8 minute read
UPPING YOUR GAME
Having owned six ‘slammed’ T4s previously, Shaun Campbell’s gone onwards and upwards with his latest acquisition
Words Gordie Wollacott Photos Andrew Thompson
There’s so much going on here it’s a wonder Shaun has the mental dexterity to concentrate on what’s coming up ahead!
In case you’ve been hiding under a big stone somewhere, ‘swampers’ are big news right now. And for good reason. They’re a perfect fit for the whole ‘no limit, total freedom’ go-anywhere Van lifestyle ethos that’s trending at the moment which explains Shaun Campbell’s butt about face change of direction with the 1.9td T4 you see here.
Having experienced life getting rattled about in a slammed T4 (well, six to be exact) he’s decided to literally up his game. By the look of the van, you’d be forgiven for imagining he set out with a clear plan of action on how he would achieve the final look, but the reality is it just kind of evolved. Even the original purchase wasn’t exactly planned! “I bought it without even seeing it,” Shaun explains. “I wasn’t actually looking for a T4 at the time, but this one had popped up on Facebook and attracted me with the low asking price and the pop-top roof.” The story goes that the 1997 T4 had previously been used to travel across 14 different countries around Europe during a fundraiser for a mental health charity. “I think they even went as far as Croatia,” says Shaun. “I knew that to make that journey it had to be mechanically sound and well cared for and I was not wrong.”
The seed for this particular build was planted in Shaun’s subconscious a couple of years ago. “I was having a chat with a guy I sold a car to,” he says. “He got talking about his swamper. Now, I’d never heard of a swamper. When I looked into it online, I knew right away that my next van had to be this style.” The concept percolated in Shaun’s mind until this tired looking T4 arrived on his drive.
Body blow
Having been unloaded, one thing became apparent very quickly. Shaun explains, “I realised I had a lot of work ahead of me. It was, in fact, mechanically sound and had lots of receipts amounting to a small fortune showing many things including a reconditioned engine that had
DASHBOARD FASCIA
Check out these pictures of how Shaun designed and built his own dashboard fascia. Unless you have access to the specialist kit like a laser engraver and cutter machine, this kind of mod is virtually impossible. Starting with a design on his CAD program, he first cut templates from plywood for testing the layout before creating the final pieces in beige acrylic. The dash has been finished in brown cherry blossom shoe polish to complement. Neat, eh?
Stu like the Rhino ladder, sunshield and nudge bar were all sourced via eBay. Sadly the snorkel’s only for show!
An o -grid, o -road and up for anything T4 like this is guaranteed to get your neighbours nattering
been fitted professionally a couple of years ago. The bodywork and interior, however, was another story!”
Indeed, the Van was a bargain price for a reason – the MOT had expired some time ago so Shaun decided to start from scratch and work his way inside out by first pulling out the rotten and tired interior, all the while revealing more work. “My plan was to make this a budget build,” he says. “Unfortunately, I found quite a few patches of rot on the ply lining which had been caused by dampness. When I removed the ply, I uncovered lots of holes in the lower body of the Van where the elements had been getting in. All four arches had gone and the rear offside had completely rotted away and left a huge gaping hole! When I pulled the ply from the wall above it, I found a mouse nest inside the insulation! They had obviously been climbing up into the van through the hole and had made themselves comfy... thankfully they had moved on!”
With quite a large welding bill looming, Shaun reverted to form and hit YouTube for some inspiration. “In the past, I’ve taught myself everything I’ve needed to do to build my vans – including sewing,” he points out. “You really can learn anything from YouTube if you have the ability to apply it in the real world.” He bagged himself a mig welder being sold off by a local garage, complete with a large gas bottle and set to it. “I practised for about a week or so before getting stuck in welding the Van itself,” he says. If you’ve ever had to weld on your driveway or single garage, then you can feel Shaun’s pain – literally. “Yeah, there were a few bits that managed to melt through my protective gear whilst laying on my back,” he says with a grimace. It was all worth it though when the MOT man handed him a fresh 12-month pass. “I honestly thought there would be something I would need to revisit, but it was all good,” he beams.
Fab drab
The paint job came next in what Shaun describes as a ‘moment of madness!’ “I had a day off and the weather was nice, so I decided to prep’ the Van on my driveway.” He continues, “That went well so I carried on by masking it up and then hit it with the raptor paint. To this day I am still finding bits of raptor on the door frames and windows of the house!” The colour is of course, Olive Drab.
You can picture Shaun sat here, map open, planning his next madcap adventure can’t you?
There are many neat custom tricks all over this Van, but none more so than inside. As a CAD designer by trade, Shaun runs his own online business, Made & Memories, selling all kinds of personalised items that he makes using his laser cutter and 3D printer. Both machines have been put to work engraving the birch ply interior, creating the hand grenade gear knob with built-in compass and also the custom ‘bull’ front badge. The rock and roll bed frame and foam came from eBay, with Shaun dragging his sewing machine from the loft to finish the retrim. “That was honestly the hardest part,” he admits. “With the tough material my needles kept on breaking, and the cotton kept snapping. I really need an industrial machine but storing it would be a
nightmare. In future, I think upholstery is the one area I’m going to leave to the pros!”
For a utilitarian type vehicle, the interior is surprisingly well-equipped for camping. Things more commonly associated with high-end builds such as a Smev 9222 cooker hob and Waeco CRX50 fridge are all present and correct. Although, this time the fridge has a survival shovel over it instead of a bottle opener!
The cab area has seen the dash treated to a complete redesign, again thanks to Shaun’s CAD skills. A brandnew fascia now houses myriad buttons and switches controlling the factory heaters as well as exterior lights and a CB radio unit. Shaun’s laser engraver has been put to good use with the final details.
Hard as nails
No swamper gets its name from the interior so with things looking tidy inside it was time to terrorise the neighbourhood outside. A set of 16in Vito steel wheels wrapped in 215 x 65 Insa Daka mud terrain tyres set the tone with added presence due to 30mm Stance+ wheel spacers from Venom and the wide arch flares. You have several options available when it comes to lifting your van all varying in expense. With the budget build in mind, Shaun has gone with a very straight forward set of 30mm spring spacers in the rear with the front torsion bar wound up to match. Yes, it actually goes up as well as down!
The off-road trinkets such as the Rhino ladder, the sunshade, the nudge bar and the Delicia Snorkel have all been sourced through nights of searching on eBay. The snorkel, Shaun’s favourite mod, is made for a Mitsubishi L400 and is a genuine item but in the case of this Van is just for show. “You could drill some holes and make it work, but I don’t actually plan on going in any water that deep,” he laughs!
It might not walk the walk, but it absolutely talks the talk. Shaun has definitely captured the swamper vibe and for a total outlay of a little under £3000 you have to respect it.
Thanks to: Barebones print shop for T-shirts worn on shoot
