Overview
Meet Clarice. My slightly scruffy, 207,000-mile 1999 VW T4 1.9 TDi camper. I’ll be documenting the rust repairs, paintwork, customisations, and everything in between. The wins, the mistakes, and the small joys of bringing an old van back to life. She’s not perfect... dents, surface rust, a few quirky rattles, and that classic old-van charm that only comes with age. But she starts first time, has a solid engine with recent major work, and she already has a basic camper setup with a rock ‘n’ roll bed, solar panel, leisure battery, and inverter.
I bought this van because it felt honest. No dealer gloss, no pressure, just a real van with a real history and plenty of room for me to make it my own. My plan is simple: tackle the bodywork bit by bit and slowly turn it into a comfortable, practical little escape pod for adventures, mountain bike trips, and quiet nights parked somewhere with the side door open.
I’m doing this the slow, no-pressure way, on gravel with basic tools, learning as I go. There will be brush marks, dodgy first attempts, and probably a few “what was I thinking” moments. But that’s the point. This van isn’t about perfection. It’s about getting out, fixing things with my own hands, and learning.