New T5 Project

[Sunny43.5]

Hi all new years resolution will reduce complaining about VW so as not to upset some , [well maybe only if its serious] . Any way work on the new van is under way will post some photos later to show the work in progress . Still waiting for the suspension kit and cruise control from the UK , picked the wrong time of year to get stuff from overseas Doh . So far cut and fitted fixed glass all around off to tint next weekend , stripped inside and fitted sound deadner to all outer surfaces . Will not make same mistake as I did with the last one each pillar on this one has been sealed with expander foam , if not diesel fumes and brake dust permeates through the body and comes out through the hood trim and sides etc .
Ply floor is down and the wheel chair restraints are being mounted along with seat belt anchor points , we have decided to do a different layout from the old one the kids wheel chairs are being mounted side by side just behind the front seats . The old one we had the chairs one behind the other and it was always a struggle to attach straps and give enough leg room . This time they have plenty of room as we are going to mount the seats courtesy {Camden GTI}behind the chairs with removable locking fittings , this will mean we do not have to have the extra seats in all the time like last time . Have pre fitted drain tubes and wiring for sunroof , new head unit fitted with reverse camera and rear parking sensors {wifes} request , the new unit has GPS plays DVD,s etc plus has USB Dongle which you insert SIM card and then can use head unit for Internet etc when parked . Have eye on some nice alloys might have to wait until we sell the old beast first , have some friends working on some graphics for the sides as its a white van and just needs a little something to make it recognizable from others . Stay tuned .

[Sunny43.5]

Windows installed
Inside
Roof with new speakers mounted sound proofing already done
Side area with sound proofing installed
Ply floor with Wheelchair locking points
Door trim removed for new speaker and some sound proofing to be fitted

[SGG]

I like the speakers in the roof ..... we added rear speakers to our LWB T5 but placed them in the side panels ... in hindsight we should have put them in the roof like your set up ... I reckon it would be the better sounding way to go

[Sunny43.5]

You are right the main problem with speakers in the sides is that if they face each other the sound frequencies will cancel each other out giving a flat sound . I am a bit of a music freak and like good sound . The sound proofing has been done right through the roof and sides and tailgate plus the ply floor , I spent today removing the cheap Chinese made original speakers from the doors , replaced with 6.5 inch Kenwood splits the tweeters have been fitted into the top dash board grills each side . I have made new side trims from 6 ml ply and mounted a ten inch Kicker subwoofer in the side , a Kenwood 4 channel amp mounted under drivers seat is driving the front splits and the subwoofer is using the second channel bridged . The roof speakers are being powered by the head units built in amp as they do not need much power . Even though its not all finished yet I was very impressed how it sounded nice crisp bass with tight highs from the front and roof . Next job is to finish the window surround trims and then start covering bits some more photos to come .

[BertieT5]

What sort of material is the sound deadening? Where did you get it?

Can you post a pic of the sub location? I like the idea of mounting a sub into the body of the car to reduce the need for a big sub box.

[Sunny43.5]

The sound deadner is called automotive underlay felt 900gsm 10mls thick its a very dense interwoven shredded wool blend 1.83 wide and can be bought by the metre from Nolans UDA they have a store in WA here is the product page scroll down for the info http://nolanuda.com.au/media/pdf/Aut...e%20Carpet.pdf . I will take some more photos in the next few days , but I have mounted the sub in the side trim the new trim is 9ml ply and runs from front to rear in one piece I have used 16ml MDF for the main front the sub is mounted into this . I taper cut the MDf from the front down to the rear 100 mls high at the front so it sits flush with the pillar trim and tapers to zero at the rear . The sub is a Kicker 10inch and it works better than the old 12 inch pioneer we have in the old van .

[Sunny43.5]

Okay here are some more shots getting close to the end now lost last weekend with the rotten QLD weather but back to it now .Front door trims removed and sound proofing glued to inside surface. Rear wheel arches then side trims in construction . Finished front area with wheelchair restraint floor mounts then rear area with side pockets for storage at rear of arches and removable cargo net for loading groceries .etc

[GUV]

Great job mate, looks fantastic.

[Sunny43.5]

Thank you GUV will post a couple more shots with better light when I have completely finished , spent today fitting genuine cruise control a sometimes frustrating job only to be made worse by the fact that the supplier in the UK had sent the wrong model it was for the early series not the 2010 onwards as it has different BCM . Not a total loss as I decided to fit it to my work T5 which had an aftermarket one so now it has the genuine one and will be reordering another unit for the later series . It was just a shame as I was within one wire connection from finishing so had to remove and reassemble until I get a replacement DOH !

[Sunny43.5]

Update time ordered a set of these slick puppies should be on the van by next weekend.

[hotballs]

hello. could you please direct me to where you got your side windows. i read in the brickyard forum you found a place that is a tenth the price of the vw ones. cheers, phil

[Sunny43.5]

They are Kingsley Brand windows I got mine from a Brisbane outlethttp://www.auto-extras.com.au/ and they gave me trade price as I had done work there before installing a sunroof . I would suggest you ring around to see if you can get a better price from various outlets in Melbourne here is the link to the various dealers Store Locator - Bushranger regards Howard .PS there was a second brand of glass also available around the same price I will endeavor to find the details for you or if you ring Auto extras in Brissie they will know .

[hotballs]

thank you very much for that. Do you have some kind of buisiness doing conversions. I have a friend who wants someone to install a poptop.

[Sunny43.5]

Hi Hotballs I used to have a motor trimming business but sold out 12 years ago these days I only fit sunroofs if your friend is talking about a "pop top " sunroof I can help if its the "pop top" roof conversion for camping then no I cannot you would need a specialist body building company or motor home conversion company .

[Sunny43.5]

Update time sorry no photos at the moment but last weekend after a huuuuuuuge delay the FK Suspension kit finally arrived from Germany , its an coilover kit with fully front and rear adjustments . I only lowered the van to make it easier for loading the kids in their wheelchairs into the back much less of an angle for the ramp . The kit was relatively easy to fit to be quite honest the hardest jobs were removing the front wipers and the lower windscreen cover , I suppose because they are right on the glass it was scary trying to get the wipers off . I was alittle unprepared on how to lift and remove different parts so by the end of the job I now own a new trolley jack and a small hydraulic one as well . The rear change was easy jack up the rear take off wheel then jack up the suspension to remove the shock then lower the suspension again old spring then comes out with a little maneuvering . Fit spring collar to shaft and tighten allen keys to hold adjuster inplace fit new spring and shock wheel and finish . Front was a little more work that's why I needed the extra jacks , remove sway bar arm unbolt two lower clamp bolts and top main nut . I used the small hydraulic jack to push the suspension down to extract the lower part of the shaft . The only problem once the whole strut is loose is I do not own a spring compressor hmmm , remembered seeing something on Turbo Max on cable and decided that as I was not going to reuse the stock coils I just quickly cut them with a small grinder disc . Fit new strut and coils and again used the jack to lift the hub upwards as the lower slipped into place refit the bolts top nut sway bar and all done . The van looks good the ride is not quite as plush as standard but it will soften with some more kays under the belt , ride was lowered by 50mls with more room either way if need to adjust .