Late January we set off on a trip which is the start of something we had long discussed and left our jobs to try to fulfill. We will spend 3 months travelling with our dog, in our 1988 VW T3 Syncro. The plan is spend winter, travelling throughout Eastern Europe, looking for snow, mountains, forests and truly wild camping in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia and anywhere else on route.
Our first night since leaving the U.K. was in a quiet car park by the river in Dinant, after a night stop in woods near Mons the previous night.
Some adjustments to be made by us, to adapt to being in such a small space and largely unable to use outdoors to expand into due to the cold (1.5°C today) and snow showers (plus this is a very public space)
Before leaving we had to do a lot to prepare the van, as this is a different proposition than a fortnight in Cornwall and credit must go to Jamie Lockyer of J’s Garage (Aberystwyth) who has been brilliant in sorting out most of the mechanical issues, while I “McGuyvered” the crap out of the rest!
Big work includes:
New brakes front and back, with stainless flexi pipes and Black Diamond vented discs & performance pads
New stainless tank straps
Long range fuel tank (extra 55 ltrs) & pump
New exhaust manifold studs and gaskets – fixing exhaust blow
Refurbished exhaust to turbo flange studs
New fuel filler
New turbo oil return
Gearbox oil leak fixed
Gearbox output seal replaced
New rear driveshafts & CV joints
Oil & fuel filter service
New crankcase breather pipe, valve and seals
It’s also had:
Clean, underseal and fit wheel arch liners
External grey water tank (insulated)
Water gauge for fresh and waste water
2x additional Lifos lithium 68aH leisure batteries (now 4 in total)
Sterling battery to battery charger
New solar panel – 120w to 230w
Cooker glass splash back for diesel cooker
Additional inlet vents for Eberspacher, as air flow was restricted causing intermittent faults on previous trip.
Additional usb / usb-c ports
Insulted grill cover to protect radiator in extreme cold conditions
New magnetic window blinds – from Wanderbug
CCTV installed with push notifications to phone
Tailgate ladder lockable storage box – for wet horrible stuff!
Extractor fan in skylight – hmmm… not sure this was a good idea yet.
We will keep you posted as we bimble through Europe….
The Little Red Bus 