Hi Guys,
I'm new to the early bay scene after buying a van earlier this year. I've been lurking on this forum for a while now, thought it was about time I introduced myself and shared a few pics. A few of you might have seen my van before, I know that Matt Keene (previous owner) had used it a few times in magazine articles for various things he'd done to it whilst he had it.
It's an October 67 Westy with loads of hens teeth stuff and lowered by Matt with air ride suspension and Porsche brakes and rims. I've kept the logos that Matt had put on the van for his business because I think that they look pretty cool alongside the patina that the van had in spades, and I'm more than happy to fly the flag for airkraft! Making sure that I keep it well waxed; it's hard work keeping the aged look whilst keeping the rust at bay.
I've not done much to the van yet, aside from fitting inertia reel seat belts in the front and rear to try keep the family as safe as possible in a 40 year old van! My eldest (5) has a three point belt & booster seat on the window side and I have a car seat that works with just a lap belt on the cupboard side. Not sure what I will do in a year or so when my daughter (3) is too big for the car seat, doesn't seem as though anyone yet has come up with an ideal way to put a second 3 point belt into the back of a westy. It's hard to know what to do with a van that I think already looks like the dogs whatsits; I'm hoping that I will become inspired as I get to know it better and will be able to put my own mark on it, but with such a van I think that there's a real danger of making it look worse!
That said, under the covers I'm planning on changing the 1600TP for a 1776 and upgrading the gearbox for better cruising, adding a custom exhaust and putting an automatic fire extinguisher into the engine bay. Hoping to get all that done by early summer. Might think about a leisure battery, but with the two camping trips we've done already there doesn't really see a lot of need - not been away for long enough to need a coolbox running off the battery yet and shops are never too far away! Also, the air tank for the suspension is where the leisure battery would usually go!
Hoping to use the van quite a bit over the summer, planning on trips to Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and France. The kids absolutely love sleeping in the van, daughter in the cab bunk and son in the pop-top bunk. I was a bit nervous on the first trip that despite (or because of) all their excitement the kids wouldn't sleep, but camping is definitely the best way to knacker them out and guarantee they sleep soundly!
Don't have many photos yet, but here are a few of the van from our last trip.
We're based in South Lincolnshire. Hope to bump into some of you whilst camping over the coming months: always happy to share a beer and talk about vans / cars / motorbikes / etc.
Regards,
Karl
I'm new to the early bay scene after buying a van earlier this year. I've been lurking on this forum for a while now, thought it was about time I introduced myself and shared a few pics. A few of you might have seen my van before, I know that Matt Keene (previous owner) had used it a few times in magazine articles for various things he'd done to it whilst he had it.
It's an October 67 Westy with loads of hens teeth stuff and lowered by Matt with air ride suspension and Porsche brakes and rims. I've kept the logos that Matt had put on the van for his business because I think that they look pretty cool alongside the patina that the van had in spades, and I'm more than happy to fly the flag for airkraft! Making sure that I keep it well waxed; it's hard work keeping the aged look whilst keeping the rust at bay.
I've not done much to the van yet, aside from fitting inertia reel seat belts in the front and rear to try keep the family as safe as possible in a 40 year old van! My eldest (5) has a three point belt & booster seat on the window side and I have a car seat that works with just a lap belt on the cupboard side. Not sure what I will do in a year or so when my daughter (3) is too big for the car seat, doesn't seem as though anyone yet has come up with an ideal way to put a second 3 point belt into the back of a westy. It's hard to know what to do with a van that I think already looks like the dogs whatsits; I'm hoping that I will become inspired as I get to know it better and will be able to put my own mark on it, but with such a van I think that there's a real danger of making it look worse!
That said, under the covers I'm planning on changing the 1600TP for a 1776 and upgrading the gearbox for better cruising, adding a custom exhaust and putting an automatic fire extinguisher into the engine bay. Hoping to get all that done by early summer. Might think about a leisure battery, but with the two camping trips we've done already there doesn't really see a lot of need - not been away for long enough to need a coolbox running off the battery yet and shops are never too far away! Also, the air tank for the suspension is where the leisure battery would usually go!
Hoping to use the van quite a bit over the summer, planning on trips to Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and France. The kids absolutely love sleeping in the van, daughter in the cab bunk and son in the pop-top bunk. I was a bit nervous on the first trip that despite (or because of) all their excitement the kids wouldn't sleep, but camping is definitely the best way to knacker them out and guarantee they sleep soundly!
Don't have many photos yet, but here are a few of the van from our last trip.
We're based in South Lincolnshire. Hope to bump into some of you whilst camping over the coming months: always happy to share a beer and talk about vans / cars / motorbikes / etc.
Regards,
Karl
