in a
few places, so another repaint is
possibly just around the corner.
In the meantime, it represents a
very clean and tidy, much loved
and well used Campervan that
will continue to provide service
for years to come.
SHOW
US YOURS
Send us some pics
and words about
your ride to
camperandbus.
ed@kelsey.co.uk
’71 Danbury Bay Window, Simon Redfern
Simon Redfern’s Early Bay was originally a
Devon conversion, but nowadays features
a Danbury interior, which he says is
quite similar and suits his requirements very
well. The original front seats were missing
when Simon got it, and in their place were a
pair from a Type 25, so one of the first jobs
he did was to source the correct Bay fitment
ones and have them re-trimmed to match.
Likewise, the rear seats have been re-trimmed
and all the curtains replaced.
The Bay was previously owned by a friend
of Simon’s for 15 years, and for 10 of them it
sat unused in his garage. “I think when he
bought it he paid something like £150,” grins
Simon. “Those were the days, eh? Suffice to
say I paid quite a bit more than that when I
bought it from him!”
The Bay required a little remedial welding
underneath, but the bodywork in general
was fairly tidy. A complete repaint followed,
though the original pop-top roof was in very
good condition and has been retained.
The engine is a stock 1600cc, which has
been rebuilt with new cylinder heads, valves
and pistons. Other mechanical work has
included refurbishing the braking system and
fitting a reconditioned steering box.
“I’ve tried to keep the Bay reasonably stock,
with just a few improvements and upgrades
here and there,” explains Simon. “One of the
best buys I’ve made was the second hand MCJ
wood rim steering wheel. £50 at Dub Freeze.
Result!” Never mind the add-ons, it’s the
sheer useability that makes this Bay what it is.
Great work guys, keep on enjoying it.
CAMPER&BUS 23

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CAMPERSCENE your rides
Inside job
We always come back to Westfalias in the end, and here’s a few good reasons why
For this month’s installment we’ve
delved into the archives of our sister
magazine, VolksWorld, and come up
with a selection of Westy interiors you
won’t have seen in these pages before.
Every one of them originated from the
Westfalia stable but, having passed through
the hands of multiple owners over the
years, each interior is now as different as
the exterior of the vehicle that carts them
about. We’re all the same, only different…
Hang on? Bench
seat Bay? What’s this
all about?
It’s actually a
rare SO76R interior
from Australia that’s
been fitted in a South
African ’71 with a
fixed bulkhead
Plusher than it
would have left the
dealership, the cloth
seats are, to quote
the owner, “Too nice
to eat Wotsits on”
26 CAMPER&BUS

No pop-top in this
tin-top Westy, but…
…that just means
you crouch nearer to
that vintage rug. This
is charity shop chic
done the right way
Lots of changes in
the cab, too. Tubbed
’arches are required
when you go this low,
and the Race Trim
seats hint that there
maybe something
racey in the back
CAMPER&BUS 27

CAMPERSCENE your rides
Luggage nets and
spice racks. You’ve
gotta love a Westfalia
interior, haven’t you?
Worm’s eye
view of a Westy
Continental double
bed. Hop on
Folding table
and worktops add
to the versatility of
the interior. Birch ply
headling is factory
28 CAMPER&BUS

SHOW
US YOURS
Send us some pics
and words about
your ride to
camperandbus.
ed@kelsey.co.uk
The owner of this ’68 picked out a colour
from the exterior of his Bus and carried it
through to the inside. Fact – red vinyl always
looks fantastic in any white Volkswagen
We’re into Late
Bay territory here,
with a Campmobile
interior from 1973
Hessian sacks,
vinyl flooring and
Mexican blankets are
a great way to inject
new life and colour
into an old interior
CAMPER&BUS 29

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Living the
dream
From a Late Bay to a Crossover to a Split, the Masson family
have finally made the Bus of their dreams a reality
Words Gordie Woollacott Pics Laurens Parsons
Believe it or not, this 1966
13-window Deluxe started
out as a frumpy 1303
from 1973 in Porsche
Guards Red. Clearly, not in its
physically form – we have some
of the best fabricators in the
world on our little island but
even that would be an English
wheel too far – but in the dreams
of a young boy from Wilbarston,
Northamptonshire. Now a
“not-so-young boy” of 39, Dave
Masson, along with his wildlyyoung
wife, Claire, (a mere 38)
have been fortunate enough to
be able to bring the dream to life,
foregoing all sorts of practicality
and eschewing the original,
faded paint along the way.
The 1303 that started it all met
an untimely end not long after
Dave’s 17th birthday when he
wrote it off on April Fool’s Day.
However, it wasn’t until son,
Cameron, was three-years-old
that the first Camper arrived
on the Masson’s drive. Dave:
“I’d been out of VWs for a while
when we got our first Bus, a ’73
Westy. We wanted something to
go out and enjoy the weekends
in as a family. Our first trip was
to Bug Jam 2006, which also
happened to be Claire’s first
experience of a VW show!”
The Westy made way for a ’72
Crossover Dormobile with all the
bells and whistles you’d expect
from a professionally converted
Camper. “It was perfect for
the family,” recalls Dave, “and
over the years we brought it up
to a high standard, including
a full repaint at iKustoms in
Desborough.” As Cameron
grew to an age where he no
longer needed to be in the Bus
and could sleep out in a tent or
awning, the practicality of the
Dormobile became less of an
importance and the dream of the
Deluxe was back on the table.
For a vision that had been in the
making for at least 20 years, the
criteria was well rehearsed and,
on paper, very straightforward:
a 13-window Deluxe in Sealing
Wax Red, lowered and with a
curved interior.
32 CAMPER&BUS

CAMPER&BUS 33

There’s nothing
quite like piloting a Split
Screen Bus. Open up
those safaris and let the
wind blow through

“I didn’t want to buy anything that had been
previously restored as I wanted to know
exactly what I was getting”
Dave found the ’66 on the
Split Screen Van Club (SSVC)
forum. The Bus had arrived in
the UK from California a few
years ago and the previous
owner had bought it from the
original importer, along with a
1641 with twin 34 Weber carbs
and a narrowed, adjustable
beam. As a Porsche fan (Dave
didn’t fail to miss the brand
new 911 parked on the drive
when he went to pick the Bus
up), the previous owner had
been swayed by the original
Fuchs fitted to the Bus and had
added a set of 944 brakes and
tombstone seats into the mix.
However, with a fleet of cars
to maintain and use, the Bus
wasn’t getting used enough and
so his loss was the Masson’s
gain. On the way to view it,
Dave made sure to remind
Claire not to mention their
plans to paint it – just in case!
Dave: “I do really like the
look of original paint Buses,
and if I could have found an
original Sealing Wax Red Bus
I probably wouldn’t have had
it painted. But I didn’t want
to buy anything that had been
previously restored as I wanted
to know exactly what I was
getting, and the only way to
do that is to buy something in
original paint. We already had
the interior planned, along with
the colour scheme, and so while
I was tempted to have it fitted
and run the Bus for a while in
the original paint, it would have
looked terrible with the colour
choice so we just bit the bullet!”
Better than turkey
Even though the Bus had a
full year’s MoT when Dave
collected it, he drove it home
and immediately began tearing
it down over Christmas with a
plan to have it completed for
the family’s annual Whitsun
trip to Devon. With such a
tight schedule, his favoured
bodyshops were booked up and
so a search online dug up a one
man band in Burton Latimer
who specialise in Minis and
MGs. “Being a Californian Bus,
the body was in great condition
and needed very little work.
The battery tray had corroded
Re-trimmed
tombstones were
added by the
previous owner
following the theme
set by the Fuchs
Flat4 Banjo
wheel with the sun
and moon horn
push is another
nod to the Porsche
theme, popular on
356As in the ’50s
CAMPER&BUS 35

and a rear corner was replaced
due to some previous accident
damage. I also had a cargo door
skin replaced to get rid of a large
crease, but that was about it.”
The full repaint in L472 Beige
Grey and L53 Sealing Wax
Red took slightly longer than
planned, so unfortunately the
maiden voyage had to wait. “I
had the Bus delivered to me
at home when the ’shell was
painted so I could re-fit the
engine and lights,” remembers
Dave. “Then, with only the cab
doors and the windscreens in,
I drove it back over to Burton
Latimer to have the remaining
panels fitted.” From there it was
straight over to Jason Lister at
Chubby Dubs in Soham for the
interior build.
“We’d seen Chubby Dubs in
a couple of magazine features
and noticed they did a lot of
curved interior work, although
it was all T4s and T5s. When I
called them they were very keen
to work with us as this was their
first Split.”
Fit and finishes
Dave and Claire went over to
Jason’s workshop beforehand
to go through designs, and to
choose finishes and confirm
details of the layout. The units
are constructed from veneered
plywood and incorporate a
36 CAMPER&BUS

1641 with twin
carbs does nicely
for now, but the
long term plan
is for something
bigger in here
beginning with a 2!
rock ’n’ roll bed in the curved
seating area. The leather
upholstery was then completed
by Nick McCloud in Corby,
who has worked on a number of
Dave’s fellow Rusty Dub Klub
member cars. Dave: “When
we were talking to Nick about
the materials, Claire asked
how much extra it would cost
for leather. I felt most of my
body parts tighten up, but
as it turned out it wasn’t all
that much extra – relatively
speaking, of course!”
The interior re-fit was
completed when Dave
and father-in-law, Barry,
installed the headlining from
Wonderland Classics. “I’ll
admit, tempers were frayed,
the air was blue and there was
plenty of walking away and
coming back! We got there in
the end though, and it hasn’t
put me off doing another one.”
CAMPER&BUS 37

“At 6ft2, the sight of him changing his pants in
the Bus must be worth the entrance fee alone!”
The finished interior functions
as a place to sit, sleep and store
stuff, that’s all. There is no
cooker, sink, fridge, heater or
TV. The one thing Dave misses
about the old Dormobile? The
pop-top. At 6ft2, the sight of
him changing his pants in the
Bus must be worth the entrance
fee alone!
In the end, the first family
outing in the Bus was to VW
Action, and then Brighton
Breeze. After coming out of
winter hibernation for a trip
to Devon in May, disaster
struck on the M6. After barely
managing to point it toward the
hard shoulder, Dave jumped
out to find the front beam had
collapsed. On further inspection
back home, it was clear the
adjusters fitted in the States had
failed. Fortunately, everyone was
safe and damage was limited to
some scrapes on the bumper.
Dave’s friend, David Simpkin,
stepped up and welded in some
new adjusters and the Bus was
soon back on the road.
It almost goes without saying
that, as the ‘dream Deluxe’, this
Bus is for keeps, but what’s next?
Dave: “We have a ’69 Bug in the
family that my dad bought for
my brother in ’92, but it never
got started. It’s got Cameron’s
name all over it, so hopefully
we will start work on that soon
for his 17th birthday.” Clearly,
the VW gene is strong in the
Masson family!
38 CAMPER&BUS

Is this the head end
or the foot end? Makes
a difference whether
you are 6ft2 or not!
The six pop-outs
were replaced with
aluminium frames from
Creative Engineering
It’s all about the
curves, ’bout the curves,
’bout the curves…
Adios patina!
In a scene obsessed
with original, sun
bleached paint, it
takes a brave man
(and woman) to strip
it all off and go shiny.
However, that was
always the plan and
we think the Massons
have done their Bus
a massive favour and
prolonged its life by
sealing the bodywork
in fresh paint. If your
VW is a reflection of
your personality, this
one says Dave, Claire
and Cameron have
style by the boat load.

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Taylor
made
Sitting in a field for 14 years didn’t do this Type 25
Holdsworth Villa many favours. But Roger Taylor
had a vision, and the end result is what you see here
Words Mark Walker Pics Thru-a-lupe Photographic
42 CAMPER&BUS

It’s funny how friends and work colleagues can
be a bad influence. For Roger Taylor, working
as a mechanic with a bunch of guys who were
into VWs, re-ignited a lifelong dream. It was
when one of these aforementioned friends saw
this Type 25 parked up in a field, though, that
things stepped up a gear. Roger: “I went to check
out the Bus and, despite having some rust issues,
it was all there, so I decided to make an offer.”
This was in 2012 and, with Roger’s offer
accepted, the Bus was moved to Roger’s place of
work, Chew Valley Garage, where owner, Kevin,
was good enough to let him store it and work
on it after hours. The first order of business was
to strip the Bus down to a bare ’shell before any
restoration work could commence.
With this done (and a significantly larger pile
of parts now needing somewhere to be stored),
Toby, Fred, Matt and Andy Judd could steam into
the body repair and paintwork. Despite Roger’s
description of the Bus as “pretty rusty”, the list of
repair panels required actually seems pretty low
for a UK model. Perhaps sitting in a field for 14
years, away from the salted roads, was a blessing
in disguise for this particular Type 25!
The lower front panel behind the bumper was
the first area to receive a little tickle with the
welder, as it is a common moisture trap. The
CAMPER&BUS 43

Interior is very
open plan. Blue
velvet throw covers
the original brown
upholstery
“My wife, Sarah, and my two girls were
pretty tolerant about losing me to the
project for a few months”

Roof vent ensures you don’t
wake up in a steamed-up sweat box,
especially in the summer months
Holdsworth interior set
up was very well equipped
for the time, especially in Bay
Window and later models
Caravelle GL captain’s chairs
make long journeys a little more
comfortable, as does having
somewhere to put your coffee
I think it’s safe to say the
interior colour scheme of this
Bus was based around the
Caravelle seats, which have
great original upholstery
adjacent lower driver’s door needed a bit of a
repair, along with both front steps. After this,
it was just a matter of a small repair on the
driver’s side rear corner before the Bus could be
called solid again. Considering how bad some
we’ve seen have been, we’d say that made this a
reasonably good Bus to begin with.
With the body back in shape, the team could
steam into the laborious prep work. If you’ve
ever painted a Bus, you’ll be aware just how
never ending the bodywork side of the project
is. Roger: “My wife, Sarah, and my two girls
were pretty tolerant about losing me to the
project for a few months.”
Out of the blue
With the prep nearing completion, it was time
to decide on a colour scheme. Roger wanted
to stay with the original colour, LH5A Medium
Blue – the Type 25 version of Dove / Neptune
Blue – but it was decided to paint the roof white
to lighten things up a bit. The white was mixed
from various whites that were hanging around
the workshop, which no doubt helped keep
costs down a little, too. Toby Judd was the man
responsible for laying down the colour.
Before the painted ’shell was re-assembled,
it was decided to steam into the mechanical
side of the build, allowing the fresh paint on the
body as much time as possible to fully harden.
Before anything was added underneath, though,
the entire underside was painted in matching
Medium Blue, by hand. The Bus was then
lowered on -40mm springs, which were fitted
alongside uprated shocks. All the brake hard
lines were replaced with copper, the flexible
lines upgraded to stainless braided hoses.
It would be pointless being a mechanic by
trade, and not going all the way through the
mechanical side of a Bus that had been sitting
this long, plus Roger wanted it to be safe for
CAMPER&BUS 45

46 CAMPER&BUS
“It’s easy to focus on the big costs
when restoring any car, and forget
all the smaller items”

his family. With this in mind, he went all the
way through the brakes, before moving onto the
steering and suspension components. Once all the
running gear was refreshed, Roger had the original
14-inch steel wheels blasted and powder coated
silver, before bolting them onto each corner with
fresh Firestone Vanhawk 185/14C tyres.
Fuel for thought
The same ethos was used when it came to the
engine. Roger: “The fuel pump wasn’t working
when I got the Bus, but we rigged a fuel can to the
carbs and she fired right up.” Despite this, Roger
again reasoned it would be better to dig into the
original 2.0-litre, air-cooled engine now, rather than
repeatedly, at the side of a motorway.
The engine was duly removed and stripped to
a short block, where it could receive new piston
rings. Everything else checked out okay, so with
the addition of a new thermostat and with the
tinware welded up and repainted, it could be fitted
back into the Bus.
It’s easy to focus on the big costs when restoring
any car, and forget all the smaller items that eat
up money along the way. Things such as fitting
a new clutch kit and refurbishing the original
Solex carburettors all help to push the project
spend higher than expected. A new pair of heat
exchangers, silencer and tailpipe were also fitted at
this stage, driving the costs up even more, but it’s
a small price to pay for peace of mind. A Facet fuel
pump was also fitted, to replace the faulty original.
CAMPER&BUS 47

So now Roger had a Bus that was resplendent
in new paint, fully painted underneath and with
the mechanical side of the build completed. What
could possibly stop him now? Well, window
rubbers actually. Yes, that’s right, the original
rubbers sourced to fit the side windows were too
hard and, try as they might, the guys just couldn’t
make them fit. A new set of rubbers were sourced,
but even these had to be soaked in hot water in
order to make them pliable enough to fit.
Holdsworth on tight
With the Bus finally water tight, attention could
turn to the inside. What Roger had bought was an
original Holdsworth Villa and, fortunately, all the
original cabinets were in good shape, just needing
a little tidying here and there. The Holdsworth
conversion has everything you could need for a
trip away, including sink, hob (with grill), fridge
and 40-litre water tank, which is sited under the
rock ’n’ roll bed and wardrobe.
Roger made a few small improvements along the
way in order to bring the Bus into the 21st century.
To this end, he fitted LED lighting in the ceiling
panels and a new control panel for the lights, water
pump and fridge. As the Bus was supplied to
Holdsworth as a Panel Van originally, the inside
was re-lined with Veltrim, including the roof
panels, wardrobe front and bed fascia panel. Blue
and white check flooring makes things feel a little
more light and airy.
Being a Panel Van, there was very little in the
creature comforts department up front in the
cab area either. Roger addressed this with the
fitment of a pair of captain’s chairs, pirated from a
Caravelle GL. The dashboard was repainted and
fitted with a new dash tidy. Roger: “This saves
having to keep your ’phone in your pocket and
getting a passenger to hold your coffee!”
With all this done, the Bus was pretty much
ready to roll. There was just time for Roger to fit
a pair of new bumpers, with all four end caps, and
a new grille. Clear lens front indicators were the
cherry on the cake. The Bus could now be taken
for its first MoT in over a decade, which it passed
with flying colours.
Thanks: all the aforementioned guys, without
whom the Bus would never have got done. My
wife, Sarah, and my girls.

Original
upholstery was too
nice to consider
re-upholstering
The OG 2.0-litre
engine received a
top end refresh and
now eats up the
miles quite happily
How it all began…
Considering it was
sitting in a field in
England (not one of
those sunny, ‘rust-free’
fields in California!)
for 14 years, Roger’s
Type 25 wasn’t too
bad. Sure, it needed
some welding – don’t
they all? – but it was
untouched and all
original, making it a
nice starting point for
a first VW project
CAMPER&BUS 49

keeper
Michael Herwig started this project
with one thing in mind: selling it. But
the amount of work involved led to a
very different outcome…
Words Georg Otto
The
Pics Sven Zimmermann
It was one of these nights when you can’t sleep
and you try to make yourself tired by watching
TV or surfing the web. Michael Herwig did
the latter and checked the sales ads at bugnet.
de, the biggest German air-cooled VW portal.
Not that he was looking to buy a car – he had just
finished restoring his Ghia, which we showcased at
the 2007 VolksWorld Show in England. But then
he stumbled over a 1968 Bay Window, located in
his neighbourhood, the city of Leipzig. It looked
a bit rough, but with a price tag of just Є2,500, it
seemed to be a good deal. The next day Michael
arranged to go and see the Van. “At first glance
you could tell it needed some work, but I thought
it would be worth doing some touch-ups and then
selling it on for a profit. Even back then it was
clear that second generation Buses would rise
in value very soon.” So the 37-year-old German
didn’t hesitate, and bought the Bus. “It was still
registered and so I drove it the 25 miles home
without any problems.” At that time our Bus virgin
had no idea how this story would end four years
later.
Three sheets to the wind
The most obvious spots to repair were the sills,
so Michael ordered some replacement parts and
began to cut out the rusty segments. “I almost
immediately saw what the previous owners had
done to the floor when the sills were off. Three
layers of sheet metal had been used to cover the
holes in the floor. It was a fine example of really
50 CAMPER&BUS

CAMPER&BUS 51

“At the time our Bus virgin
had no idea how this story
would end four years later”
bad rust repair!” That discovery smashed the
plans of selling the Bus fast and, instead of getting
money from the sale, Michael started to throw
money at it instead! “Pretty quick I realised this
thing needed much more than just make up. And
so I decided to keep it and restore it properly.”
Now, what you may not know is that first
year Bay Windows are different in many places
compared to their younger siblings from 1969
and later. “In 2006 I had no idea what it meant to
restore a car that has so many one-year-only parts.
To be honest, I had no idea it was different at all!”
Easy to spot are the door handles of the cabin
doors, which look like Split Screen Bus handles.
The locks on the tailgate and engine lid are also
hangovers from the predecessor. Underneath,
you’ll find a balljoint beam with the mounting
hole pattern of the pre-’67 link pin beams, and no
dividing wall between engine and fuel tank. The
dash features body colour, and the speedo has the
mileage counter underneath the needle, not above,
where it resides on the later models. Now you
know the main differences between a ’68 and later
Buses, we can return to Michael’s restoration. “We
stripped the whole Bus and made an evaluation
of the situation. I turned pale when I figured how
many parts we would need, and how much work
was involved. But my dad, who sadly passed
away this spring, was really good with everything
regarding welding and gave courage to me.”
Back to the ’80s
“Following that conversation, I ordered sheet
metal, lots of sheet metal.” Michael sourced a NOS
rear apron and a long side panel, but everything
else like the front panel, dog legs, cabin and cargo
floor, rockers and rear corners are reproductions,
bought from Olaf Kuntze from Bus OK. “And
then there was the problem with the transparent
plastic sunroof. At some point in the life of this
Bay, someone equipped the poor thing with one of
those ’80’s remnants. “After some consideration,
1600 cc Type 1 with
65 hp, 040 heads, Engle
W100, CSP Python,
Service hatch from
a Type 3

Stock dash, body
color painted only
’68, 3-ball shifter
knob, Simpson belts
All stock, even
no radio
VDO oil temp
and pressure
we decided to cut the front third of the roof off
and replace it with a donor part. My father did a
fantastic job welding it in,” recalls Michael. Father
Holm took over all the welding while his son
worked out some modifications. He bought a Type
3 rear boot floor with the cut out and engine lid
and transferred that into the Bay Window. “That
really helps when working on the motor,” explains
the industrial engineer.
While Holm brought the body back to perfect
condition little by little, Michael’s time for the
Bus became more and more limited due to his
company, two kids and the newly bought farmyard,
which also needed some tender loving care. “I had
a guilty conscience because my dad was working
all the time on my car and I really couldn’t support
him as much as I wanted. After a few months like
that I came to the point where I wanted to quit
the restoration, but Holm persuaded me to keep
it and just slow down the pace a little.” When the
metalwork was finally finished, the Bus was taken
Door boards
with beige leather,
just like the seats
CAMPER&BUS 53

“I really wanted a Bus that is suitable for longdistance
driving and can also cope with daily
use in the summer time”
to a paint shop in Brand-Erbisdorf, around 70 miles
from Leipzig. “They are well known in our area
for doing great work and having a weakness for
classic cars,” says Michael with a smile. Having
decided on a colour change, the once Lotus
White Bus was painted in Savannah Beige with a
Cloud White roof and bumpers. Meanwhile, the
search was on for a Westfalia interior. “I had an
idea how the inside should look. I didn’t want to
have a full Camper, just a Bus you can sleep in
when you need it.” The father of two managed
to track down a complete set, kept the L-shaped
bench and widened it to fill the space the unused
wardrobe left behind. “The green Westfalia fabric
was in perfect condition so I left it as was. My
only problem was now finding matching cloth for
the front seats. Back then, no reproductions were
available. In the end, I assigned a company to remanufacture
enough material to cover the spare
wheel cover and front seats.” In combination with
beige leather, they match the rear seats perfectly.
Instead of the typical under-roof rear shelf, Michael
and his father made one that is mounted between
the b-pillars and has flaps on both sides. The only
other modifications inside are a red 3-ball shifter
knob, Simpson lap belts and a duo of VDO gauges
to monitor oil pressure and oil temperature. “I
wanted the Bus to look as clean as possible without
54 CAMPER&BUS

customising it too much. That’s why I passed on
the original quarter lights for the centre windows
and installed the later version with sliding glass
instead.” The rear safari window is special too,
as you usually can’t combine it with jail bars as
they interfere with the mounting brackets. Holm
modified them to make them work in combination
with the bars.
Old reliable
While the interior was almost done, the suspension
and drivetrain still had to be sorted. Our man
chose a four-inch narrowed Wagenswest adjustable
beam, added some Wagenswest dropped spindles
and CSP disc brakes for safety reasons. The rear
received adjustable Creative Engineering spring
plates to help lower the Bus. “It’s not in the weeds,”
admits Michael, “but I really wanted a Bus that
is suitable for long-distance driving and can also
cope with daily use in the summer time. My last
trip lead to this year’s VolksWorld Show. That was
a 1200-mile round trip, and it never missed a beat.”
The mildly modified Type 1 engine delivers
around 65bhp and looks stock, besides the CSP
Python exhaust. “I deliberately relinquish dual
carbs, high compression and stuff like that. It
just had to be a reliable motor with a bit more
power than the stock engine.” A Late Bay CP-code
CAMPER&BUS 55

Spare covered
in Westfalia cloth
Rear safari had
to be modified to
work with jail bars
All red tail light
lenses keep the exterior
colours to a minimum
Michael didn’t want
to have a true Camper,
just a comfortable
weekend cruiser
gearbox was fitted to lower engine rpm on the
motorway, requiring the use of an Early Bay
bellhousing to fit. But the icing on the cake are
the one-off Rostyle wheels, also known as South
Africa Sprint Stars. They were taken apart,
fitted with different rims to correct the offset,
then chromed and painted. They now measure
5.5 x 15 with ET30 up front and 20 in the rear.
They really make Michael’s ’68 stand out in the
crowd. “The Bus is now part of the family for
two reasons: it’s the last car I did together with
my father and, since the end of the restoration,
my wife, the kids and I use it for weekend trips
and holidays. It’s just unthinkable to sell it.”
Right on, Michael, it’s a keeper for sure!
Stand by your van
Michael Herwig is a 37-year-old
industrial engineer, born and raised
in the city of Leipzig, Germany. He’s
married to Beatrix and has a daughter
and a son and they all enjoy the old
Volkswagens in Michael’s stable. In
2002 he and some friends founded
the Oldstyle VW Gang, a group of likeminded
people from the Leipzig area.
56 CAMPER&BUS

ROAD TRIP Europe
First time
for everything
Holland
Steigenberger
beach
Inside the
camper
First VW, first Campervan, first solo road trip, first time driving
abroad, first European breakdown. What an experience!
Words and pics Samantha Wilkinson
I
bought my Type 25 in February 2014
after getting divorced and quitting
my job to go travelling. I’ve never
been enthusiastic about any motor
vehicles to be honest, happy on a
push bike, so my experience of driving
is ‘sheltered’, with the hardest drive
being a school minibus with no power
steering. However, doesn’t everyone
want a VW Campervan if they could
afford one? So, as part of my ‘travel’
plans that year, I decided I wanted
to do a road trip around Europe,
and I began the hunt for a Camper.
Although I had a very small budget,
I wanted to get something reliable,
and ended up finding ‘Ruffy’ at VW
Bullibarn, near Colchester. She wasn’t
pretty, hadn’t been looked after, had no
MoT, rust evident on the ’arches and
needed some TLC (at minimum!), but
I loved her straight away so I bought
her, and planned a trip around Europe
for July. So straight into the garage
she went to be welded by a friend of
a friend, before all other failed MoT
items were then worked on.
I had no real plan, and to be honest
no clue about what I needed for a road
trip. I’ve camped a few times, and been
to foreign campsites, but never on my
own, or through my own planning. I
asked friends for recommendations
to visit, marked everything on a map
of each country I planned to go to
and got the legal requirements for the
trip, breathalysers, warning triangle,
fire extinguisher etc. arranged, as
well as RAC Europe breakdown
cover, Camping & Caravanning Club
membership and my bible for the
trip, European Stop Overs. I cannot
praise it enough, and you’ll see why!
I only planned as much as the ferry

My first night
in Holland
If you love
cheese, you
Gouda stop here
from Harwich to Hook of Holland,
the campsite in Harwich and the first
campsite in Maasland, Holland. My
friends all said I’d meet loads of fellow
travellers and I would get ideas off
them, or join them, so off I went.
Before the Euro trip began properly,
I stayed in Harwich. The campsite was
clearly a place for stopovers pre-ferry,
as everyone was up at similar times.
We packed up (pretty quick with just
me and a dog) and off to Harwich we
went. I’d booked Zac into a kennel so
I could go and visit him during the
eight-hour crossing, but the poor boy
was not happy, and it broke my heart
to leave him. I had a cabin booked as
well, so I could sleep and try not to
worry about Zac. You can watch your
pet on TV as they have a TV channel
dedicated to the kennels, so I could
check up on Zac during the journey.
Just as well as one time he escaped
from his cage and was waiting by the
entrance. Oops!
Building confidence
I have rarely driven abroad – that’s
usually done by others on trips – so I
was very nervous. Fortunately, the first
campsite was only about 15 minutes
away at Hoeve Bouwlust, so I didn’t
have to drive too far and it was still
daylight. I was there for two days
whilst I planned further details. It was
a lovely place, with a farm, B&B, kids’
sand play area, farm animals to pet,
free wifi (a godsend when planning
as you go), a dog walking grass strip
(much bigger than the one on the
ferry) all situated in a lovely rural
area with cycle paths and streams to
walk along. You could order fresh
bread for breakfast, although their
English was not great and my Dutch
is non-existent! Looking at my map of
possible stops, I decided I wanted to
see windmills, visit Gouda and the dog
beach on the west coast.
My confidence in driving improved
after my visit into the town of
Steigenberger to visit a friend. It’s a
beach resort. I never even thought
about Holland being a beach tanning
holiday venue, but it was baking hot,
with beautiful beaches and without
all the lager louts! The trip to Utrecht
requires a ferry trip. I was so excited
by this for two euros, even though
it’s just a five-minute journey. The
campsite was nice for a family base
camp as it had a kids’ area, your own
little alcove for camping and animals
roaming free such as goats and ducks.
It’s not necessarily so good for the
solo traveller and dog. The weather
Amsterdam
ferry
Amsterdam
CAMPER&BUS 59

ROAD TRIP Europe
Holland –
Zaanse Schans
Amsterdam
makeshift toilet
What I
packed
European Stop
Overs book
Toilet roll (take
it to the campsite
toilets, just in
case…)
Mosquito
repellant
Suntan lotion
Driver’s pack:
beam converters;
warning triangle;
GB plate (height
135mm, width
180mm); reflective
jacket (meets EN
471 standard);
first aid kit; AA
European Drivers’
Handbook;
universal bulb kit
(compact); two
breathalysers
was amazing, so hot. Temperatures in
the Van got to 40degC some days, so
relaxation time was spent reading a
book in the sun outside the Van. Life
doesn’t get much better.
The next day I travelled to Gouda,
and I’d like to say well planned but
by pure luck it was market day. I love
cheese and was completely in my
element. The stop off was a car park
I had found in the Stop Overs book. I
was getting braver! There was a public
toilet open 24 hours and a library with
much nicer facilities during working
hours, and the town was just five
minutes’ walk away. Even wifi at the
library was free. The only downside
was the hook ups were all in one place,
so you needed a long lead to be able
to use it, or be lucky and get a spot by
them. I had neither, but fortunately
someone had an extension lead they
lent me. If I had more time I would
have stayed more days as it really was
an exciting town, and very cheap. On
cheese market day it’s like a street fair,
with entertainers, markets, music and a
really amazing atmosphere.
Swimming with dogs
My next destination was Kinderdijk.
The windmills are amazing. I loved
it there. Zac swam in the river, kids
were jumping off the bridges to swim,
boat trips, picnics, bike paths. Just a
beautiful day trip and a must see. I
then travelled up the west coast and
stayed at Nordijk, which was over an
hour’s drive, but the beach had been
recommended. The campsite was
lovely. Five minutes’ walk to the forest
and 10 minutes further to the beach.
The beach was amazing, dogs allowed
everywhere, no cars anywhere. Bikes
were tied up by the dozen, and even
though it was a cloudy day there were
still loads of families on the beach. I
swam in the sea with Zac, a first for
us as dogs aren’t allowed on my local
beaches in the summer.
Next stop Amsterdam. The only
campsite I found near to town was the
city camp. The downside was there
were no toilets at all, so my Kampa
Khazi had to be put into use. I’m not
sure Amsterdam is the best place for
a dog. It’s very busy, but we had fun
walking around and had lunch in a
quaint local café where some locals
chatted to me as they loved my dog
and recommended more places to visit,
and before I left Holland for Germany
I stopped off at another hidden gem
they recommended, Zaanse Schans.
More windmills, but just amazing
views, acres to walk around in, shops,
workshops and displays to visit. It was
a great day out and, if you get there
early enough, you miss the coach loads
of tourists. All too soon, my time in
Holland was coming to an end, but it
Swimming with
Zac in the Rhine
Broken down
in Germany,
awaiting recovery
60 CAMPER&BUS

had been amazing. I love the fact the
Dutch do actually wear clogs – well, in
the countryside maybe, not the cities –
and that bikes are the most important
thing on the road. In fact, I heard
someone say, “In Holland, it’s bikes,
people then cars.”
Eau de Cologne
Wilkommen to Germany and the
autobahn. You don’t realise you are
in Germany. There are no welcome
signs, just suddenly German road
signs and speedy drivers whizzing past
you. Quite the opposite to Holland. I
was off to Camp Berger on the Rhine,
and this turned out to be my favourite
campsite of all. It’s an easy walk to
Köln (Cologne), or you can walk halfway
and get a boat the rest of the way,
which we did and I loved it. You have
to find your own pitch, which can be a
challenge unless you are lucky. Lots
of reviews complain about this, but I
had a sea view of sorts, and my hookup
cable just about reached. Two days
here was not enough, I could happily
have stayed there for a week in the
peaceful, lovely setting, and facilities
were ideal. Zac and I swam together
again, this time in the Rhine.
My next destination was Frankfurt,
where I was meeting another friend. I
tried to find a campsite not in the low
emission zone where, according to the
Fabulously
named
Dinkelsbuhl
Germany –
Lansberg am Lech
motorhome stop
Germany –
Rothenburg Ob
Der Tauber
Germany
Lansberg am Lech
Germany – the
Rhine boat trip
CAMPER&BUS 61

ROAD TRIP Europe
Tann market
in France
Nice beach
in Belgium
Switzerland
At the vets
website, I wasn’t allowed to drive into
as my Van is too old, but after some
failed attempts at finding stopovers I
ended up following my sat nav to the
nearest campsite, City Camp, and it
took me into the low emission zone
without my realising. Other Type 25s
were in there, so maybe we are allowed,
or we all just don’t care? Reviews
hadn’t been great here either, but I
liked it. Zac and I rode the train into
the city to meet my friend. It was very
easy to use, cheap and good fun.
In the morning, I headed onto the
autobahn and my worst nightmare
struck – I lost all power and broke
down. I was very lucky to roll onto
a hard shoulder, although my RAC
cover wasn’t quite what I had expected
in Europe. You call the UK, they call
France, they call Germany, then France
call you back! They took two hours to
get to me and then a rather rude, non-
English-speaking man put my Camper
onto a truck, then dumped me at a VW
garage in Frankfurt and told them my
crankshaft [pulley, we’re guessing - Ed]
was beyond repair. It actually had
Enjoying the
views in Nancy,
France
just come loose and sheared off the
fixings. After tears, tantrums and
misunderstandings, they fixed it
and I was on the road again.
The next day I set out on
probably the most pleasant drive,
not just of the trip but maybe ever.
The Romantic Road. Named not
because you and your loved one
should drive it, but because it is
unspoilt. Lovely historic villages
and towns on winding, picturesque
roads. I definitely recommend
it. I did it in five days with five
stops, but it could be a two-week
drive. It is truly awe inspiring. It’s
tough to pick a favourite village,
but probably Nördlingen as you
can walk around the entire town on
the town wall. Füssen, on the other
hand, was a bit of a disappointment
as the queues to go to the castle
were ridiculous, and I couldn’t go
anyway as dogs are not allowed.
There was an arts and craft market
that was quaint, so I bought some
Christmas gifts.
Lovely sandy
beaches in Belgium
Chilling by Lake
Constance in Austria
Luxembourg

START 1 2 3
4 5 6 7
8
After leaving the Bavarian Alps,
I stopped off in Austria for a night
by Lake Constance before
visiting friends in Switzerland.
It was the most amazing drive
via the Austrian Alps, heading
along winding roads, through
picturesque ski resorts and passing
through Lichtenstein. Note to
travellers: Switzerland does not
accept Euros. However, my friend
showed me some beautiful lakes to
swim in and have BBQ’s beside.
Car park love
My journey home then began and,
by complete chance, I found my
favourite stop – a car park in Thann.
When I woke up in the morning, the
village market was at the other end
of the car park, so I bought fresh
bread and fruit for breakfast. A true
insight into French village life.
I Googled a route home, via
Luxembourg in the pouring rain,
stopped at Nancy in France,
Tournai in Belgium and then
Dunkerque so I could go to the vets
I had researched 48 hours before
returning for the Pet Passport jabs.
As historical and fascinating as
Dunkerque is, it made me miss
the beautiful Alps, and Holland.
I walked amongst the pill boxes
– avoiding all the dog poo! – and
The details
Where I stayed
Prices per night,
inc. electricity when
available
1 Brookcroft,
Harwich £13
www.brookcroft.
info/index.html/
2 Hoeve Bouwlust,
Holland Є13
www.hoevebouwlust.nl
3 Uterecht
Camping De
Grienduil, Holland
Є25
www.degrienduil.
info/
4 Gouda Carpark,
Holland Є8
5 Nordjik Carpark,
Holland Є35
6 Amsterdam City
Camp, Holland Є20
www.amsterdam
citycamp.nl/
7 Camping
Warnsborn,
Holland Є22
www.
campingwarnsborn.
nl/en/
8 Camp Berger,
Germany Є19.90
www.campberger.
com/camp/default.
asp
9 City Camp,
Frankfurt,
Germany Є22
www.city-campfrankfurt.de/
10 Wurzburg
Campingplatz
Kalte Quelle,
Germany Є14.50
www.kalte-quelle.
de/
11 Rothenburg
Ob Der Tauber,
HAD A
COOL TRIP IN
YOUR BUS?
To share with us simply
send half a dozen pics with
a few words explaining
why it was so great to
camperandbus.ed
@kelsey.co.uk
visited the war memorials for an
insight into the area’s significance.
Anyhow, 2,000 miles, eight
countries and some amazing
memories. I loved it, and am off
to Scotland and Wales next. Ruffy
won’t be as ‘Ruff’ by then, as I’m
saving up for a new paint job and
will get a leisure battery so I can
camp in more stopovers next time.
Germany Є5
(with electricity, if
you can find a spot
or have a very long
hook-up lead)
12 Nordlingen
Stellplatz,
Germany Free!
13 Lansberg am
Lech, Germany
Є1.5 (+Є0.5 for
electricity)
14 Platzkarte
Wohnmobilstee
platz, Germany Є16
www.hoernum.
de/de/servicecamping/
wohnmobilstell
platz.php
15 Camping
Bregenz, Austria
Є22
www.seecamping.
at/
19
16 Than Car Park,
France Free!
17 Camping le
Brabois, France
Є20
www.campingand
caravanningclub.
co.uk/campsites/
european/france/
lorraine/lebrabois
18 Camping Trieu
Du Bois, Belgium
Є18
www.trieudubois.
be/
19 Camping la
Licorne, Belgium
Є24
www.campingdela
licorne.com/
Must see
1 Gouda
2 The Romantic
Road (www.
18
17
romantische
strasse.de)
3 Nördlingen
Rainy day
options
1 Swimming in
rivers / lakes
2 Driving!
How much?
Fuel: £600
Camping: £290
Food/supplies:
£250
Ferries: £216
Breakdown
cover: £320 (annual
multi-trip)
Day trips: £ 100
Pet Passort: £35
Total: £1,811
Top tips
Either print off
16
9
10
11
15
12
lots of possible
campsites before
you leave or make
sure you have data
useage abroad. Wifi
is not available in
all campsites and I
panicked some days
Research the
local amenities. I
spent lots of money
on large campsites I
didn’t need as a solo
traveller
Have a minimum
10m electrical hookup
cable
Take local
currency for all
countries
Drive less, park
up for longer and
enjoy the journey
as much as the
destinations
CAMPER&BUS 63
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SHOW REPORT
Freddy Files 2016
Thousands of air-cooled VWs take over an entire town in Belgium. It’s an eyeful alright
Words and pics James Peene
SHOW
INFO
When:
13 March 2016
Where:
Ninove, Belgium
Great for:
Super strength
Belgian beer at
the brewery on
Saturday, and the
mother of all VW
shows on Sunday in
the town of Ninove
Next years
dates:
TBC, but usually
towards the end
of March. Check
the website for
more details http://
freddyfiles2016.
skynetblogs.be
Us Limeys clearly love a drink.
Saturday’s visit to the brewery
was dominated by UK Buses
Super clean South
African Double Cab is one of
our favourites. It’s another
UK-based Bus, too
Early doors. Us Brits
were first inside the brewery
We love Jon Hancock’s
Outlaw 356
66 CAMPER&BUS

Roof rack, for when
your Double Cab Bay
just can’t carry enough
Not a VW, but who
Wonder what Lyle
would make of his old
work hack now?
Neptune Blue Deluxe had all the patina and none of the
ride height. How low is this ’70? The answer is, extremely
Why rent a T5
when you could
borrow a behemoth?
The three stages
of lowering – mild,
low, Spencer
The queue into the
town on Sunday, and
the coolest traffic jam
we’ve seen in ages
The best accessory of the
weekend? A wild boar head!
Old Type 25 fire
Bus seems to be
enjoying its retirement
You don’t see many VWs
rocking scallops these days, but
how cool is this? And, how
about those window tints? Rad!
CAMPER&BUS 67

SHOW REPORT
VW parking only.
Every space in downtown
Ninove had something
cool parked in it
BBT brought
this Ladder Truck
out to play. Looks
a bit rickety to us
No, we have no idea
what this is all about
either. Beard watching?
Sadly, this wouldn’t
fit in James’ hand
luggage, or he’d have
taken this drier home!
Chestnut Brown
11-window turned
heads all day long
Old VWs are so
waffley versatile. Sorry.
The waffle Bus enjoyed
steady trade all weekend
68 CAMPER&BUS

Hydraulic lifting
load bed is a super-rare
option on a Split Pick-Up
Adventurewagen
– ugly but practical
Hazet Assistent
times two. A perfect
addition to any
garage or workshop
Cool ambulance
retained all of its
unique goodies, and
had a nice stance, too
The owner of this Bus had
it all – a cool 11-window and
a model girlfriend (sorry!)
Split, Bay, Beetle.
There was something for
everyone on every street
Just a selection of
cool VW stuff for sale in
the swapmeet area
Jeans Editionthemed
Late Bay is a
really cool ride. We’d
love to own it ourselves
CAMPER&BUS 69

SHOW REPORT
The VolksWorld Show
The world’s biggest indoor show is just as mind-blowing outside, too
Words James Peene Pics Dan Pullen
SHOW
INFO
When:
April 2-3 2016
Where:
Sandown Park
Racecourse, Esher,
Surrey, KT10 9AJ
Cost:
Adult day ticket -
£16.00
Adult weekend
ticket - £18.00
Camping pass -
£27.00
Children under
6 - free
Great for:
The best show
cars, loads of VW
traders, a fabulous
swapmeet, music
Next year’s
dates:
TBC
Parts as far as the
eye can see. If it’s new
bits you’re after, it’s here
Gavin Stafford’s ’65
Sundial looks stock but
has it all going on –
2.4-litre motor, IFS, IRS,
four-wheel discs and a
gorgeous oak interior
Kids love face paint!
With the weather
this year, gazebos in
the camping area were
needed for sun shade,
not rain cover
72 CAMPER&BUS

This picture was taken at
4.30 in the afternoon…
Oliver Baeggli’s Cosmic-shod ’57 Single Cab was just
beautiful, and made the trip all the way from Switzerland
For only the second time
ever, a Bay bagged the coveted
turntable on the VolksWorld
stand. Dean Jones’ ’71
features Fifteen52 Outlaw rims
The Hotsie
Totsies in full effect
It’s not just about
cars and parts, The
VolksWorld Show is
like a giant Volkswagen
social club
The club displays
outside are a huge part
of the show. Buses
featured heavily on both
the grandstand and
red the brick area (see
opening picture)
CAMPER&BUS 73

SHOW REPORT
The fabled unicorn – Graham
Dean’s 1951 15-window Deluxe
Stovepipe BBQs are
this year’s must-have
camping accessory
The Early Bay club
display, and a Crossover
interloper (far right)
Dogs are not
allowed at the show,
so this one spent the
weekend in the car park
Best of Show
VolksWorld 2016 _
Audrey Mauleau’s
insanely detailed SO42
Westy. Magnificent
74 CAMPER&BUS

Party up front, all
business out back. Andy
Morgan’s 600bhp Split
The latest creation
from Interior Motive
in Beth and Glenn
Broadway’s ’63
23-window Samba
Nigel’s new ride
sports monsterous good
patina
Vision Tech
Beats provided the
soundtrack to the
Red Brick Road
CAMPER&BUS 75

SHOW REPORT
Jenty and Bob
Whitbread’s ’65 turret
top Split with VWorks
interior. What a beauty!
David Powell’s ’78
Devon had this lovely
Vanwurks interior
Campervantastic-sponsored fastest erection
competition was a real crowd puller
Coolest Bus in the show, Sharon and Chris
Smith’s Foxon Park Panel. Everyone loves this Bus
John Foulkes’
’63 11-window
was another with
Red9 independent
suspension and a
Scooby motor
Symmr Singh
Sandhu’s ’75 South
African-built Fleetline
had a 3.2-litre 911
motor, 5-speed ’box
and six chairs for rapid
family transport
76 CAMPER&BUS

See that interior top of p73?
This is the exterior. Kev Burns’ ’66
Digging the
stripes on this cool EB
Richard Jackson’s
full custom ’65 Split
has Red9 suspension all
round, 17-inch wheels
and a 2.0-litre Subaru
turbo motor
The VolksWorld
Show stand. A shrine to
all things VW
Type 2 Owners’
Club and Brazilian Bay
displays. Horses for
courses an’ all that…
CAMPER&BUS 77

VW EXPO 2016 @ STONOR PARK
In association with Adrian Flux Insurances Services
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6HF
near Junction 6 on M40 or 8/9 on M4
Sunday 5th June 2016
For enthusiasts of all
classic & modern
Volkswagens
Trade Stands
Autojumble
Club Displays
Concours D’elegance
Air-cooled Avenue Pride & Joy
Water-cooled Way Pride & Joy
Miss VW
£11.00 admission per adult (under 16’s free)
including afternoon admission to the Stately Home, with its fine collections of rare furniture, paintings,
sculptures and tapestries from around the world, and Garden.
For more information please visit www.abvwc.com
Or email: committee@abvwc.com

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VW RETRO
Hans Klapp
SEX SELLS, SEXISM DOESN’T
Why customer service makes all the difference
Words Hans Klapp
Pics Volkswagen archive
WHO IS
HANS?
Our man Hans
is the expert’s
expert. He was
at Hanover in
the glory years.
Think of him as
a German Uncle
Albert, albeit
one you want
to listen to
when he starts
talking VWs
Whilst looking for a new car for my
grandchild, the little Hildy, the other
week, I was forced to come into contact
with what I can only assume is the latest
generation of new car salesmen, or oiks as I prefer to
label them. It wasn’t in a VW dealership, as little Hildy
wanted to explore other avenues. Suffice to say, I
steered her back towards the path of enlightenment
and she purchased an Up!, rather than a car named
after a man purported to have been ejected from the
Garden of Eden. However, it was the encounter with
the salesman that most rankled. I think they must
breed them, as they all seem to be attired in the same
suits with the same long shoes, big wrist watches and

hair like Baldrick from your Blackadder Goes Forth (or
Editor James), only with more Brylcream and too much
reliance on aftershave.
The odious little tick made his opening gambit to my
grandaughter’s beau, who had accompanied us on our
visit to the showroom. He wrongly assumed the car
they were looking disdainfully at was for him, and duly
enquired into “how much he was allowed to spend?” I
looked on with considerable merriment and pride as
little Hildy put him firmly in his place.
In my day, most car salesmen were of a different
breed. They were hungry for commission, but they took
pride in knowing their subject. You could ask any one of
the grey-suited chaps situated around the dealership
the cubic capacity of the load space in a Type 3 Variant
(Squareback) and he would be able to reel it off without
having to look for the information in the brochure. I can
do that myself at home, thank you Baldrick.
Mr. Motivator
I am sure that today’s generation of car salesmen and
women are enrolled on all manner of sales courses and
have to endure countless motivational speeches from
other sales people, but in my day (which, admittedly,
was a long time ago) VW supplied pamphlets to its
dealers that clearly laid out the VW way of selling a car
to a customer. In actual fact, you were not required to
Thinly veiled
sexism was all
the rage in the
early ’60s. What
is supposed to be
going on here?
Women, know
your place. In this
instance, at the
wheel of a Samba
sell a car at all, the product would sell itself if properly
demonstrated to a member of the public.
Fortunately, I have just such a pamphlet in my
collection. It hails from the mid-’60s and was issued
to dealerships on the west coast of America. It came
into my possession with a Karmann Ghia I was luckily
enough to own a number of years ago. Unfortunately, it
is now so yellowed with age and fragile to the touch that
I couldn’t risk removing it from my collection to have it
scanned in, so you will just have to take my word that
it says, “Mr. Dealer: This checklist for new car delivery
is worth the long term loyalty of your new Volkswagen
customer. Has the service department left the car
immaculate: has the pre delivery inspection been
thoroughly completed?
“Point out the lights on the dashboard: explain what
the colours mean. The colours of the dashlights in a
Volkswagen have a different significance from the ones
on domestic autos.
“Show how to adjust the seats and seat-backs.
“Demonstrate the operation of the non-repeat
ignition switch.
”Show how the VW is shifted into reverse. (And into
first, second, third and fourth.)
“If installed, demonstrate how the sunroof opens and
closes: the convertible top.
CAMPER&BUS 81

VW RETRO
“Lower the rear seat back and show how to get at the
luggage space.
“Locate the battery and fuse box.
“Point out the windshield washer and brake fluid
reservoirs.
”Demonstrate the jack, pointing out the jack ports.
“Acquaint the customer with the owner’s manual and
how an understanding of its contents will bring greater
driving pleasure and economy.
“Follow up a week or so after delivery and ask how he
like his VW…
“If you’ve been thorough, he’ll say “It’s great!””
Admittedly, the last two points show that some
things never change, and car manufacturers always
have, and seemingly always will, assume it is the man
who wears the trousers when it comes to buying
important things, like cars. Certainly, that is a feeling
enhanced by all the splendind advertisements I have
selected for you this month. They pretty much all (to a
No one likes a
tyre kicker when
trying to sell a car.
What’s he testing
anyway?
Parts back up
was second to
none in the aircooled
era, leaving
the competition in
Volkswagen’s dust
man?) imply it is the man’s decision, but that he needs
to run it past the wife first, if he wishes to remain out of
the doggy house, as you English like to say.
For the sake of showing you something new and
exciting that you may not have seen before, I have
elected not to repeat the ad with the statement, “If
you can sell her on this, you can sell her on anything”
because I’m sure you’ve seen it countless times before.
This was a running theme for Bus ads in the USA,
because it was obviously felt by some unknown powers
that wives might be in need of some gentle cajoling
to get them into VW’s box on wheels. Hence, if you go
back a page you’ll read ads begging the question, “Why
won’t your wife let you buy this wagon?” As if Mrs.
Klapp could ever stop me from me buying a new VW. I
have given her opportunity, but she has never come up
with a reason to sway me, thus far.
She’s a keeper
I would also always argue
that you do not have the
right kind of wife, or
husband, if they do
not want to own a
23-window Samba.
“A face only a
mother could love?”
Whilst refering to my
own perhaps, but not the king of
Buses, a Deluxe Microbus.
The vehicles are vastly
different today, and so are the
advertising techniques. Now
all men are made to appear
foolish in TV commercials,
with the women in control,
so perhaps the car sales
room is the last bastion of
good old fashioned sexism?
I sincerely hope it is, and that it
is soon a thing of the past, too.
82 CAMPER&BUS

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Specialists in the art of
restoration and modification
VolksWorld Show 2016
Our latest Splitscreen project- a Porsche 3.2 flat six
powered 1975 Fleetline. Go to our Facebook page for
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Giveusacalltodiscussyourdreams
01939 235 707 – info@creativecoachworks.co.uk
www.creativecoachworks.co.uk
Unit 1, The Old Creamery, Aston Road, Wem, Shropshire. SY4 5BA

OF
YEARS
EXCELLENCE

HOW TO
Swap shop
If you find the power and mpg of your air-cooled motor lacking,
there are several options available to those who can bring
themselves to commit the cardinal sin. Read on if you dare
Words Jim Blackstock Pics Various
Let’s face it, we all love our air-cooled motor but,
with the best will in the world, they can feel a bit
lacking in the power department, especially if
you’re used to driving more modern machinery.
It is possible to achieve some impressive power
figures from larger capacity air-cooled VW engines,
but the pursuit of additional ponies via the medium
of performance cams, carbs, heads and even turbo
conversions does come at the expense of money,
driveability and reliability.
The majority of standard air-cooled VW Bus engines
will be of the 1600cc variety (Splits and Early Bays),
but 2.0-litre fuel injected units found their way into the
later incarnation of Bay Windows. Even so, 40 or more
years later, and even those are likely to be tired out
and in need of a rebuild or replacing.
Unless you plan to go drag racing in your Bus, it’s
torque you’re after. Torque is the actual work the
engine does and is a physical quantity. Power is
the rate at which the engine does this work and is a
mathematical value only, the product of multiplying
torque by engine speed.
For a large, heavy, un-aerodynamic vehicle like a
Volkswagen Bus, probably loaded with camping gear
and the family, torque is your friend and, almost by
definition, power is not. So, while it’s relatively easy
(albeit expensive) to get increased power from an aircooled
motor, torque is much harder.
A potentially more straightforward route is to swap
the original air-cooled motor for something a bit more
modern, which will give you the slug of grunt you need
to make everyday driving more relaxed and enjoyable.
Choose well and you’ll get additional power as well,
making your Bus a bit more lively when you want it to
be, a lot less sluggish up hills and actually capable of
overtaking for a change, giving you a win / win scenario.
So we thought it was about time we looked at some
transplant options to help inform your opinion.
86 CAMPER&BUS

Air-cooled replacement options
The easiest option of all is to replace a stock air-cooled motor with a different stock air-cooled one.
This way, you don’t need to worry about additional cooling systems and can simply crack on
VW Type 4
Fitted in later Bay Window Vans and on into the Type 25, the socalled
Type 4 air-cooled motor is larger and heavier, but offers
better performance than the earlier Type 1 motor. However, the
cooling system is very different and common consensus reckons
an upright cooling conversion, as shown on the Barndoor Bus
above right, is the best way to go. On this Bus a Porsche 911
cooling fan with built-in alternator has been mounted using an
aftermarket fan shroud conversion, but the original Type 1 system
can be used, albeit with a replacement alternator stand. However,
even with the later ‘doghouse’ fan shroud, this might not flow
enough air to cool the motor in hard use.
A fabricated engine hanger, or ‘moustache bar’ will also be needed
due to the additional weight of the Type 4 engine, but it should
work with the original transmission, albeit with some clearancing
of the bellhousing on early models.
However, the ultimate factor affecting choice would be the cost
Vs benefit equation. If you are lucky enough to find a complete
Type 4 engine for sale secondhand, the seller can probably name
his price. At the time of writing, there were two on eBay at just
shy of £1,000 each, as they came out of the donor vehicles. At
the same time, VW Heritage had a selection of Type 4 motors
available, both 1.8 and 2.0-litre, priced at around £2,500. Add
to that the cost of the cooling conversion, the fabricated parts
and you could quickly be up around the £5,000 or more mark if
you choose to fit all new ancillary parts. Balance that with 65-
70bhp power outputs for a stock engine and it begins to appear a
relatively expensive route for minimal gain.
Corvair flat six
Well, it’s possible and it has been done,
but it’s far from a common conversion.
The flat-six, 100bhp(-ish) motor from a
Chevrolet Corvair can be fitted into a
Bus, normally along with the matching
transmission, but it requires hacking
out the rear end of the Bus to make
one fit. It is also, conceptually, a step
backwards, since the most recent of
all Corvair engines will be from 1969.
They’re also uncommon in Europe and
expensive to rebuild so, while it offers
a notable power hike, it’s not a very
feasible option in the long run.
Contact: www.corvair.com
Porsche four and six cylinder
The flat four engine, used in the Porsche
914, is fundamentally a Type 4 VW engine,
so see above. The six-cylinder, air-cooled
Porsche motor will, as we all know from
that bloke down the pub, “go straight in a
VW without any modifications…”
Actually, it won’t. A Porsche flat six
is much larger and heavier than a VW
flat four, so the engine Bay will need
modifying and you’ll have to significantly
strengthen the engine bracing (and the
Bus itself if you are sensible).
Porsche engines, by virtue of the badge,
are expensive to buy and expensive to
have rebuilt. But, if you can afford one,
you also have to decide whether to use
the stock VW transmission or upgrade to
a Porsche one. The latter means major
surgery, including moving the torsion bar
tube on Bay Windows, while the former,
at the very least, requires a replacement
flywheel and clutch, but really uprated
driveshafts, too.
However, if you do all this, you could
end up with a Bay Window with 220+bhp,
just like former World Rally Championship
technician, Matt Finney did. His Bay has
been fitted with a 3.0-litre motor out of
a 911 SC, and now runs 14-second quarter
miles at Santa Pod.
The biggest downside to this route is
undoubtedly cost. You won’t get much
change from £5,000 for a 911 engine,
then you’ll need around £3,000 for a ‘915’
gearbox (avoid the earlier ‘901’ versions),
making it a jolly expensive conversion.
Contact: www.gcsengineering.com
CAMPER&BUS 87

HOW TO
Water-cooled options
Changing from air to water cooling opens up the options even further but will, of course, mean a
plumbed-in cooling system is required – more on that in a moment.
Wasserboxer
Later versions of the Type 25 came
with a water-cooled flat four engine
and featured a front-mounted radiator
and a fairly complicated cooling system
around the engine. Initially, the petrol
engine was available in 1.9-litre and
2.1-litre variants, with up to around
90bhp as standard. However, they had
a host of reliability issues, generally
down to water leaks as a result of
either ill-fitting pipework or the nature
of the engine, which used a combination
of older Type 1 and newer parts. They
also suffer from corrosion and pitting,
due to the anti-freeze not being
changed often enough.
Because of their dubious reliability
records and the less-than-earthshattering
performance, Wasserboxers
tend to be largely overlooked as
transplant options, except for the brave
or the purely VW-centric hardcore.
Alfa Romeo flat four
In it’s day, the Alfa Romeo flat four was
a cracking engine. 1.2, 1.3 and 1.5-litre
versions of the 8V motor gave out around
110bhp, while later 16V 1.7-litre versions
grew to more like 135bhp. As they were
over-square, they revved willingly but
needed to be worked. This, in itself,
tended to make them less than ideal for a
big Bus which, as we said at the beginning,
needs torque as an everyday driver and
they had a relatively weedy 112ft.lbs or so.
In terms of fitting them in a Camper,
there were off-the-shelf conversions
available, while others could be machined
to fit. Typically, these included a
bellhousing adapter plate, a spacer for
the flywheel to accept the clutch and a
couple of other bits of hardware.
So while DS Tuning still lists the
necessary hardware, fundamentally
we’re in a similar situation to several of
the other conversions, where the cost
and effort Vs benefit equation will not
stack up for many, assuming you can even
find a secondhand Alfa engine, which
we couldn’t when we put this feature
together. It’s a great engine, but perhaps
best suited to the cars it was originally
found in.
Subaru flat four
Perhaps the best known and popular engine conversion for the VW Bus is the Subaru
flat four. Found in several models, including the Impreza, Forester and Legacy models.
While there is a huge variety of specifications, the basics are straightforward. The
EJ20D designation engine is a 2.0-litre, petrol motor with twin-cam heads and 16 valves.
In stock trim, it gives out 150bhp in normally aspirated form, while the turbocharged
EJ20T, famous from the Impreza, was much higher, from 220bhp and almost 200ft.lbs of
torque. 2.5-litre versions have the EJ25 model designation.
So while the engine gives good performance, it also matches the rough overall
dimensions of the VW unit, making it a good swap option. The other factor in the
Subaru’s favour is the availability of parts. DS Tuning list several adapters, while two
major proponents of the conversion in the UK, RJ Engineered Solutions and TSR Engine
Conversions, sell pretty much everything you’ll need, apart from the engine and some
petrol. It’s a relatively straightforward conversion on anything from a Split to a Type
25, with varying amounts of fabrication and electrical work involved. The normallyaspirated
engine is obviously easier to work with as the turbocharger and intercooler
on the more lairy versions need additional work to fit.
Contacts: www.rjes.com / www.tsrengineconversions.co.uk
88 CAMPER&BUS

In-line engines
We have started seeing more modern
engines being fitted into Buses recently,
inspired partly at least by the last
examples of the Bay, from Brazil, which
used a 1.8-litre petrol engine.
1z 1.9 TDi
It’s hardly surprising that the 1z 1.9-litre
turbo diesel is one of the most popular
in-line conversions for VW Buses. It
was the mainstay for the VW / Audi /
SEAT car model range and delivers great
performance and economy. It is also easy
to modify for additional performance
without affecting, or in some cases, even
improving fuel economy.
The main issue is the height of the
engine compared with the original flat
fours. This requires it to be canted over
at an angle to fit within the restricted
height of the Split / Bay / Type 25 engine
bay, necessitating a replacement sump to
create the right oil level and orientation
for pick up. The engine can either be
joined to the original transmission, which
is generally okay for the power output but
not ideal for gear ratios. A better option
is to use the gearbox from a Passat and
flip it, to provide a better matched set of
cogs. There is a host of other detail work
required, such as fabricated mounts and
attention to the electrical circuits.
The turbo diesel has been used in
Bays, but it’s a favourite in the Type 25,
according to Millers Motor Services, which
reckons to have done a good few. It quotes
a drive-in / drive-out price of £2,400 for a
rebuilt motor, but can sell individual parts
to customers as necessary.
Contact: www.mobilemotorservices.co.uk
Water-cooling
For engine transplants going
from air-cooled to watercooled,
clearly some form of
water-cooling hardware needs
to be added. For conversions
on the Type 25, this is relatively
straightforward – it was
available with both air and
water-cooled engines, so find
the necessary hardware and
chop it across.
However, for Splits and
Bays, things are a bit more
complicated. The main issue is
the lack of suitable room at the
front of the Bus for a radiator.
In an ideal world, you’d create
some brackets, fit a radiator
(with the size depending on
what engine you’re running)
and then route either flexible
or rigid water pipes back to
the engine. These could also
be used to dissipate heat if the
size of the radiator necessary
couldn’t be accommodated.
However, the only real
options to do this are to mount
the bare radiator on the front
of the Bus, form a box to house
it or build one inside the cab,
between the front panel and
the front passengers’ knees.
As space is always an issue,
this is less than ideal and an
external box or radiator ruins
the look of the vehicle.
For those who don’t want a
front-mounted radiator, the
options are either underneath
the Bus or at the rear, in the
engine compartment.
The key to cooling is airflow
across the radiator, to remove
thermal energy from the
coolant. Mounting radiator(s)
underneath the Bus can be a
good option, but there may
well be implications on ground
clearance and longevity of the
radiator. A rad’ large enough to
do the job will need to be laid
at an angle or even virtually
flat, which then presents
issues with airflow, with
ducting necessary to ensure
enough air goes through the
core to cool the water.
In addition, an electric
cooling fan will also be
necessary, so that air keeps
moving over the radiator when
the vehicle is stationary.
Alternatively, the radiator
can be mounted at the rear,
potentially in the engine
compartment. Air could be
drawn in by the upper rear
quarter vents and ducted to
the rad’, as well as picking air up
from underneath the vehicle.
Remember, with a watercooled
engine, there is no need
to separate the top (cold) and
bottom (hot) halves of the
engine as there is with an aircooled
engine.
With the radiator mounted
across the rear hatch, some
way of allowing the hot,
exhaust air from the radiator
is necessary and some people
press or cut vents into the
engine bay hatch to allow this.
It is generally recognised
that the coolest air is around
150mm from the ground, so an
underside-mounted radiator(s)
or a low pick-up would stand
the best chance of keeping
the water temperature under
control. For an off-the-shelf
option, TSR sells a radiator
with scoop and brackets for
under a Bay Window, as well as
the additional parts necessary,
such as the electric fan and
pipework. RJES also markets
a cooling system and all the
components needed.
Contact: www.rjes.com
CAMPER&BUS 89

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EDITOR’S COMMENT
And finally…
James flies the flag for the water-cooled brigade. God help him…
D
espite my prediliction for air-cooled VWs
and all things retro, I’ve never signed up
to the hippy manifesto of peace, love and
understanding. And yet, in recent times I’ve found
myself wondering why the heck can’t we all just
get along? I mean, what is wrong with people?
Obviously, I’m not talking about anything as
contentious as politics or religion, although VWs
are a religion to many, but about the way some
air-cooled enthusiasts seem to have a bee in their
bonnet about water-cooled VWs and their owners.
I’ve lost track of the amount of supposed VW
enthusiasts I’ve heard moaning about T4s and T5s
turning up at ‘our’ shows, ‘taking over the show
‘n’ shine area’ and things along those lines. And
it was exactly the same at The VolksWorld Show
just gone. People grumbling about the T5s out on
the red brick area, instead of the regular cluster
of Splits that, truth be told, always let us down on
the Sunday when their owners can’t be bothered
to turn up for the second day. And before anyone
feels like arguing that one, it’s the truth, I’ve seen
it first hand every year for the last nine years.
In my opinion, the T5s were a breath of fresh
air this year. The owners were enthusiastic,
helpful and put on a great display of Vans on both
the Saturday and the Sunday, and I thought it was
great to shake things up a little.
What the haters fail to understand is that
if the scene doesn’t evolve, it will surely die.
There’s only a finite number of classic VWs and
they’re becoming harder to find, and increasingly
expensive to buy and build. So expensive it’s hard
for the average enthusiast to
justify for something that sees
only occasional use. So, I’d
say T5s are the modern day
people’s VW. They’re all things
to all men (and women) and
are bringing fresh blood to
the VW scene. Surely that can
only be a good thing, no?
98 CAMPER&BUS
James Peene,
Group Editor
Integration game
Room for all
It’s not like there isn’t
room for all at the
shows. The more VWs
the merrier, and there
was more than enough
air-cooled to sate even
the greediest of VW
appetites at our show
Applied
science
It’s interesting
to see air-cooled
influences rubbing
off on the watercooled
scene, too.
Fuchs on a T5?
Hell yeah!
If more T4s are built
like this, who the heck
are we to say they’re not
welcome at a VW show?
They’re not the future,
they’re the here and now
NEXT
ISSUE
ON SALE
13.05.16

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