Vanzilla! An 05 Connect LWB boating battle bus!

[StickT]

Looking very nice, should help keep you's warm when sleeping

[mishnish]

Cheers guys!

So I towed the boat last night with the van, pleased with how it performed. No problem holding speed on the motorway, but on a few steeper hills was having to floor it in 5th to keep speed up. Thinking about a van tuner postal remap to see if I can eek a bit of economy and power out of it. Problem is I'm used to towing with the jeep which would pull a house out the ground if you asked it. Also with no back windows I can't see my mast which I like to monitor carefully, so thinking about a strategically placed reversing camera and monitor activated on a switch. I'd be able to spot the tow bar and the mast hopefully, or maybe I need two cameras. I'd prefer to keep the doors solid for privacy.

Also on order are a new exhaust middle and back section, and the slide door window kit!!! So those are some of the next projects coming up.

[mishnish]

So a few updates... we are well into the planning stages of our big euro trip now, and a few issues came to light that needed solved. The launch trolley for the boat was old and deteriorated, so I had to shell out on a nice new one. The problem was, the only place in the UK that actually manufactures them is in Colchester! So I took the van on a proving run - a round trip of 1100 miles to pick it up. We must have fixed it good, because the van didn't skip a beat and delivered a solid 45mpg during the whole trip on the motorway between 60 and 70mph! It has certainly given us the confidence we need that it will get us to Italy and back with the boat.

A couple of things still to do with the van before we go:

- fit new exhaust
- fit new side window
- build and carpet interior (upholstery is sorted - we have a futon mattress that is the perfect size and color!)
- fit the upgraded headunit and speakers (we want IPhone audio)
- fit 12v electrics and split charge unit in back
- fit the reversing camera so I can monitor the tow easily
- devise a fitting that will let the spare wheel be carried in the original position

Not bothering with cooker/sink etc at this stage. If we can run a cool box we will be more than happy!

I have also welded up an addition to my road base that will allow us to take a roof box over the boat, and a pair of bikes on the sides! Its off for galvanizing just now and will post pics when it comes back and I get it all assembled.

A few pictures of recent happenings:



New Launch Trolley being picked up in Colchester



Evil rust - no wonder - 10 years of being dunked in salt water and left to its own devices



Scottish border, circa 4am!



A nice day at Stonehaven!

[mishnish]

Some more progress this evening. Got the head unit and the reversing camera fitted with full success. The head unit has improved the sound a lot, but you can still tell that the original speakers are horrible, so they are next on my hit list. Camera works well and considering getting another as the screen can accept two channels. I can then watch the tow hitch when reversing to a trailer or just to keep an eye on it.



Lorde - Team.... Awesome sounds!



Camera working well



Camera mounted high up so I can look down on the tow.

[mishnish]

Building the interior just now and will post pics once complete. I took the opportunity presented by some nice weather to whip the door off and fit the side window. Used master bond and it's primers. It's a messy job if you don't mask properly!

[mishnish]

Just a little pre-departure summary helping me plan the last 10 days of being in the UK:

- fit new exhaust
- fit new side window - DONE
- build and carpet interior (upholstery is sorted - we have a futon mattress that is the perfect size and color!) - 75% COMPLETE
- fit the upgraded headunit and speakers (we want IPhone audio) - HEADUNIT IN, CHOOSING SPEAKERS
- fit 12v electrics and split charge unit in back
- fit the reversing camera so I can monitor the tow easily - DONE
- devise a fitting that will let the spare wheel be carried in the original position

[mishnish]

Good progress made on the interior with bits arriving all the time. I got the bed made up. Generally using 9mm ply and 50x25mm battening. Quite pleased with how it's turning out. I will eventually put some nice speakers behind the drivers and passengers seat in the angled bit. There is storage under the seat, and a boot space accessed from the rear doors. The upholstery is a futon mattress off eBay and was cheap, but it's surprisingly comfortable and very pleasant to lie out on! There will be a hinged lid to the locker just in front of the seat. In here will be the leisure battery. This will only power sockets for 12v appliances - camera chargers, phone chargers etc.

[dirtydog]

Nice work you've done there

[mishnish]

So we are back from the main event of the summer. Pleased to report the van did really well, and averaged between 40 and 50mpg all the way from Aberdeen to the Italian lakes and back. We did the journeys in three days each way, staying in the van as we went. The layout of the van was a complete success and proved highly versatile as a comfortable couch during the day for chilling, and providing ample bed space at night.

Power wise I got a 75ah leisure battery fitted with a relay to charge it from the main battery. Finding a cable route for this was a bit of a mission but got one in the end. I fitted several 12v sockets and USB charge points around the van. This was done in a bit of a hurry and needs a bit of improvement, but it works and keeps the cool box going without risking the engine battery.

I managed to get my boat trailer galvanised with a few modifications before we went. I modded it to take a roof box over the boat and bikes, but kept well in the slipstream of the van to keep the drag down. This arrangement worked very well, but was difficult to manhandle owing to excessive nose weight. A jockey wheel is planned for the future.









The good thing about the roof box was it easily swallowed all the camping gear, like the awning, chairs, stove, bike gear and sailing gear, so keeping the van completely empty of crap. It was only clothes and the cool box in with us, which helped to keep things tidy. The storage under the sofa swallowed two weeks of clothes without a problem.









We went the toll free route through Belgium, Germany, Austria and into Italy. No problems encountered with traffic at all. We stopped at aires and so on for rests and sleep, spending one night camped by the side of Lake Constance. We went for a swim in freezing water with the German pensioners at 6am... Nice! We crossed the alps at the Fern Pass, which was very pretty, and bizarrely, the fuel run for that section was nearer 49mpg! Considering all the slow climbing it was surprising, though probably the long downhill coast afterwards explains it!

While camped, the van was an excellent base, although we need to do the following additions.

- Fit at least 100w of solar panels to the roof to keep battery topped up
- Fit shore power. Our 1 cable was a bit inadequate
- Fit telly. We said we wouldn't need one, but some days it rained and we just wanted to watch a DVD!

Our event went well overall, and we managed to complete all the races, which is an achievement itself. Lake Garda was incredibly windy. We had a few big wipeouts, but we achieved our plan of not coming last, and we beat the people we realistically wanted to beat! It's all about the taking part really...











So all in all the van did really well as a sailing support van and we will probably see out the end of the season with this one, and maybe next, but we do have a plan for a bigger van... Mainly because we want to tow something over a tonne, but the extra space will come in handy! That's not to say the LWB connect was small inside, we didn't feel cramped at all. Just need to tow a bigger thing!

[RustWidow]

Well done, glad it went well for you, but then you have done a lot of work to make it work

[mishnish]

So Vanzilla has been sitting waiting out the winter on the driveway, and got taken to her MOT this morning. Looks like the work last year paid off, with only a small patch to weld on the sill and a roll bar bush to replace. Decision made at this stage to stick with this van for the time being as it is already built and running. Based on experiences from last season and a couple of planned trips for this season, the work list looks like this:

Must do this year!

- Fit new Clutch to cure the clutch thrash
- Puncture repair on rear passenger side to do
- Sort underside out - hammerite and under-seal
- Fit Sahara TX3 style roof rails and cross bars for the kayak
- Fit permanent shore power arrangement
- Fit Solar Panels for leisure battery top up
- Fit Telly with DVD player!
- Fit battery voltage gauge for leisure battery

Would be nice...

- Fit some kind of heating - Eberspacher D2? Propex?
- Fit Fiamma Roof Vent Crystal Sky light 400 x 400mm into roof
- Sort out Spare Wheel storage
- Sort out various rust spots before they become an issue
- Consider rear door windows

Considering the heating, obviously the Eberspacher is the thing to have, but has anyone tried the Propex HS2000 in a van this size? I think considering the size of the interior and stowage I have trying to squeeze a gas cylinder in would be tricky and pointless, but just in case anyone has had any good experience of the HS2000 compared to the diesel offerings.

[mishnish]

Did a bit on the van last night, and will post pics shortly:

Must do this year!

- Fit new Clutch to cure the clutch thrash
- Puncture repair on rear passenger side to do
- Sort underside out - hammerite and under-seal - Prepped sills and sprayed stonechip grey
- Fit Sahara TX3 style roof rails and cross bars for the kayak - Fitted Thule Aero Bars in Black - very sexy!
- Fit permanent shore power arrangement
- Fit Solar Panels for leisure battery top up - Considered size and placement - 80W max possible
- Fit Telly with DVD player! - Considered positioning and fitment - I have an idea...
- Fit battery voltage gauge for leisure battery - Ordered a Voltmeter/Ammeter from Ebay

Would be nice...

- Fit some kind of heating - Eberspacher D2? Propex?
- Fit Fiamma Roof Vent Crystal Sky light 400 x 400mm into roof - Considered placement with Solar Panel - will work with 80W panel
- Sort out Spare Wheel storage
- Sort out various rust spots before they become an issue - Got the appropriate paints in to tackle on a good day
- Consider rear door windows - Considered - will stick with solid for now as more secure

[mishnish]

Used the van for a few trips lately, turns out the van makes a good paddle support vehicle too!

Here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2on2pEgDhE