Dellmassive`s Camper Van Adventure

[Dellmassive]

Finaly got around to getting the Hinge/Check Strap on the drivers door fixed.

the new bracket comes Galv costed, and they wanted £300 odd to paint it - so i didnt bother.


not sure i I've got a pic of the old one - but it was basicaly snapped, so didnt hold the door open at all . . . it just swung back and smashed your leggs in. . . . very anoying.



here is the new one. . .














they charged 1h labour to do it @ £120+vat

and £82 for the part & £20 sundries. .



£262 all in.














..

 

[Dellmassive]

they done a video health check - that was nice. . . ..

New video · Wednesday, Feb 18 🎬

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

.

 

[Dellmassive]

Today...... I'll be visiting Steve.

 

[Drive Wayne]

Today...... I'll be visiting Steve.

View attachment 322749

What time are you there matey?

 

[Dellmassive]

-- CRS Performance --


Thank you to Steve, Rob and the lads at CRS performance. - @CRS Performance @BiTurbo

For sorting out my Bus and being such great people and T6Forum Supporters.


but before we get to that bit, lets start at the beginning. . . . . . . .

we bought the van like this, it was a Panel van to Kombi conversion and had already been to CRS for suspension & H&R wheel spacers with the previous owners.




after our conversion and adding in the pop-top, seat swivels, RIB bed, full kitchen, full electrics etc etc we changed the dynamics of the van and the ride become unbearable, hard, crashy and felt like a Go-kart - no fun.

so we tried fixing it cheaply at a local garage by putting a standard set of T32 suspension purchased on the forum, but that went pear shaped as this van is a T30 with different front hubs, so the front assembly's didn't fit.

with the van stuck in the ramps (wooden block, axel stand and a two jacks - back street garage style) we had a problem, so to get us back on the road the garage suggested to get a couple of standard 3rd party OEM equivalent shocks for the front. - which we done.

unfortunately it didn't work out. - we ended up with this.



the front was jacked up, to the point the missus couldn't get in, and the van was now to high to get in ASDA due to the 2.0m barriers.

at this point it was lost. . . . id tried, but failed.

there was only option.

i needed help, and fast . . . . .

At this point i called the @CRS Performance team. They had me booked in the following week, the date was set.





I travelled up the evening before after work and stayed locally a nice pub that was listed on search for sites.... Free nights stay in the car park along with dinner and a couple of beers.



it booked a table and space in the carpark, but as it happens i was the only one there anyway. . . . .

so some food. . . . which was awesome BTW.



and a couple of beers, i was off to bed. (945pm)




Heading over to CRS in the morning, it was great to see Steve & Rob arriving with a smiling faces, we had a quick chat and a cup of tea before the real work got started,


.



I explained my situation with the bus what we had before what we moved on to and what we wanted moving forwards.

My needs were many:
the comfort of OEM
The drop of a Sportline, like my other van.
Higher at the rear than the front.
adjustable height
Comfort, comfort, comfort . . . .
simple right !!!

No problem said Steve will get you sorted out.

A suggested there H&R active suspensions set up.

Within no time at-all the lads had the wheels off, the old out suspension stripped out, disassembled and all the pieces on the floor.





Then come the exciting bit as the new stuff started getting bolted to the van.

Previously the bus had H&r wheel spacers on the needed to come off.



As we were planning to fit the new set of Cantera Amarok alloys that I bought off a Forum Member, . . . . . who delivered them to CRS the day before !!!!

Thank you @CRS Performance for allowing him to drop the wheels off, so I could have them fitted.

There was a slight moment of drama when the new wheels needed standard bolts going on to the hub that I didn't have.... they had a quick rummage round the workshop had a sorted out with a full set of standard wheel bolts.. so thank you again Steve the lads for going above and beyond the call of duty to get me sorted out.




Once the suspension was on and the wheels are fitted and the van was back down on the ground they asked me about my preference for right height and rate angles etc... we decided we're going to go slightly higher at the back to account for additional weight of people on camping kit and went with their recommendation on the front end.



Next up was the extended test drive with Rob... Driving around the local area finding every speed bump and road inperfection we could,

these guys were being serious, . . . . .

they were saying that if I wasn't happy with anything then it could all be taken off and changed for something different - ride height, spring rate, rebound settings, none of it would be a problem. - just as long as i was happy.

To be fair when I first see the van sitting on the floor I was a bit dubious that the rear end looked a bit tight with not enough travel!

BUT,

I have to give it to CRS Performance, they had a spot on... The ride was smooth and the back end with super plush, and sucked up the speed bumps with no issues.

I wasn't just happy - I was impressed and that doesn't happen often. im a tough cookie, and seen it all before !

I was more than happy with the kit the configuration and the setup so we're headed back to the office to get them paid.




Thanks again lads for everything.






Thank you to @Drive Wayne for popping into seeing us and grabbing a cup of tea.

Thank you @garyp1969 for the offered hospitality

We took up some T6Forum merch for the lads as well so if you pop up there you might see some forum cups and forum flags in the workshop.




Parts fitted: we had the new H&R kit plus we needed top mount bearings, Bushes and new drop links to fully compliment the new suspension.

all were on the shelf and ready to go.

So if you want your van sorted, get yourself to @CRS Performance,

Tell them @Dellmassive sent you, and that you are part of the T6forum Family,

and ask Rob for the "Special" - Moka Choka Latee, with Oat milk & Sprinkles. - im sure he will oblige.

Check em out:

++++++++++++++++++++++++

CRS Performance – Specialist Suspension Systems and Tuning

crsperformance.co.uk

Contact Us​

Whether you have a query about services, products, pricing or anything else, we are ready to answer all of your questions.

01543 648689

07469 785932

[email protected]

++++++++++

CRS Performance
Unit 45 Rumer Hill Business Estate
Cannock
WS11 0ET












.

 

[Sackmycook]

Does @Drive Wayne comes as standard for a visit or are you 'the Special One' ?

Great write up. I wonder if they've had a Hightop in ever?

 

[Drive Wayne]

Does @Drive Wayne comes as standard for a visit or are you 'the Special One' ?

Great write up. I wonder if they've had a Hightop in ever?

I'm 15 minutes away and I couldn't wait until Spring Camp to see Dell!

 

[Teldec]

i need a visit there for a 40-50mm drop

 

[JasonW]

Them wheels look nice

Glad it all worked out in the end Lee

Always a top job at CRS.... I'm booked in next week for a mod.

 

[Dellmassive]

i need a visit there for a 40-50mm drop

Give @CRS Performance them a call, and get booked in..... They'll get you fixed up.

 

[Dellmassive]

Them wheels look nice

Glad it all worked out in the end Lee

Always a top job at CRS.... I'm booked in next week for a mod.

Yes, they do. Thanks for selling them and dropping them over to CRS.(They do look good on a T6, and had the right size rubbers too.. 255/45/19 103y)

I've got a other A1 grade set for the other van....with no tyres.... Had them for two years now..... One day il get around to fitting them.

 

[shropschris]

Mega job lads

 

[CAB]

Does @Drive Wayne comes as standard for a visit or are you 'the Special One' ?

Great write up. I wonder if they've had a Hightop in ever?

They do Ducatos and Boxers, the lift has the full unit height above it.

A visit to CRS is almost as essential as the dash rubber

 

[CAB]

They do love taking you over the speed bumps

 

[Dellmassive]

They had an Audi RS4 in there today after me.

an a Ford Transporter!

 

[Dellmassive]

-- CRS Performance --


Thank you to Steve, Rob and the lads at CRS performance. - @CRS Performance @BiTurbo

For sorting out my Bus and being such great people and T6Forum Supporters.


but before we get to that bit, lets start at the beginning. . . . . . . .

we bought the van like this, it was a Panel van to Kombi conversion and had already been to CRS for suspension & H&R wheel spacers with the previous owners.


View attachment 322820

after our conversion and adding in the pop-top, seat swivels, RIB bed, full kitchen, full electrics etc etc we changed the dynamics of the van and the ride become unbearable, hard, crashy and felt like a Go-kart - no fun.

so we tried fixing it cheaply at a local garage by putting a standard set of T32 suspension purchased on the forum, but that went pear shaped as this van is a T30 with different front hubs, so the front assembly's didn't fit.

with the van stuck in the ramps (wooden block, axel stand and a two jacks - back street garage style) we had a problem, so to get us back on the road the garage suggested to get a couple of standard 3rd party OEM equivalent shocks for the front. - which we done.

unfortunately it didn't work out. - we ended up with this.

View attachment 322821View attachment 322822

the front was jacked up, to the point the missus couldn't get in, and the van was now to high to get in ASDA due to the 2.0m barriers.

at this point it was lost. . . . id tried, but failed.

there was only option.

i needed help, and fast . . . . .

At this point i called the @CRS Performance team. They had me booked in the following week, the date was set.





I travelled up the evening before after work and stayed locally a nice pub that was listed on search for sites.... Free nights stay in the car park along with dinner and a couple of beers.

View attachment 322823

it booked a table and space in the carpark, but as it happens i was the only one there anyway. . . . .

so some food. . . . which was awesome BTW.

View attachment 322824

and a couple of beers, i was off to bed. (945pm)

View attachment 322825


Heading over to CRS in the morning, it was great to see Steve & Rob arriving with a smiling faces, we had a quick chat and a cup of tea before the real work got started,

View attachment 322826
.
View attachment 322827View attachment 322828


I explained my situation with the bus what we had before what we moved on to and what we wanted moving forwards.

My needs were many:
the comfort of OEM
The drop of a Sportline, like my other van.
Higher at the rear than the front.
adjustable height
Comfort, comfort, comfort . . . .
simple right !!!

No problem said Steve will get you sorted out.

A suggested there H&R active suspensions set up.

Within no time at-all the lads had the wheels off, the old out suspension stripped out, disassembled and all the pieces on the floor.

View attachment 322830



Then come the exciting bit as the new stuff started getting bolted to the van.

Previously the bus had H&r wheel spacers on the needed to come off.

View attachment 322831View attachment 322832

As we were planning to fit the new set of Cantera Amarok alloys that I bought off a Forum Member, . . . . . who delivered them to CRS the day before !!!!

Thank you @CRS Performance for allowing him to drop the wheels off, so I could have them fitted.

There was a slight moment of drama when the new wheels needed standard bolts going on to the hub that I didn't have.... they had a quick rummage round the workshop had a sorted out with a full set of standard wheel bolts.. so thank you again Steve the lads for going above and beyond the call of duty to get me sorted out.

View attachment 322833


Once the suspension was on and the wheels are fitted and the van was back down on the ground they asked me about my preference for right height and rate angles etc... we decided we're going to go slightly higher at the back to account for additional weight of people on camping kit and went with their recommendation on the front end.

View attachment 322834

Next up was the extended test drive with Rob... Driving around the local area finding every speed bump and road inperfection we could,

these guys were being serious, . . . . .

they were saying that if I wasn't happy with anything then it could all be taken off and changed for something different - ride height, spring rate, rebound settings, none of it would be a problem. - just as long as i was happy.

To be fair when I first see the van sitting on the floor I was a bit dubious that the rear end looked a bit tight with not enough travel!

BUT,

I have to give it to CRS Performance, they had a spot on... The ride was smooth and the back end with super plush, and sucked up the speed bumps with no issues.

I wasn't just happy - I was impressed and that doesn't happen often. im a tough cookie, and seen it all before !

I was more than happy with the kit the configuration and the setup so we're headed back to the office to get them paid.

View attachment 322835View attachment 322836


Thanks again lads for everything.


View attachment 322837View attachment 322838



Thank you to @Drive Wayne for popping into seeing us and grabbing a cup of tea.

Thank you @garyp1969 for the offered hospitality

We took up some T6Forum merch for the lads as well so if you pop up there you might see some forum cups and forum flags in the workshop.

View attachment 322840


Parts fitted: we had the new H&R kit plus we needed top mount bearings, Bushes and new drop links to fully compliment the new suspension.

all were on the shelf and ready to go.

So if you want your van sorted, get yourself to @CRS Performance,

Tell them @Dellmassive sent you, and that you are part of the T6forum Family,

and ask Rob for the "Special" - Moka Choka Latee, with Oat milk & Sprinkles. - im sure he will oblige.

Check em out:

++++++++++++++++++++++++

CRS Performance – Specialist Suspension Systems and Tuning

crsperformance.co.uk

View attachment 322841

Contact Us​

Whether you have a query about services, products, pricing or anything else, we are ready to answer all of your questions.

01543 648689

07469 785932

[email protected]

++++++++++

CRS Performance
Unit 45 Rumer Hill Business Estate
Cannock
WS11 0ET












.

These are the adjusters and paperwork we got with the kit.




.

and the list of parts that were fitted.










.

 

[Dellmassive]

-- Engine bay Consumer Unit (EHU In) --

i had just a straight EHU lead from the engine bay to unbder the passenger seat.

the link was unprotected, and relied on the downstream protection.

not the safest way to do things, but we never used it anyway.

so it was time to sort that out.

Down to screwfix for the good-old-Wylex box a,d two RCBOs.

both have the 30mA RCD, and are double pole.

i got a 10A for the main feed to the van.

and a 6A as a spare - to be used if i decide to fit a IP65 Victron charger in the Plenum changer (a nod to @Deaky on that, as he done it years ago)




a simple enough job,

remove the existing EHU socket,

and replace with the new box and breakers,



i then made up a new 2.5mm Arctic blue flylead to the EHU socket.



i decided to use the Light Bolt as the PE Chassis connection, just to be quick.







once all together the CU fit in nice down there, and the IN socket is floating to make it easier to plug in.




testing it i plugged into the house.. . .



then on the inside we have the tester showing all -s good. . .




two testers in fact , just be sure.




testing the RCD TRIP feature. . . it not only tripped out the RCBO in the engine bay, but also tripped the main RCBO in the house for the sockets !!!

Opps.


++++++++++++++


while i was there i thought id plug the testers into the van sockets that are run from the Victron Inverter


this one showed good. .




as did this one.. . . while testing.



but then moved to check - evey time.

this is because the vans inverter is floating/isolated, and the vans chassis is bonded to the PE earth terminal in the Inverter CU.

i need to go back and check the PE/Nutrual jumper inside the inverter to make sure its set correct.

++++++++++++++++++

A "check" light on a TIS socket tester indicates high earth loop impedance (typically 1.9–92ohms

), meaning the earth connection is weak, inefficient, or faulty. It suggests the circuit may not safely handle a fault, requiring further investigation by a qualified electrician to avoid potential danger
++++++++++++++++++



.

 

[Dellmassive]

-- Removable EHU Charger --

the EHU in the van just connects to one socket under the passenger seat,

this is to be used for one purpose - a a 30A-50A 12v leisure battery charger.

thats it. . . its just there to run the charger that will support the battery bank.

that way its safe and i have no earth switching or messing about with transferer switches.

the mains coms from the isolated inverter, simples.



I've got a couple if these 30A IP22 Victron chargers, so dedided to use on of those.

I've got the big 50A charger, but thats massive, i want something that smallish, that can be velcro`ed into the van and plugged in with quick disconects.





so thats the plan - no much to see realy.



i made up a short 12v lead using silicone 10AWG cable and added a RED keyed Anderson.

- TBF i dont know i didnt just sick with the standard grey andersons all round, as I've set it all up to handle 50A anyway.





we dont need this 90% of the time, so i need it removealble.

roll in the 50mm Velcro - i just love this stuff for quick mockups.


and stuck the charger to the side of the lower seatbase.






and added a couple of cable ties to make it tidier.



the left over slack cable is pushed into the gap down the side of the Roamer SB230 battery

switching it all on for a quick test . .

we get a nice 30A charge that starts dropping as the bank is already full.

so 7.5A 100w at this point.

its not conected to the Victron Cerbo and it has no VE Direct port, but the Cerbo see the extra power and shows it a DC Load.



+++
there was also a FW update for the IP22.




+++


the charger will live there for now, and well test it at Spring Camp.

when i need removing its just a couple plugs and velcro. -

.

 

[Dellmassive]

-- Engine bay Consumer Unit (EHU In) --

i had just a straight EHU lead from the engine bay to unbder the passenger seat.

the link was unprotected, and relied on the downstream protection.

not the safest way to do things, but we never used it anyway.

so it was time to sort that out.

Down to screwfix for the good-old-Wylex box a,d two RCBOs.

both have the 30mA RCD, and are double pole.

i got a 10A for the main feed to the van.

and a 6A as a spare - to be used if i decide to fit a IP65 Victron charger in the Plenum changer (a nod to @Deaky on that, as he done it years ago)

View attachment 323204


a simple enough job,

remove the existing EHU socket,

and replace with the new box and breakers,

View attachment 323205View attachment 323206

i then made up a new 2.5mm Arctic blue flylead to the EHU socket.

View attachment 323207

i decided to use the Light Bolt as the PE Chassis connection, just to be quick.

View attachment 323208


View attachment 323209


once all together the CU fit in nice down there, and the IN socket is floating to make it easier to plug in.

View attachment 323210


testing it i plugged into the house.. . .

View attachment 323211

then on the inside we have the tester showing all -s good. . .


View attachment 323212

two testers in fact , just be sure.

View attachment 323213


testing the RCD TRIP feature. . . it not only tripped out the RCBO in the engine bay, but also tripped the main RCBO in the house for the sockets !!!

Opps.


++++++++++++++


while i was there i thought id plug the testers into the van sockets that are run from the Victron Inverter


this one showed good. .

View attachment 323214


as did this one.. . . while testing.

View attachment 323215

but then moved to check - evey time.

this is because the vans inverter is floating/isolated, and the vans chassis is bonded to the PE earth terminal in the Inverter CU.

i need to go back and check the PE/Nutrual jumper inside the inverter to make sure its set correct.

++++++++++++++++++

A "check" light on a TIS socket tester indicates high earth loop impedance (typically 1.9–92ohms

), meaning the earth connection is weak, inefficient, or faulty. It suggests the circuit may not safely handle a fault, requiring further investigation by a qualified electrician to avoid potential danger
++++++++++++++++++

View attachment 323216

.

View attachment 323217

PE Earth and the inverter . .

The AC output is not isolated from the DC input. The AC output Neutral is connected to chassis/ground.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++









7.3. Installation information floating ground 3000VA and 5000VA modelsGround wire “G“ connects the output neutral to ground. It must be re-positioned to a ‘dummy’ terminal if a floating output isrequired.When a floating output is obtained, the current reading at no load can show an offset of around 100 - 150mA. Also beware that aGFCI (or RCCB) will not function properly.

+++++++

as we are using RCD/RBCOs downstream of the inverter. we need to leave the setting at the factory default. - so the RCD will operate correctly.


if not using any RCD and you want a floating system then the jumper can be moved across.



++++

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Inverter_Smart/106668-Inverter_VE_Direct__Smart_and_SUN-pdf-en.pdf

 

[CRS Performance]

Does @Drive Wayne comes as standard for a visit or are you 'the Special One' ?

Great write up. I wonder if they've had a Hightop in ever?

Yes we have done a few , another odd one was a Knaus. Conversion ,