Right ladies and gents i have taken the plunge and bought a 1972 vw camper. Anybody any advice about how to drive these type of vehicle.
thanks
Mike
Edited by Pugugly on 28/05/2008 at 21:47
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no advise i'm afraid but please enjoy it , my next doors got one ive never heard it running yet (3 years)
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I used to drive the van version of one of these a long time ago. It was the warehouse hack for a company I used to work for in the summer months. Actually they are pretty easy to drive. Not enough power to get you into any real bother. They will however, understeer like a witch on a greased broomstick if you get them on a surface like wet cobbles or setts though. This is immediately followed by vicious breakaway oversteer if you do manage to find any front grip before it stops. Just take it easy and it'll be fine as you really have to be 19 and driving your boss's one unobserved to achieve the drama described. Think of it as a severely underpowered 911 which has been at the pies and needs a suspension rebuild and .......well.... you get the picture !
Have fun !
Edited by Shoespy on 28/05/2008 at 20:03
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No direct experience as such, but back in the 70's my dad hired one (the crew bus type), and I seem to remember him struggling during windy weather - no weight on the front!
Have been subsequently told this is the reason why the spare wheel is often put on the front.
S6 1SW
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Condition is every thing with these if body engine and brakes are ok then thats a good start one company I can recomend is Just Kampers who I have used for bits and pieces for friends vans and I can say parts are easy to come by than a lot of modern vehicles.
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Regardless of the service history of the vehicle, take it to a VW aircooled specialist and get the fuel lines checked. More Beetles and Type 2s have been destroyed by faulty/leaking lines than by crashes, I'd wager. My own came very close and was only saved by my very fast recognition of the problem.
Have a nose round www.volkszone.com for some real knowledge of the vehicles.
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Apparently you wind down the windows to top-up the coolant on these! - Griff Rhys-Jones was driving around the Pennines on BBC 2 in an "L" reg one tonight, seemed to have to shout encouragement at it to get it to the top of the hills, at the head of a "Crocodile" of "modern" cars!.
Billy
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And remember to take a compass with you to find the gears - our '72 van had more wander in the gearstick than a tribe of nomads.
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And remember that,unlike the Beetle,you can't drive them foot on the floor forever-geared down rear hubs!
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And remember that unlike the Beetle you can't drive them foot on the floor forever-geared down rear hubs!
No, it's only the split (front) screen VW vans that have the reduction boxes on the rear hubs, bay window vans after 1968 have semi trailing arm suspension so they get the increased ground clearance more easily.
As said elsewhere, take your time when driving, 60mph is about it for cruising speed but VW van drivers seem to smile more than any other driver so it must be good for you!
Body condition can swallow tens of thousands of pounds if it's rusty, a brand new replacement engine is £1000 so that's less critical. I agree with replacing all fuel lines, use the woven covered fuel hose and proper fuel clamps, not these worm drive things. There's a steel fuel pipe that goes forwards from the engine through the sheet metal ducting and this should have a rubber grommet. It'll have perished and fallen out so put one in TODAY as this is a common place for chaffing and fuel leaks.
If you fit a fuel filter in the engine bay, make sure it's clamped and not just left to hang in the fuel line. Vibration from here can loosen the brass pipe from the carb or fuel pump, pumping raw fuel onto the engine.
Service interval is every 3000 miles but it's very cheap. Do the valve adjustment when the engine is dead cold, replace the rocker gaskets if required, clean the oil strainer, change the oil for good 20-50W, gap the points, change the plugs. Having a VW plug spanner makes this easy, the one from your socket set will probably be too long, too short, too big or have the ratchet in the wrong place.
The 1.7 or 2 litre (Type 4) engine gives easier cruising but don't get carried away with going too fast, you're still going to be blown all over the road anyway so just make the most of being able to climb hills more easily.
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the engine is dead cold replace the rocker gaskets if required clean the oil strainer change the oil for good 20-50W gap the points change the plugs. Having a VW
Idealy you should use a sraight 30 SAE oil and change every 3K without fail
Ive had 4 of these over the years more smiles per mile than anyother car on the road.
Be wary of on any major engine DIY repairs make sure all engine compartment tin ware is in place and not rusty and holed.
They should hold a steady 55 to 60 without too much problems
BUT mainly just enjoy :)
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Idealy you should use a sraight 30 SAE oil and change every 3K without fail
This is a bit like asking what sort of beer you like, everyone's different. They were designed for straight 30W but modern oils are a lot better. My modified 1641cc engine is on 20-50 and is very happy. As I said, it's down to what you prefer. As long as you change it every 3000 miles you can almost run it on orange squash. If you can get it in 2.5 litre bottles....
If you're a complete newbie to old VWs, John Muir wrote an excellent book in the late 60s called How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive (a guide of step by step procedures for the complete idiot), it's a very good read and on about it's 20th reprint so still available today. You'll be happily doing valve adjustments before you know it!
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Same driving style as a car with caravan. Drive as slowly as you can, particularly on winding single-carriageway roads and you must never pull in to let other traffic past.
However, on motorways, particularly in high cross-winds, you must drive as fast as you can to encourage loss of control of this relatively high and slab-sided vehicle. unfortunately, with the old VW camper this loss of control is much less likely to happen than with a caravan or one of the more modern and much taller campervans.
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Get some warm clothes if you intend to use it in winter.
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When I passed my test in 1983 one of the vehicles in the family fleet was a VW camper and I spent a couple of summers bumming around Dorset in it. It was great for taking loads of mates to concerts, the beach etc.
Ours was a more recent, probably 1975, bus with a 2 litre engine so you could cruise at 70mph but otherwise you just have to take it easy, enjoy the bus-driver driving position, admire the view and the sound of the engine.
More recently we had Toyota Estima which had a similar driving position but not quite the same spirit as the old Vee Dub.
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Well you did drive the vehicle before you boughtit?
After 40 yrs with VW's air and water cooled just 3 tips
The car was designed for 1970's motoring
Always check the oil level, use good quality oil and changed every 4k
Stick to 55-60mph and give the car arest on motorways ansd when the temp is over 20C
These engines are fine but No3 cylinder run hot
Enjoy the waves from other campers
Join a VW caamper club go to shows to pick up spares etc etc
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Just remember it's not as quick as a Commer!
Do make it as easy as possible for faster vehicles to get past when you can
Above all enjoy the classic camper experience
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Please drive very carefully. A friend working in A&E in the 70s reckoned a head-on in one of these and its goodbye vienna. Remember there is nothing between you and the concrete, no engine, no crash protection, and no airbags. So drive very defensively and enjoy the retro experience.
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If you have cable TV check out Discovery Turbo for a programme called 'Campervan Crisis'.
They often show the whole series of 6 shows back to back.
It will give you an interesting insight into what you have let yourself in for!
I've driven one briefly - slow, dodgy brakes and no power steering, but it was fun!
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The campervan crisis camper was a splittie, ie up to 67. OP has a Bay window model.
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I've driven one briefly - slow dodgy brakes and no power steering but it was fun!
Some versions had a brake servo which helped the pedal feel quite a lot, Bay Window vans have disc brakes up front and large drums at the back so the brakes should be good (for the time!) as long as the components are in good condition.
No power steering but doesn't need it either? My old VW has 195 tyres on the front and I can still steer with one finger even at 1mph. It's very easy to steer with one hand when stationary.
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No idea but I'm jealous of you.
Saw a gorgeous splitty in Norfolk recently. Totally unlike any other vehicle on the road and so much character than the hoards of Euroboxes about at present.
My dream would be to drive one around Britain and see all these amazing places that Titchmarsh, Griff Rhys Jones and Dimbleby visited on their various TV quests
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had a split windscreen back in the 70"s -wish I had it now. Drove all nigh from Hertfordshire to Pembrokshire with family asleep in the back-no heating and was it cold!! Drove straight down onto the beach at St.Davids. My tip is do npt ever be in a hurry.If you have a good one then never sell it. Completely different driving experience.
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I've driven its 'big brother' (LT35) quite a bit & the T3 too - one point not touched upon so far is the rather marvellous feeling of sitting (virtually) over the front wheels. When turning left or right, there's a real swingy feeling as you're practically at the end of a pendulum- don't know why I liked it, but there you go. The bus-like driving position was really relaxing for me - the steering motion is more aking to panning-for gold than the steering feel on a modern vehicle.
Don't forget also, that the steering is very low geared , so when pulling out & turning left or right - plenty of twirling is required. My 'technique' when turning left/right from stationary was to start twirling, give a short burst of 1st gear, disengage clutch , rapid twirl, partially straighten-up, 2nd gear. The (relatively) long wheelbase to overall length means extra care on corners to avoid kerb-crunching (or worse!) too.
Edited by woodbines on 29/05/2008 at 16:41
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Was on a geography field trip in one
With a young female teacher driving
Went down a long hill
Through a not very deep ford
Out other side
Half way up another steep hill
Looses traction on the driving wheels and it stops going forwards
Starts going backwards (wheels spinning trying to drive it forwards)
And it slides back downhill into the middle of the ford
Absolute classic adventure
But not the kind of thing Id want to drive
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My Dad had 2 of these. A 1971 Type 2A followed by a 1978 Type 2B. The later one I actually drove as I had just passed my test. A very strange driving experience compared to the Maxi which we also had at the time, as you sit slightly ahead of the front wheels. The heater never worked properly so it used to ice up inside during the winter, but it was great for transporting 8 people to the pub!
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Hi, I've just bought a 1971 bay type 2 and find the steering very heavy and a bit scare if I oversteer, very difficult to get back under control, is this normal??
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