Morning all!
Medium term member, new owner here! I have been lurking on the forum for a few years whilst we searched for our own project van whilst borrowing my father in laws peppermint green LWB campervan T6 'Minty' for some adventures with the family.
About 6 months ago we decided to finally take the plunge and buy own own van for conversion. After a lot of searching we found what looked like a brilliant twin slider TDI but it fell through at the last minute. But then fate struck and 'Eric' appeared!
Living down in Brighton and walking to school or cycling to work meant the dreaded EQR/DPF issues were frankly terrifying given all we would really be doing was short journeys. We thought a TSI was the way forward but knew how rarely they came up. Then a lovely guy down in Devon listed our now-van on eBay and after much back and forth (whilst the guy entertained my hundreds of questions whilst he was on a sun lounger in the Canary Islands) we took the plunge and after a 11 hour round trip we were the proud owners of what is for us, the perfect van.
The base spec of this van is frankly dream spec for us - T32 Mojave Beige T6, TSI, DSG, Adaptive Cruise Control, comfort dash, CarPlay, twin electric sliders and electric tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, LED front and rear lights. I don't think we would ask for more to be honest, and it makes those long camping trips seem less scary when we can travel in such safety and comfort. The seller also included a bike rack, and homemade bed panel in case we wanted to escape straight away.
Originally prepared and sold by Oli and the team at @BognorMotors we felt our van also had everything we needed to get our project off the ground - factory spec rear quarter glass, insulation and carpeting throughout, under seat sub, rear speakers, twin front swivels, suede headliner with spotlights. It also came with some nice 20"alloys H&R anti roll bars and B14's so we feel like we have a great base for our style of conversion. I had worked with @BognorMotors a year or two ago to get some upgrades completed on my father in laws van whilst he was away in New Zealand and thought Simon down there was great to work with. Their parts, communication, approach and workmanship were excellent so knowing they prepped that vehicle was a really good sign for us, and we due to work with them more in just a couple of weeks.
Why twin electric sliders?
We are a one car household and sold our well loved and missed mk7 Golf GT estate to make this project happen. Whether its really necessary or not we felt a twin slider would just give us more flexibility and practicality with a 6 year old son in the back. The electric sliding is just a treat, which I will no doubt curse when they go wrong! But as we knew a camper conversion was always the main aim I liked the options that opened up! Sure we lose a cupboard if we want use of both doors, but we wont be living in the van, so a little compromise here and there meant we could still achieve our overall vision. We are also looking at twin awning rails so we can put our Vango air awning one side, and a Stitches & Steel tarp awning the other for BBQs and sundowners.
That engine
It still puts such a grin on my face that we have the lump from a Golf GTi in our VAN! It pulls like a train. It has a Revo stage 1 remap so not far off 300hp. And I have a few plans to make it even better. The MPG hurts the old wallet a little but our annual mileage is so low its fine in the long run.
Wheels, tyres and suspension
So the van came with TSW 20" allows originally fitted by @BognorMotors which I really love! Sadly the tyres are all over the place but I was able to make sure this was reflected in the purchase price. We have 101's up front and 107 in the rear, which as a T32 is being changed next week. And the rears are 285 wide! Paul at Bognor couldnt believe they cleared the inner arch during our health check and inspection the other week. They are absolute monsters but not right for the direction we are going. At some point the B14's fitted by Bognor in 2018 have been replaced too and the suspension is not right for what we need, but more on that later.
Why Eric Van Dynamite?
We let our 6 year old name the van, having named my father in laws T6. He loves a series of books called Grimwood (huge recommendation for all the parents out there btw!!) and they are narrated by a woodlouse called Eric D Dynamite. He laughed for 20 mins when he realised he would swap the D for a V, and make it stand for Van, so thats it - we have a project name! This whole thing is about family, adventures and memories for us, so it only seems right be gets to choose! The Instagram is up, and we will start sharing soon!
Plans
So here's the exciting stuff. We love camping, try to do festivals each summer, head to the beach loads and I have that 17 year old Lee Ford Fiesta (*cough cough* sorry) itch I never quite finished scratching. So I have been working with Simon and Paul at @BognorMotors and I think we have something pretty unique and cool in the works. I don't want to give too much away around the specifics but were along the lines of poptop, sliding bed, kitchen, new alloys & suspension and some styling options. Hopefully in a few weeks I can show you phase 1, and phase 2 will be ready by mid-July. Were not going for a show vehicle, just 20% more than usual and something we can have fun with at a show, meet, festival or campsite. Nothing special right? Watch this space...!
I'm excited to share our journey with you all, and anyone in the Brighton/Sussex/South Coast area/s I would love to get some summer meet ups going if anyone is up for it?
Medium term member, new owner here! I have been lurking on the forum for a few years whilst we searched for our own project van whilst borrowing my father in laws peppermint green LWB campervan T6 'Minty' for some adventures with the family.
About 6 months ago we decided to finally take the plunge and buy own own van for conversion. After a lot of searching we found what looked like a brilliant twin slider TDI but it fell through at the last minute. But then fate struck and 'Eric' appeared!
Living down in Brighton and walking to school or cycling to work meant the dreaded EQR/DPF issues were frankly terrifying given all we would really be doing was short journeys. We thought a TSI was the way forward but knew how rarely they came up. Then a lovely guy down in Devon listed our now-van on eBay and after much back and forth (whilst the guy entertained my hundreds of questions whilst he was on a sun lounger in the Canary Islands) we took the plunge and after a 11 hour round trip we were the proud owners of what is for us, the perfect van.
The base spec of this van is frankly dream spec for us - T32 Mojave Beige T6, TSI, DSG, Adaptive Cruise Control, comfort dash, CarPlay, twin electric sliders and electric tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, LED front and rear lights. I don't think we would ask for more to be honest, and it makes those long camping trips seem less scary when we can travel in such safety and comfort. The seller also included a bike rack, and homemade bed panel in case we wanted to escape straight away.
Originally prepared and sold by Oli and the team at @BognorMotors we felt our van also had everything we needed to get our project off the ground - factory spec rear quarter glass, insulation and carpeting throughout, under seat sub, rear speakers, twin front swivels, suede headliner with spotlights. It also came with some nice 20"alloys H&R anti roll bars and B14's so we feel like we have a great base for our style of conversion. I had worked with @BognorMotors a year or two ago to get some upgrades completed on my father in laws van whilst he was away in New Zealand and thought Simon down there was great to work with. Their parts, communication, approach and workmanship were excellent so knowing they prepped that vehicle was a really good sign for us, and we due to work with them more in just a couple of weeks.
Why twin electric sliders?
We are a one car household and sold our well loved and missed mk7 Golf GT estate to make this project happen. Whether its really necessary or not we felt a twin slider would just give us more flexibility and practicality with a 6 year old son in the back. The electric sliding is just a treat, which I will no doubt curse when they go wrong! But as we knew a camper conversion was always the main aim I liked the options that opened up! Sure we lose a cupboard if we want use of both doors, but we wont be living in the van, so a little compromise here and there meant we could still achieve our overall vision. We are also looking at twin awning rails so we can put our Vango air awning one side, and a Stitches & Steel tarp awning the other for BBQs and sundowners.
That engine
It still puts such a grin on my face that we have the lump from a Golf GTi in our VAN! It pulls like a train. It has a Revo stage 1 remap so not far off 300hp. And I have a few plans to make it even better. The MPG hurts the old wallet a little but our annual mileage is so low its fine in the long run.
Wheels, tyres and suspension
So the van came with TSW 20" allows originally fitted by @BognorMotors which I really love! Sadly the tyres are all over the place but I was able to make sure this was reflected in the purchase price. We have 101's up front and 107 in the rear, which as a T32 is being changed next week. And the rears are 285 wide! Paul at Bognor couldnt believe they cleared the inner arch during our health check and inspection the other week. They are absolute monsters but not right for the direction we are going. At some point the B14's fitted by Bognor in 2018 have been replaced too and the suspension is not right for what we need, but more on that later.
Why Eric Van Dynamite?
We let our 6 year old name the van, having named my father in laws T6. He loves a series of books called Grimwood (huge recommendation for all the parents out there btw!!) and they are narrated by a woodlouse called Eric D Dynamite. He laughed for 20 mins when he realised he would swap the D for a V, and make it stand for Van, so thats it - we have a project name! This whole thing is about family, adventures and memories for us, so it only seems right be gets to choose! The Instagram is up, and we will start sharing soon!
Plans
So here's the exciting stuff. We love camping, try to do festivals each summer, head to the beach loads and I have that 17 year old Lee Ford Fiesta (*cough cough* sorry) itch I never quite finished scratching. So I have been working with Simon and Paul at @BognorMotors and I think we have something pretty unique and cool in the works. I don't want to give too much away around the specifics but were along the lines of poptop, sliding bed, kitchen, new alloys & suspension and some styling options. Hopefully in a few weeks I can show you phase 1, and phase 2 will be ready by mid-July. Were not going for a show vehicle, just 20% more than usual and something we can have fun with at a show, meet, festival or campsite. Nothing special right? Watch this space...!
I'm excited to share our journey with you all, and anyone in the Brighton/Sussex/South Coast area/s I would love to get some summer meet ups going if anyone is up for it?
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Thinking of getting the Alpines front speakers but tempted by the even more expensive Gladens 
