Club 80-90 Forums

As far as I know Devon converted windowed buses bought direct from vw, not panel vans .
the Devon plate will be on the "b" pillar on the o/s if it’s original . 


please make replacing your fuel pipes in the engine bay a priority, braided rubber petrol pipes are bad! You cannot visually inspect the condition , and with the fake petrol they now make , a regular visual inspection is essential.

I have a Devon whose base vehicle is a panel van. They weren't too bothered about future rust when they cut the holes for the windows! I think there was a shortage of buses '84-'85 making this necessary

I'll double check location of the Devon stickers tomorrow

Mocki wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 17:05 As far as I know Devon converted windowed buses bought direct from vw, not panel vans .
the Devon plate will be on the "b" pillar on the o/s if it’s original . 


please make replacing your fuel pipes in the engine bay a priority, braided rubber petrol pipes are bad! You cannot visually inspect the condition , and with the fake petrol they now make , a regular visual inspection is essential.

Hi! I’ll be getting this done for sure. Do you know if the JustKampers hose piping is ok? This stuff: https://www.justkampers.com/5-6mm-ethan ... 46-on.html

Michael4 wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 22:09 I have a Devon whose base vehicle is a panel van. They weren't too bothered about future rust when they cut the holes for the windows! I think there was a shortage of buses '84-'85 making this necessary

I'll double check location of the Devon stickers tomorrow

Good to know, thanks! You’ll probably see mine doesn’t seem to have retained much of its factory specification, I don’t think I’ve seen any identifying stickers or marks. They may not have survived the last respray from 2016-17.

Personally, I buy mine from https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/ as I know it will be the best available.

Will89 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 12:10

Mocki wrote: ↑25 Mar 2021, 17:05 As far as I know Devon converted windowed buses bought direct from vw, not panel vans .
the Devon plate will be on the "b" pillar on the o/s if it’s original . 


please make replacing your fuel pipes in the engine bay a priority, braided rubber petrol pipes are bad! You cannot visually inspect the condition , and with the fake petrol they now make , a regular visual inspection is essential.

Hi! I’ll be getting this done for sure. Do you know if the JustKampers hose piping is ok? This stuff: https://www.justkampers.com/5-6mm-ethan ... 46-on.html

I wouldn’t buy from JK ....

You are right, I doubt it is a Devon. The Moonraker roof is full length but doesn't have those sticky up bits at either end. The insides are not Devon.

Devon interiors often appear to be made from compressed Weetabix. Yours looks inedible.

Mocki wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 15:37 I wouldn’t buy from JK ....

I’ve managed to get Heritage Parts Fuel Hose kit for £20 unused from someone on a T25 Facebook group. It’s on its way to Campervan & Coachworks direct.

Thanks for the advice, it’s really appreciated!

Michael4 wrote: ↑26 Mar 2021, 15:45 You are right, I doubt it is a Devon. The Moonraker roof is full length but doesn't have those sticky up bits at either end. The insides are not Devon.

Devon interiors often appear to be made from compressed Weetabix. Yours looks inedible.

Most of the interior is not original, it’s been DIY’d with kitchen cupboards and laminate flooring so I don’t think the interior is a accurate way of identifying it. What sticky up bits do you mean? I’m pretty sure the canvas has been swapped so not sure if this could explain the sticky up bits?

The pop-top seems the best way but both Bilbos and Devon seem to be suggested. Once I have her back I’ll get more photos and look for any identifying marks

Up, up, up she goes! Can’t wait to get her back

Will89 wrote: ↑18 Mar 2021, 11:24 I've completed the first 'non-essential' job which was to replace the awful FM/CD head unit the van came with. Due to the limited space behind the dash it just didn't fit properly and the FM reception was non-existent  . The single-din head unit market is really odd as the vast majority look 'boy racer' with loads of bright LED buttons and scrolling text on vacuum fluorescent screens - not my cup of tea at all. I ended up installing a JVC KD-X561 which provides all the modern features we wanted (DAB+, Bluetooth handsfree/streaming, USB, FM/AM) whilst looking fairly smart and having a good UI via the 3" screen. As it's mechless it fits perfectly without any modifications  .

Another brand new owner here. Thanks for this, I have just ordered and decided to try the reversing camera as well. Gone for a windscreen stick on DAB aerial, which I had before on a previous vehicle and worked very well. 

No doubt I'll have to upgrade the speakers now 
 

Morning 
unless your reversing camera is wireless, you might find the cable is not quite long enough ! Although these vans are not as long as some cars , I have found that it’s a struggle to route the cable in a direct enough route .
there is a route all the way along the inner rooof from the "a" pillars to the tailgate where the original interior light and tailgate loom runs . 
 

johnwayne wrote: ↑02 Apr 2021, 00:36

Will89 wrote: ↑18 Mar 2021, 11:24 I've completed the first 'non-essential' job which was to replace the awful FM/CD head unit the van came with. Due to the limited space behind the dash it just didn't fit properly and the FM reception was non-existent  . The single-din head unit market is really odd as the vast majority look 'boy racer' with loads of bright LED buttons and scrolling text on vacuum fluorescent screens - not my cup of tea at all. I ended up installing a JVC KD-X561 which provides all the modern features we wanted (DAB+, Bluetooth handsfree/streaming, USB, FM/AM) whilst looking fairly smart and having a good UI via the 3" screen. As it's mechless it fits perfectly without any modifications  .

Another brand new owner here. Thanks for this, I have just ordered and decided to try the reversing camera as well. Gone for a windscreen stick on DAB aerial, which I had before on a previous vehicle and worked very well. 

No doubt I'll have to upgrade the speakers now 
 

Welcome to the club ! I’m tempted to upgrade the door speakers to something less tinny, although I’ll hold off until I put sound deadening in the van to see if that helps.

I used a windscreen DAB aerial in my old 2008 Civic and found it worked surprisingly well considering how many online sites said they were “rubbish”. The Connects2 branded splitter was relatively cheap and is all hidden so I thought I’d try it first.

I’ve actually got a spare reverse camera and a 10m video cable in my shed which I’m going to install. Is it easier to run the cable underneath? Is there anywhere in the cab to source a reverse signal?

Hi everyone,

We picked up Flo from Campervan & Coachworks nearly 2 weeks ago and had the following done:

• Alternator belt adjustment
  
• Front callipers removed and cleaned
  
• Adjust front wheel bearings
  
• Front upper and lower ball joints replaced
  
• All four tie rod bushes replaced
  
• New front gearbox mount
  
• Engine rocker cover gaskets replaced
  
• Clutch flexi hoses replaced
  
• New handbrake cables
  
• New rear brake shoes
  
• New rear brake cylinders, new brake fluid
  
• New fuel lines
  

She's just come back from her maiden voyage to Dorset without a hitch. I've made the same journey many times before but it was so much more enjoyable in the Camper with its rose tinted glasses  . We slept in the van for 2 nights and it was a lot more comfortable than we were anticipating, which was a nice surprise   .

We also hooked up the 240v system for the first time, and it did work in terms of providing power to the installed sockets, however it didn't seem to charge the leisure battery. I'm not sure if this is because the battery is knackered or the wiring is poor.

We've turned our attention to the interior and we've chosen the fabric for the new curtains and RnR bed. We'll keep the rest of the interior for now, however it'll be ripped out later this year when the bodywork is looked at. A few other random jobs completed, mostly cleaning:




In regards to identifying who converted Flo from a panel to a campervan; I've not had a response from the DVLA from my V888 request, however I've been in touch with the previous owner and he seems to remember having a receipt from Country Campers in Kent for installation of the pop-top, water tank and interior carpeting. He's going to have a look for me and get back, but from the research I've done online they now seem bust: http://www.countrycampers.co.uk. I've tried emailing them via info@countrycamper.co.uk but it's not delivered. I'm really hoping the previous owner finds the receipt as I'd be interested to have a look. We'd like to replace the canvas as it's pretty tatty, ideally we'd like viewing windows for more light.

The only other thing we need to look at is a leak coming from the engine somewhere, I believe it's coolant based on the consistency, colour, odour etc:



I've taken up the flooring to clean underneath and check the condition more thoroughly. Small rust patches on the passenger side, more on the driver side as can be seen. It looks to me like the driver side may have been welded before?






 

Floor looks original, that a panel overlap thats rusty. i removed all the black bonded on sound insulation on my caravelle, the windscreen was leaking and the water had found its way under the bonded material.