With the forthcoming colour-coding work only a few weeks away, I've started a new section on the blog with parts for sale - I'll be adding more soon.
Check it out here.
Cheers,
Richard
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Saturday, 19 May 2012
The expensive sidelight bulb...
If there's one job I hate doing on the T5 it's changing the bulbs in the headlight unit. Maybe the designers at VW have an extra joint in their fingers but it's something I find nigh-on impossible to do.
In the past I've usually taken Halfords up on their 'we-fit' offer and let them struggle, but last weekend whilst passing a local garage, Mrs. Stone174 fluttered her eyelashes and asked them kindly to change a faulty sidelight bulb.
All was well until 'ping' the old bulb fired out of the mechanic's fingertips and into the light unit:
Cue my OCD kicking into overdrive... how can I live with this?! To retrieve the bulb the headlight unit will have to come out. To get the headlight out the bumper has to come off...
...remember two years ago I discussed colour-coding the van?
Well now seems as good a time as any. So a few emails were fired off to Merseyspeed - the guys I'd always had in mind for this job.
We visited their new workshop and chatted with the very knowledgeable Alex about all things T5, paint, bumpers, headlights, options, other jobs, prices, and before we knew it a list had grown into a full-on project.
With Merseyspeed being a real 'one stop shop' for van modifying, it was decided (after much decision and shopping around) that the change from lowering springs to coilovers will be made whilst the van is in for the cosmetic upgrade. This should see the front sitting a little lower - and the back sitting a little more level than at present!
So what is the plan? How will the front end look?
I'm keeping quiet on this one for now but one thing is certain - when I set out to build a camper 'without compromise', I meant it!
Oh, and one other thing - to add to my OCD - not only are we driving around with a bulb rolling around in the headlight...
...we now have a silver filler cap too!!!
Well, there's only one way to match Stone Blue and that's to leave something with the painter!
PS: they didn't charge us for the new sidelight bulb.
In the past I've usually taken Halfords up on their 'we-fit' offer and let them struggle, but last weekend whilst passing a local garage, Mrs. Stone174 fluttered her eyelashes and asked them kindly to change a faulty sidelight bulb.
All was well until 'ping' the old bulb fired out of the mechanic's fingertips and into the light unit:
 |
| There it sits. Taunting me... |
...remember two years ago I discussed colour-coding the van?
Well now seems as good a time as any. So a few emails were fired off to Merseyspeed - the guys I'd always had in mind for this job.
We visited their new workshop and chatted with the very knowledgeable Alex about all things T5, paint, bumpers, headlights, options, other jobs, prices, and before we knew it a list had grown into a full-on project.
With Merseyspeed being a real 'one stop shop' for van modifying, it was decided (after much decision and shopping around) that the change from lowering springs to coilovers will be made whilst the van is in for the cosmetic upgrade. This should see the front sitting a little lower - and the back sitting a little more level than at present!
So what is the plan? How will the front end look?
I'm keeping quiet on this one for now but one thing is certain - when I set out to build a camper 'without compromise', I meant it!
Oh, and one other thing - to add to my OCD - not only are we driving around with a bulb rolling around in the headlight...
...we now have a silver filler cap too!!!
Well, there's only one way to match Stone Blue and that's to leave something with the painter!
PS: they didn't charge us for the new sidelight bulb.
Monday, 7 May 2012
Show report: NOT Stanford Hall 2012
The British weather system is one of the finest and most varied systems in the world - nothing too extreme, but just about every variation of weather type can be had in the UK. Just occasionally though, the rain can be a real annoyance. Last weekend's Big Bang at Santa Pod raceway was abandoned early on the Sunday morning due to high winds, rain and water-logging... with the riverside location of Stanford Hall just a few miles away and seven days later it was always going to be in doubt.
An email arrived on Friday morning from the organisers announcing the inevitable; postponed due to the stately home (understandably) not wanting their pristine grounds churned up by a thousand campervans.
So what to do with our group of campers? How and where do you put seven (already packed) vans and occupants eager to camp for the Bank Holiday weekend...? After a few frantic phone calls, texts and a bit of Facebooking we were all booked on at The Yorkshire Hussar campsite at Markington near Ripon. Off we go...
The weather miraculously played ball, allowing for outdoor cooking and dining before the cold clear skies forced us indoors. The campsite itself was pleasant enough (although a few too many static caravans for my liking) and they had kindly given us a tree-lined row of plots, most with electric, so we could camp as a group.
Sunday provided yet more sunshine so a visit to the Lightwater Valley theme park only a few miles away pleased the kids in the group, large and small.
Thankfully Stanford Hall has been rescheduled for the 1st July when hopefully things should have dried out. This last-minute weekend did a great job of lifting the spirits, blowing away some cobwebs and finally getting some fair-weather camping in. Fingers-crossed normal service will resume shortly!
An email arrived on Friday morning from the organisers announcing the inevitable; postponed due to the stately home (understandably) not wanting their pristine grounds churned up by a thousand campervans.
So what to do with our group of campers? How and where do you put seven (already packed) vans and occupants eager to camp for the Bank Holiday weekend...? After a few frantic phone calls, texts and a bit of Facebooking we were all booked on at The Yorkshire Hussar campsite at Markington near Ripon. Off we go...
The weather miraculously played ball, allowing for outdoor cooking and dining before the cold clear skies forced us indoors. The campsite itself was pleasant enough (although a few too many static caravans for my liking) and they had kindly given us a tree-lined row of plots, most with electric, so we could camp as a group.
Sunday provided yet more sunshine so a visit to the Lightwater Valley theme park only a few miles away pleased the kids in the group, large and small.
Thankfully Stanford Hall has been rescheduled for the 1st July when hopefully things should have dried out. This last-minute weekend did a great job of lifting the spirits, blowing away some cobwebs and finally getting some fair-weather camping in. Fingers-crossed normal service will resume shortly!
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