Innehållsförteckning för Issue 81 från VWt

Having grown up with the air-cooled VW scene, I’m used to finding old Bugs and Buses whenever I venture abroad. In fact, I can’t think of a foreign destination I’ve visited that hasn’t had at least some kind of classic VW scene. “a coastal town without a T5 or T6 seemed quite alien to me” However, the same cannot be said for VW Transporters, as I recently learned on a trip to the US of A. Driving along Route 66 and covering hundreds of miles along the Pacific Coast Highway, I couldn’t help but think about my trusty Transporter. As I drove through some of the best coastal towns and regions imaginable, there were campers (R/Vs in American parlance) parked up everywhere, yet in a little over 2,000 miles we…

If you want to drop an early T4 like this one by more than 40-50mm, you’ll find the suspension is limited by the bump stop on the upper shock mounting bracket. Riding on the bump stops isn’t much fun and go too far trimming, or remove the rubber stop altogether, and you’ll notice a pretty nasty ‘bang’ when you hit a pothole as the top suspension arm contacts the return lip on the upper shock mounting plate (shown in the red circle in the pic above). You can grind back this lip to reduce the chance of contact but, if you want your Van really slammed, you might want to consider slim line, sheet metal replacement shock plates such as these shown below, available from Shane Phillips at Scarface Lowriders…

Kettle on? As usual, two sugars no milk, ta – and any biscuits gratefully received. So this month I’ve been mostly thinking about cleanliness – after all, it’s next to godliness, right? Now, if you ask any of my mates, they’ll tell you cleanliness is not a word normally used when describing yours truly. Hedge monkey or tramp would probably be more appropriate. However, I’d hope that no such disparaging remarks would be aimed at my cars, for I’m a bit of a clean car connoisseur. Truth is, I love cleaning cars. In my world there’s no better job than cleaning and detailing one of my, or anyone else’s, rides. Quite simply, it makes me happy. “to win, you’ve got to get the sponge out” I’ve been lucky enough over…

• Piña Chelada Chelada is basically beer with ‘clamato’, salt and lime. Clamato is a portmanteau of clam and tomato – yep, clam broth (!), tomato juice, spices and MSG… with beer. Yum! • The message He wasn’t the friendliest of folk… • Rusty Gold It may be beyond salvation but it would make a great piece of yard art • Road trip! Yeah, I ‘got my kicks’, an’ all that jazz • Hard Chargin’ Dropped in at Welderup and fell for this Charger with chain-driven (!) twin superchargers • Across the pond The UK and US Van scenes are quite different…

Calor cooler? Dear VWt, I recently purchased a cooler box powered via the 12V cigarette lighter socket in my part-converted ’92 T4. On the plus side, it kept our sandwiches and drinks cool on our recent trip to Cornwall, but once parked up it drained my battery dead flat in just a couple of hours, resulting in a four-hour wait for a jump start from a popular recovery service. The recovery guy said he’d lost count of the number of times he’d been called out to jump start vehicles drained flat by similar coolers and suggested replacing it with a Calor gas-powered unit. I just wondered if you thought this was the best solution before I blow a chunk more cash on a replacement cool box? Helen Simpson via email…

I initially purchased my T30 for work (I’m an electrician by trade) but, as time went on, it became less about work and more about play. It started out as a regular Black Pearl, 140bhp, six-speed Kombi, but I soon had it remapped to 180bhp and fitted a Milltek exhaust system to liven things up a bit. Once I’d decided it was time to stop using it for work and turn it into a Day Van / family tourer, I set about revamping the interior, starting by insulating and lining it, then fitting LED mood lighting in the rear and a leisure battery plus 240V hook up so I can run the onboard entertainment system at shows. “it now sits just right over the 9.5 x 20in deep dish split…

Y Yeah, yeah, lamb is great, but don’t underestimate the beef kofte. In fact, we often mix and match lamb and beef kebabs as the VWt crew have varied tastes but, as it’s just me taking the photos, you’re getting beef this month! perfect for first timers or campers in a hurry This is a really simple recipe that’s perfect for first timers or campers in a hurry. Preparation time is minimal, there’s no overnight marination and, with a battery-powered kebab rotisserie (as used last month with the chicken skewers) they’ll self-cook while you enjoy a beer. Sounds good, right? Before you start, a couple of tips. Around £4 will buy you 500g of good quality beef mince, but don’t choose the super lean stuff as a bit of fat…

Dear VWt, I need to replace the door speakers in my 2005 T5 as they’re shot. I’m fitting a new Pioneer head unit, so can you recommend replacement speakers that will fit without serious modifications and hopefully sound a lot nicer than the rattly originals! Rich Martin via email VWt: How about something like the 6.5in Optisound component speaker kit by Vibe? It’s  rated at 270W peak (90W RMS), includes wiring and will bolt straight into your Van with no issues. Priced at around £150, you can pick the VW Vibe kit up from outlets such as Halfords.…

The holiday resort of La-Tranche-sur-Mer is an old port on the Atlantic coast in the south of the Vendée region of France. Despite being only about 290 miles from Cherbourg, or 420 from Calais, its peculiar micro-climate means it enjoys a climate more commonly associated with the far south of France. There are over 20 campsites in the close vicinity and the sleepy local town has a distinctly Mediterranean feel with white painted houses and narrow streets, which come to life in the holiday season of July / August. There are local markets during the week and at weekends, enough restaurants, crêperies and ice cream parlours to keep the whole family happy and a good selection of shops and art galleries. For activities and excursions, La Tranche-sur-Mer is a watersports…

As many of you will already know, lowering a T4 a ‘sensible’ amount is pretty straightforward. If you want a serious slam job like some of the ’4s we’ve had in the mag in recent times, you’re looking at a much more complicated job, and that’s perhaps something we’ll cover in more detail a future issue. This month, though, we’re looking at what is involved in effecting a mild drop and fitting uprated dampers, which we’ve had quite a few enquiries about recently. The Van in the pictures is an early T4 California. Given the additional weight of the camping interior, especially when loaded and with the water tanks full, the handling was a little wayward and there was a fair amount of roll when cornering. As this one had…

I really like these beefy kofte kebabs. They’re quick, easy and full of flavour. A bit like me. So this month I’ve opted for a craft ale to accompany them by the name of Pathmaker. I’ve even donned my prosthetic woollen beard for this one so I look more like the editor, Goo and the Teaboy (aka the bearded hipsters / tramps). It also means I look more like the guy on the beer can, too. Facial hair gags aside, the Pathmaker Pale Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery is brewed from Chinook hops, which provide a big, bold yet slightly bitter finish. It’s a malty mouthful and works well with Pete’s beefy kofte. If that all sounds a bit too manly for you, fear not for next month the…