Chrome Paint
 

Hay Scottie re: paint did not have luck with it either cheap chrome spray was better in layers and lacquer, my camper is not a VW its a Mercedes 206d rare beast same era (if you Google an image mine is the white one) it front wheel drive 2.2 diesel) They have yet to reach the stupid money that VW's fetch but they are better new in 76 mine would have cost £7653 new, house money in those days but it had shower hot water, oven ETC. Missed the market as people with that sort of money could afford hotels, and they rust but mine is not to bad. I have contact with the guy who is investing in them in the UK, spares refurbs etc. Just don't tell him what I was thinking of doing to the front, other problems on going as these things do. Tony.

Just googled the 206D camper and found the white one -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psb765092b.jpg

Wheelbase looks a little short but I suppose that makes it easier to park in multi-storeys...

I found several white ones, but that one would not have been my choice!!
We'll have to get TonyT to post a pic so we know for sure,
Over to you Tony......

Love the trailer that's a new one on me, pictures of mine on page 21 of my MX250C build planning a tribute build.

Tuesday
 

I'd go for it Tony, it will look well Vee dubeee done some thing like this:

(you'd need to colour code the bumper I think)

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6d1cf3a4.jpg[/IMG]

That's the sort of thing but its a 2.2 diesel front engine wheel drive water cooled so I will have similar problems with air flow, was thinking large kenlow fan. Oh and don't tell the guy I bought it off he is already shocked at the alterations to the interior but he is a purist and loves these old Merc buses.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2c2c8d91.jpg
This is the back of mine.

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5afbf672.jpg
This is the front sorry for the delay been a while since I logged into Photobucket to upload.

Using this as a bonnet was the plan.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vw-Beetle-...item3f4133c3ab

Its a cracking looking bus Tony, like you say, apart form the front, it looks very much veedubby.

You may well have to let some meshing into the front for airflow like I did, although I've not got around to fitting it on my bus yet.
I also bought a few miles of stick-on 8mm chrome beading for the V look, eventually! Keep us posted on your progress, a lot of people are interested in this sort of thing.

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps40063cac.jpg[/IMG]

I'm not sure about that bonnet panel Tony, would personally go for a lower front panel, which is all you really need a bit like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2517308554...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT



The bloke has chopped the top off, which you don't need anyway, and he's up for offers in the advert, might be worth a try

Or this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Beetle-...item3a9ab38da4

Noted your mesh idea when you posted it unable to progress as both kit and bus are stuck on my drive pending my situation. My reason for changing the front was that the plastic grill has gone brittle and they are like rocking horse poo for such a rare vehicle there is not even a UK owners club, the guy I bought it off has now had new grills moulded so I might keep the outside original, possibly the cab as well but the inside will be modernised.

I'm sure you know what you are doing Tony, I know nothing at all about the 206d, except it looks like a really nice camper van.

The reason I have a micro van is that anything bigger would not fit under my hedge archway!

Good luck with whatever you do to it eventually!

Having said that these are cheap compared with VW mine was 2k on ebay and £700 worth of welding to get it through the MOT, they are loved in Europe especially by the Dutch they were originally made my Hanomag (Military plant and Halftrack makers) and known as the Henchel before being bought my Mercedes. I have the original brochure they were the Rolls Royce of campers, with hot water, shower, ovens in 1976 but at £7653 that was way off market as it was house money it was cheaper to get a hotel so not many sold, and will all 70's vehicles they rust, mine is not too bad though. The ladder frame chassis was originally a gun carriage as a military men you will know how sold that is.

Sounds like you've a real bit of history in that van!
Like you say, a gun carriage is built to last.

Wednesday
 

I have spent all day on the build, and only just finished now (2055 hrs)

So what have I done?

Built two speaker boxes around the speakers to protect them.

Fitted the dash support frame, finally, ( modified yet again, with a bracket to take the heater control)

Fitted the sterio sound system, including the speakers and wiring, all hidden from view, under, and at the rear of the dashboard.

Fitted the heater control.

And before anyone says that the sound system should go in last, bollox!

Not in this build! It had to go in now as the restricted space is so tight, its taken me all day to put it in. There is no way it could go in later as there simply will be absolutely no access at all.

I have double-checked all the fittings, connections and soldered joints, as if something were to fail. fixing it would most likely take several days, as everything has to come out to get to it.

A little bit about the sound system. (which I will most likely never ever use, but wanted the option for it to be there)

I had considered a radio/ music player, but the cost was a lot for something I most likely would not use much if at all.

Then,on the net, I found an absolute gem of a machine.

It was billed as a "micro-amplifier", but it is in fact an FM sterio radio, which scans up to 12 radio stations and automatically saves them for you.

It plays Mp3, so it will play from a phone, ipod laptop etc. It plays USB sticks,
which is how I like to play my music, and its supposed to play SD card, but that function didn't work for me.

It has on/off, bass, treble controls and so on.

It also has a micro remote not much bigger than a matchbox, which does everything, without touching the main machine.

I cannot remember the RMS wattage per channel, but its enough to hurt my ears, but the best thing of all, was the cost.

It was delivered to my door for the princely sum, (including postage) of
wait for it--- £11.90. I was so impressed with it I have bought another one.

Made in China of course, but it makes mockery of the 200 pound sterio.

The chinese must be giving them away free with petrol at that price.

Here are some pictures:

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps277672f4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps796ad8c2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps71647d13.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7cd1ac57.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps50d59a2b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps89936163.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps01e504c7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2e1cc2ba.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps436b6ffa.jpg[/IMG]

Great work Scottie. :cool:

You certainly have managed to cram a lot of stuff into a small space. :eek:

Good luck, Paul. :)

Very nice job on the speakers, i hadn't thought of mounting them under there!

And i do like that 'amplifier' :)
I'd been looking at those sort of thing for a while on DealXtreme (http://www.dx.com/c/car-accessories-...amplifiers-733) As i reckon that even though they have LCD screens on some of them, they do fit in with the general 50's/60's "look" of our cars :)

I went on that link and some of those amps on there are identical to mine, but a bit more cash, and in the states.

This is where I got mine in the UK Dave:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1313337967...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Like you say they have a digital display, but mine will be totally out of sight, but I can sit there and select what I want by the remote control, and switch it on and off etc. so I'll have the best of both worlds.