Original or not

Currently restoring a T25 Auto Sleeper. 3rd owner from new, 1st guy had it for 20 years and really looked after it then 2nd owner a local lady for 5 years who did less than 3,000 miles in it at weekends. The inside is in pretty good shape and has all the original gear, seat covers etc etc. The outside is being fettled and sprayed as we speak by a pro, to the original - if I can get the decals. Now wandering whether to keep interior as original or whether to funk it up? Any advice

Hi there,

Well done!  

My only advice is to do very little for the first season.

Upholstery:

1.  Older upholstery fabrics are weird.  Some will look absolutely fine having not been used and then disintegrate when someone sits on them; others will look worn and faded with exposure to UV and with massive amounts of use and abuse and yet still be good for many more years!

2.  If you have the original upholstery then after a year you will know whether it has grown on you and you like it, or you loathe it and feel that it must be changed.  The point is that if you like it and it has disintegrated you may still need to change it but at least you will know what you like.

With upholstery it's a bit like Russian Roulette as to what you will be getting!

Woodwork:

It tends to "darken" after a few years.  Much of it may be lightened back to its original colour with a light sanding and a rub down with oil; but start on somewhere out of the way to make sure that it is actually wood and not a printed cardboard or a very thin veneer!

Lighting:

Changing the lights to LEDs is worth considering.  It will improve leisure battery life and give you a lighter interior at night. Check out the various Threads on here.  It can be a relatively easy and cheap changeover.

Tyres:

Check the age and condition of the tyres AND the valves; and change them if you have ANY doubts.

Mechanical:

You may very well have the odd problem with skylights, fridge, cooker, pumps etc. so cope with them when they occur as they aren't worth renewing en masse.


Finally ... ENJOY!!!  It sounds to be a lovely buy.    

Best regards,

^^Wise words there.

I 'lived with' my 1994 T4 Trident for quite a while before getting stuck in to getting it how I wanted. Several years later it's running with the original steels in anthracite, no decals, a stripe from the 1970s VW paint catalogue, different curtains and upholstery redone in VW Inca fabric.

Quite a lot of people on here prefer originality. Fair enough if that's your taste. Some say changing things affects resale value, but most of these older VW conversions have migrated towards 'the scene' now and I doubt many potential buyers are bothered about correct Auto-Sleepers decals etc.

Happy camping

As an almost-retired upholsterer and loosecover maker I totally agree with comments re the upholstery by Dutto. Try it out first. Re-upholstery is not cheap. The inners may be ok or may have collapsed - don't be tempted to replace with too firm a foam. What is good for sitting on can be too hard to seep on for older/stiffer people (like me). A core of firm foam with 2" of softer foam on top works for us. Covers in some of the older dralons are indestructible. Cotton mixtures fade and rot in strong sunlight - think of the way conservatory cushions go. Meanwhile, enjoy using it!