I was lucky enough to perch the van on the end of a friend's trade plot and seemed to have a regular stream of admirers and enquirers all day long. I took a few pics (not many) and uploaded them to Flickr here.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Show report: VW Festival 2010
I was lucky enough to perch the van on the end of a friend's trade plot and seemed to have a regular stream of admirers and enquirers all day long. I took a few pics (not many) and uploaded them to Flickr here.
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Stereo install - stage two
After finally stringing two clear weekends together I've managed to finish the wiring install to the rest of the stereo setup. The old T3 was all about big bass and very little in the way of refined listening pleasure (so much bass that Mrs. Stone174 used to feel a bit queezy), so the new install had to be a little different.
Everything has been toned down to quite mild levels and as such, the sound quality is massively improved. The system consists of the head unit; a Kenwood DDX-5024, as explained in this previous post. Hooked up to the standard VW front speakers and tweeters, then linked though the back to a Kenwood KAC-8404 600w amplifier.
This four channel amp then drives two KFC-X693 6x9 3-way speakers through two dedicated channels and runs the slimline KFC-WPS1000F subwoofer bridged across the other two channels.
All these items (except the head unit) were purchased from JustKenwood.co.uk
Using the sound balance provided through the head unit it is possible to fill both the cab and rear of the van with sound at just the right level - there's loads of top-end coming from the VW tweeters in the dash which is now balanced out with just enough punchy bass from the sub.
Because the wiring sits in and around the under-seat storage, I have used electrical trunking cut to length to route the cabling - this minimises the risk of unplugging something whilst lifting items in and out:
It may not be the wildest stereo setup in the world but it is more than capable of drowning out hours of motorway noise on long journeys. As well as plenty of entertainment when parked up at shows and campsites.
Everything has been toned down to quite mild levels and as such, the sound quality is massively improved. The system consists of the head unit; a Kenwood DDX-5024, as explained in this previous post. Hooked up to the standard VW front speakers and tweeters, then linked though the back to a Kenwood KAC-8404 600w amplifier.
This four channel amp then drives two KFC-X693 6x9 3-way speakers through two dedicated channels and runs the slimline KFC-WPS1000F subwoofer bridged across the other two channels.
All these items (except the head unit) were purchased from JustKenwood.co.uk
Using the sound balance provided through the head unit it is possible to fill both the cab and rear of the van with sound at just the right level - there's loads of top-end coming from the VW tweeters in the dash which is now balanced out with just enough punchy bass from the sub.
Because the wiring sits in and around the under-seat storage, I have used electrical trunking cut to length to route the cabling - this minimises the risk of unplugging something whilst lifting items in and out:
It may not be the wildest stereo setup in the world but it is more than capable of drowning out hours of motorway noise on long journeys. As well as plenty of entertainment when parked up at shows and campsites.
Happy Flapping!
Another small detail on the list of must-haves were a set of mudflaps:
On a practical level they're handy for keeping some dirt and road tar off the sides of the van and (hopefully) will keep some of the dirt from accumulating on the rear screen (no rear wiper).
On a visual level they have seem to lower the body lines slightly giving the van a more 'squat' appearance.
They're direct from Volkswagen and quality feels good in both the mudflap and the brackets. Ideal for the wet summer we seem to be having!
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| Click pic for bigger version |
On a visual level they have seem to lower the body lines slightly giving the van a more 'squat' appearance.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Just a warning...
I think the van might be trying to tell us something - on Friday it didn't want to go to Ikea after work - result!
It did this by flashing the glow plug warning light at us.
A quick glance in the handbook shows that this warning code suggests we should proceed directly to our nearest qualified VW technician. No good when they're all closed!
So instead of a trip to the Swedish flat-pack emporium, we cruised carefully home fearing the worst. In this case 'the worst' could be anything from a faulty brake-light switch to a dying turbo. So that's anywhere between a £5 part and £1,000 repair bill.
First thing Saturday morning saw a quick trip to Aire Valley Workshop, our local independent VW specialist, who quickly diagnosed the fault - brake-light switch - phew! But you should never ignore your warning lights...
So we've got one on order and will be fitting it next weekend. Along with a replacement for the faulty rear number plate lamp and a full set of VW mudflaps.
And we made it to Ikea on Sunday morning - joy!
It did this by flashing the glow plug warning light at us.
A quick glance in the handbook shows that this warning code suggests we should proceed directly to our nearest qualified VW technician. No good when they're all closed!
So instead of a trip to the Swedish flat-pack emporium, we cruised carefully home fearing the worst. In this case 'the worst' could be anything from a faulty brake-light switch to a dying turbo. So that's anywhere between a £5 part and £1,000 repair bill.
First thing Saturday morning saw a quick trip to Aire Valley Workshop, our local independent VW specialist, who quickly diagnosed the fault - brake-light switch - phew! But you should never ignore your warning lights...
So we've got one on order and will be fitting it next weekend. Along with a replacement for the faulty rear number plate lamp and a full set of VW mudflaps.
And we made it to Ikea on Sunday morning - joy!
Sunday, 25 July 2010
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!
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:
Sunday, 18 July 2010
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!
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!
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