1970 VW T2 Early Bay Camper | 2.0 Subaru | LHD | Unfinished Bespoke Project
DVLA-registered reconstructed classic, successfully registered on its current identity in March 2023 with a DVLA-issued VIN and age-related H registration. Left-hand drive, current MOT to 10 August 2027, extensive bespoke camper conversion, but still requiring completion and bodywork. Full history and supporting paperwork included.
£15,950
This is a running, driving and MOT’d Early Bay with a huge amount of work already completed, but it remains an unfinished project. It is left-hand drive, the bodywork now needs attention if it is to be brought back to a really high standard, and it has a reconstructed-classic registration history which is fully documented and now long since concluded.
I bought the van in October 2017 and worked fairly intensively on it for the first couple of years. Since then we’ve had two children, the demands of my work have changed considerably, and family life has moved on. Around five years ago we bought a caravan, largely because it was becoming increasingly clear that the Bay wasn’t going to get finished quickly, and later we were lucky enough to buy a modern VW California Beach as well.
Once we had the caravan, much of the motivation to push the Bay over the line disappeared. It has seen very little use in recent years and I am now realistic enough to accept that I’m not going to find either the time or the enthusiasm to restart the project properly.
I’m selling it with quite a lot of regret. There has been an enormous amount of thought, time and money invested in it and I genuinely wanted to see the finished van through. Unfortunately life moved on before I did, the complication around the vehicle’s identity certainly didn’t help, and at some point you have to accept that a project is better in somebody else’s hands than permanently occupying your garage. My wife would also, quite reasonably, like the garage back.
Engine, gearbox and running gear
The original air-cooled engine was replaced with a fully rebuilt 1998cc 16-valve Subaru Legacy petrol engine, professionally converted by TSR / AMR Motors in Exning, Suffolk.
I have extensive invoices and paperwork covering the engine and conversion work.
Crucially, the paperwork records the odometer at 68,715 miles when the Subaru installation was commissioned. The odometer now reads approximately 69,524 miles, meaning the van and rebuilt Subaru engine have covered just 809 miles since commissioning.
The engine therefore remains extremely lightly used since rebuild and installation.
The original VW four-speed gearbox was retained but professionally refurbished and re-ratioed as a freeway gearbox to better suit the Subaru engine and higher-speed cruising. All four forward gears and reverse select reliably. The external gearshift/selector linkage is not quite as tight or precise as it once was and there is scope for adjustment or improvement, but it remains perfectly usable and is no worse than it was when I originally bought the van.
The mechanical and camper specification includes:
• Fully rebuilt 1998cc Subaru Legacy 16-valve petrol engine
• Professional TSR/AMR Subaru conversion
• Just 809 miles recorded since the rebuilt Subaru installation was commissioned
• Refurbished and re-ratioed VW four-speed freeway gearbox
• Lowered sump and associated drivetrain conversion work
• LiteSteer electric power steering
• Slightly lowered suspension
• Uprated KYB shock absorbers
• Bus Boys front beam adjusters
• CSP front disc brake conversion
• Brake servo
• Rear brake components renewed as part of previous work
• Two professionally upholstered aftermarket captain’s seats with armrests
• Passenger-seat swivel conversion
• Three-quarter-width rock-and-roll bed with fixed three-point seatbelt mounting arrangement
• Bespoke handmade camper cabinetry
• Solid oak worktops
• Soft-close furniture fittings
• Two-level pull-out larder
• Custom slide-out table
• Dedicated cutlery drawer and extensive storage
• Bespoke under-seat storage, with the necessary steel fabrication and welding already completed
• Integrated toilet/storage unit which also works as a seat or footrest
• SMEV combination sink and twin-burner gas hob
• Dedicated gas locker and 6kg Calor Gas cylinder
• Isotherm Cruise 65 Elegance compressor fridge/freezer, fitted new during the build and effectively unused
• Propex HeatSource HS2000 blown-air heater, fitted new during the build and only used for testing/commissioning
• Custom fresh-water tank and external filler
• Electric tap/water pump
• Bespoke external shower system infrastructure
• Two roof-mounted solar panels
• EPEVER Tracer MPPT solar controller
• EPEVER MT50 remote solar display/controller
• Victron Energy Cyrix-ct 12/24-120 intelligent split-charge/battery-combiner system
• Leisure battery
• Numax 12V 10A mains charger
• 2000W pure sine-wave inverter
• External 230V campsite hookup and consumer unit
• 12V fused distribution system
• Starter and leisure battery monitoring
• Pioneer MVH-X580DAB head unit
• JBL Stage 9603E speakers
• Pop-top with replacement canvas and NitroLift gas struts
• Roof bars
• Thule/Omnistor four-step alloy exterior ladder, currently removed for refitting
• Towbar and electrics, previously fitted and wired and now removed for refitting
• Internal thermal window screens
• Tailgate mosquito mesh and sliding-door mosquito mesh
• Mad Matz/sisal-style cab carpeting
• Extensive additional upholstery, trim, timber and finishing materials
Cabinetry and interior
The furniture is probably the part of the conversion I’m most proud of.
Before joining the fire service I worked as a joiner and cabinet maker, and I designed and built the camper interior myself. The decisions were generally based on what I thought would make the best finished camper rather than simply what was quickest or easiest.
The cabinetry is constructed from high-quality veneered furniture plywood, carefully selected so that grain lines flow through adjoining doors, drawers and panels. The worktops are solid oak, finished along with the rest of the timber using Osmo oil.
There is a two-level pull-out larder, soft-close hardware, extensive cupboards and drawers, a dedicated cutlery drawer and a bespoke slide-out table. I also went to considerable lengths to use areas of the van that are normally wasted, including custom storage underneath the front seats which required additional steel fabrication to the original seat-base areas. That fabrication work is complete.
Additional matching veneered furniture board and other timber from the original build is included with the van.
Front seats and swivel conversion
The two front seats were bought specifically for the conversion and professionally upholstered by Tom Hurley Custom Seats.
The passenger seat has a bespoke swivel conversion allowing it to rotate and face into the living area. Anyone familiar with an Early Bay will probably appreciate that this is genuinely quite an unusual feature. It took a significant amount of thought, design, modification and fabrication to achieve properly, but it works extremely well and is shown in the photographs.
The grey plastic seat trims were always intended to be either painted or upholstered to complement the finished interior and remain one of the smaller finishing jobs.
Rock-and-roll bed and upholstery
The three-quarter-width rock-and-roll bed was chosen specifically because its design incorporated fixed three-point seatbelt mounting points. As we were building the van around family use, the intention was to be able to carry up to two child seats in the rear.
The bed itself is installed. What it does not currently have is the foam.
The upholstery material for the rock-and-roll bed is already included, along with material intended for the rest of the camper interior.
The two front seats are complete, but the remainder of the interior upholstery still needs finishing. The main wall panels, door cards and roof/headlining panels have already been fabricated, sized, trial fitted and removed. Appropriate allowances were built into them for foam and final covering.
The vast majority of the materials required to finish the interior are therefore already here, including upholstery material, matching carpet material, door-card weatherproofing membrane, additional timber and matching veneered furniture ply.
Heating, fridge, gas and water
The Isotherm fridge and Propex heater were both fitted new during the build but are now several years old in calendar terms. Neither has seen meaningful use.
The Propex was tested and commissioned when installed. The fridge is likewise effectively unused rather than something recently purchased straight out of a box.
The van has a removable fresh-water tank integrated into the cabinetry, an external filler and an electric pumped tap.
I also became slightly obsessed with the idea of having an external shower because much of our camping revolves around beaches. The idea was to be able to rinse down wetsuits, surfboards and children without carrying a separate shower around.
That resulted in a custom baffled water tank designed around the rear roof area, a pressure-operated pump, flexible hose and shower head stored within the fibreglass roof cavity and accessed through a marine-style external hatch.
It was designed and tested successfully, although in hindsight it may be one of the more over-engineered parts of the whole build. The system has subsequently been partly disconnected and the next owner can decide whether they want to recommission it or simplify it.
Electrical and solar system
The camper electrical system is fairly extensive, with mains hookup, inverter, mains charging, solar charging, split charging, leisure battery and dedicated 12V distribution.
The EPEVER MT50 panel provides remote monitoring of the solar system, while separate digital meters monitor the starter and leisure batteries.
The camper lighting circuits have already been wired throughout the vehicle. The light fittings themselves remain to be installed, and a 5m warm-white LED strip is included for concealed furniture/worktop lighting beneath the upper cabinet.
Additional draw wires were also left during the build to make future additions easier.
The solar panels themselves have now been fitted for around eight years and show visible cosmetic weathering/fading. I have not recently measured their output, so I would rather simply state that than make assumptions about their present performance.
Pop-top and sleeping arrangement
The van retains its Early Bay front-hinged pop-top and has a replacement canvas which remains in good condition. The canvas has zipped openings to the front and sides, allowing either mosquito-mesh ventilation or full opening.
NitroLift gas struts have been fitted to assist the roof.
The original narrow upper bunk was removed and I began converting the roof to a full-width upper bed. That work remains unfinished.
The intended final arrangement was therefore sleeping for two adults downstairs on the rock-and-roll bed and a further two people, particularly the children, upstairs.
Roof and storage
The roof bars were selected and positioned to maintain a low overall profile while providing proper carrying capacity for surfboards and luggage.
A Thule/Omnistor four-step alloy exterior ladder is included. This was previously dry fitted to the nearside rear-quarter/roof area to provide easy access for loading the roof and for access to the rear roof-storage area. It is currently removed and requires refitting.
Security and central locking
A TOAD alarm/immobiliser and remote central-locking system is fitted.
It was tested and working when installed. It has had very little use for a long time, but I have no reason to believe it is not still functional. I simply haven’t recently gone through every alarm function to verify it.
Remote central locking operates the two front cab doors. The sliding door and tailgate retain their original-style manual locking arrangements.
Bodywork and underside
When I bought the van it looked extremely smart externally. Previous body and paint work had clearly been carried out, although I have no record suggesting it was ever a bare-metal or nut-and-bolt restoration.
At the time, the only obvious corrosion I remember was around the lower sliding door.
Nine years later, the previous paint and body repairs are showing their age. From normal viewing distance the van still looks extremely attractive and continues to get compliments, but close inspection shows localised corrosion starting to push through the paint in several areas, particularly around the sliding door, rear wheel arches and tailgate. There is also a small rear-quarter dent, some minor paint defects and areas where older filler/body repairs are beginning to show.
If I were continuing with the project, I would now have the body properly prepared and repainted.
Nothing I have seen suggests the visible corrosion is compromising the structure of the van. When I stripped the camper interior completely during the build, I was expecting to uncover hidden problems behind the original trim and furniture, but the internal shell was exceptionally clean.
There has been some welding to the nearside chassis for a previous MOT. The latest MOT mechanic commented positively on the general condition underneath.
The underside also has existing protective coating which predates my ownership. My plan had been to clean the underside and renew the corrosion protection once the rest of the project was complete, but that remains another job for the future owner if they choose to do it.
The van has spent winter periods extensively garaged during my ownership, although it has also spent extended periods outside during spring, summer and autumn.
Registration and identity history
This is fully documented and the process is now completed.
I bought the van in October 2017 from the widow of its previous owner. At the time I was entirely comfortable with the vehicle and its documentation and there were no obvious red flags. I carried out a full HPI check on 5 October 2017, which came back clear. The registration and supplied VIN matched, the V5 details matched and HPI recorded no adverse data. That original report is still retained with the paperwork.
In 2019 DVLA subsequently contacted me after their records flagged another vehicle attempting to register or use the same historic identity.
The only original-style VIN identification I had ever been able to locate on the van was on a riveted Volkswagen identification plate behind the passenger seat. Despite a detailed search of the vehicle, neither I nor the Historic Volkswagen Club were able to locate a reliable chassis-stamped VIN elsewhere on the vehicle. Equally, we found no obvious evidence of a chassis number having been deliberately removed.
The Historic Volkswagen Club inspected the van on 26 June 2021 and again on 28 March 2022 as part of the process of establishing its age and supporting the registration application.
From the body construction and surviving original/contemporary components they were able to identify the van as a 1970 vehicle, noting the transmission, rear suspension, rear brakes, steering gear, front suspension and general ancillary components as original or contemporary with that period.
That evidence formed part of the successful DVLA reconstructed-classic process.
The van was subsequently registered by DVLA as a 1970 reconstructed classic, issued with a replacement DVLA VIN and given its current age-related H registration. The new DVLA VIN is permanently acid-etched into the vehicle in two locations.
The current registration has been in place since 1 March 2023 and the paperwork is all in order. A further HPI check carried out in September 2026 against the current identity is also clear and confirms that the current registration, DVLA-issued VIN and V5C details match.
Both the original 2017 HPI report and current HPI report, Historic Volkswagen Club documentation, current V5C, relevant DVLA correspondence and extensive supporting paperwork are included with the van.
What remains to be done
The van is substantially progressed but still needs somebody to finish it.
The bigger jobs are the body preparation/repaint if the next owner wants the exterior back to a very high cosmetic standard, foam and upholstery for the rock-and-roll bed, final upholstery and trim of the remaining interior panels, completion of the full-width pop-top bed and fitting the internal camper lighting.
There are then smaller jobs such as finishing carpet/trim work, refitting the towbar and ladder and deciding what to do with the external shower system.
The vast majority of the materials required to finish the interior are included, along with additional matching timber and furniture board.
I will happily explain everything I know, hand over the invoices, manuals, notes and documentation and show a serious buyer around the project properly. What I can’t promise after several years away from working on it is that I can immediately remember the purpose of every wire or every decision I made in 2018.
Part of taking on a bespoke unfinished project like this will inevitably be spending some time getting familiar with it yourself. I’ll do my best to hand over everything I know, but I’m hoping to sell the camper rather than inadvertently take on a lifetime role as its remote technical-support department.
There has been an enormous amount of time and money invested in it. I’m not going to recover anything close to that, never mind the time involved, and I’ve made peace with that.
I’d simply like somebody to take it away, see the potential that I saw in it, finish it and hopefully get years of enjoyment out of it.
£15,950
Viewing is very welcome and probably the best way to understand just how much has already gone into the van. There is a substantial file of receipts, build documentation, manuals, DVLA correspondence and both historic and current HPI reports available for a serious buyer.