This is the story (in slideshow form) of over a year of blood, sweat and tears making over our beloved motorhome "Fang". Credits to Jimmy Lee Morris for Campervan Song backtrack
quotableoscar we had a 6 hour train ride from. Cumbria to Gillingham, then a 5 hour drive back and the old gal never missed a beat, looking forward to getting away in her 😎
My elderly neighbour is offering me his much loved but old 1991 talbot express i’m so tempted!! Although I’m a carpenter I wouldn’t know where to start on modernising it. Any good links you have for help on renovating would be appreciated! Oh the van is in ok condition but the boiler has been condemned so no hot water- did you guys put a new boiler in? Many thanks, yours look great 👍🏻
Hi, thanks for the thumbs up with our dear Fang. You're right to be a bit dubious on taking on a labour of love (yep these Talbots are just that) . Firstly, don't take it on if you are not completely sure, we bought ours when we were smitten with it and somehow that really pulls you through. We knew nothing about it but the basics, you're a carpenter so there you go you can go wild on doors and panels. As for the boiler (that could be costly) and other stuff, youtube is the place to be, just about everything is on here, just search. There's plenty of FB pages or forums (Like Talbot Express Owners Club And Forum) with fanatics on them that will be only too glad to offer advice on problems that come up as you go along . Maybe the boiler could have a simple fix? The main thing is if it's sound in the body, no damp smell or stains from leaks, it's such a pain trying to track down where leaks are coming from and once it sets in it will rot the panels (tap them to see if they are solid ..... tap them harder and see if your finger goes through .... that means leave it alone lol) Anyway, good luck with your tough decision, and i'm sure your elderly neighbour will have loads of tips and advice for you as he will know his van well. All the very best.
What a lovely job well impressed,is there any chance we can have some more photos.your ideas with the shower and the ceiling in the van brilliant nothing old-fashioned about that nice one mate well done
Thank you Paul. absolutely! I'll get some more photos together for you. I think the shower was, above all, the biggest transformation and although i lost the battle on the "Stupid blue disco LED lighting" ....... Our first trip out, in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, we turned them on and, WOW!!! The effect with the flex in the panels and the quartz in the flooring were amazing! Recommend it to everyone.
Hello, I'm about to take on the same camper. If you have any tips of what to look out for or anything you think worth going the extra mile with would love to know. Awesome job by the way! Kind Regards Andy
Hi Andrew, thank you! I'd love to help you with some top tips on what to do to get the gem of a camper ........ because i know all about it ..... but, i'll tell you how we got Fang. After deciding it would be a brilliant idea to get an old motorhome, we trawled through endless ads, meticulously scrutinising every bad point ...... because that's sensible. Then we came across the Talbot which was a good price, so arranged to see it (just to see it and not make any rash decision!). We parked up, walked round the corner and there it stood. Instantly it was ours, not because it was the best motorhome that had ever been created .......... It's number plate was F...ANG ..... As my name is Angie, obviously it was meant to be mine! So the best advice i can give is do all the research you can, then throw caution to the wind and be prepared to go with your heart because through all the struggles and frustrations you'll need that love to keep you going!!!! I'm sure that would ring true with a lot of owners. Having said that, there is the basics, like, check it has an engine ..... tick (but you can get them). Wheels ..... tick (you can get them also). It has all it's original features ......... well, no, you can take it all out and go crazy! Ha ha. Seriously though i think a good thing to do is run the number plate to check it's MOT history, see what work it's had done. tap the sides, if it's loose, probably it's going rotten beneath the skin. Check the inside for mold (you can smell damp, but this could be tricky if it's been standing) Look at the floor for a water stain, or maybe the ceiling. Take it for a test drive ...... and yep, go with your gut feeling, enjoy the highs and little achievements ..... it will get you through the dark days, of which there are very, very, very, very many (only joking). Very best of luck to you
Thank you Beth, I know what you mean about the pics but I have loads of them and I had to try and get as many as I could that showed the progress of the refurb and tie in with the song.
Awesome job! Do you still have the motorhome? I'm currently renovating my fiat ducato, which is very similar to yours, I only have 2 weeks to complete though :O
Great job I have just brought one identical to yours obviously without the fab interior lol. Could you tell me how you get the seats into a double bed can't seem to find out anywhere? Many thanks
Thanks Adam, sorry for the late reply, hope you've figured the seat/bed situation by now but if not, assuming your seats are in the standard normal car seat position: slide the horizontal bit you sit on towards the cab, then pull the vertical back rest from the bottom towards the cab to meet it, making it into a bench. Do that on both sides. Then slide the two bottom panels out below the seats to meet each other. Find the block of moulded wood to slot onto those panels, Then you should have two metal bars to slot between the two bench seats. Then put the thin side cushion rests from each side down the middle onto the bars to fill the gap and make into the bed .......... Phew, never thought explaining it would be so long to write! Lol, good luck, hope i said it right.
Thanks Mike, i would like to say that we set out with that intention and carefully looked around to find the perfect project ......... but "Fang" was the first one we checked out and the reg was ANG, my name! Needless to say we put our rose tinted glasses on and signed on the dotted line and threw all our spare time/money/sweat/tears into her for 15 months and don't regret any of it!
I agree. I'm currently modernising mine (very slowly lol) and even though it's hard work, I absolutely love doing it. Can't wait for the finished result. Your seat covers are really nice and retro! Happy camping 😀
Thanks Pippybay! Poor Chugalong, Fang also gets tired half way up a hill ...... a hill that is, in reality, a very slight incline, that has us contemplating throwing every heavy object out the door, including the door! I don't know much about the transit swap, but there's a great Facebook page worth checking out that have a lot of Talbot enthusiasts who could help you out facebook.com/search/top/?q=talbot%20express%20motorhome%20parts%20for%20sale%2Fwanted%2C%20no%20van%20sales%20pleaseo
She looks pretty sharp. You should do a walk through.
Superbly done. I'm facing similar with our beloved old caravan and your video definitely provides inspiration. Well done.
Thanks Dan! It sure is a labour of love, very best of luck with your old gal!
Quality love what you’ve done, we collect our Talbot express merlin up tomorrow it has a nice 5 hour drive home to complete
Thank you so much, all the very best with your Merlin. Have a great 5 hours drive!
quotableoscar we had a 6 hour train ride from. Cumbria to Gillingham, then a 5 hour drive back and the old gal never missed a beat, looking forward to getting away in her 😎
@@l333boa WOW!!! Well worth the journey then if the ol' gal made it back, good luck with her .... Happy camping!!!!
My elderly neighbour is offering me his much loved but old 1991 talbot express i’m so tempted!! Although I’m a carpenter I wouldn’t know where to start on modernising it. Any good links you have for help on renovating would be appreciated! Oh the van is in ok condition but the boiler has been condemned so no hot water- did you guys put a new boiler in? Many thanks, yours look great 👍🏻
Hi, thanks for the thumbs up with our dear Fang. You're right to be a bit dubious on taking on a labour of love (yep these Talbots are just that) . Firstly, don't take it on if you are not completely sure, we bought ours when we were smitten with it and somehow that really pulls you through. We knew nothing about it but the basics, you're a carpenter so there you go you can go wild on doors and panels. As for the boiler (that could be costly) and other stuff, youtube is the place to be, just about everything is on here, just search. There's plenty of FB pages or forums (Like Talbot Express Owners Club And Forum) with fanatics on them that will be only too glad to offer advice on problems that come up as you go along . Maybe the boiler could have a simple fix? The main thing is if it's sound in the body, no damp smell or stains from leaks, it's such a pain trying to track down where leaks are coming from and once it sets in it will rot the panels (tap them to see if they are solid ..... tap them harder and see if your finger goes through .... that means leave it alone lol) Anyway, good luck with your tough decision, and i'm sure your elderly neighbour will have loads of tips and advice for you as he will know his van well. All the very best.
What a lovely job well impressed,is there any chance we can have some more photos.your ideas with the shower and the ceiling in the van brilliant nothing old-fashioned about that nice one mate well done
Thank you Paul. absolutely! I'll get some more photos together for you. I think the shower was, above all, the biggest transformation and although i lost the battle on the "Stupid blue disco LED lighting" ....... Our first trip out, in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, we turned them on and, WOW!!! The effect with the flex in the panels and the quartz in the flooring were amazing! Recommend it to everyone.
Hello, I'm about to take on the same camper. If you have any tips of what to look out for or anything you think worth going the extra mile with would love to know.
Awesome job by the way!
Kind Regards
Andy
Hi Andrew, thank you! I'd love to help you with some top tips on what to do to get the gem of a camper ........ because i know all about it ..... but, i'll tell you how we got Fang. After deciding it would be a brilliant idea to get an old motorhome, we trawled through endless ads, meticulously scrutinising every bad point ...... because that's sensible. Then we came across the Talbot which was a good price, so arranged to see it (just to see it and not make any rash decision!). We parked up, walked round the corner and there it stood. Instantly it was ours, not because it was the best motorhome that had ever been created .......... It's number plate was F...ANG ..... As my name is Angie, obviously it was meant to be mine! So the best advice i can give is do all the research you can, then throw caution to the wind and be prepared to go with your heart because through all the struggles and frustrations you'll need that love to keep you going!!!! I'm sure that would ring true with a lot of owners. Having said that, there is the basics, like, check it has an engine ..... tick (but you can get them). Wheels ..... tick (you can get them also). It has all it's original features ......... well, no, you can take it all out and go crazy! Ha ha. Seriously though i think a good thing to do is run the number plate to check it's MOT history, see what work it's had done. tap the sides, if it's loose, probably it's going rotten beneath the skin. Check the inside for mold (you can smell damp, but this could be tricky if it's been standing) Look at the floor for a water stain, or maybe the ceiling. Take it for a test drive ...... and yep, go with your gut feeling, enjoy the highs and little achievements ..... it will get you through the dark days, of which there are very, very, very, very many (only joking). Very best of luck to you
Just a pity the pics were only up for seconds. Would have liked to study them more but well done. What a brilliant job you have made of it
Thank you Beth, I know what you mean about the pics but I have loads of them and I had to try and get as many as I could that showed the progress of the refurb and tie in with the song.
allmebeth: Just pause the video, you can study them all day long, ha ha, sorry if this reply is a bit late.
Where do you get it parts from
Hi Ray, sorry i missed this comment, the parts are from various places like Ebay.
Awesome job! Do you still have the motorhome? I'm currently renovating my fiat ducato, which is very similar to yours, I only have 2 weeks to complete though :O
Thanks Curlykidlife, yeah, still have Fang. Good luck with your renovation ......... TWO WEEKS???? That's ambitious lol, hope all goes well.
Great job I have just brought one identical to yours obviously without the fab interior lol. Could you tell me how you get the seats into a double bed can't seem to find out anywhere? Many thanks
Thanks Adam, sorry for the late reply, hope you've figured the seat/bed situation by now but if not, assuming your seats are in the standard normal car seat position: slide the horizontal bit you sit on towards the cab, then pull the vertical back rest from the bottom towards the cab to meet it, making it into a bench. Do that on both sides. Then slide the two bottom panels out below the seats to meet each other. Find the block of moulded wood to slot onto those panels, Then you should have two metal bars to slot between the two bench seats. Then put the thin side cushion rests from each side down the middle onto the bars to fill the gap and make into the bed .......... Phew, never thought explaining it would be so long to write! Lol, good luck, hope i said it right.
@@quotableoscar hi could you tell me were the electric hook up cable goes thanks
@@davidmcgowan4419 Hi David, the hook up is on the side, under a flap.
great job aunty ang love it love from Amy xxxxx and shurn😜😜😜
Awwwww thanks Amy xxxxxxx
quotableoscar your welcome xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
Great job. I love the idea of saving a Motorhome 🚐😃
Thanks Mike, i would like to say that we set out with that intention and carefully looked around to find the perfect project ......... but "Fang" was the first one we checked out and the reg was ANG, my name! Needless to say we put our rose tinted glasses on and signed on the dotted line and threw all our spare time/money/sweat/tears into her for 15 months and don't regret any of it!
I agree. I'm currently modernising mine (very slowly lol) and even though it's hard work, I absolutely love doing it. Can't wait for the finished result. Your seat covers are really nice and retro! Happy camping 😀
Great Job. My Talbot, Chugalaug, is getting tired. I've heard you can put a transit engine in. Any ideas?
Thanks Pippybay! Poor Chugalong, Fang also gets tired half way up a hill ...... a hill that is, in reality, a very slight incline, that has us contemplating throwing every heavy object out the door, including the door! I don't know much about the transit swap, but there's a great Facebook page worth checking out that have a lot of Talbot enthusiasts who could help you out facebook.com/search/top/?q=talbot%20express%20motorhome%20parts%20for%20sale%2Fwanted%2C%20no%20van%20sales%20pleaseo
WoW! Great job :-)
Thanks Freedom Seekers