Rods campervan conversion.

[ROD]

No pics as yet,so a bad start to a thread I suppose ..........talk is cheap,but here goes.......
 So the first thing I have to tackle is the interior,but this is a bit of a prob as Im thinking about raising the roof,which will affect the interior design! Floor to roof is around 58" ,so therefore I reckon that I have to add around 10" (oo er ) to the height. I was going to build a pop top,but not sure if I want one.Now Im thinking I might raise the centre of the roof from front to back,about 12" in from the gutter line on each side,and taper the side view from about the 'b' pillars down to the top of the screen. Not sure if I can even be bothered to do that TBH!
 Now,you know when you have a problem ,and SWMBO comes up with a solution which is so obvious you didnt think of it....well...she hasnt solved it yet  ,but you never know........she'll maybe have a little wander round the van taking it all in,then after a couple of cigs,she'll decree the answer...you never know...!

[Manky Monkey]

We await her pronouncement with bated breath!

[ROD]

I think her answer will be " I told you not to F****** buy it" 

[Manky Monkey]

 

[spanners]

I think her answer will be " I told you not to F****** buy it" 

me ,dad, used to tell me that 

[ROD]

So Ive decided that the roof will stay as per Transit (Semi High),the amount of time we will actually be spending in the van doesnt warrant all the roof extension hassle.SWMBO can just walk around in it with head skimming the roof and no shoes on!  The only area of the roof that will need raising is the shower area. I sited the shower in the OSR corner as when I cut the roof at that point there will still be a lot of strength left in the corner,and also the 'bulge' on the roof wont look too bad there.The portaloo is in the NSR corner in an enclosure which is only big enuf to house it. When the toilet door is opened and wedged at 90 degrees, it will allow the user to manouver by using the floor space outside the door.On other campers Ive used the shower to house the toilet as well,but we didnt want the hassle of having to move the portaloo to use the shower.
  I bought a combined cooker/sink/draining board unit cheap and chopped it in two to seperate the cooker,as I couldnt find enuf space for the whole lot in one go.
 I cant be bothered with fitting swivel front seats(plus the cost of them) so Ive panelled behind the 2 front seats from floor to roof,leaving a walkthrough gap in the middle . The panels will give a lot more space to fit things,hang things etc to.
 Overall the interior is going to be sort of hippy style ,using lots of stuff I've already got around. I managed to all the wood work without buying any timber,so its really upsetting me Ive gotta go buy a sheet of 6mm ply to make the bed base from!(have you seen the price of timber?!!!)
 
So the hippy style (much to my offsprings annoyance),is lending its influence to the name for the van...the slippy hippy trippy truck! (SH*T for short version)
 PICS later when my daughter gets back!

[kevsky]

why do you have to raise the roof for the shower why not make it a sit down shower with a small stool,just a thought

[BikerGran]

Will you really use the shower that much?  My daughter's campervan has a shower but she says when they want a shower they mostly go to a campsite that has showers - instead of wild camping, which I guess you won't be doing anyway cos your Missus will want a few more comforts!

[ROD]

We did consider not fitting a shower,but maybe doing some wild camping to cut costs,so trying to make it as habitable as poss . Yes there are showers/toilets etc on campsites,but I wanted to cover all the bases,just in case,as I like the feeling of being self contained.Just another thing not to have to bother about.Bit like a snail carrying its home on its back!  Previous campervans Ive done had to have seating for the kids with seatbelts etc,but this time Im building it for just 2 of us so theres plenty of space to 'lose' an area for a shower .Standing up in the shower is a must in our book,as is daily use of it.
  Another thing is the large amount of free floor space I always tend to end up with,so Ive decided we dont need a large area ,so a daytime lounge type area ,that converts to a 4 ft wide x 6 ft d/bed with a decent mattress ( slide out)at night is about right.We arent going to be living in the van,just using its facilities while we're touring around.Im not pretending its the ultimate best use of space etc,as I know that if I spend more time on it(which isnt the idea of the project) I could develop the space to build in more storage etc,but having past experience ,I think it will be more than adequate for us. A 'trial' trip will suss it out one weekend!I'll try to get pics tonight.

[andyrennison]

my brother has a converted van. His bed is on a pivot above the driver passenger seats. Pulls down when needed

[ROD]

How does that work then?

[morrag]

Probably a hammock!!,....................yeh, I know, and I'm off..................

[andyrennison]

its a weird cantilever system. goes completely flat to the roof. when he pulls it don it stays horizontal but comes down. needs a small ladder to get up (4 rungs?) a bit of metalwork involved but works a treat. nice thing is when its up its still made, just hidden. the mechanisms are at each side, against the side walls of the van, and you sleep crossways.

[ROD]

Ok ,so you asked for 'em...
 Lots of junk,tools etc laying about,and camera angles making the whole thing looked p***ed,but you'll get the idea Im sure........
 
 Got lots of other bits to go in ,plus the lighting (converted gas lamps) etc.
 
From the side door....No Im not using bowed timber...! Daughter did one of those fish eye lens,panorama thingy shots!......

Rods campervan conversion.

From the tailgate...

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

The shower is sort of 'floating' about 9" from the side of the van,just inboard of the wheel arch. This was to avoid having to cut round the wheel arch and all the sealing up(that would probably leak!).The space behind it has a shelf midway from the bottom ,will probably put camp chairs etc in there.

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

Rods campervan conversion.

[BikerGran]

Getting there Rod!