It's French, it's beige. Am I on the correct forum?

[Yellowperil]

Having got rid of the biggest heaposhite I have ever owned yesterday I picked up its replacement.
Seriously, the C Max was so unreliable I have replaced it with a 38 year old French van.

IMG_20230329_140107.jpg (411.66 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

Apart from the "reliability" my reasons for getting this were simple, my nine year old daughter is autistic with learning difficulties and taking her anywhere isn't simple, last year I spent nearly an hour outside a public toilet because she was frightened by the hand dryer inside and wouldn't go in. She is of the age where I cannot take her in to the gents. I was eventually rescued by a nice lady who brought over some strawberries for Elsie, some kind words and a towel to cover up the hand dryer, a bloody hero!

So this van will serve as a familiar place she can retreat to if everything gets to much, also it has a portable loo, so that will be a blessing.



I have wanted a campervan for a couple of years now, but prices have gone silly, this one was bought by my brother last year as a non runner with no MOT and it still wasn't cheap.
He paid to have lots of welding done and put it through an MOT, but it wasn't running right.
A few weeks ago he took it down to a specialist in Sussex to have a new distributor fitted as a trial to go electronic, that has fixed it, along with its Weber carb conversion, it is now a rocketship!

While he was there a Trafic EribaCar caught his eye and he has bought that. We are going down to pick that up this saturday.

I was offered this one at a bargain price, pay on the drip deal, so it is now mine.
No collection thread, because all it involved was my nephew leaving his bike at mine, coming with me to his Dad's house and riding my bike back for me, only about 45 miles for me to ride, but pissing down with rain every second.

It drives just like you would expect an old French van to drive, bloody hell it is slow and noisy, I even had a fifty year old Land Rover overtake me on the dual carriageway.

But if you get in the right (French) mindset, of not caring you will eventually get there.

I shall not be using this for going to work and getting about in, I have my bike for that.

There are one of two things to sort out in the back, there is no gas bottle, because my brother has claimed that, apparently Calor have stopped the most popular size bottle, so I may need to think outside the box a bit.
The bed needs a new board cut to convert into a double, but the plans are on the net and my mate is a carpenter and is going to sort that.
Those boards there are for the "upstairs" bed.

IMG_20230329_140315.jpg (303.72 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

I plan to fit a Chinese Diesel heater before autumn, although I may not be able to use that if it is too noisy, my daughter may not cope.

The rest is just tidying up and sorting out things that don't work.

The first modification I have made is a Max and Paddy alarm system.

IMG_20230329_141820_burst_01.jpg (300.07 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

Our first trip out will be Sunday for a picnic on the Broads, hopefully it will be a success and we can do a bit of camping in the summer. There is a bed in the poptop, but I am not yet sure if Elsie will be able to climb up there, but we will see.

Auto correct on my tablet keeps changing Trafic to Tragic, I hope that isn't an omen.

IMG_20230329_140412.jpg (296.58 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

IMG_20230329_140156.jpg (302.37 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

IMG_20230329_140204.jpg (275.02 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

IMG_20230329_140315.jpg (303.72 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

IMG_20230329_140323.jpg (345.53 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

IMG_20230329_140349_burst_01.jpg (288.87 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

[angrydicky]

Nice. Always liked the Mk1 Trafic!

[Hooli]

My word that is awful, especially the brown dash!

Looks ideal for cooking up a meal whilst waiting for the AA....

Calor stopping that size of bottle is a pain, my mum can't get one to fit the Romahome she's got now either.

[fraser]

My word that is awful, especially the brown dash!

Looks ideal for cooking up a meal whilst waiting for the AA....

Calor stopping that size of bottle is a pain, my mum can't get one to fit the Romahome she's got now either.

Flowgas still do that size, just needs a new regulator.

Sent from my RMO-NX1 using Tapatalk

[paulplom]

What size are yous on about?

[LynehamHerc]

Nice buy, at least the engine is in the right place and unlikely to self combust.

I thought the gas cylinder shortage was due to Putin and there being little demand for those sizes in winter. I've been told that things should be back to normal by Easter, ours is empty so I'll find out soon.

Edit: I've checked and I was wrong, ours is a 7kg butane so supposedly is still going to be available at some stage.

[paulplom]

I like that trafic. Why be like all the dubber wankers. I don't mean the older T2s. I mean T5 on.

[Hooli]

My word that is awful, especially the brown dash!

Looks ideal for cooking up a meal whilst waiting for the AA....

Calor stopping that size of bottle is a pain, my mum can't get one to fit the Romahome she's got now either.

Flowgas still do that size, just needs a new regulator.

Sent from my RMO-NX1 using Tapatalk

Handy to know cheers.

[paulplom]

My 2nd employer in about 1989 had a D reg one of these in white as our works van. 1.4 pez iirc. I remember going up the a189 dual carriageway in torrential rain at about 50mph when it dropped to 3 cylinders slowing us down to 30mph. It then went to 2 cylinders and 20 mpg but didn't break down and got us back to his house in Cramlington. I also remember the other apprentice passing his test and getting the keys to it. On our maiden voyage we had to drive to Gosforth and meet the gaffer up some back lane. We got there and the boss got out of his burgundy sierra estate on a G reg. The apprentice drove past and caught the door of his car and folded it flat against the wing but didn't stop and took the side of the van off crying as he did it.
This cunt was the only employer I ever got sacked from. He dropped my tools off when I took a day off to move into my first flat aged 17. Never saw him again but learned about ten years ago the fat cunt died of a heart attack at 55 years old.

[panhard65]

Be very careful with the headlights they are no longer available and rocking horseshit to find good ones. The expert on them has the reflectors replated. I presume it is the 1.4 petrol which explains the being slow.