Two wheels meet four...

One thing that got used a lot on the old van was the bike rack:

So it was only a matter of time before a newer version would be required for the T5. Thanks to family and friends for their birthday donations I have been able to fund a new Fiamma CarryBike:

There was no way I could stretch to the costs of a genuine Volkswagen rack and if I'm being honest, I prefer the look of the Fiamma version - it seems a little less complicated and sits a little lower meaning car park barriers won't be a problem (without a bike on board).

The Fiamma model is simple to put together and equally child's-play to remove and refit to the van when required. The tailgate still functions perfectly and none of the lights or number plate are obscured.
Compared to the T3 version I was surprised at how 'low profile' the T5 version is - the old one seemed to stick out quite a way from the van but this one seems relatively close:

All this makes regular jaunts up into my local forest a whole lot easier. See you out on the trails soon!

The wheels are on!

After another productive weekend, another milestone in the conversion has been reached; the ongoing wheel saga is at an end - here are the results:

Although lowered 40mm all 'round, visually the van looks to be sitting a little high at the front but the body is perfectly level to the ground - I guess it looks a touch different with driver and passenger on board! Maybe the front needs to drop another 10 or 20mm? This will have to wait a while though as funds are running on empty at the moment.

Regular readers will be aware of the difficulties in getting the wheels to this stage, if not, you can read about the wheel dilemma here.

To date there seems to be no discernible difference in ride quality with the lower profile tyres, the steering has weighted-up a touch at low speed but is fine when on the move and there's no 'tram-lining' associated with bigger tyre widths.

Overall rolling diameter is exactly the same as the old 16" steelies so no change to the speedo riding either. These things were all factored in when deciding to go with 19" instead of 20".

I'm really happy with the looks, its true what they say; 'the wheels maketh the car', and I've already had a few glances from the GTi boys and some envious stares from the Transit brigade!

The Interior - A first look...

As usual after a week away; its back to work and memories of a great holiday are quickly forgotten. I'll be taking some more detailed shots of the interior later this week but in the mean-time here's a few shots (taken by Campershak, thanks) to whet your appetite. (Shots are shown without seat/bed foam).

The laminate colour is quite a warm orange, something I was keen to achieve to 'contrast' the light blue exterior.

Rear storage is massive! Great for things like wheel-chocks, barbecues and all the other camping gear that you only need when arriving on-site.

Extra table section for dining and entertaining.

Rear of cupboards finished to same high standard as the rest of the interior.

The Smev double unit had to be symmetrical with the window and lighting above.

You can never have enough storage. The flooring was chosen by Mrs. Stone174 and at first I wasn't keen, but after a week it has really grown on me.

 Worktop was finished in 'dark concrete' laminate to match walls and compliment the woodwork.

Will go into more audio details later...

I'll be blogging all the different aspects of the interior over the next few weeks; electricals, plumbing, cupboards etc.

As you can imagine, we're extremely pleased with Campershak's work.