The Wheel Saga is over...

...I think (fingers-crossed).

It seems the TSW Montage deal just isn't going to happen. Availability issues at the factory have forced me to rethink the wheel choice. As the van is both mine and my partner's (she's in it more than I am), the wheel choice has to be a joint decision - and as is usually the way - everything I like, she hates. Everything she likes, I think is god-awful! All part of a happy relationship I suppose.

I've always had a big thing for BBS alloys; great heritage and tradition for making a wheel of high quality and performance - the choice of many German tuning companies, Porsche and several F1 teams. With the added bonus of investing in a wheel that will hold a certain amount of value, unlike many after-market alloys.

In particular I've been drawn to the BBS CH in satin black with stainless steel rim edge:

I pointed out a set of 'look-alikes' whilst at Bustypes and Mrs. Stone174 was like 'hmmm, they're okay?', which means she doesn't really like them :)

After explaining the features and benefits to fitting a BBS wheel she seemed to warm (slightly), which means I'm washing-up for months and doing jobs around the house like fitting a new towel rail in the bathroom!!!

So they're ordered. The factory in Germany have them in stock and they are being shipped to the very helpful Rimstyle in two weeks for tyre fitting and balancing, then they are sent out (free of charge due to the whole TSW mess-around) with bolts, lockers and any other items required for fitting.

We'll be keeping the steel wheels for winter as the North Yorkshire roads are laden with salt for four months of the year, plus the standard tyres will probably deal with the conditions better than the low-profiles.

So, expect excited blog-posts and loads of photos of them fitted, soon! They should be with us just after the Stanford Hall show in another weeks' time.

Show report - Bustypes 2010

Over the years Bustypes has steadily grown into quite a sizeable show. We arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and found ourselves a reasonably sized camping spot, enough to accommodate us and the vans of five other friends.

It is the first big 'weekend' show for us and a chance to get away for a couple of nights, see a bit of the show, take a trip into Oswestry and generally chill-out from the day-to-day stresses.

This year we were treated to fantastic dry, sunny weather with chilly nights, pretty much perfect. There seemed to be more T4s than ever as well as an increasing number of good-looking T5s - another opportunity to scout-around looking at wheel options.

I'd highly recommend a trip to Bustypes if you've never been before; it's a great family show with a good vibe, loads to see, do and spend your money on! See you there next year - no doubt it will be busier than ever!

Mail order frustration

There's not much progress to report on the van at the moment - we're waiting on initial sketches from Campershak and saving money at the same time too.

The wheel dilemma has ground to halt, so I thought I would start sourcing various elements for the interior build; sink/hob unit, lighting, electrics etc.

There seems to be a current trend amongst online stores that they seem to be fearful of telling you an item is 'out of stock' - to a point I can understand - lots of people are desperate for your money. But surely it is more damaging to lead you to believe an item is in stock only to later find out is in a container somewhere between China and the UK?

The first time this happened I put it down to bad luck (by this point the company had taken my money), the second time (different company) I emailed first and admired their honesty, the third time (different company again) the order was taken over the phone to double-check items are in stock. Which they were.

Now they're not.

I'm starting to think nobody has anything in stock. Wheels have to be made to order and shipped from Italy (I think), stereo equipment is in France somewhere, lighting is living the life on the ocean waves, and fingers-crossed the new bed foam should arrive later this week.

Although I'm not convinced.

The lesson learned here is never trust a website alone, speak to a human being and find out for definite if an item is really available. Most online retailers will take seconds to take money from your account, then lazily take a month to repay on any cancelled orders.

Is this really the price I have to pay when shopping around?

Stereo install - stage one

Another milestone has been reached today - installing the head unit bought just after Christmas with the kind, seasonal donations from family and friends.

The unit is a Kenwood DDX-5024, a standard, double-din sized stereo that has radio, CD, DVD and MP3 capabilities straight out of the box. I've also added a Kenwood Multimedia iPod lead through to the glovebox - the iPod is then controlled on-screen and has the ability to view a video-source direct from the iPod.

First off was to remove the VDO single-din unit:

Why Volkswagen ever fitted this as standard is beyond me... it would never hold a radio station, essential up here in the Yorkshire Dales, it left us constantly retuning to the strongest signal - reluctant to find it of it's own accord. It is now for sale, make me an offer and it's yours. The single-din storage slot, shown above the stereo, is also for sale if any requires one.

Next up is to make sense of the wiring, have a brew, nothing too daunting:

The wiring loom supplied with the Kenwood unit was well marked up and came with easy-to-follow instructions. The one thing we missed during install was the feed from battery to the unit's memory, but as it will be coming out again to re-wire to the leisure battery, this is only a minor inconvenience.

A few other bits of wiring whilst everything is apart:

In the glovebox is the iPod adapter and an extra 12v outlet. The outlet is to run the TomTom - the cable goes back through the dash and out through the tray on top of the dash - no more unsightly cable running from the ashtray to the windscreen. Note also the 'extras' on the Kenwood loom about to be stuffed back into place.

I kept everything attached to back of the Kenwood unit - later provisions for the adding of a reversing camera, TV tuner etc. Also at this stage I've added RCA interconnects to go to a rear-mounted amp and its associated switch-wire. These have been run under the rubber floor and are currently residing under the driver's seat until the rear cupboards are fitted.

Finally, slide the head unit in:

I've got to say I'm really happy with the results - radio reception is much better for starters, the built-in amplifier seems to 'drive' the front speakers much better than the old VDO unit, there's now a much better stereo 'image'.

The user-interface and iPod control is a doddle to use on the touch-screen. Picture quality on DVD playback is nothing short of perfect.

All-in-all, a great way to end a bank-holiday weekend. Stay-tuned (pardon the pun) the next stages of install.

Thanks must once again go to the endless talents of JC at JC Motors for help with fitting. His services come highly recommended.

StoneCruiser - part five

The final build-up is complete.

There are a few temporary bits to complete the build at this stage - I'll be changing the pedals and seatclamp at a later date.

It rides really nice, very comfortable and relaxed. No brakes means there's no point in hurrying anywhere - making for a sweet, chilled-out ride.

Right, time to get back to the van, I hope you've enjoyed this minor diversion...

StoneCruiser - part four

So the build-up begins; wheels, bars and kick-stand go on first. I'm doing my utmost not to scratch the paintwork - there are already a couple of spots to touch-up!

I'm loving how the wheels, whitewalls and frame colour go together, although out in daylight the paintwork isn't a perfect match for the van. It's close, just not absolutely the right shade. This doesn't bother me too much as a perfect-match might have looked a bit twee.