General Fiat 238

[thisisburdett]

Hello all,
thought I'd put a post up in this part of the forum as it seems like the closest I'll get to a 238 section

I like keeping up with all the 900t and 850t restorations, so this might be of interest to some of you.

Not a restoration, but a few repairs .
I found the bus on the German mobile.de site and flew to Vienna with the missus and the littl'un to buy it.

The seller told me it was in working order, so we took the chance and went over to pick it up and drive it home.

We smashed the pop up roof of it the first morning we had it.
...apparently you only make that mistake once!

I have finally got the fibreglass roof back in order, had a new tent part made and have just reupholstered the seats.

Here are a few images of the bus. I believe this is one of only two Fiat 238s that are registered in the UK.

(and here is a little home movie of the journey home in the bus: [ame]https://vimeo.com/131771932[/ame] )

 

[fiat500]

Wow, youve made an already nice van even nicer. I wish I had got to that level but I haven't really started yet. That is so much better than a VW, which I guess would be abut the same size?

It looks quite a bit more practical than a 850/900t/e but still really cute.

 

[thisisburdett]

Thanks Peter!

There wasn't too much to do, aside from the problems I created myself.

It turns out that the previous owner removed the original double seat (Going by the grinding marks and moved mounting points on the engine cover) to fit a single for the passenger so you could access the back whilst moving/get in to the front without having to go outside, I imagine.

But there is 3 of us, so had to move the mounting brackets back to their original position and refit a double.

The tent in the pop up had also been replaced since the original, and was grey at the time I tore it to pieces, so I was happy to get the original orange canvas back on there!

The van itself is quite a lump, a lot bigger that the other Fiat Furgones.
On our last outing I actually had a vw couple come up and give it a thorough inspection. They commented on the better use of space inside, I guess they're slightly restricted by engine placement in theirs. I think the 238 is about half a metre longer than the vw's.

 

[Tony mac]

Congrats on your purchase, I am currently ready to paint mine, and would be grateful for a chat regarding parts etc and dimensions of the furniture as I have to rebuild all the units.
Thanks

 

[chick850t]

Hi,

Just wanted to say what a gorgeous van you have, great to see and a real rarity! Looks like the secret love child of an 850T and a Commer infact.

If I recall rightly a 238 was featured in Practical Classics (a group road test) not too long ago, say within the last 2-3 years, not sure if you've seen it?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[thisisburdett]

Nice one Andy!

It does have the look of a Commer about it doesn't it. I also came across the Barkas B1000 which is a dead ringer...wonder if that was intentional?!

I managed to get hold of the practical classics mag from ebay, thanks for the heads up! That was the only 238 registered in the UK for a good few years until I got mine here this year.

With a bit of detective work using this forum and flickr I managed to get hold of the owner before I left to pick up mine and he was really helpful in keeping an eye on the little quirks in order to get it home.

Info on the web in English is pretty scarce on the 238, so it helps having someone else's experience to bounce off.

We're planning a big trip next Summer, just got to find a solution for sleeping in a tin can at 30/40 degrees.

ps. I also discovered a pick up version has just been imported by a fella in Leeds. That makes 3 of us

 

[thisisburdett]

Hello Tony, only just seen your reply!
Sure...fire away.

Dan

 

[meldickson]

Hi There,
thought id say hello i'm another 238 owner brought in from south of france just before xmas. Its a 1969 high top camper, no interior probably due to water ingress really good condition for its age, Hope to get it looking as nice as yours one day, im selling my fiat 850 ice cream van project to fund the restoration.
So it looks like there are four of us now,is that enough to get our own thread?
I do think we should stay in touch even if just to share parts sources or alternative parts from fiats parts bin
Regards Mel

 

[thisisburdett]

Hi There,

thought id say hello i'm another 238 owner brought in from south of france just before xmas. Its a 1969 high top camper, no interior probably due to water ingress really good condition for its age, Hope to get it looking as nice as yours one day, im selling my fiat 850 ice cream van project to fund the restoration.

So it looks like there are four of us now,is that enough to get our own thread?

I do think we should stay in touch even if just to share parts sources or alternative parts from fiats parts bin

Regards Mel

That's ace!
I think I saw it online, nice one.
Looking forward to seeing it again.
At this rate we'll have a members club


That makes 5 eh?

I mostly look on Italian ebay for the parts I need. Haven't yet had to swap anything out for an available alternative yet, but I'm sure there's time

Please do keep up posted with the progress. Any pics of it?

I've recently moved in to soft furnishings

 

[thisisburdett]

Congrats on your purchase, I am currently ready to paint mine, and would be grateful for a chat regarding parts etc and dimensions of the furniture as I have to rebuild all the units.

Thanks

Ps. Tony, did you manage to get round to painting your bus?

 

[meldickson]

Nice! I want one. I'll try to post pics as i progress,if your looking for furniture dimensions try caravan-museum.de there are numerous brochures on there one has all the sizes for weinsberg camper units and some pics good enough to reconstruct interior (sorry the forum wont let me post a direct link to it)
cheers Mel

 

[meldickson]

Forgot to mention as an alternative to expensive German furniture panels(again cant post link)search for moreland boards welshpool you'll find what your looking for hopefully

 

[Treaclehunter]

Wow she is a beauty I own a 850t camper but havent been around much as she was badly damaged.

Where are you as a matter of interest if you dont mind saying?

Cheers

Adam

 

[thisisburdett]

Nice one Adam.
A nice bus you've got yourself there too.
I've been following Roxy's story, so was glad to log on today and see that she's back in business!
You got any plans to get away?
We're just north of Manchester

 

[Treaclehunter]

Not quite a holiday but going to a gig in Totnes on Saturday and going to brave the van and try out the cooking equipment for breakfast

Need to get a few miles into her and she how she is Do you have any plans?

Cheers Adam

 

[Gary50]

I was going to start a separate thread as I got Connie nearer to being back on the road but this seems a good opportunity to mention this.
Subject to the restoration going to plan this year I was thinking about a road trip to Turin next year - maybe even see if I can get to take Connie around the rooftop race track.
If anyone else is interested it would be cool to go in convoy... especially if we have a couple of mechanics along for the trip and a trailer full of spares to get us there and back.

 

[fiat500]

I think that convoys of campers goes slightly against the free spirit principles of the beast. :sly: but I would love to join one for a part of the way through Europe. As Bluebell's undergarments are going to take some time to repair, I would be outrider in the Fiat 500.

 

[thisisburdett]

I'm game!
Currently planning for this Summer.
I've heard camping isn't up to much in Italy, most of my van friends stick to France and Spain, and Sweden also comes very highly recommended!

We did a bit of Germany and some sites in Holland when we brought our bus back. They were quite 'camper' hospitable, Germany especially seemed pretty geared up for vans with plenty of options.

However, we just love Italy and fancy a trip home for the bus!

This is our first draft for our route which we drew up last night. Thinking about avoiding Calais on the way out in Summer as things aren't easing up around there.

We've also added 2 ferries, haha! Not sure if we'll end up just driving straight down from the Chunnel, but it looks like fun anyway!

Ps. Met up for dinner with Kieran and Renae last weekend, the couple who did the Great Fiat Hunt, what a lovely pair and what a super trip they had!

 

[fiat500]

What a trip that would be!

 

[Gary50]

Hi
Connie won't be ready for a long trip this summer... I'm aiming for a few weekenders and hopefully a week at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in August (see www.gdsf.co.uk).

From your map it looks like you are looking to come back through Southampton. If you are (and can make it) make a detour via Fordingbridge. There is a great camping/holiday site (Sandy Balls - no joking) just up the road from us, on the edge of the New Forest. If your trip back happens to coincide with July 16th you would be very welcome to join us at the Fordingbridge Festival run by my local Rotary club. Classic Fiats are seriously under represented - my fellow Rotarians have a side bet on whether Connie will make an appearance this year