DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Bootsy wrote:All this MOT / LED shenanigans

Will it even need an MOT? Being over 40 years old?

Now there's question. Is there a thread covering the subject?

mycar wrote:To be sure, the interior was earlier was it not.

The party's already begun!

Will the suspension compensate for the stove and the piano ?

Well, he could always junk the stove. The piano stays.

murph2309 wrote:

911hillclimber wrote:Certainly do not wish to dampen anything, but are those head lamps ok for the year and the MoT?
I seem to remember someone had an MoT issue on his 'led' TR6 and it made the classic car press.
Sorry if I am wrong.

I think the TR6 issue was with bulb replacement in existing units. Could be wrong. These units are ECE approved (and are different from the DOT approved units for America) so should be OK as long as they're properly height adjusted. I guess we'll see in a couple of weeks when it goes for its MOT

What a great project - been following it as you've added to the thread.

Have it in my head that Daytime Running Lights are brighter than Side Lights and that when the Dipped Headlights are switched on the Daytime Running Lights must be switched off or dimmed to Side Light brightness levels.

Not sure I have this 100% but here is a link to Lazerlamps where I got this from: https://www.lazerlamps.com/home/lights/rs-range/rs4 - look at the main description text.

It is quite likely that this is all covered by the ECE approval - but just wanted to flag it incase it's applicable.

a1topdog wrote:

Bootsy wrote:All this MOT / LED shenanigans

Will it even need an MOT? Being over 40 years old?

As it's an import and not yet UK registered, I'm going to get it MOT'd as part of the registration process. And frankly, I'm going to continue getting all my old cars MOTd, whether they need to or not, I like the idea of a second pair of eyes having a good look over them and making sure they're safe.

But yes, as Bootsy says, maybe we could create a 35+ page thread on this just to check

KS wrote:Well, he could always junk the stove. The piano stays.

I think what I might do is a slightly more modern version of the woodburner and the piano..... Smev hob/sink combo & a 7 speaker stereo... but I get a bit ahead of myself on the interior aspects...

map wrote:What a great project - been following it as you've added to the thread.

Have it in my head that Daytime Running Lights are brighter than Side Lights and that when the Dipped Headlights are switched on the Daytime Running Lights must be switched off or dimmed to Side Light brightness levels.

Not sure I have this 100% but here is a link to Lazerlamps where I got this from: https://www.lazerlamps.com/home/lights/rs-range/rs4 - look at the main description text.

It is quite likely that this is all covered by the ECE approval - but just wanted to flag it incase it's applicable.

Thanks for the encouragement - much appreciated - you're right about the relative brightness of running vs sidelights - my solution to this is just to junk the running lights totally, thus we won't have to switch them off or anything - the sidelights will work across the top arc of the headlight and will be dim enough such that they don't need to be extinguished when the low & high beams are on.... As I said though, we'll see when we get to the MOT.

As these headlights work on standard H4 plugs, if it comes to it, I'm sure we can work something out with standard lights....

OK. So I think it might be time for a look at the interior.....and this for me has been one of the most exciting and challenging bits of the project. What I wanted was minimalist design, lots of functionality and loads of practicality. And to be able to host a good BBQ and party. And to sleep 4 comfortably. And to be able to meet the kids' insatiable need for 'charging stuff'.

So in no particular order, these are the things I needed to get sorted:

- Cooking
- Fridge / freezer
- Decent storage
- Comfy beds
- Electricity: Alternator, Solar, Hook-up, USB points
- Sounds
- Lighting
- Heating
- Ventilation
- Insulation
- Hard-wearing & easy to clean
- Looks cool

So then you start looking around at the various types of interior. Layouts, materials, lighting options, electricity load ratings, weight, multi-function capability of stuff.... it all kind of blurs into one big mess of brands and thinking and options and analysis paralysis....

I narrowed down a lot of things, mainly through 'imagining myself in the space' and then seeing what I wanted and how things would work. The most challenging aspect was the electricity, and Tim (Impmad) came to the rescue on that one. But more of that later.

Initially I wanted a swingout cooker unit by the sliding door, really cool and a great way to be able to cook either indoors or out, but because we'd already decided on the swivel passenger seat, this was not an option. So we decided on a single run front to back behind the drivers' seat, a 3/4 Rock & Roll bed and that really started to hang things together for me.

But the easiest way to visualise whether this would all work was to draw it. So one boring Monday morning at work I drew this, which kind of captures everything we're trying to fit in.

Will you add any warm air ducting to the front and back from the heater?
We used to sell lots of Truma fittings and hose even for small caravans.
We tested such installations in the test chamber down to -5 deg C and blown air made a big difference to the floor to ceiling temperature differences.
Nervous to offer an opinion now, but I hope this helps.
Electrics package is key to comfort too.
Graham.

No, we're going to have heat exchangers linked for the front when we're in transit and I've bought a high KWatt output heater for the bus, I think it'll be able to heat it ok - it's twice the usual Webasto output. And they're only small buses....

And they can always put on another jumper

So - update time, Friday afternoon here.....

After deciding what I wanted, there was the thorny question of the style that it was going to have. And this was where we had a lot of conversations at home. Eventually I persuaded them all that we should go for 'shabby chic beach-hut' interior and put the following 'mood pictures' forward as evidence of my design brilliance.





Brilliant......

So then I ran this by Steve who looked at me quizzically and suggested tactfully that I should talk to his interior design & upholstery guru Nick at Autobahn Customs.

Who equally tactfully told me I could of course have what I liked. But it would look shite. Too many colours. Too, well, rubbish....

See what I mean about having good people work with you? Save you from yourself. Nick had a much better idea. Less is more and all that, so he put this together for me.....



Which shows cabinet material (white) seat material (dark brown vinyl - hardwearing) pop-top canvas (tan) and flooring (Altro hard wearing, non-slip - actually used in hospitals and the like)

Nick also suggested that we might want to do a nod to the late 80's early 90's Cal-look scene by making the seats in 'Fat Biscuit' style. And would eventually look like this



So that was a plan. Shiny white cabinets (easy to clean) Rosewood composite (because it's lightweight) work surface, Rawhide Vinyl (I kid you not cowboy) - fat biscuit-stitched R&R and popotop beds, Altro flooring and tan pop-top canvas. Sorted.....Oh yes and we wanted a layer of memory foam in there too - those beds can be murder....if you're getting towards a certain age...

A wise piece of advice - beach hut shabby chic. What were you thinking

murph2309 wrote:S

Nick also suggested that we might want to do a nod to the late 80's early 90's Cal-look scene by making the seats in 'Fat Biscuit' style.

Ahem... Mid-70s Cal Look.