County Camper

[andyborris]

After several holidays in the Delica, we realised it was too small to do anything more than camp sites stays, with the occasional overnight off road.

Then it become unreliable, with a persistent fuel pump problem, which even changing the pump seals didn’t cure.

I suspect that the “expert” who did the seals, cocked it up. Unfortunately, he had a major “melt down” and wouldn’t talk to me about it!

Rust was really starting to get a hold too, so it was sold.

We still want to be able to camp off road, in the wild for extended periods of time. The need / itch for a 4WD off road capable camper van is still strong.

The search started again, for something that 3 years ago, we don’t know we needed!

The list of vehicles I considered was long, many were rejected, mainly because of cost or size, either too small or too big.

I found a GAZ 66



with a large radio body mounted, low mileage and quite clean, the price was affordable, but the distance from home was less convenient, being in East Poland!

Negotiation started and a deal was struck, I got the bank loan, booked a hotel and flights, told the vendor I was coming and made plans for a very long road trip in a 1960’s Russian designed V8 petrol truck, wasn’t nervous at all!

Then an email from the vendor, the agreed price didn’t include VAT or the cost of registering the GAZ, it wasn’t a huge amount of money he was asking for, about 30% of the agreed price, but now I felt like I was being had over, I’d arrive and there’d be this or that extra to pay for…...you can imagine how I felt, the dark void I was about to leap into had just got a lot darker.

So now because I was down the cost of flights and a hotel room, I started to look closer to home.

A cheap L200 K74 popped up for sale very near to me, I took a look.

It had been hit in the front by (the vendor said) a mini digger while on site, which was the reason for the price.

With hindsight I should have walked away, although I didn’t spot all the problems at the time. And a bent steering wheel gives lie to the mini digger story!

But one drive around the block and I was in love and after a complete front end rebuild, including replacing a very rusty front crossmember and all the plastics that were held in place with wood screws, I still love and own it!





But the plan called for a off road, off grid camper van, the L200 with it’s rear locking diff could go off road, but wasn’t much of a camper van!

I started looking for a demountable camper box/pod, looked at a few, but they were either too tatty or too expensive and we realized after climbing in and out of a few, that we wanted to be able to get into the driving seat from the living area, without leaving the camper van. Something that’s almost impossible to do with a demountable on a pick up!

As I said before, time was drawing on and we want it ready for retirement. We hope to spend a few years exploring Europe and beyond, full time……!

So, the search resumed and I saw a Ford County MK5 for sale, very low mileage, claimed to be rust free and already a camper van conversion, I looked and then paid more then I planned and drove it home!

If I’m honest, it was probably a “I’m fed up with looking now” purchase.

[dazcapri]

As an ex Transit County (mk2) owner I'm definitely interested and bookmarked

[Kron]

Bookmarked, but you cant leave us hanging like that.

[vitesseefi]

Reckon you dodged a bullet with that VAZ66. That’s gpm not mpg...... You probably need a truck license too.... maybe you have one....

Can’t wait to see what you do come up with ....... 🙂

Edit: Oh wait, read the last post properly you ejit.... That looks disappointingly sane 😛 Is it really any bigger than the Delicia though 🤔



Nick

[qwerty]

This thread very much has my attention!

Tom

[dodgerover]

Hope the 4wd works ok on the county, looks a good one.

[kevins]

A great choice, they are pretty capable and aside from the county parts can be easily fixed just about anywhere in the world.

Lucky to find a good one, most were sold to utilities who murdered them.

[andyborris]

This County is an ex Keswick Mountain Rescue Ambulance. It's showing 18and a half thousand miles, which judging from the under bonnet condition, could be close to genuine!

scroll down here

I guess it was only used when someone needed rescuing, it then went to a collector who had to do some bodywork, unfortunately metal still rusts, even when not being used, he also removed the rear windows and resprayed it grey, however he was one of those chaps who prefer to work on, rather than drive a vehicle.

Then it's purchased by the vendor, who does a camper conversion and uses it occasionally to visit a local beauty spot to take his German Shepherds for a walk, can you see a trend, the Delica had been used as a mobile kennel too!

So I've brought it partly out of desperation and partly because I'm impressed with the almost new appearance under the bonnet, it drives well and the 4wd system seems to work, I say seems to, because unlike the L200, I don't get to try it out while moving for a very good reason.

The L200 has quite a sophisticated 4wd, in that it can be used in 4wd on the road because the centre diff isn't locked till you engage 4wd low, you can even change from 2wd to 4wd on the move and back again.

The County is much more primitive, no centre diff on these, use it in 4wd with good traction (i.e. on the road) and you'll get driveshaft wind up, use it in 4wd for long enough on the road and it'll go bang! So the vendor wouldn't let me drive it in 4wd, I have had it up on axle stands since buying it to check the 4wd works, it does, still not sure it justifies the price I paid, but too late for doubts now!

Luckily, the main criteria the van has to meet is accomplished with ease, the girlfiend loves it and is in the driving seat in a New York minute!

[qwerty]

Dec 10, 2020 23:42:56 GMT andyborris said:

Luckily, the main criteria the van has to meet is accomplished with ease, the girlfiend loves it and is in the driving seat in a New York minute!

I'm discovering that this is a VERY important factor. The Beetle is the first car that my other half has ever been interested in and its certainly making funds more forthcoming
Tom

[dodgerover]

Looks like you already know but never ever use 4wd unless you really need it or you will destroy the system. I've got a feeling when changing out of 4wd into 2wd you may have to rock it in reverse as well to get it to disengage as they do wind up.
Take care of your front brake discs they were specific to this application and difficult to source at one point as well as being eyewateringly expensive.

There were some good videos on the net of them being put through their paces off road and they really are very competent.

Is it petrol or diesel? It was common for the counties to be petrols originally

[raumer]

Don't know if it is peculiar to the Country 4x4 system but other 4x4 systems without centre diff don't go bang with use. We've had 2 vehicles on the road without centre diffs. 1 is permanent 4x4 (Unipower) and the other is selectable (Landrover Series 2). The 1st is fine on long runs but if you do lots of tight manoeuvring on hard surfaces it will occasionally skip a wheel. The series is the same but you get added wear on the drive joints and you can feel it still being engaged through the steering.

The Gaz 66's are nice and can be driven on the older up to 7.5 ton licence. Reliable and good off road but as already said very thirsty. The County looks a much better choice for your needs with the benefit of more head room.

[dodgerover]

Dec 11, 2020 20:20:27 GMT raumer said:

Don't know if it is peculiar to the Country 4x4 system but other 4x4 systems without centre diff don't go bang with use. ]

It's a peculiarly of the county, they come with dire warnings about engaging 4wd in non slippy conditions

[andyborris]

Trust me, the County is plastered with warnings about using 4wd on the road and in the owners manual it does suggest reversing to disengage the 4wd.

Owners manual? More interesting paperwork came with the van too, did try to add more to this thread, but hit the wrong key and it disappeared!

It's taken till now to cool down!

[georgeb]

Transit County 4x4? Bookmarked!

[qwerty]

Did Ford use their own 4x4 system on the Country's or buy something in?

You think they would have used something from the American Trucks and just had it shipped over.

[dazcapri]

Dec 12, 2020 8:29:58 GMT qwerty said:

Did Ford use their own 4x4 system on the Country's or buy something in?

You think they would have used something from the American Trucks and just had it shipped over.

The 4wd parts were made by the the same people who did the County tractors hence the name

[andyborris]

The earlier beam axle Transit County did indeed use parts from American trucks, the MK5 like mine was all County, though I'm sure the bits they used were of someone's shelf somewhere!

[andyborris]

County Tractors were based in Powys Wales, having moved there from the South East after a change of ownership. The company started manufacturing 4wd tractors just after the 1st World War.

They spotted a small niche in the market and produced a 4wd conversion of the Transit MK2, this was a conversion and not an official Ford vehicle. Sold mainly to utility companies, it was, for a niche conversion quite successful.

By the time mine was sold, they'd become an official Ford vehicle, sold through a Ford dealer via the SVO programme.

Mine was sold by CG Truck of Carlisle (who have only just stopped trading!) on the 28/05/1998 to the Keswick Mountain rescue Team

The base price for a Transit 190 2.5 turbo with a County Conversion was £29816.78 + VAT, more than a base Transit sold today!

The ambulance conversion, including some additions not on the dealer invoice added £15097 to the price, a final price of £50130!

Not sure how that compares to other new car or even house prices in 1998, but it's still a lot of money today (if I had £50K, I'd be retiring now and not in 2 years!).

As you may have realised, I have a lot of paperwork, first vehicle I've owned which has come such extensive history and it's fascinating.

[andyborris]

It's a LWB MHR 190 Turbo, which means it's long wheelbase with a mid height roof, single rear wheel body (no arches) and the famous Banana engine with added turbo.

The County conversion is, as befits a company more used to making tractors, a bit agricultural! Consisting of large box section frames which carry both the standard rear and the added front driveshafts and transfer box.

Inside the cab, there's a extra stubby gear lever, a switch on the dash and that's it. However, no one will ever confuse it for a standard Transit, the wheel arch gaps and the extra ride height, let you know it's not standard.

I have been told that MK5 County's came in 2 height flavours, which may explain why mine seems so high, even for a County.

Enough writing, pictures will be added soon, when it stops raining. I confess I wasn't going to do a Retro Ride about this van, but got bored with the TV, it's too dark to work on it and as the girlfiend pointed out, not unkindly, "when the Alzheimer's hits really hard, it'll be good for you to look back over parts of your life" .

[skodacious]

As much as I like pictures the write up is fascinating so keep going. Nice to have all that history 👍 Will be watching with interest and obviously bookmarked 🙂