Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 104 total)
  • Not another, yet another van conversion thread.
  • timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Two years ago we bought a cheap Transit van which we converted to a campervan, the conversion was covered in this thread –
    https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/yet-another-van-conversion-thread/

    Sadly after almost exactly two years and 96 nights away the van has developed so many issues we are going to have to write it off. I’m very sad about this as ‘Roary’ had become an important part of our lives and we had a lot of fun together.

    So, the van is dead, long live the van!

    We have bought a much newer and bigger Renault Master and using what we have learnt from our first attempt, we are going to do a second conversion.

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    We collected the van today and gave it a bit of a clean and took the bulkhead out. It is in much better condition than the Transit was when we got it.

    Didn’t get much done as the weather was too nice to not go out for a bike ride.

    superstu
    Free Member

    Oooooh

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    *pulls up a chair*

    ross980
    Free Member

    Ooo, I love a van conversion thread. It might just be the camera angle but that new van looks huuuuuuge inside.

    gnusmas
    Full Member

    I really like these threads. Bring on the pics!

    *hopes Matt will let me sit next to him

    db
    Full Member

    Sits next to gnusmas. Anyone want a beer whilst we watch?

    PiknMix
    Free Member

    Anyone want a beer whilst we watch?

    Yes please.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    A cold Ossian already open here.

    Have we started yet? Gnusmas and I have to tuck kids in bed shortly…

    gnusmas
    Full Member

    If i give the beer to the kids, will it make them sleep quicker?

    mogrim
    Full Member

    Excellent, do love a van conversion thread!

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Sorry we’re in the pub. I wouldn’t expect any updates for a bit.

    PiknMix
    Free Member

    Can there still be beer?

    daviek
    Full Member

    Although itll never happen for me I’ve now just spent 30 minutes looking at Renault Master vans on autotrader and the likes!

    damascus
    Free Member

    Book marked

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Five pints down and I’m mourning Roary. I hope you don’t mind if I post a few pics.

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    I love a van thread. Good luck with the new project. I’m slowly collating ideas for our “master plan” van conversion.

    PiknMix
    Free Member

    🍺 To Roary.

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    I have to echo that I love a van thread too!

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    To Roary, 🍺

    P20
    Full Member

    Looking forward to this 👍🏻

    unclesomebody
    Free Member

    Our van is currently for sale in eBay (silver vw crafter) because I’ve just bought a newer citroen relay l4h3 for a new conversion. Bought the biggest van I could in the hope it will be the one for at least 5 years! Bikes take up a lot of space so I’m always on the look out for clever storage methods.

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Roary had a garage at the back. This time we are going to store bikes under the bed (this van is about a foot higher than Roary). We are hoping this arrangement will let us take 2x road bikes + 2x mountain bikes or 2x kayaks and one pair of bikes.
    The Renault has a plastic roof so we can’t get a roof rack for it. The boats will have to go inside. On the plus side, if we can make the layout work will massively reduce the kayak loading faff.

    sparkerfix
    Full Member

    Where were the pics taken?  Looks fab.

    deserter
    Free Member

    I’m going to watch this closely, I really want to do a van conversion, a decent van here in Canada is fairly pricey though

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Where were the pics taken?

    As best as I can remember..

    The first one is the Alpage of Jorets campsite.

    The second is just outside of Basingstoke.

    The third is the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) glacier fron the Italian side.

    The forth is the Col Des Saises

    The fifth is a campsite outside of La Clusaz ( I can’t remember the name off the top of my head).

    The sixth is Whitemead Forest Park just outside of Coleford.

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    Sniff
    *tears*

    He wasn’t just a summer van…

    In the winter he was warm.

    In the rain he was dry.

    In the Autumn he was, erm..

    Contrasty.?

    hamishthecat
    Full Member

    The new van has a much more cheerful expression, but I suppose that’s to be expected.

    ampthill
    Full Member

    There is a van conversion in my future i hope

    I want a van conversion not a campervan because I want a touch simple layout that won’t mind a bit of dirt and hopefully less dosh

    Is this still economically viable if I pay some one else to do the work. I mean if I buy a base Van used (£10k?) and then pay some one to it convert (£5k?) would that still be less than a similar age campervan? I would be looking for a fixed bed with space for a bike under it, a fixed 2 burner cooker, fridge, a couple of windows, lining, pop up roof some where to sit and some kind of heating

    drnosh
    Free Member

    Obvious question, but why is Roary dead? Can’t he be fixed?

    Anyway, sitting comfortably waiting for the 1st instalment.

    wiggles
    Free Member

    Obvious question, but why is Roary dead? Can’t he be fixed?

    Maybe he’s haunted? That could be hard to fix

    CountZero
    Full Member

    While not technically a van, as such, I have an overwhelming desire to obtain one of these and convert the back for civilised use away…

    The only thing standing in the way is the lack of appropriate funding.

    Alphabet
    Full Member

    ^^^ that looks like something out of Thunderbirds. I want one too.

    russyh
    Free Member

    Looking forward to this 👌

    timidwheeler
    Free Member

    It might not look like much happened today but trying to sort out a second-hand van can be very time consuming. The floor had been put in by someone who clearly was never planning to see it again. About a third of the screws had been rounded off which meant as we are going to reuse the floor we needed to drill them all out. There was a fair bit if rubbish under the floor but not too much rust. It was very hot inside so we chucked the robot Hoover in to clean the floor while we had an ice pop break.

    Roary wasn’t realistically repairable.
    He needed an EGR valve replacing, had a hole in the engine, the brake pipes were corroded, had a badly leaking cylinder head, copious amounts of rust, the engine management system kept going to limp mode, he needed new brake pads and disks, the instrument panel kept cutting out for no obvious reason and he needed a new offside, sidelight bulb.

    We had already thrown quite a bit of money at him in the last couple of months to try and keep him going. There just comes a point that it isn’t worth throwing money at a conversion which only cost us about £4000 including the van.

    We must have spend at least half of that trying to keep him going.

    andy8442
    Free Member

    A new bulb you say? Straw, camel, and back me thinks. Good luck with the conversion. I will watch with interest.

    mark90
    Free Member

    Watching with interest. I miss my old van. After the conversion was finished I said never again. Maybe one day, when the kids are older and I have a bit more time on my hands.

    andykirk
    Free Member

    Keen to hear any comments on ampthill’s query above regarding budgets. I am thinking of a similar 15k figure all in, and I would rather get someone else to do the work, although I will design it. Super simple layout with folding 3 section bed to the rear that turns into a forward facing sofa by day and simple cooking facilities to the front. All knocked up in timber, none of your fancy units.

    On the subject of washing/ personal hygiene, I keep thinking of having a slightly raised wooden floor with a removable section that reveals a circular shower tray underneath. A circular shower curtain rail would be set into the ceiling above, theoretically allowing one to have a shower without using up any floor space. Will I die? Or I suppose you could find somewhere in the van to store a metal tray and just get it out when required…

    savoyad
    Full Member

    The La Clusaz campsite in the 5th picture is called Le Plan du Fernuy.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    I would be looking for a fixed bed with space for a bike under it, a fixed 2 burner cooker, fridge, a couple of windows, lining, pop up roof some where to sit and some kind of heating

    not for 5k.

    The final bill on my van the previous owner got for my van that i got given when i bought it was all that without the pop top and it still cost them 13k.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 104 total)

The topic ‘Not another, yet another van conversion thread.’ is closed to new replies.

Members Notice New deal added to Members Discounts