[DRIVING] Leaf to VW Type 2 Campervan

[ianlighting]

I hearby change my project status to DRIVING (fully legal and in use)

Whoop!

[marcexec]

Congratulations! A huge achievement for sure.
What's next?

[ianlighting]

Congratulations! A huge achievement for sure.
What's next?

Ha! Well since you ask…

Still to do:

3d print DNR controls to match vw style knobs (thanks Cera)
Work out why I can’t get android auto to display leafspy using current Obd dongle
Fuel filler flap to house Chademo port
Engine bay sheet to fill open space around motor
Body work and interior upgrade.
Find alternative approach to noisy brake vac pump.
I have an idea to do some CANbus for some charging indications.


But if you mean, what’s the next project after this is all done, well the wife reckons I will do another one, but I suspect I’m on the hook first for finishing a load of other home related tasks instead of living in the garage. But if I did… it would be something from the 50s to the 70s. Possibly another vw, but maybe not. And maybe I’d take my learnings and take another step down the rabbit hole with zombie etc. but I haven’t thought about it. At all. Honest…

[jerrykco]

Congratulations!

[marcexec]

iBooster for the brakes if you can mount one?
https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster has a good few options nowadays and I'm advertising the page elsewhere, too.

[ianlighting]

iBooster for the brakes if you can mount one?
https://openinverter.org/wiki/Bosch_iBooster has a good few options nowadays and I'm advertising the page elsewhere, too.

Yeah, I know of them. And Cera’s T2 build used one that she wrote up, and I know Brat Industries has written up a how to on them aswell. So no excuses - just got to engage brain.

Although another approach came from Electric Classic Cars (YouTube). Their last split screen camper conversions, they told me don’t use either a vac pump or booster. Just upgraded brakes are good enough apparently - they use wilwood. So just what I need - more options…

[PEDR0]

Nice work, must be a great feeling when the logbook lands on the door mat

[alexbeatle]

Old radiator didn’t cut it when it got 30 degrees outside recently, so I’ve upgraded to a super widescreen version.

I’ll see how it copes with just my 2 fans, but there’s space to add another at each end if it needs more blow. Actually it’s suck so the air goes the same direction when moving.

IMG_8743.jpeg

Hi. Do you find it to cool sufficiently?

[ianlighting]

Nice work, must be a great feeling when the logbook lands on the door mat

Yep - mainly because if you decide the target is to become all official and legal, you know you are putting yourself in the hands of a obscure bureaucratic process that you may get wrong and be unable to resolve. So would have been v upsetting after months of work if they declined!

[ianlighting]

Hi. Do you find it to cool sufficiently?

Haven’t done a proper road test yet. Expect an update next week. We’re off to another festival 90 minutes away on Friday with 30 deg temps predicted again, so a good comparison test with my last trip.

[PEDR0]

Good test for the new rad

[ianlighting]

So now the engine / motor bay has an aluminium sheet installed. Intention is to reduce road water from getting into the bay to reduce risk of a 12v short. Plus it’s linked to the discussion I had with Terry about cooling.

Travelled on Friday about 70 miles, outside temp about 28 deg C. Generally the reported motor (incl PDM and inverter) coolant temp was in the 50s - 60s. Probably obvious to say this, but driving through a sequence of roundabouts on a section of dual carriageway generated the most heat due to the hard regen braking followed by fast acceleration, and then repeated multiple times shortly after. That had a peak of 75, but it quickly dropped back into the 60s.

I think my conclusion is the bigger radiator dissipated the heat more rapidly! No shit!

As to the effect of the aluminium sheet. Can’t really be conclusive, but I’m glad it’s there just to keep debris and wet out of the bay.

In a nod to the comments from Terry, since I had to make the cut out shape in the sheet larger in order to wiggle it into the awkward space around the motor, most of that extra wiggle space I put toward the rear, so that any positive air pressure from the T2s side scoops might get pushed down through that gap over the radiator below. Not possible to tell if that has any effect, but that’s the intention.

Worth noting the VCU turns on the fan at 60 degrees. Not configurable, so potentially I could divorce the fan control to a separate isolated circuit to have it come on at lower temps.

I’ll continue to have my co-pilot read out temperatures on long hot journeys to check how it behaves, but I suspect I’m parking this item now until next summer.

[WillK]

Very tidy!

[alexbeatle]

Hi. I’m curious, what is your setup for defogging/defrosting front windshield?

[ianlighting]

Hi. I’m curious, what is your setup for defogging/defrosting front windshield?

Ha! Funny

Currently zero solution, but maybe I’ll get to that. I guess since it’s mainly a summertime vehicle it’s less of a routine problem for me than if it was a daily driver. It’s all been on a slight back burner for me recently, but have a huge list of stuff to do probably in the new year. Currently no heat source in there, so need to think about it.