Help...In need of some inspiration!!!!! DECISION MADE.......

[jonboylaw]

If the zorst seals when hot, just use he bloody think. Once you have a few miles on it it will coke up a bit.


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[Haveacamper]

Firstly, sorry to hear that you have had so much heart ache after having put so much into your camper. It looks amazing, but you already know that...

Secondly, without wanting to upset anyone who has already commented before me, it is very difficult to comment saying that you should "just use it" and "use it for what it was made for" if they have not gone through the journey to the extent you have. In putting so much energy, effort and obviously financial commitment towards producing such a vehicle if difficult to know how your perception will change. There are countless people who have sold their restored vehicles - like Trikky mentioned - due to the fear of driving them.

I do not wish to presume my camper is in the same league as yours, but for me I put a hell of a lot of effort, time, emotion etc etc into getting my camper to where it is and to some extent have the feelings you have. In one way I am glad that I do not have kids for the reason that you mentioned....what will I do as and when we do have kids....time will tell

What helped me was that as soon as the camper was finished (forgetting the 500+miles shakedown) we drove to the south of france and back in 17days. The trip away camping really helped to calm me down and help with the whole "shit, what happens if it gets scratched, ruined etc." needless to say that given the colour of my interior, when I spilt a glass of red wine on holiday I didn't react too well...wine went everywhere, cupboards, floor, upholstery, everywhere...

and what happened? I went in the cupboard and got the kitchen roll...it all wiped straight up without leaving a stain!

I am still pretty protective over the bus but with time, it has got easier. Like others have said, I will carefully choose my parking spaces like I would when I had my shitty little punto! it's a sign that you appreciate the things you have, not necessarily the value of them. I think what has compounded you is the ongoing issues you have had with the engine that has stopped you from racking up the miles.

p.s. I have put a little scratch in my paintwork (accidentally), which 99% of people would ever notice...ever since I have been a little more relaxed around the camper

 

[Trikky2]

I love your bus :mrgreen:

 

[Marriedblonde]

Sharky I know where you are coming from. I think my resto with midlands was a little more expensive. I'm still to use my bus as I am still waiting to sort out the engine for it.

But I am anal about my cars. I hate to think what I am going to be like with the bus. I have promised my Mrs that if I am too twitchy about using it I will get shot of it. Its been bought and restored to use. Easier said than done when you have spent a lot of time, money and emotion on the thing.

But...

I keep thinking that my daily drivers are bought new and cost a small fortune and they get stone chips and people open doors and yes it was gutting when a woman let her car door wing open in the wind and put a nice dent/scratch in my drivers door of my car. But I had it fixed and you would never know. Ok I had to have it fixed within a couple of weeks as it bothered me.

Also every time I see my bus she makes me smile.

So fingers corssed I can get over the don't touch my bus and enjoy it with the family as I had planned.

 

[sharky71]

Might be good news,well certainly on the zorst front.
I managed to rope the wifey into helping me,i jacked the van up and placed on axle stands then asked her to blip the throttle and it keeps blowing like Puff the Magic Dragon on the offside but exactly where i don't know unless i strip the bumper,towbar,valance and tinware away to get a better look.

The only groan she gave was .......... more work then!! :roll: I said atleast i should be able to sort it at no cost,fingers crossed,although i did text Vinatge Dan ref a system if all else fails and has come up with a price of £382 all in for heat risers and clamps etc.

Will we end up keeping :? watch this space!!

 

[shiplee123]

Mate I feel your pain

I also own a very clean early westy

I wonted a og paint westy but it didn't happen.

Yours seems more og than mine but still both very clean.

I also worry about the kids wrecking it!

I have to remind myself why I got into vw campers. It started off as a family thing but now I love and appreciate vw s ( campers and beetles ) I love og examples and also mint examples.

Campers ( if u have family's ) should b used and appreciated , my kids already have amazing memory's , and they are all still very young !

I've also , like u , gotta chill and just not worry about the dents and scratches , I guess there gonna happen , they can b sorted!

If u went abroad it's gonna cost u 2k

Enjoy your bus , forget about the dam bus when using it , your kids will love u 4 it .......




...... Note 2 my self !!!

 

[Marriedblonde]

Well said James. Lets discuss this again in 12 months and see how we are getting on.

Its easy to say it is only a piece of metal... But its more than that as most of us have put a lot of time and emotion into them. But yes they can be fixed.

 

[sharky71]

We've owned Valerie since 2010 and commisioned Midland Paintwerks in 2011 to sort out the exterior and do a baremetal respray which was fantastic,but with one thing and another and my O.C.D. about the van it has spoilt the dream

Our first problem was a poor engine diagnosed as excessive endfloat (summer 2012) which i sourced a replacement (recon case with new internals etc) from down sarff and had problems with that which put payed to summer 2013 in the van and went in a masiff tent instead.

Fast forward to 2014 and after sorting the similar problem with a second longblock supplied (while nursing a twisted lower spine and struggling to remove engine to sort dynamo bearings etc etc) the whole job took way more time than expected and the subsequent swearing ensued,the wifey was not overly keen on using the van this year so to keep her happy we went in the masiff tent again.

Now i know i am a bit over protective of the van and cuss the kids about their feet on the seats and general behaviour around the van which leads to the wifey not enjoying the getaway because i am very short with everyone which wrecks the whole experience.

Here are some photos showing what lengths we all go to,some even further in pursuit of the dream van.

















Now since February of this year i have advertised the van for sale but priced fairly high and there are other vans out there asking a lot more money and as a result it has not sold,which i don't know if it is an OMEN :ghoul: good or bad.

I guess what i am asking or looking for is an answer as to what to do next?
I have told the family it is for sale only recently (kept it secret since February),the wife was fine the but kids were mortified and blubbed like stuck pigs(had some nice trips away with good memories).
Do i keep it for their sakes or just get rid??

Words of wisdom/courage and advice most welcome.

A depressed Sharky.

:sick0019:



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Well the decision is to run it another 12 months and actively use the van as much as possible whether to camp in or just to commute in,in fact i used it every day last week to pick the wife up from work,it's only a 3 mile round trip and i took it even in the rain which had the effect of raised eyebrows :roll: :lol: :lol: very rare for me to use it in the rain and the wife did pass a comment about it,just struggling to sort the blowing exhaust.Found that after taking it off it is blowing from the preheat pipe where it exists the back box so what to do??
Try to fix it??Get a new one??Or buy a new Vintage speed unit baring in mind that we might end up selling the van so don't really want to splash out £400 if the van goes.
Any suggestions??

Sharky.

:sick0019:

 

[ZedBed]

Been there done that (twice), but all the time I knew I was useless with looking after shiney things. So sold them quick and bought one with so many knocks and dents, that when I hit something I'm hard pressed to spot the damage. It still does what it says on the tin.


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[dandaz]

I do understand what you mean. I restored a 67 E Type to a very high standard some 30 years ago and ended up selling it just 4 months after finishing it, because I had created an un useable museum piece instead of a car. It's a mistake I never made again.

I have had a few mint buses ,they did make me fret a lot and got sold quickly,decided just to own rust buckets got zero stress ,sell it and buy something fun.... arty0053:

 

[sharky71]

Well the blowing exhaust is not the exhaust it is this!! :evil: :evil:








That's two for two engines now for a certain engine builder!!
First one had a knackered sump which took me nearly 3 months to get hold of him to exchange it.Then the second had a fooked sump stud which i had to repair,ran the engine in all is happy in the world,then,i get hit with this shit!
What i thought was a blowing exhaust turns out to be the stud holding the heads on as a fooked thread.
It just turns and turns,there is either a shoulder on it or a heli coil but whatever i believe the thread in the case is fucked!! Am i right? Can you fix it?Can it be fixed with the engine in the van??Is the case totally fooked!!

Now i'm not into naming and shaming but Marriedblonde used the same builder as i did and i know he paid alot more for his engine but come on 650 notes for a longblock with new internals and b&p's with only 700 miles on it is to me still a fair chunk of change,but if the case is not fit for purpose why sell the bloody thing??
I know you get what you pay for and in this instance i have been bit twice now and i'm proper proper proper pissied off!!
Working on the van is in my eyes a learning curve and enjoyable but to do the same job more than twice through no fault of my own takes the piss!!

Rant over,i appologies for upsetting some people but trying to convince my wife and i to keep the faith and getting let down twice on the same item is disheartening

What can i do people?

Regards.
A very depressed Sharky.

 

[trebor]

is it the stud turning ( looks a bit short ) or is it the nut ( which is only on by a couple of threads ) ?