Electric Hook Up Equipment!

[Marie S]

Hi, We have just purchased our first VW Camper and we really need some help! She (Sandy) is a 1970 Bay, imported from San Diego (hence the name Sandy!!) and she is beautiful. She is rust free and weld free and we are eager to show her off to the VW world! we are looking to have our first camping experience but we do not have any information regarding the fridge, electric hook ups, leisure batteries and so on and so on....we really need someone to tell us where to start.

The interior is original including the fridge! Can you tell us how to get the fridge working and what type of leads etc we need to plug her in? Also, we think the tap might be broken, can we buy an origianl replacement (does such a thing exist??).

We can see a white plasitc tank sat directly behind the sink, what does this do? Also, the electrics/fridge etc have not been used for a long time. We have cleaned the fridge inside and it has come up a treat but shouldnt i clean the pipes etc too?

Sorry for the long e-mail but we would reallp appreciate any information you can offer.

Thanks very much.

Marie S

 

[Guest]

Hi Marie,

welcome to EB, i've moved you to the technical section to get a few answers, we have a lot of devon and westy owners who should be able to help you. what type of conversion have you got? i would hazard a guess its a westy campmobile?

can you post some pics of the interior?

 

[Marie S]

Hi, thanks for your response.

I have just tried to send you some pics and failed miserably! I will ask my husband to do it when he gets home.

Sandy is a Westy Campmobile and i was also wondering if you can still buy the original radios for them? Someone has installed a JVC radio and we would like to replace it with an original radio, is this possible??

Marie S

 

[Guest]

If the dash has been cut to accomodate it then it will require some welding to get the original radios back in as they are considerably smaller.

There are several people selling radios on ebay but i would make sure you get a guarantee that the radio is in working condition, as if not you could, like me, end up paying expensively for something that doesnt work and to get it fixed will cost more than £100.

you can use http://www.photobucket.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for images, there's a how-to on doing this as a sticky in the gallery section.

 

[creationblue]

Hi Welcome to the world of Westy ownership.......

The fridge you refer to is actually a cool box, so the idea is you fill the top shelf with ice or freezer packs and I find it keeps cool for a weekend.....

The container behind is for the water to the sink, the tap should have a handle that pumps the water to the sink, although the novalty of this feature soon wears off :lol: I make other provisions for water.........

As far as Leisure batteries go, unless someone retro fitted one there wont be one. So you will have to fit your own, i will be doing mine over the winter.....

You should have a electrical inlet on the drivers-side, this is a US socket and not available over here, I imported a batch earlier this year but alas they are all sold. So maybe you want to put a UK inlet in the engine compartment.

Any other questions just shout.

Oh and look forward to seeing the pics. My van came from San Diego too

Just

 

[Clarkson46]

Have a look here, you can download the handbook and possibly the Westfalia handbook as well.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/type2.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Marie S]

[No message]

 

[Marie S]

Hi, have finally managed to add a couple of photos of Sandy!

Thank you for the info regarding the 'cool box', we had no idea, we thought it was a fridge! We have also down loaded the owners manual, it is so helpful! Thanks ever so much for all of your help, i think we will be using this site an awful lot!! :wink:

Hope you like the pics, let us know what you think...

Marie S

 

[Guest]

thats a really good looking bus 8) any history with it? was it restored recently?, it looks very clean.

 

[CamperLamb]

Nice Dub! You can see the pics of Alice on the Gallery... we have the same upholstery!! :mrgreen:

 

[Marie S]

Hi, yes we have lots of history with her. VW SH until 1973 and same owner till 79. Next owner till '86....then it goes quiet till '99 to '03 for which period we have everthing ever done....this guy has receipts for door latches and wheel bearings, clutch cables wiper blades! Looks like it was in resto around 2 years ago when she was resprayed and fitted with new engine (2L twin carb - pictures in gallery in a min...), gearbox, oil coolant and drive shaft. Interior never touched though apart from godawful stereo - what's the point it's loud as hell in there! We know the garage in San Diego who fitted the engine was Randy's Autos, though we have yet to make contact with them...We also have US tax discs for 5 consecutive years I think 86 - 91 all with same owner. Clock shows 92k - who knows, but we like to think it's real. Pictures going on gallery now. Only owned for a month and loving every minute. Have had her waxoiled and she drives really well. We smile every time!. She is rock solid, never filled or welded...can't wait to meet other like minded owners as most of our friends just think we are weird! :mrgreen:

 

[ianscooby]

Nice bus 8) 8) , you can fit a fridge (Engle) in the space where the cool box is without too much problem but you will have to loose the water tank (prob full of dead spiders anyway, sorry to put you off). Hook up wise I would leave the USA hook up on the outside as it's original, install a zig unit or split charge system, install a leisure battery on the opposite side to the main battery (100amp just fits from memory)

 

[noddy]

Hi

My westy is fitted with a fridge to get it running I put a UK to American 110v transformer in line.

Wired van external connection to a British double plug socket then connected transformer via plug to the socket, the other plug socket I use an RDC off which I run a 4 gang socket, this powers internal light (not part of van fitment), radio, and the bosses straitners etc.

I use the original external connection, all that was needed was to change the plug at the feed end to a euro spec blue 3 pin type that are used on campsites, and away we went.

 

[chrisby]

I bought a hookup lead and changed the socket that fits to the van with a US style one from http://www.vwbusparts.freeserve.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and then changed the socket inside for a standard 13 amp one from B&Q.Its possible to get replacement taps but I changed mine over to electric with a submersible pump in the existing tank,works well.

 

[cotswoldiver]

Hi Marie
Sandy looks rather good! I'm new to the westy world as well and the people on this site have been really helpful and friendly. There is a stack of info in all sorts of threads. I have the same electrics issue (LHD USA Spec) to resolve and will probably have a nice winter project to install under the bed. In the meantime, I have just bought a 3 socket hook up from a camping shop to get me by, but yet to use it all the overnight stops for me so far have been 'electric free' I'm just trying not to rush too much that with a bit more knowledge gained over time I hope will save me a few bob on silly mistakes. And as for the smile - spot on, haven't stopped smiling yet

Welcome and enjoy
David

Hi, have finally managed to add a couple of photos of Sandy!

Thank you for the info regarding the 'cool box', we had no idea, we thought it was a fridge! We have also down loaded the owners manual, it is so helpful! Thanks ever so much for all of your help, i think we will be using this site an awful lot!! :wink:

Hope you like the pics, let us know what you think...

Marie S

 

[Marie S]

thanks for the all info...little nervous about trying to do these things ourselves...especially when it comes to electrics!! :?

 

[billybradshaw]

Nah, electrics are easy:

Red to Green, Green to Red and Blue up :lol: :lol: :lol:

Being colour blind I spent ages labelling every single wire in my bus when I restoring it so I stood some chance of getting it right when putting it all back together. Imagine how I laughed when it came back from the spray shop with every label sprayed in the same lovely colour as my bus, wonderful............................................

 

[creationblue]

Nah, electrics are easy:

Red to Green, Green to Red and Blue up :lol: :lol: :lol:

Being colour blind I spent ages labelling every single wire in my bus when I restoring it so I stood some chance of getting it right when putting it all back together. Imagine how I laughed when it came back from the spray shop with every label sprayed in the same lovely colour as my bus, wonderful............................................

Classic :lol: Oh how we laughed............................NOT

Just

 

[CamperLamb]

Hi, yes we have lots of history with her. VW SH until 1973 and same owner till 79. Next owner till '86....then it goes quiet till '99 to '03 for which period we have everthing ever done....this guy has receipts for door latches and wheel bearings, clutch cables wiper blades! Looks like it was in resto around 2 years ago when she was resprayed and fitted with new engine (2L twin carb - pictures in gallery in a min...), gearbox, oil coolant and drive shaft. Interior never touched though apart from godawful stereo - what's the point it's loud as hell in there! We know the garage in San Diego who fitted the engine was Randy's Autos, though we have yet to make contact with them...We also have US tax discs for 5 consecutive years I think 86 - 91 all with same owner. Clock shows 92k - who knows, but we like to think it's real. Pictures going on gallery now. Only owned for a month and loving every minute. Have had her waxoiled and she drives really well. We smile every time!. She is rock solid, never filled or welded...can't wait to meet other like minded owners as most of our friends just think we are weird! :mrgreen:

Tee hee - you sound like me! Everyone I know thinks I am bonkers - but then thats what my shrink is for.. :mrgreen:
Alice has the original Mexican number plate in the back window, and the tax disc equivalent in the front. I have copies of the original paperwork, and photos of her in Mexico. Alice's mileage shows 19k, so who knows what THAT means! Alice has been waxoiled too, great for my peace of mind! We took her out the other evening with the 3 kids, bought fish and chips then sat in the countryside eating them in Alice! The kids have made up songs for Alice while we are driving along- only I drive her though, as Him Indoors is too afraid of her... and shes a lefty, too. I don't care - it all adds to the fun - heaving on the steering wheel on sharp bends, bouncing about all over the place.. I love it! Where you based BTW?... 8) :mrgreen:

 

[Marie S]

weekends have always been fun but now they are fantastic Any excuse to get out in the van and we are off! We went to the beach to watch the sun set this weekend and had fish and chips too except we didnt have ny kids with us just a very wet black labrador!! He went swimming whilst we huddled together on the beach trying to keep warm! It was a great evening..
Bring on the weekends :mrgreen: