Talbot/Fiat camper

[damo]

Any of you guys had any experience of these?
Apart from the obligatory tin worm is there anything else to look for? Are they reliable,are parts readily available can they be modded?
They seem to be quite cheap for a decent one, I'd love to put alloys on one and do a Talbot Motorsport paint scheme or even Lotus/Sunbeam livery..... cheers

[reliantscimitar]

hi there

I've had lots of these over the years and they are decent vans. There's still quite a few about and spares are still available apart from gearbox parts.

The shift linkage wears badly and the synchros fail.

Petrols are ok, not bad on fuel. Diesels are more problematic, they come in 1.9, 2.5 and 2.5 turbo, both fiat and peugeot engines. The 1.9 is ok for a van but not for the coach builts, the fiat 2.5 diesel is better that the peugeot .

I have service manuals on cd and a owners handbook/service manual for these if you are stuck.

[K5]

If you can go for the 2.5 td SOFIM engine. Stay away from 1.9 and non turbo. They are dog slow. Gearboxes can go on fifth gear but this mainly due to gearbox oil not being topped up and starvation to the fifth. Ny mechanic who has years of experience withem overfills them so that enough oil is splashed over fifth. It is alos more like an overdrive fifth so 4 th is best used on mountains etc. They will pull in fifth and this what breaks them. Loads of spares around a support. Switches and things can be hard to get so a foreign ebay search is your friend .
I have had my Hymer 2.5TD since 2017 so very happy with it.

[generallee]

I believe TB Turbo of Lancaster offered an aftermarket turbo conversion for these. How much 'performance' was improved I don't know, or if any survive.

There seem to be plenty about still, but are probably at the tipping point of disappearing overnight.

[K5]

There are for more of these than you would think in Camper/motorhome guise hence parts availability. Coastal Motorhomes carries many parts for them as well. No need to try and find a turbo conversion as Fiat 2.5 TD´s are out there.

[shadyracer]

And I have a gearbox in my workshop for one of the 2.5/2.8 diesel models which Id be keen to move on and free up some space if anyone needs it..

[generallee]

^^Another vote for Coastal Motorhomes, they carry all sorts of stuff.

Some older parts for the camper conversion are getting harder to find, like the older tiny taps etc, so worth checking what is broken/missing.

[60six]

Feb 12, 2024 20:22:58 GMT shadyracer said:

And I have a gearbox in my workshop for one of the 2.5/2.8 diesel models which Id be keen to move on and free up some space if anyone needs it..

sent you a PM

[K5]

Feb 12, 2024 20:54:49 GMT generallee said:

^^Another vote for Coastal Motorhomes, they carry all sorts of stuff.

Some older parts for the camper conversion are getting harder to find, like the older tiny taps etc, so worth checking what is broken/missing.

Taps aren´t a problem either as you change them all out for modern stuff. I have done this with my Hymer. Chances are the taps will be calcified up and in need of a change anyway.