How Godzuki! Found His Name
Godzuki! the Adventure Beastie
We bought the van because we were in a bit of a bind. Our old VW had just eaten its new engine and I was stuck in the middle of a bitter argument between the supplier and fitter as to who’s fault it was. Meanwhile we had time booked off work and no van. The spreadsheet of numbers was not happy, but our solution was to buy another van. We wanted to try something very different to what we already had. But absolutely not a Toyota Troopy. The spreadsheet of numbers was being quite inflexible about that.
If we liked the new van enough the VW would go. If not, we’d sell the new one on. Maybe we’d sell both. So, not a Troopy and not a VW. Van based, rugged and durable. Not too big, not too many electronics. We bought an old HiAce.
I remember the feeling of disappointment when it arrived on the back of the delivery truck. Few of the jobs we’d identified had been done, which was probably for the best given the quality of the work that had been done. It was dirty and dishevelled, not at all ship shape and Bristol fashion. It was not a promising start. We took him to our favourite little campsite, got a fire going, cracked open some beer and spent the weekend cleaning the van, much to the amusement of our fellow campers.
Out of the Frying Pan
Three weeks touring around Scotland raised some interesting issues. A tyre delaminated deep in the forests of Dumfries and Galloway and the spare was a different size. Wheel nuts had been cross threaded and snapped the studs. Belts squealed. The leisure battery wouldn’t charge which was compounded by a large parasitic draw. The squealing belts left us with a flat starter battery on a remote part of Skye.
The kitchen tap gave up on life somewhere in the Cairngorms and the awning was consigned to history the first time we opened it. At least the engine’s thermostat was stuck open rather than shut. If it had rained harder we would have found the leaking skylight, too.
Later we found out it should not have even passed an MOT.
Despite it all we began to see the possibilities of what he could become with a bit of work, none of this was terminal. Even though it was now repaired, I’d lost faith in the VW, every rattle made me panic. Every journey was a worry that we’d end up on the side of the road awaiting recovery. This was all in my head of course, but it was clear. Our journey with Betty Bus was over, she went on eBay and Godzuki! was given his name.
The Little Monster
Just how did he get his name? Rosana was adamant. “We’re not naming this one”. Okay. Then she started calling him the little monster. I’m sure that’s a good thing. Given his Japanese heritage, and the fact that I am still a small child in the body of an old man, the name seemed obvious. There are a few spellings of his name, but only ours includes punctuation!
Hitting Things with a Hammer
It started with the simple things. A basic service was the first job as we were now questioning the competence of the importer to do even the smallest of jobs correctly, if at all. New belts, both auxiliary and timing. Worn ball joints replaced and his cooling system flushed and a new thermostat, water pump and radiator cap fitted. Parts were easy enough to find, despite his age and slightly shady grey import status.
Rosana set to work on the inside, reupholstering the seats. Seat covers and pockets were produced, her ancient Singer rat-a-tatting as it made easy work of canvas. The awning material was remade (the Singer dragged out into the garden, the material too big to handle in her sewing room). More seat covers were crocheted, one square at a time. Additional storage space was added.
The carpet, along with decades of dirt was ripped up, replaced by easy clean tiles and rugs Rosana made out of scrap clothing.
Frustrated by the cost of campingaz bottles and unable to fit larger calorgas, we fitted an external LPG tank. That made space for better sized water tank to be fitted, along with an overly complex water filtration system. The ancient gas stove that scared the hell out of Rosana every time it lit and the heavily scratched sink were replaced by a shiny new combination unit. The barely working gas fridge made way for a modern compressor unit; we have a history with fridges. His disintegrating skylight was replaced with a sturdier, more modern unit.
Godzuki!’s stature grew as we gave him a 50mm suspension lift, then put him on taller all terrain tyres. His spare, no longer able to fit in the underslung carrier was moved onto the rear of the van, and the space reused to house the grey water tank. Topped off with a raised air intake in an attempt to feed his engine with slightly cooler and cleaner air.
Solar panels were stuck to his roof, sucking in the sun and charging his batteries. New gauges were fitted, in part to help monitor his aging engine, but also to make him feel more like the Millennium Falcon than an aging Toyota. Oh yes. He even got his own Lego Millennium Falcon to top it off, an impulse buy at a French Carrefour while we stocked up on cheese.
Godzuki! was ready to take on the world.
Great history of the van, where are you going next….
Hi Simon, lovely to hear from you. Once the house sale completes, it’s off for a tour of the UK to find a flat to buy. Then it’s a vague plan to head to South America to visit family next summer. Won’t be shipping the van down for that trip. If we get time in between probably some time in the warmer parts of Europe! When are you heading back out?