My 1971 Riviera Campwagen

[fire3500]

I have been pretty lazy in putting up some pics of my bus... only had him a few months... still getting to grips with all this modernity after split ownership...


IMG_3287 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_3235 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_2748 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_3237 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_2672 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_2673 by iancleary, on Flickr

He's an Oregon import, a crossover with a 1700 type 4 engine. So far I've added 240/12v electric and my Propex, replaced the interior flourescent light and rebuilt the brakes, added a new track rod and am in the process of sorting the front and rear window seals and oil cooler seals (am outsourcing that...).


IMG_2890 by iancleary, on Flickr

Other jobs on the horizon are to replace the heater cables and to add a split charging relay. I think also that I've a dodgy earth on the OSR light cluster as there seems to be some kind of oddness going down there. The zips are a bit knackered on the pop top canvas, so they'll need sorting and I have acquired a Westfalia wardrobe to add in after a bit of refurbishment. Already added a cab hammock for the boy...


IMG_2920 by iancleary, on Flickr

The interior at first I thought was a Westy, as the PO had told me it was... however I did a bit of checking and clearly with the sliding windows, the pop top and the furniture in there it is a pretty complete Riviera Campwagen. I'd have loved to have found an original Riviera wardrobe to fill the gap, but the Westy one will suffice for now. There is a Westy Campmobile sink unit in there that I'm intending on freshening up with a Smev sink/burner combo and a Waeco compressor fridge as funds allow.

http://wetwesties.tripod.com/riviera/

On the whole, a great bus so far... and I'm loving the windows after the claustrophobia of Big Bang 2012 spent with two kids in the back of my old panel van. The key things in getting this van were:

• 1) Ground clearance: we love camping and the slammed Split was restrictive in this sense... hence not slamming this van, even though every fibre of my heart wants him on the floor
  2) Windows: the windows and a poptop offer a bit more interior space and airiness... loving that.

I did want a Westy really, the extra two bunks up top would have been ace, and I even looked at T25 diesel Westy Jokers as in a practical sense that *should* have been the camper that suited my use best... however, I've fallen in love with my Riviera now, and unless I do "upgrade" to a slammed early Westy in the future with a full pop and a pair of beds up there... well then this is me.


IMG_2689 by iancleary, on Flickr

 

[the irv]

looks cool 8)
i even like the gasser drag look :mrgreen:

 

[aogrady]

Hi,

Lovely looking bus, nice insides and photos

Cheers,

Alistair

 

[fire3500]

looks cool 8)
i even like the gasser drag look :mrgreen:

Looks like he wants to climb something, eh? :mrgreen:

Am on the hunt for some stock rims, trims and tyres... :msn4:

 

[fire3500]

Hi,

Lovely looking bus, nice insides and photos

Cheers,

Alistair

Cheers dude!

 

[Nesquik]

Liking your bus looks nice n comfy inside
71 the best year too...

 

[fire3500]

Well, all drama for the last couple of days...

Pulled out the front screen in readiness for fitting the new windscreen rubber, and was delighted to discover a nice rust-free aperture


IMG_3428 by iancleary, on Flickr

The edges of the old screen had started to delaminate, and during refitting there was a rather disturbing "crack"... arse.


IMG_3427 by iancleary, on Flickr

So time to cover up the bus and call out the professionals.


60812_10151387719868885_1298636164_n by iancleary, on Flickr

National Windscreens came out this afternoon... fitted the new screen and rubber seal and pootled off.


IMG_3455 by iancleary, on Flickr

HOWEVER... I've just been out to the bus and found a footwell full of water... more arse. So rang NW back and they'll get someone back over tomorrow.

PITA

 

[Airtime]

Nice bus! Congrats and have fun with it. Cool photos too. 8)

Shame 'bout the windshield troubles though... :?

 

[fire3500]

Well, the chap has been back this morning and sealed it... let's see how watertight it feels like being now...


IMG_3470 by iancleary, on Flickr

 

[fire3500]

Got my carpet back in today, and hoping that the bus really *is* watertight :|


IMG_3491 by iancleary, on Flickr

Also fitted a new Brazilian Bay hatch seal, to complement the new rear glass seal. Next job is to try and resuscitate the heated rear window!

 

[fire3500]

Exciting little find out there on the Internet too, finally found a decent couple of pictures of what I'm missing out on... you can see in this first picture the correct wardrobe and rear top shelf that should be fitted in my bus:


Screen Shot 2012-12-17 at 20.12.44 by iancleary, on Flickr

And then also, even more excitingly, the sink / fridge / shelf / spicerack that would have been originally in place:


Screen Shot 2012-12-17 at 20.13.26 by iancleary, on Flickr

I'd LOVE to get my hands on these... needless to say, if anyone knows of where I could buy these or would like to sell these items to me... inbox me ASAP :msn4:

 

[marcher]

nice to see another Riviera.

ave a look at my thread, few extra photos

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33762&hilit=riviera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[fire3500]

nice to see another Riviera.

ave a look at my thread, few extra photos

http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33762&hilit=riviera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice thread! I am coveting your interior... and struggling with my standard ride height... I had the bus jacked up to do the oil cooler seals a couple of days ago (more on that soon...) and spent a good five minutes admiring it with its chin on the floor :msn4:

 

[fire3500]

Oil cooler seals are fun then... managed to get them swapped out but as always there was good and bad to discover:

Good: the oil cooler seals were as hard as hell and were leaking
Bad: so was every other seal
Good: didn't have to pull the engine
Bad: fanhousing is fiendish on a type 4
Good: many original VW stamped parts that looked undisturbed from new
Bad: looks like they all need gaskets!

So after this job and before EBI at the end of June, I'm looking at a motor overhaul...


IMG_3624 by iancleary, on Flickr


IMG_3622 by iancleary, on Flickr

 

[fire3500]

Attention was today turned to the interior of the van. I got a Westy wardrobe from Audix on here and have given it a bit of love and attention to freshen it up.

It's fitted now!


IMG_3678 by iancleary, on Flickr

Makes the interior look more "proper" to my eyes, even though it's the "wrong" wardrobe. It's still not a show-winning item but was affordable and will tide me over until I manage to locate a proper Riviera one... it turns out that the Westy one is about 2" narrower than a Riviera one, and has a different rear profile. I'm going to have to improvise for a rear shelf too... on the plus side, it has the placing for a hammock bunk to live on the top.


IMG_3680 by iancleary, on Flickr

I have secured the curtain for now using self-adhesive pads and the original hanger wire... I think I need a board though as the plaid looks wonky and that bugs me.


IMG_3683 by iancleary, on Flickr

I'm seriously thinking about having a go at making a Riviera wardrobe myself... :shock:


IMG_3675 by iancleary, on Flickr

My bedding lives in that "suitcase" looking thing. I got it from Ikea and it's the perfect size for a double duvet, a fitted sheet and a couple of pillows. It sort of goes with the interior too. Best thing about it is that it folds completely flat when the bedding is in use and so it's totally out of the way!

The wardrobe was a bit of a wanted item as I "live" in the bus during the working week... I work in London and it's cheaper than hotels, however I had nowhere to hang my shirts. I am an Urban Pikey... :msn4:

All in all, I think it's starting to look quite cosy in there now


IMG_3682 by iancleary, on Flickr

 

[fire3500]

And the kids have given the bus a name... he is now "Derek". I'm sure that my boss will be very flattered, as he's also Derek.

 

[fastwagens]

very clean. im jealous.

 

[fire3500]

Raised the roof this morning to take a few snaps for a fellow Riviera owner who needed some shots of the roof mechanism... it's given me a feeling that the canvas needs a bit of love. The zips are buggered on the flaps and the mesh is a bit sad looking. It's functional for now but doesn't look especially cool.

I saw a nice van at Brighton Breeze that had matching curtains and poptop canvas in a "Paul Smith" stripy kind of a material... looked great and I coveted that a bit. I have the original yellow canvas right now and it's right for the van but doesn't match any other part of the colour scheme. I'm also quite convinced that there must be some kind of possibility for modern materials to include some sort of insulation that would keep things cosy in the van when the flaps are zippered shut. You really notice the drop in temperature right now when the Propex is chugging away and the roof is raised. Not always unwelcome as it gets quite toasty in there with the roof down... but nice to be able to have the roof up for headroom and still keep the temperature where it's wanted!


Pop Top by iancleary, on Flickr


Roof Mechanism by iancleary, on Flickr


Untitled by iancleary, on Flickr

 

[lobie]

Raised the roof this morning to take a few snaps for a fellow Riviera owner who needed some shots of the roof mechanism... it's given me a feeling that the canvas needs a bit of love. The zips are buggered on the flaps and the mesh is a bit sad looking. It's functional for now but doesn't look especially cool.

I saw a nice van at Brighton Breeze that had matching curtains and poptop canvas in a "Paul Smith" stripy kind of a material... looked great and I coveted that a bit. I have the original yellow canvas right now and it's right for the van but doesn't match any other part of the colour scheme. I'm also quite convinced that there must be some kind of possibility for modern materials to include some sort of insulation that would keep things cosy in the van when the flaps are zippered shut. You really notice the drop in temperature right now when the Propex is chugging away and the roof is raised. Not always unwelcome as it gets quite toasty in there with the roof down... but nice to be able to have the roof up for headroom and still keep the temperature where it's wanted!


Pop Top by iancleary, on Flickr


Roof Mechanism by iancleary, on Flickr


Untitled by iancleary, on Flickr

lovely bus dude

i had same problem with my devon pop top so i had some termomat material left so cut it to size taped edges with duct tape and it fits in a treat and keeps kids warm when in bunks

 

[fire3500]

Thanks for that Lobie! Great idea, and certainly should cut down on the chills! 8)