My first van!!

[Karen&co]

Hi and welcome from me

[ChrisTriple]

you'll be damping in her in no time

Ohh errr, thats a bit too much information

Mucky pup!

[stevelane]

Hi and welcome from me

Thank you

[stevelane]

So had the top open and gave the van an airing off today.

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The pop top has a couple of tears at either end but is not really my priority until I get the rest of the van done.

Ordered a few bits today just to make it a bit more usable and look a little less embarrassing on the drive.

-Two wing mirrors
-Bumper end
-Gas struts for rear tailgate

I was going to get some cheap covers for the seats to make them look more presentable but I have noticed a few being sold for a similar price so may just hold out to get a replacement set on the cheap.

The list of things to do is taking shape.

1) Needs a good clean including the pop top. The neighbours can only see the top over the fence and must be wondering if Steptoe has moved in so thats one of the first jobs. I will T-Cut and polish the whole van as I am sure it hasn't been done for years so I can see the real state of the paint work.

2) Tackle the rust - There are a few spots including a hole below one of the windows in the frame. I will dig back to get all the rust out and then, as I'm not intending to sell on, will probably fill with fibre glass as funds are too limited to think about any replacement panels for a while. The rest of the rust hasn't gone through so I will rub down and primer. The van may look a bit patchy for a while but hopefully will slow the aging process.

3) Find out where the water is coming from - I have water getting in from behind the dash, exactly centre, which then runs down both sides of the centre console. I thought it was the windscreen seal but then I went out in hail and rain today with no sign of anything coming in. But I did notice that when I push the radio in it got worse so I'm thinking it something to do with the window washer pipes.

4) Clean all the muck from inside. The inside is even worse than outside and I would be embarrassed to let anyone in at the moment. Deep hoover and polish is needed

5) remove hubcaps and respray. As nice as it is that it has the original vw hubcaps, they look a mess and have no chrome or shininess left to them. I intend to try a polishing disc to see whether anything is salvageable but its unlikely so will probably end up respraying to make use of them

6) Remove immobiliser and alarm. Got caught out last night and couldn't get the van started so Im gonna remove the existing system and upgrade

Hopefully after this relatively short list I will have a much improved van and then I can start on the niceties' of looking at interiors etc.

[stevelane]

So I completed one of my jobs today and have to say it was very satisfying!

The pop top had years of grime on it so as the sun was shining I took the chance to grab a scrubbing brush, a ladder and a bowl of hot soapy water and attack it! Was very pleased with the results. There are a couple of marks that are being a bit more stubborn and as I run out of time I had to stop but they were definitely shifting so when I go back to it I am sure they will budge.

[Winchweight]

Wow, looks a Lot better!

Hard to tell from a photo but looks pretty good around windscreen. You may be right, it could be the washer nozzles, but also with the seal hanging off the front of the pop top, water could be getting in through there and running down onto the front structure, pooling and dribbling out.

The front panel doesn't have a flat back, so it could be getting trapped anywhere and running out.

Get your head up inside the dash and have a good look around. And replace the pop top seal as its bound to be letting water in. Good luck!

[stevelane]

Wow, looks a Lot better!

Hard to tell from a photo but looks pretty good around windscreen. You may be right, it could be the washer nozzles, but also with the seal hanging off the front of the pop top, water could be getting in through there and running down onto the front structure, pooling and dribbling out.

The front panel doesn't have a flat back, so it could be getting trapped anywhere and running out.

Get your head up inside the dash and have a good look around. And replace the pop top seal as its bound to be letting water in. Good luck!

Ive had a change of heart and thinking it could be the windscreen seal now as there was a small pool of water after using the hose on it today. The pop top seal has had it, there was so much moss growing inside it literally fell off. I have a new one on order so once that's replaced I will soak it again, if it's still getting in then the windscreen seal will be my next focus

[Winchweight]

Buy a good quality windscreen seal, the JK ones seem to be pretty poor.

If it is leaking be prepared to find holes underneath the seal and have a repair strategy in hand.

[Moonrakers]

I love Devon conversions, from their first converted splits to the last of the T25's. You've got a good, honest one there by the look of it, well done.

I have spotted rust under the windscreen seal of mine, too - the only rust on the entire van and no doubt a bit of a bugger to fix properly... never mind, it's very common.

Your interior looks familiar...



These interiors dated quickly, many people ripped them out or customised them over the last ten years or so which means there aren't too many properly original ones left. That's a shame because the design is old enough now to have some period charm and some old-school character lacking from modern fit-outs. In future I think it will be much more desirable for these vans to have the original kit inside.

Take all the cushions indoors and gently wash them using a large microfibre cloth and warm water with some clothes washing liquid in it - they come up very well. The carpets respond well to a good scrub with carpet / upholstery cleaner - a cleaning machine would save a fair bit of time but doing it by hand over a few sessions is easy enough. They are tough and can stand a good scrub. Curtains can go on a cool wash in the machine (no dryer) and all the cabinets are easy to clean up. It takes bloody ages to properly clean the whole interior, including insides of cupboards and everything but it doesn't have to be done all at once, just work on a section at a time. Hopefully you can repair the tears in the seat fabric, or have someone skilled do it for you - cheaper than recovering everything anyway. I wonder if there is a supply of the right fabric lurking in somebody's stock somewhere?

Have a good time with it, I bet you have a good Summer this year.

[stevelane]

I love Devon conversions, from their first converted splits to the last of the T25's. You've got a good, honest one there by the look of it, well done.

I have spotted rust under the windscreen seal of mine, too - the only rust on the entire van and no doubt a bit of a bugger to fix properly... never mind, it's very common.

Your interior looks familiar...



These interiors dated quickly, many people ripped them out or customised them over the last ten years or so which means there aren't too many properly original ones left. That's a shame because the design is old enough now to have some period charm and some old-school character lacking from modern fit-outs. In future I think it will be much more desirable for these vans to have the original kit inside.

Take all the cushions indoors and gently wash them using a large microfibre cloth and warm water with some clothes washing liquid in it - they come up very well. The carpets respond well to a good scrub with carpet / upholstery cleaner - a cleaning machine would save a fair bit of time but doing it by hand over a few sessions is easy enough. They are tough and can stand a good scrub. Curtains can go on a cool wash in the machine (no dryer) and all the cabinets are easy to clean up. It takes bloody ages to properly clean the whole interior, including insides of cupboards and everything but it doesn't have to be done all at once, just work on a section at a time. Hopefully you can repair the tears in the seat fabric, or have someone skilled do it for you - cheaper than recovering everything anyway. I wonder if there is a supply of the right fabric lurking in somebody's stock somewhere?

Have a good time with it, I bet you have a good Summer this year.

Wow, yours looks like mine dreams of looking

The cushions are completely ripped, much worse than the pictures show, so I will have to factor in a reupholster at some point, if I tried to wash them they would fall apart lol. Want to keep it in keeping with the them of the van but cant really afford to be fanatical with it.

Not sure that I'll get much camping done this summer. I have a three year old and six month old twins so its a bit early to keep them in the van but next year we hope to.

The pop top needs repairing so will be looking to people on here for some advice on that in the future

[Ant-t]

Yes thats a nice interior, certainly got 'period charm'. My autohomes wood effect vinyl could do with being redone but I like the 80s look

[Moonrakers]

Yes thats a nice interior, certainly got 'period charm'. My autohomes wood effect vinyl could do with being redone but I like the 80s look

Yeah, keep it 80's! The Autohomes always looked 'posher' than the Devons to me inside but just as 'period'. Are they well-made interiors? They seem to last better than Devon ones judging by what's for sale on eBay over the years.

[Moonrakers]

Wow, yours looks like mine dreams of looking

The cushions are completely ripped, much worse than the pictures show, so I will have to factor in a reupholster at some point, if I tried to wash them they would fall apart lol. Want to keep it in keeping with the them of the van but cant really afford to be fanatical with it.

Not sure that I'll get much camping done this summer. I have a three year old and six month old twins so its a bit early to keep them in the van but next year we hope to.

The pop top needs repairing so will be looking to people on here for some advice on that in the future.

Blimey, tiny twins! I see where you're coming from then, just spend the odd relaxing couple of hours here and there fettling the van when you have a bit of time over the Summer and gradually bring it back to it's best so that it comes into it's own when the family grows up a bit. My daughter was 9 when we bought our van and I've never seen such a happy reaction (until I brought a puppy home, that is).

Spot on regarding the interior, there's no future in doing some kind of original restoration on the soft furnishings if the covers need replacing. Anything new and clean will make a huge difference - there are all kinds of home-brew methods of recovering without breaking the bank, you'll work it out. In the mean time, a nice blanket will do the job.

The roof canvas is also something that you can work around until funds in future allow a full replacement. It won't be too hard to make it waterproof or an expensive fix providing you don't object to a bit of patching. Anyway, I really like the van - 1 year older than mine and one of the very last with the famous Devon 2-tone paint. It's cool.

[ChrisTriple]

You have to love the two tone colours. Mines in being restored at the moment and I'm having her sprayed in orange and Ivory to finish her off. I can't wait

[Moonrakers]

You have to love the two tone colours. Mines in being restored at the moment and I'm having her sprayed in orange and Ivory to finish her off. I can't wait

Nice, that'll look fantastic - looking forward to seeing it. Bet you can't wait to get it back...