Hello everyone

[Hamper Van]

Hello everyone,

On Tuesday we bought ourselves a 1969 Bedford HA Dormobile- the most minute and bonkers campervan we've ever seen!
It becomes one of our small fleet which include a 1962 Volvo Amazon and a 1969 Morris Minor.

The little campervan or 'hampervan' as we call her (A mix of HA and campervan) drove the 50 miles home almost perfectly on Tuesday evening, but went up in a puff of smoke on a 2 mile journey yesterday... nothing is ever straightforward with classic car ownership!

She's had a hard life and whilst she has an MOT there's a lot of work to be done- wiring, body/ paint work, window seals, the list is almost endless, as well as which many of the original Dormobile features have been stripped: sink, cooker, tables and fold down seat are all missing. If anyone has one we could look at and maybe take measurement of the tables and seat etc as well as see what one in good condition looks like we'd be extremely grateful.

Anyway we're pleased to have found the forum which was recommended to us by a chap at the Ripon car show today, we look forward to chatting soon.

Caron and Ian

[hbpeter]

Hello and welcome. Glad to see someone has bought this camper, been for sale for a long time. I see Fred has already invited you to join the club. For spares for these, see a man called Bedfordbad on this forum. Hes our resident van/camper expert.

Lets have some photos, and whats the problem with it going up in smoke?

Peter

[Hamper Van]

Hi Peter and many thanks for the welcome,
I will add some piccies, although there's not much more to see really than what was on ebay!

It has to be said we hate electrics!
Set off home after a 2 mile trip with my Aunty and car filled with smoke. Walked home to get the Volvo to tow her home and have discovered initially that the white ignition wire is melted. The coil is still working (checked in the Moggy).

We've replaced the wire but still have no spark and although we have a multi-meter, rather embarrassingly we've never used it and we're a bit nervous of the whole electrickery business!

If anyone knows of any idiot proof tests we could try, we'd be extremely grateful!

Cheers,
Caron

[Hamper Van]

Here's a link to our Flickr page for pictures of the old girl:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36964531@N ... 387829175/

[Hamper Van]

Yippee! We're running again- LT lead not connected properly- should have spotted this sooner.

[Icedmunkie]

Hi and Welcome,

Sounds like you will have fun with your hampervan!!
I used to have an very rotten Amazon on my drive then my stepdad sold it

[dann01]

Would love to see some pics... Also, like your username. Cool.

Dan

[Hamper Van]

Hi peeps, thanks for the hello's.
A few years ago my daughter had a cardboard make your own 'Dampervan' from Top Gear, so the name Hampervan fits with us in many ways.

I've put a link to my flickr page up a few posts and if you click on sets there are pictures of the Amazon also. She is a bit of a sleeper really, not crazily so, but she looks as she did when we dragged her out of a barn 5 years ago (where she'd been housed with hay and chickens for 34 years) but under the bonnet she's a little played with.
Just gas flowed head, ported and polished and decent exhaust, we've got a lowering kit (only 20mm) and progressive springs but that's another job waiting to be done.

Was the Amazon on your drive rescued or scrapped btw? I hate seeing them scrapped or worse still bangered.

The Moggy is totally original and will stay that way.

The Hampervan we're a bit unsure of as yet, I think you have to live with a vehicle before deciding what to do with it.
It can't ever be original as it's had too much changed already and there's too much missing, but to restore what's left as is or to change in ways which will make it more useable for our family, that's the question and one we'll just sit on while we make sure she's completely sound.

Sorry I do chat too much when it comes to our cars!!

[Icedmunkie]

Hi,

I think it was rescued for parts rather than scrapped, its was beyond restoring but a good donor car!!
No problem talking about cars! Its one thing we all have in common, I used to have an Land Rover Ambulance that was an camper before it was written in!! All I can say its was very wobbly but great fun, we went to Chezch last year in her!!

[Hamper Van]

Oh that sounds fun- we haven't made it into Europe in any of ours yet, my mum lives on Orkney though so the Amazon has taken us there a few times- 550 miles door to door.
The Hampervan's insurance has European cover and breakdown included so I guess there's no excuse really!