What Have You Done To Your Van Today?

[Sasquatch]

@Snakelimit

All done. It was a bit of a fornicator as two of the holes emerge inside the tailgate behind reinforcers, but taping nuts to the end of spanners and gingerly inserting them while twiddling the bolt from above (and a s***pot full of swearing) got me there in the end.



Put a smear of Sikaflex 221 under the top 'clamp' and behind the lower flange. This stops shifting and creaking, and prevents water ingress via bolt holes.

I'll let the Sika cure for 48hrs then mount the spare. Mine is on 18s and the spare is still a 16, so when I get back from next week's camping trip I'll source a bigger tyre with a deeper sidewall to match the outer diameter of the road wheels/tyres

 

[Snakelimit]

@Snakelimit

All done. It was a bit of a fornicator as two of the holes emerge inside the tailgate behind reinforcers, but taping nuts to the end of spanners and gingerly inserting them while twiddling the bolt from above (and a s***pot full of swearing) got me there in the end.

View attachment 281626

Put a smear of Sikaflex 221 under the top 'clamp' and behind the lower flange. This stops shifting and creaking, and prevents water ingress via bolt holes.

I'll let the Sika cure for 48hrs then mount the spare. Mine is on 18s and the spare is still a 16, so when I get back from next week's camping trip I'll source a bigger tyre with a deeper sidewall to match the outer diameter of the road wheels/tyres

Looks mint where you got that spare holder from?
I plan remove mine and put water tank under slug then do same as yours

 

[Sasquatch]

I got mine from this fine establishment.

UB Rear Door Spare Wheel Carrier V2 - VW T5 / 6 / 6.1 - UBERBUS Components

Spare wheel carrier for tailgate and barn door VW T5-T6.1. UB Wheel carrier V2- fitting instructions

uberbuscomponents.com

The price is fair considering how solid it is, and it comes with all the required fixing.

You'll need uprated tailgate struts. Following @T6ChrisO 's example I went for the TransporterHQ struts at just over £30, and excellent they are too.

I already have a water tank, I just fancy the overland swamper look. To be fair though, if I ever did have to deploy the spare in the hissing rain at 11pm I'd fair rather not be scrabbling about under the van to access it.

 

[icn05]

Fitted an SAE socket for charging the Bluetti AC180 if needed.

Wired to the load output of the Victron MPPT as per a post by @roadtripper (I think it was!)

 

[T6Norfolk]

This one here
View attachment 281494

Any idea of the part number or where I can get one of these?

 

[Jay-D]

Treating it to a wash only to start it up and have the “only leave vehicle in position p. Visit workshop”, quick search on the forum suggests faulty sensor in gear selector. Far from ideal though, oh well . Anybody have any experience with this, cost to sort etc, I do have extended warranty, but they’ll likely try dodge it.

Update, message and amber warning now gone. I’m sure it’ll return……

 

[T4goneby]

Quick clean before breakfast

 

[roadtripper]

Not directly on the van but using tools and kit bought for the van...

The village hall I help look after has 8 large RGB LED fixtures on the stage that have been giving us issues and we've traced it to the low voltage wiring (we've replaced most of the PSUs already) looks like years of heat have effected them.

So muggins offered to make up some new looms by hand.

8 fixtures turns out to need 48 precision length cables cut and then 240 crimps done, the picture is half of them when I took a breather.

Mild regret has occured and my hands feel like I've been boxing, time for a brew...

 

[Drive Wayne]

Not directly on the van but using tools and kit bought for the van...

The village hall I help look after has 8 large RGB LED fixtures on the stage that have been giving us issues and we've traced it to the low voltage wiring (we've replaced most of the PSUs already) looks like years of heat have effected them.

So muggins offered to make up some new looms by hand.

8 fixtures turns out to need 48 precision length cables cut and then 240 crimps done, the picture is half of them when I took a breather.

Mild regret has occured and my hands feel like I've been boxing, time for a brew...
View attachment 281748

I'd hate to think of your invoiced time to them!

 

[roadtripper]

I'd hate to think of your invoiced time to them!

You never think of that for your own projects and volunteer work do you

The tea and biscuits are free though, and I never have to pay hire rates from family parties, so it works out.

 

[Drive Wayne]

You never think of that for your own projects and volunteer work do you

The tea and biscuits are free though, and I never have to pay hire rates from family parties, so it works out.

My dear departed Dad used to say 'people respect you as much as they pay you'! Nobody liked him! Tea, biscuits and free hire sounds fair!

 

[chimpusmaximus]

Fitted a F43 awning today, not impressed that much with quality of awning and the instructions were crap. They did not consider that they sell two different lengths awnings in the F43 class.

Overall it feels cheap and the plastic flimsy. Fitting could be far simpler if they had just pre drilled two holes and accounted for two different lengths in the instructions. Also the trapped nuts that hold part of the awning rail mounts stripped out. They seem to be cut down rev nuts and lacked more than 1 or 2 turns thread. Gaps present in the case and don't feel like it's going to last years.


Gaps in back of casing

Threaded inserts, we replaced with full rivnuts

 

[Sasquatch]

No untoward gaps in my F43 van...and no thinly painted alloy end caps to rot either.

Cleaned mine today, started packing it ready for this week's camping jolly.

 

[Drive Wayne]

Fitted a F43 awning today, not impressed that much with quality of awning and the instructions were crap. They did not consider that they sell two different lengths awnings in the F43 class.

Overall it feels cheap and the plastic flimsy. Fitting could be far simpler if they had just pre drilled two holes and accounted for two different lengths in the instructions. Also the trapped nuts that hold part of the awning rail mounts stripped out. They seem to be cut down rev nuts and lacked more than 1 or 2 turns thread. Gaps present in the case and don't feel like it's going to last years.

View attachment 281874
Gaps in back of casing
View attachment 281875
Threaded inserts, we replaced with full rivnuts
View attachment 281876

Too late now, but a good fitting guide video from Combe Valleys guys on the F43 van awning. I have an F45s which weighs in heavier, does that make it more solid? Nasty alloy end caps to contend with on that, but overall I'm happy with the build quality and last year had it reinstalled on a Vamoose rail, the Fiamma direct to van brackets failed on us after a windy episode in Skye last year. I wonder if cost cutting has come into play, both a similar price, probably a more profitable awning for Fiamma?

 

[chimpusmaximus]

I'll feed back a few bits to Fiamma and see what they say. I suspect I'm being a bit negative after a very busy and tiring weekend.

I did see the fitting video but I was using different mounts and on a LWB. It was a matter of working out the distance between the mounts to ensure they were in the correct support area.

 

[T6Norfolk]

Finally got the angle grinder out and switched the audi tt seats over. Did a temp wiring job to a lighter socket plug to get them lined up.

 

[step]

Got our custom Fat Bobs Emporium mats in the Van. Very happy with it, top service from them

 

[dcpen43]

I’m just about to do this too. Did you use press studs all the way round and where did you get them from?

Got them from Amazon and used the short screw thread

 

[dcpen43]

Not a van of my downlights as they are blinding at night so swapped the back two with gooseneck reading lights which have a red night light and usb charging facility