Project T3

The Projects

It was clear after a short time of buying the bay window that it had grown into a bit of a long term project. We really needed a van to use for the coming show season. I had done Big-Bang in the work van & it was not a good idea! I bought the T3 from South Wales & it drove back faultless. It wasn't long before I started to modify it!


	This is how it looked after I had attacked the dull flat paintwork with the electric polishing mop. I had banged a few dents out & touched in a few big scratches with a brush. I had to repair the rear bumper as the end cap was hanging off! A swift 60mm lowering job & new front shocks made it look & ride a whole lot better! This photo was actually taken in Budel, Holland about a week after I bought the van. The turbo diesel engine is mega efficient. I thought it might be a bit slow, but it's not. We went to Holland & back on about £60 in fuel, so I can't complain.
	I swiped the D90's from the poor old bay window along with the adapters. They look right at home on a later van.
	The whole point of this van was to have it usable. We needed somewhere to sleep at all of the shows we were going to do this year. Last year we did 15 shows. My first job was to convert the rear bench seat into some kind of bed. After a bit of head scratching I came up with a pair of simple brackets. I cut to lengths of stock & welded them into the rear quarter panel.
	I cut the original hinge brackets off of the side of the bench seat & made these simple arms. They are secured with Nylock nuts so they can rotate, but won't work loose.
	Once bolted all together the seat can still fold over flat as is used to, but will also flip over again to make a comfy bed. We made a table out of MDF board & covered it in vinyl top sheet. I made a second table leg of about 30cm long. If you use the short leg, it will then support the bed while it is folded out. We bought a nice piece of foam to use as a mattress. It works very well & is a hell of a lot cheaper than a rock n roll bed.
	The floor was just rubber mats as there was a middle row of seats. The van started its life a mini bus, hence the twin sliding doors & bench front seats. We pulled the rubber mats out & fitted some underlay, then a laminate floor. It was fairly quick & easy to put down & looks great in any van. We bought some cushions to match the van for our comfort, the rug is a nice touch too.
	As we were planning on camping in the van we needed some storage & some way to cook. It is expensive to eat at shows from the trade stands provided. We knocked up this simple cabinet to get us through the season. There are 2 portable mini stoves under the top lid. We have a kettle & sauce pans, so we can cook what ever we like.
	I thought I better repair the rear bumper properly as a new one was silly money. I redid some of the repair, then colour coded it. I managed to pick up a pair of rear light blenders when I was at the Budel show in Holland too. A new set of number plates tidied it up no end too.
	I spotted a neat little trick while traveling to the European shows, there was a very nice T3 from Germany running some cool stuff. It turns out you can use MK2 Golf wiper arms to drop the blades closer to the window rubber. Thes new style wiper blades from Ebay are very cool too. It all looks & works well, but the only down side is the sweep of the wiper is not quite as far as it used to be. It's not a big problem though.
	I bought a lip spoiler in Budel too. These look great on T3's & I just had to have one. I colour coded it along with the front bumper. I blacked up the lower spoiler while the bumper was off. The smoked indicators look good too. Another easy trick mod is the use of Corrado wing mirrors. They need to be modified slightly to get them to sit right, but when colour coded, the look sweet.
	An impulse purchase from Ebay was this Porsche 911 steering wheel. It is simple to modify the indicator cancel peg to work fine on the van. It really looks the part. The van has power steering as standard, so there is no difference the drive.
	VW Action was a great show this year. It was held at Santa Pod for the first time. We had club camping with a big barb-a-que. The van drove faultless there & back. It didn't use much diesel either.
	Just Kampers had a delivery of South African spec lower grilles. I had to wait a while to get this one, but it was worth it. I think they look so much better than the standard short one. So, this is how the van looks now. It will probably stay the same for a while as I need to finish the bay window. I have a set of Porsche teledial wheels for the winter months, but not too many plans until next year...
	Just a quick update. Not much has been done lately as it is ok to use as it is. I have not driven it for a while so thought I would wash it down & take it for a ride out to deliver some parts. It makes a nice change from driving the work van all the time.
	I think it sits just right. It rides really nice on the 60mm lowered Just Kampers springs. It had new shocks at the front when it was done & so far, so good...
	We made it to Budel and back for a second year with no problems. It is still returning good economy too. I have had to fit new rear brakes & a rear wheel bearing a few weeks ago and the power steering pipes sprung a leak. It is all good now & ready for Bug-Jam. I have a few more little trick bits to do and I want to do some body work after this show season.
	I thought it was about time I treated the old girl to some new parts. I have neglected it a bit since the other cars have been worked on. A mate of mine had fitted chrome dash rings & blue LED lights to his van, so I got some for myself. I really like the way the dash looks now. I will need to do some body work soon as it's looking a little sorry for itself. It will make interesting reading over the winter if nothing else...
	This is the last picture I took of the van. Due to having the bay window finished & my house being neglected I made the decision to sell the van. It has come full circle & is now back with its previous owner. - Have fun Howard!
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