So it's a Merry Christmas to all Stone174 readers! We're spending our first couple of nights under the pop-top roof during the break so will report back on how it goes...
Monday 24 December 2012
Santa brings bags of joy
I don't get to play with them until February, but the struts are built and delivered to iKustoms ready for the big install.
So it's a Merry Christmas to all Stone174 readers! We're spending our first couple of nights under the pop-top roof during the break so will report back on how it goes...
So it's a Merry Christmas to all Stone174 readers! We're spending our first couple of nights under the pop-top roof during the break so will report back on how it goes...
Sunday 23 December 2012
Santa brings wheels
Okay so he's a few days early! A big part of the new modifications in 2013 will be the wheels - my reasons for selling the BBS were several; I was getting fed up with the fiddly cleaning regime, I was concerned that the new suspension setup may have been compromised with a wide tyre and not-so-'tuck'-friendly offset, and most importantly, I was concerned that the load rating on the tyres wasn't enough in the eyes of the law.
Maybe that's me growing up (ten years ago I probably wouldn't have bothered) but it was starting to niggle that, god-forbid, we were in an accident; in the eyes of either police or insurance, one look at the load rating might have landed us in seriously deep water.
So to combat this situation, a full complement of brand new Sportline alloys have been ordered. Along with correctly rated tyres (fitted and balanced), VW bolt covers, and a set of locking bolts - all brilliantly arranged and shipped by Banwy Vans in South Wales.
There's a bit more profile to these tyres too so I'm hoping they'll be a bit comfier than the 19's. They should wear better too and give a little better fuel economy. the only thing left to decide is whether to add a 'hotrod' inspired thin red band to the tyres...
Maybe that's me growing up (ten years ago I probably wouldn't have bothered) but it was starting to niggle that, god-forbid, we were in an accident; in the eyes of either police or insurance, one look at the load rating might have landed us in seriously deep water.
So to combat this situation, a full complement of brand new Sportline alloys have been ordered. Along with correctly rated tyres (fitted and balanced), VW bolt covers, and a set of locking bolts - all brilliantly arranged and shipped by Banwy Vans in South Wales.
There's a bit more profile to these tyres too so I'm hoping they'll be a bit comfier than the 19's. They should wear better too and give a little better fuel economy. the only thing left to decide is whether to add a 'hotrod' inspired thin red band to the tyres...
Saturday 15 December 2012
Taking things to another level
So I guess you're thinking 'where does Stone174 go from here? - the van looks pretty sorted and perfectly fit for purpose as a campervan'. Well, as a closet-perfectionist, there's still loads of little details that I'm not happy with. One big detail that isn't to my liking is the suspension, time for the whole story...
When first taking the van over to Merseyspeed to discuss the colour-coding/facelift options, I mentioned that I was looking to swap the -40mm H&R lowering springs for coilovers. My reasons were that I wanted some adjustment in the front to lessen the gap between wheel arch and tyre, and to sit the (now slightly driver's-side heavy due to interior) van completely level - it was about an inch or so out at the back.
Coilovers are ideal for this as you can simply wind up or down each corner until everything sits perfectly level. I had done some research and was about to commit my hard-earned to Bluebird Customs for a set of Gaz coilovers when Merseyspeed offered us a deal on a set of Prosports with free fitting, seeing as the van was in for so much work.
Why didn't I listen to my own mantra of 'buy cheap, buy twice'? The Prosports were great for approx 200 miles when, after traversing a large speed bump at less than 5mph, the fronts seemed unsettled. Since then they have creaked, groaned and clonked in protest. I've had them checked-out in-situ and everything looks and feels fine, but it seems the spring just isn't seating correctly - just a few minutes research on the forums and it seems there's a whole batch of T5 owners on Prosport coilovers with exactly the same symptoms.
I don't blame Merseyspeed for this, they had fitted sets before without complaint. But I'm now forced to look at other options when they should have been a fit-and-forget item.
So in the true Stone174 style of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, here comes the solution...
Remember in old posts I used to say this was to be a 'no compromise' van. It has to be air ride. To begin with I started to repeat the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mantra (don't worry readers, I'm not going mad) and the research started. There's quite a few companies offering a variety of setups, some better than others, some with a good reputation, some that are obviously 'budget' and some that are in the realms of lottery winners. Whilst I was keen not to make similar mistakes as with the coilovers, I have had my eye on one setup that stands out amongst all the others - Accuair - and with the announcement of a very special add-on being released just as I have the funds to fit air, made it all the more an obvious choice.
All air ride setups consist of the same component parts; bags and struts, compressors, tank and valves, and a management system. One great feature of fitting this to a T5 is that it all mounts externally underneath and can be unbolted and transferred to the next van if required. No welding, no chopping.
Bags and struts
High durability 2-ply double convoluted air springs help provide both a comfortable ride at driving height and maximum drop when aired out. Compression fittings are used to ensure a reliable leak free seal when used with 6mm or ¼ inch DOT nylon air tubing.
The front strut is fully threaded to maximize adjustability similar to that of a coilover. You can easily adjust for maximum drop or for maximum comfort at driving height by simply loosening the lower lock collar and turning the damper and air spring assembly up or down, perfect to dial-in a sweet stance. The strut has a 12 click adjuster for damping and rebound.
Compressors, tank and valves
Using 2x 480 compressors and a 5 gallon tank will allow the bags to quickly replenish. The T5 won't be a dancing lowrider seen in music videos! As with any compressed air system, water tends to collect over time. The setup will have inline water traps that can be easily emptied by raising the van up to the highest setting and reaching in and draining. The valve unit is the element that sits in the middle between management and bags to distribute air to each corner - Accuair's is one of the best there is.
Management
This is the 'brain' of the setup. The absolute killer feature of the Accuair setup is that it 'knows' where each corner is at any given time - other systems work on calculating the air pressure at each corner, good but not precise. Pushrods and level sensors feed information back to the management system to keep the van at a pre-set constant. You could load a washing machine into one corner of the van and it would re-level to suit.
The e-Level touchpad (which will be somewhere on the dash) gives total control and three pre-sets;
90% full - this is almost like stock ride height
Drive height - a nice useable lowered setting
Low cruise - perfect for running low on the motorway where steering input is limited.
Then press and hold the 'all-out' button for five seconds to drop the van when parked.
Down the right hand side of the touchpad is a set of controls for individual adjust; both front up or down, both rear up and down, plus individual corner tweaking - this will be ideal for uneven campsites!
And the special add-on I mentioned? How about a replica of the touchpad on your iphone - yes please!
Here's a little demonstration:
The final component in the whole setup is possibly the most important of all - they guy who fits it (no pressure!). For this task I've chosen to go with iKustoms. For a number of reasons; firstly, they've had their own T5 running this setup so are familiar with it. Geographically they aren't a million miles away, like a lot of others offering Accuair. And finally, they are good people who take pride in everything they put their name to - from the very first email I've had nothing but sound advice, all my questions answered - and there have been some questions! - and a genuine excitement for getting the van in and starting the transformation.
Nut-cracked? I hope so. The struts are paid-for and are being built at the moment, I'll keep you informed of the other elements during the build up to the big day - the van goes in early February 2013 - and hopefully some in-progress pics will be up whilst the van is in.
When first taking the van over to Merseyspeed to discuss the colour-coding/facelift options, I mentioned that I was looking to swap the -40mm H&R lowering springs for coilovers. My reasons were that I wanted some adjustment in the front to lessen the gap between wheel arch and tyre, and to sit the (now slightly driver's-side heavy due to interior) van completely level - it was about an inch or so out at the back.
Coilovers are ideal for this as you can simply wind up or down each corner until everything sits perfectly level. I had done some research and was about to commit my hard-earned to Bluebird Customs for a set of Gaz coilovers when Merseyspeed offered us a deal on a set of Prosports with free fitting, seeing as the van was in for so much work.
Why didn't I listen to my own mantra of 'buy cheap, buy twice'? The Prosports were great for approx 200 miles when, after traversing a large speed bump at less than 5mph, the fronts seemed unsettled. Since then they have creaked, groaned and clonked in protest. I've had them checked-out in-situ and everything looks and feels fine, but it seems the spring just isn't seating correctly - just a few minutes research on the forums and it seems there's a whole batch of T5 owners on Prosport coilovers with exactly the same symptoms.
I don't blame Merseyspeed for this, they had fitted sets before without complaint. But I'm now forced to look at other options when they should have been a fit-and-forget item.
So in the true Stone174 style of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, here comes the solution...
Remember in old posts I used to say this was to be a 'no compromise' van. It has to be air ride. To begin with I started to repeat the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mantra (don't worry readers, I'm not going mad) and the research started. There's quite a few companies offering a variety of setups, some better than others, some with a good reputation, some that are obviously 'budget' and some that are in the realms of lottery winners. Whilst I was keen not to make similar mistakes as with the coilovers, I have had my eye on one setup that stands out amongst all the others - Accuair - and with the announcement of a very special add-on being released just as I have the funds to fit air, made it all the more an obvious choice.
All air ride setups consist of the same component parts; bags and struts, compressors, tank and valves, and a management system. One great feature of fitting this to a T5 is that it all mounts externally underneath and can be unbolted and transferred to the next van if required. No welding, no chopping.
Bags and struts
High durability 2-ply double convoluted air springs help provide both a comfortable ride at driving height and maximum drop when aired out. Compression fittings are used to ensure a reliable leak free seal when used with 6mm or ¼ inch DOT nylon air tubing.
The front strut is fully threaded to maximize adjustability similar to that of a coilover. You can easily adjust for maximum drop or for maximum comfort at driving height by simply loosening the lower lock collar and turning the damper and air spring assembly up or down, perfect to dial-in a sweet stance. The strut has a 12 click adjuster for damping and rebound.
Compressors, tank and valves
Using 2x 480 compressors and a 5 gallon tank will allow the bags to quickly replenish. The T5 won't be a dancing lowrider seen in music videos! As with any compressed air system, water tends to collect over time. The setup will have inline water traps that can be easily emptied by raising the van up to the highest setting and reaching in and draining. The valve unit is the element that sits in the middle between management and bags to distribute air to each corner - Accuair's is one of the best there is.
Management
This is the 'brain' of the setup. The absolute killer feature of the Accuair setup is that it 'knows' where each corner is at any given time - other systems work on calculating the air pressure at each corner, good but not precise. Pushrods and level sensors feed information back to the management system to keep the van at a pre-set constant. You could load a washing machine into one corner of the van and it would re-level to suit.
The e-Level touchpad (which will be somewhere on the dash) gives total control and three pre-sets;
90% full - this is almost like stock ride height
Drive height - a nice useable lowered setting
Low cruise - perfect for running low on the motorway where steering input is limited.
Then press and hold the 'all-out' button for five seconds to drop the van when parked.
Down the right hand side of the touchpad is a set of controls for individual adjust; both front up or down, both rear up and down, plus individual corner tweaking - this will be ideal for uneven campsites!
And the special add-on I mentioned? How about a replica of the touchpad on your iphone - yes please!
Here's a little demonstration:
The final component in the whole setup is possibly the most important of all - they guy who fits it (no pressure!). For this task I've chosen to go with iKustoms. For a number of reasons; firstly, they've had their own T5 running this setup so are familiar with it. Geographically they aren't a million miles away, like a lot of others offering Accuair. And finally, they are good people who take pride in everything they put their name to - from the very first email I've had nothing but sound advice, all my questions answered - and there have been some questions! - and a genuine excitement for getting the van in and starting the transformation.
Nut-cracked? I hope so. The struts are paid-for and are being built at the moment, I'll keep you informed of the other elements during the build up to the big day - the van goes in early February 2013 - and hopefully some in-progress pics will be up whilst the van is in.
Sunday 9 December 2012
In the mood...
Regular readers will know I've added quite a bit of lighting throughout the van. It's all LED and SMD (Surface Mount Device) Lighting sourced from either Ikea or eBay.
Having seen a few forum members fitting footwell 'mood' lighting, I decided to give it a go. The idea in principle behind discreet footwell lighting is that on a long night journey there is less fatigue by having a second point of vision other than on the road - but it has to be a fine balance so as not to distract from the job in hand - driving!
They look a lot brighter (and a bit too purple) in the photos. In reality they are quite a subtle blue hue. Just two 300mm strips are creating the light in the pics. I've used a permanent live from the leisure battery so they can be left on whilst camping or hooked-up.
Others have wired their lights in directly to the headlight switch so that they come on with the sidelights and headlights. I personally wanted the option to switch them off at any point so have used a small toggle switch mounted in one of the blanks on the dash.
I'll report back soon on whether they are distracting or do, as suggested, help with night driving.
Having seen a few forum members fitting footwell 'mood' lighting, I decided to give it a go. The idea in principle behind discreet footwell lighting is that on a long night journey there is less fatigue by having a second point of vision other than on the road - but it has to be a fine balance so as not to distract from the job in hand - driving!
They look a lot brighter (and a bit too purple) in the photos. In reality they are quite a subtle blue hue. Just two 300mm strips are creating the light in the pics. I've used a permanent live from the leisure battery so they can be left on whilst camping or hooked-up.
Others have wired their lights in directly to the headlight switch so that they come on with the sidelights and headlights. I personally wanted the option to switch them off at any point so have used a small toggle switch mounted in one of the blanks on the dash.
I'll report back soon on whether they are distracting or do, as suggested, help with night driving.
Under the roof
As promised, time for a few interior shots of the roof (and a few for those on the T5forum that have been asking about the interior).
Here's the roof in the down position; nice and tidy, no masses of canvas on show.
So there we have it, there's still loads of little jobs to do; some fresh lighting is going in soon amongst other things. The camper is now back on the Winter steels until early next year:
I'll be writing a few very-exciting blog posts soon about what is on the cards for early 2013 - as usual, watch this space!
Here's the roof in the down position; nice and tidy, no masses of canvas on show.
 |
| The roof is held down with two simple straps - an ancient method but effective. |
 |
| And in the up position with the front window blind unzipped - loads of natural light! |
 |
| This shot shows how the top of the rear cupboard was trimmed to fit. And the shelf above. |
 |
| Bird's Eye View - a shot impossible to get until now! |
 |
| The sink now has a fully functioning (and shiny) tap to replace the old makeshift one. |
 |
| A little bit of retro in a modern camper |
 |
| Hob placed in front of sliding window for ventilation. |
 |
| Table rail in use |
 |
| Table storage |
 |
| A fairly moderate 5 litre water container is strapped into the cupboard and works with a submersible pump. |
So there we have it, there's still loads of little jobs to do; some fresh lighting is going in soon amongst other things. The camper is now back on the Winter steels until early next year:
 |
| Not as nice to look at but far more functional at this time of year. |
I'll be writing a few very-exciting blog posts soon about what is on the cards for early 2013 - as usual, watch this space!
Saturday 1 December 2012
Sunshine power
Whilst it may have seemed in short supply this year, sunshine has to be one of our greatest methods of 'free' power; I've already had a surprising amount of interest in the solar panel bonded to the new roof, so here's a little more info.
The panel is a 95watt flexible unit from Amperor Associates. Measuring in at a touch over 800mm square, the unit is a mere 4mm in thickness making it absolutely ideal for this location. Being flexible allows it to stand up to any subtle movement in the roof and can be mounted to a surface that may not be absolutely flat. It is extremely robust and totally weatherproof, being bonded to the roof means it should be fairly theft-proof as well - the same can't be said of the thicker, bolted-on units.
The panel feeds into a small solar-regulator hidden next to the leisure battery. This takes the maximum 25v input from the panel (on a very sunny day!) and feeds a maximum charging current of 4.6amps to the battery. Ideal for leaving a laptop, camera or mobile phone charging.
So I guess all we need now is some sunshine? Although the panel works remarkably well in average daylight.
The panel is a 95watt flexible unit from Amperor Associates. Measuring in at a touch over 800mm square, the unit is a mere 4mm in thickness making it absolutely ideal for this location. Being flexible allows it to stand up to any subtle movement in the roof and can be mounted to a surface that may not be absolutely flat. It is extremely robust and totally weatherproof, being bonded to the roof means it should be fairly theft-proof as well - the same can't be said of the thicker, bolted-on units.
The panel feeds into a small solar-regulator hidden next to the leisure battery. This takes the maximum 25v input from the panel (on a very sunny day!) and feeds a maximum charging current of 4.6amps to the battery. Ideal for leaving a laptop, camera or mobile phone charging.
So I guess all we need now is some sunshine? Although the panel works remarkably well in average daylight.
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