Partnered with Love Campers and ValetPRO. There’s only one way to start a new project & journey…
Eastside Business Park, it has been rather lonely over the years. Builders, food wagons, lost motorists – thrilling sights, right? That was until recently… a new neighbour! A company who specialise in the ‘things with 4 wheels’ (or more!) department, so safe to say they caught our interest.
Professional handbuilt campervan conversions, tailor-made to your requirements: that’s our neighbour, Love Campers . As if they didn’t already have our attention, we spotted a classic VW T1 Splitscreen Camper sitting outside their unit one evening. Immediately we fantasised about this camper and what we could do to it; so, as with all things we dream about, we got to work on making it happen! A short trip across the road and we had a closer look at the beauty along with a conversation with the owners. Naturally something of this age is almost guaranteed to have extensive history and this was no exception. Love Campers have touched on the details in a recent blog of theirs, so be sure to have a read .
Being of age, there comes drawbacks to even the simplest of tasks such as maintenance washing. Delicate parts, leaking seals, soft paint to name a few. Our Detailer Elliott had to carefully map out the process & products we would use to get the best balance of effectiveness and cleaning power. This is highly important when working with unfamiliar motors; cleaning after all is a delicate process.
On this particular camper we did not discover anything of major concern. In short, it had your expected leaks around the seals and a few paint defects which we would tackle later in polishing. It came to our attention that parts had actually been resprayed. Otherwise this Splitty was in great condition, so it was time to get stuck in!
We, as always, started with the wheels. Unlike today’s modern designs, these wheels were easy to work with being a simple steel front. Dragon’s Breath, our pH Neutral Wheel Cleaner, was the product of choice as they weren’t overly soiled. This product also doubles as an Iron Fallout remover which will help remove any contaminants. To agitate the Dragon’s Breath, a dedicated Wash Mitt & Large Sash Brush. Both are delicate to the touch but can get nitty-gritty if required!
With the wheels dwelling after some agitation, a healthy coat of our pH Neutral Snow Foam was applied over the entire exterior. We made less emphasis when spraying over the seals to minimise the risk of it seeping into the interior. Being pH Neutral we could be totally confident it was safe to use on the older parts of the Splitty, something an alkaline or acid can’t guarantee.
A rinse and contact wash using Concentrated Car Wash later, we pushed the Splitty into our Detailing Bay for a deeper inspection and paint preparation. Having had a respray in areas, the paint was relatively thick but by no means perfect. One panel in particular had some heavy overspray which required a good chunk of time to rectify – most of which was removed using our Heavy Contamination Removal Bar (otherwise known as a bad-ass Clay Bar); however, some still needed correcting through the means of polish! Before we even got to correcting it, a thorough decontamination using our Contamination Removal Bars took place around the exterior of the vehicle. Nothing to write home about in terms of contamination – it’s not a daily driver after all!
For the most part, a Single Stage Polish rectified the light swirls and marring on the paintwork, ultimately bringing the best of its shine out. The panels with remaining overspray took a few additional stages and pads to work on, but having used our Advanced Compound, the cut was plenty and we worked through it with minimal elbow grease!
All of this hard work couldn’t go into the wild world unprotected… With time not so much on our side, we opted for Indulgence Cream Wax, our carnauba liquid wax that has a wipe on and buff off application – no cure time required! Then a bit of Classic Tyre Dressing & Glass Cleaner to bring it all together.
Whilst the journey with this Splitty may have come to an end with us, it is only just the beginning with Love Campers. Interested in this project, or even starting one of your own? Head over to Love Campers to follow the journey & discover more. We’re certainly excited to see what’s in store!
To find out more about maintaining your own Camper or Motorhome go to www.valetpro.global