Camper Van Conversion

Mini bus to mini home : A camper van conversion project.

Colin Grace

This book is dedicated to my family and all camper van owners. Camper Van Conversion Paperback 2011 Colin Grace. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-4475-1123-6

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Some words, product names and designations are trademarked and are the property of the trademark holder. They have been used for identification purposes only and this is not an official publication. The Content of this publication and all materials contained therein are provided on an "as is" basis. The author and publisher do not make any guarantees or warranties of any kind, either express or implied. All material contained in this publication is personal experience and thus used entirely at your own risk. You attempt a camper van conversion project or camper van modification work at your own risk and the author and publisher shall not be liable to the user or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission regardless of cause, or for any damages or injury resulting there from. Whilst ever effort has been made to ensure accuracy of all material the author welcomes any corrections or additional information.

Camper Van Conversion www.campervanconversion.com

Contents
Preface.....................................................................................................................................................5 1. Introduction..........................................................................................................................................6 2. Planning...............................................................................................................................................9 2.1 Van planning.............................................................................................................................9 2.2 Time & Money planning..........................................................................................................11 2.2.1 Electrics.....................................................................................................................12 2.2.2 Kitchen.......................................................................................................................12 2.3 Workshop planning.................................................................................................................13 3. Design & layout..................................................................................................................................14 4. Preparation........................................................................................................................................17 4.1 Tidy up and Inspection...........................................................................................................18 4.2 Design try out.........................................................................................................................22 4.3 Cable routing..........................................................................................................................23 4.4 Insulation................................................................................................................................24 4.5 Top Bed supports...................................................................................................................27 4.6 Carpet lining...........................................................................................................................34 5. Electrics.............................................................................................................................................41 5.1 Electrical installation planning................................................................................................41 5.2 Batteries, locating and securing.............................................................................................43 5.3 Cable Selection......................................................................................................................49 5.4 Leisure system explained.......................................................................................................51 5.5 Leisure Power System installation..........................................................................................55 5.5.1 Electrical component locations..................................................................................55 5.5.2 Solar Panel fitting.......................................................................................................57 5.5.3 Mains Hook up installation.........................................................................................64 5.5.4 Completing the B2B wiring.........................................................................................71 5.5.5 12v distribution and monitoring..................................................................................73 5.5.6 Completing the electrics.............................................................................................75 6. Partition wall installation....................................................................................................................80 7. Kitchen installation.............................................................................................................................95 7.1 Kitchen design layout and planning........................................................................................95 7.2 Kitchen preparation work........................................................................................................99 7.3 Gas locker construction and installation...............................................................................105 7.4 Sink and Hob installation......................................................................................................112 7.5 Sink and Hob connection......................................................................................................121 7.6 Fridge Installation and finishing off.......................................................................................125 8. Seats, table and lower sleeping accommodation............................................................................132 9 Top bed construction........................................................................................................................149 10 Finishing touches............................................................................................................................159 10.1 Upholstery coverings..........................................................................................................159 10.2 Black out blinds / pads........................................................................................................161 10.3 Seat box electrics...............................................................................................................164 10.4 Side door edging and remaining flooring............................................................................165 10.5 Additional fittings................................................................................................................166 11 The completed van.........................................................................................................................167 12. Time and money............................................................................................................................173 13. Legal paperwork, Insurance, MOT's and DVLA............................................................................175 13.1 Registration document V5C................................................................................................175 13.2 MOT....................................................................................................................................177 13.3 Insurance............................................................................................................................177 Appendix 1 - The right stuff..................................................................................................................179 Appendix 2 - The workshop & equipment............................................................................................180

Appendix 2.1 - Workshop...........................................................................................................180 Appendix 2.2 - Equipment and tools...........................................................................................181 Appendix 3 - Build diary.......................................................................................................................185 Appendix 4 - Expenditure diary............................................................................................................188 Appendix 5 - World Wide Web ............................................................................................................191 Appendix 6 - Suppliers.........................................................................................................................194 Appendix 7 Leisure electrics schema...............................................................................................196 Appendix 8 - How did we get here ?....................................................................................................197

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Preface
Hello and welcome to my book: an account of how I took the idea, "it would be nice to have a camper van for the family" (instead of camping) through to buying a minibus and converting it to a four berth, fully functional camper van. I would by lying if I said its easy. It takes hard work, often in the dark and cold, especially if you are doing a Winter conversion project as I did. It is a series of problems or challenges to be overcome. However, I can assure you that the end result has been well worth the effort. We now have a bespoke camper van designed to meet our family's individual needs. This was achieved at a fraction of the cost of buying a commercial camper van. The ' Cost breakdown' section shows the details. I spent about 12 months thinking about my idea and getting it into a workable form before I started the conversion. I researched all aspects of 'self build' camper van converting. It then took about 7 months over the Autumn and Winter of 2009/10, working at nights and weekends to complete the conversion. The 'Build Diary' section shows the exact time taken to complete each job. I'm hoping that this publication will make it easier and quicker for you to plan, build and convert your camper van. This publication is part diary and part photo catalogue. It has my comments, ideas and thoughts on my own conversion of a minibus into a camper van. Although I know that my conversion may differ from what you intend yours to be, this publication aims to help you through the process of turning your idea into a reality. As well as documenting my experience, I've tried to answer the questions I had before I started the project and offer solutions to the many challenges that presented themselves during the conversion. I have had help through out and I would like to thank all those who have provided moral support as well as practical and professional advice. This includes friends (you know who you are), who are experienced camper van converters, aspiring converters and owners. All the companies who provided skills and advice are referenced in the book. Most of all I'd like to thank my family for getting on with life whilst Dad was in the garage again, for another Saturday or Sunday. The future holidays and adventures should make it all worth it. I hope you enjoy reading it and that it is useful to you. This book has exactly the information that I looked for whilst I was deciding whether to take on the challenge of a self build camper van. Don't hesitate to email me with any questions you have as you go through your project and also if you have any thoughts on this book you can reach me at :Colin@campervanconversion.com Regards and good luck, Colin www.campervanconversion.com
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1. Introduction
What does a camper van mean to you ? For me it means spending time away on adventures with my family (2 adults + 2 kids), both family holidays (on a camp-site), but also days out to the coast or countryside, hopefully in nice weather.

However everyone I have spoken to has a different view and different requirements of what a camper van means to them. An good example is a friend of mine who is converting a van which is very different to mine, he needs to be able to carry two sets of windsurfing equipment and wild camp for a few days often in bad weather (i.e. windy, usually stormy) and large enough for him, his partner and their dog. You might think that his camper van conversion is totally different from mine. However in practice the projects are nearly identical, we may have purchased very different vehicles and have different layouts / designs, but in practice we have followed the same process and used probably 90% of the same materials and skills. My point is this, no matter what type of camper van you would like to have (VW T4,T5, Mercedes Sprinter etc.), this book can help you.

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So the first thing to do to convert your idea into reality, is to ask yourself What will I use my camper van for and what do I want in it. This sounds easy but to be honest you wont know all the answers until you have been out in your finished camper van for a few times, but we can at least try and determine your main requirements. Chapter 2 - Planning covers this in more detail. Once you have decided what your requirements are, you can then use these to help you design your ideal camper van. As youll discover by reading this publication I found no commercially available van builder who had what I considered to be my ideal van configuration, so I took good points from other layouts and put them together to form my own design to suit exactly what I needed. This design is obviously linked to the space available and so the design goes hand in hand with choosing which van to use. Chapter 3 Design & layout covers these topics.

Well so far it sounds easy right ! It took me around 12 months to get to the point, where I had a drawn up design and thus determined what size of van I would need. To be fair to myself during this 12 months I was also establishing what skills, tools, equipment, suppliers, money and time I would need. You wont take this long as all that I learnt along the way is detailed in this book. I had not attempted anything like this before so was unsure of a lot of things. The biggest unknown I had before embarking on the conversion was how long it would take in hours to complete all the work. Having completed I now know this and I have devoted Chapter 12 Time & money and Appendix 3 & 4 to this subject. The rest of the chapters in the book cover the conversion work : insulating, wiring, kitchen, gas, water etc. Before embarking on your project I would read these, so as to understand the types of work and jobs that you will need to complete or contract out.
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At the end of the book are a number of appendixs which you can read or dip into when you need some information in that area. These are :Number Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Appendix 5 Appendix 6 Appendix 7 Appendix 8 Name The right stuff The workshop Diary Expenditure diary World Wide Web Suppliers Full electrical wiring diagram. Other useful publications A full list of commercially available camper vans etc Description The skills and attributes of a Camper van converter List of tools and equipment that you will use. A diary of each completed job and how long it took. A full list of expenditure on my project. A full list of internet sites that can assist you A full list of companies Ive used and found useful.

I hope you enjoy this book and good luck with your project.

Colin.
www.campervanconversion.com Colin@campervanconversion.com

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2. Planning
2.1 Van planning
To be able to design your camper van (and choose your vehicle), the layout, the kitchen (gas & electrics), the dining area and sleeping area you will need to decide a number of things :1. How many people you wish to accommodate whilst travelling ? 1.1. Do you require 3 point belts for all passengers ? 1.2. Do you require front facing passenger seats ? 1.3. Do you require TUV crash tested passenger seats ? 2. How many people do you wish to accommodate whilst sleeping ? 2.1. Will you all sleep in the van all the time ? 2.2. How long do the beds have to be ? (kids beds ?) 2.3. Do you need double or single beds ? (bunks ?) 3. How many people do you wish to accommodate sitting / dining in the van ? 3.1. Do you want one or more than one table ? 3.2. Should seats swivel around ? 4. Do you wish to stand up fully in the van (6ft roof height) ? 5. How do you wish to access the van, side door, rear doors, rear hatch ? 5.1. Will access be an issue ? (rear wheel drive vans, have higher floors usually) 5.2. Having two access points usually means less conversion space. 6. What type of trips do you intend to use the van for (and all the combinations) ? 6.1. Day trips 6.2. Weekend trips (sleeping in the van) 6.3. Holiday trips (two weeks away) 6.4. Extended long trip (e.g. touring Europe) 7. Where will your destinations be 7.1. Local trips only 7.2. UK trips / Europe trips ? 7.3. Camp site based ? (Hooked up to the mains ?) 7.4. Wild camping anywhere ? (Large battery capacity, lots of solar panels ?) 8. When will your trips be ? 8.1. Summer only 8.2. Three season trips 8.3. Winter trips Now this list although quite long probably seems obvious to you, however I can't stress how important it is to know the answers to these questions. As if you don't the van design and vehicle selection process will be a lot more difficult and you could result in your camper van not being very usable to you.
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Now if you already know what you want in your van and how you are going to use it, you can skip the rest of this section and get on reading about the build process. However if not, let me explain a bit about my planning, to explain to you why I arrived at my finished van. In May 2008, my wife and I went to the Southern Motor Caravan show (at the Newbury show ground) to look at all the commercially available camper vans. This allowed us to see what was possible in a camper van (having no experience of them). This also helped us get our requirements together and after many discussions we arrived at : Panel van, small enough to be used for work / commuting and being able to get in to supermarket car parks. Van to be large enough to stand up in (6ft height). Mainly be used as a day van and a 2-3 week holiday van. Seat minimum of 4 people forward facing with 3 point belts (2 adults, 2 kids under 10). Hopefully seat 6, including grandparents ? ( Note : A lot of commercial vans only have side
facing passenger seats, or front facing seats set way back in the van, some only with lap belts).

A decent size kitchen with a good sized workbench for food preparation. (Note: Most commercial camper vans had very little kitchen worktop). Sleep 4 occasionally, 2 under 10's routinely (Use an awning for long trips for the adults)

So armed with your basic requirements you can now move on to the services and fittings you will need in your camper van. I found the Haynes manual 'Build your own Motorcaravan' useful reading to help with my planning. To meet my requirements I needed the following : 1. Six passenger seats for travelling, TUV crash tested with 3 point belts. 2. 1 6ft long double bed, minimum 4ft 6 inches wide. 3. 1 smaller double bed for the kids to sleep in. 4. Kitchen with Hob, sink and fridge. 5. Leisure electrics system(mains hook up, 12v sockets, electric fridge ?) 6. Seating and dining area (table), sized for 4 comfortably and 6 at a squeeze 7. Storage for clothes, holiday equipment, awning, food, kitchen equipment 8. At lease two passenger windows, in the back of the van This list can now be used to judge any suggested design and layouts. Please note that for insurance and DVLA purposes there is a full list of what is required for a vehicle to be classified as a 'Motor Caravan', this is covered more in Chapter 13. Legal paperwork, Insurance, MOT's and DVLA.

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2.2 Time & Money planning

At this stage in my conversion (before I knew what I know now) I drafted up a list of all the things that I would like in my van. I then researched suppliers and the costs of all the bits. This was broken down into 3 main parts : Electrics Kitchen Every thing else - Batteries, fridge, lights, mains hook up etc - Hob, sink, kitchen units and bench - insulation and lining carpet, glue, timber etc - 1350 - 800 - 850

This planning and research gave me an anticipated cost of about 3k for my conversion. Chapter 12 Time & Money details what my conversion cost in the end, but at this stage in your project you just need to know if you can afford your conversion, whether it be 500 or 5000. Appendix 4 lists all my expenditure and Appendix 6 lists all the suppliers I found useful. Remember to consider what extra tools or workshop items you will also have to buy, I did not do this, but I did have a lot of tools from years of DIY. Your base vehicle choice greatly affects how much your overall project will cost. I decided to go for a generic type van (ie Ford, Vauxhall, Renault, Citroen) due to their relatively low cost, I could therefore get a fairly new vehicle and thus a minimum of 5 years usage out of my conversion. This I felt would make it worth all the time and money a conversion would take. I considered vans of all shapes and sizes, small, medium, large and Jumbo variants, I settled on a Long Wheel Base and a Hi roof vehicle, as I felt I could fit all my requirements in to a vehicle this size. Also a van of this size can get into most car parks (ones without height restrictions) and not be too big to use daily to work if required. I purchased my van from the M4 minibus centre, at Swindon and I found them very helpful, knowledgeable and their after sales care was excellent. I would not hesitate to buy from them again. Also at this point I decided with my wife that I would complete the project over the winter of 2009/2010, aiming to start in October and then have it completed by the next April. Chapter 12 Time & Money / Appendix 3 details how long the conversion actually took. It did take me longer than anticipated, but for good reason as unfortunately a close family member died in Early 2010 and so the project stopped for a while. Anyway for planning purposes, just give yourself a reasonable enough time to complete your conversion. I would also say set yourself some goals and deadlines as this helps to keep you going through the dark, cold nights and any set backs. I planned to have my van uninsured on my drive for a few months, whilst working on it. Then insured on a 3 or six month conversion policy (this acts as a good motivator) to finish off the conversion. See Chapter 13 Legal Paperwork, Insurance, MOT & DVLA for the details. Once you have a idea of how much money and time you think your project will take you can then start to consider choosing your base vehicle, this of course can't be completed until you have a design and layout that you think will fit into your chosen van. Chapter 3 Design & Layout considers this.
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2.2.1 Electrics
My first draft proposed electrical system
MCB / RCD distribution

Car Batter y

+ -

Sterling Battery to Battery Charger

Sterling Battery Charger

6 am p fuse

10 am p fuse

RC D

External van hookup 230v

Mains Socket

+
12V Lead acid 110ah battery

+
12V Lead acid 110ah battery

Mains Socket

+ +
12v compressor fridge Waeco CR50 40 watts, 1.7ah

12v 220ah battery pack

Note : May need other 12v fuses for extra lighting, invertor, gas alarm

+
ZIG CP400 12v control panel
Lights fuse / switch Pum p fuse / switch Aux fuse / switch

Batter y m eter

Lights

Water pump

12v Socket

Chapter 5 - Electrics covers the electrics in detail, however before deciding to do a conversion I drafted this electrics plan and costed it. To purchase all this equipment I estimated would be 1350.

2.2.2 Kitchen
My proposed kitchen layout, intending to use Smev appliances and Ikea cupboards.

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2.3 Workshop planning

So where will you convert your van ? Where will you store all those purchased items whilst they await being fitted to your van ? Where will you store all your tools ? You may already have a fully organised and kitted out workshop, which you may even be able to drive your vehicle into ! I however had a normal drive and garage. The van was parked on my drive and I cleared some space and racking in my garage (near to the door), which I used to store all the parts and tools that I would need. As you are working on your conversion you will find that you are back and forward to your tools many times, and these are best kept near especially when its cold, dark or raining. I found that I used every tool that I had collected over the previous 25 years and indeed I did have to purchase a few additional ones, Appendix 2 lists all the tools and workshop items that I had and used. If like me, you are working out in the open then there will be days when you can't work on the van, say because its raining too heavy and the job you need to do is underneath the van or you need the van open. So plan your work with the weather in mind and take advantage of any dry and sunny days to complete those outside jobs, say fitting your electric hook up socket on the outside of the van. Do schedule outside jobs (fitting solar panels etc.) for as soon as possible (September , October) before the winter sets in during December and January. This last winter was bitterly cold, I often had to wear 3 or 4 layers with gloves and hat just to keep warm enough. But that is fine and as long as you have light and heat (an electric heater of some sort), then working in the van is no problem.

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3. Design & layout

All the work you have completed up to this point is reading, thinking and considering, this is where you have to define and commit all your thinking into a design and layout that will work for you and your family. I would therefore make sure you consider as many options as possible and chat to as many people who have used camper vans previously before you commit to a design. You should by now have worked out what you need in your van and how you will use it. You now have to work out how to fit all of that into a confined space in the best possible ergonomic way, which is what design is all about. Make sure you inspect and copy ideas from the commercial manufacturers, as you may find a layout that they have works perfectly for you. I did not find this, mainly because of the passenger seating in most vans is either set to far back from the front seats or it is side facing. These seats often use lap seat belts. Most commercial vans use the passenger seats to convert in to a bed, as this is the best use of space. I investigated TUV crash tested seats that could convert into good double beds, they are available from German and French manufacturers. However I found these to be too expensive (1.5k to 2.5k fitted) for my conversion. You may ask why I was so concerned about this, well it all comes down to safety and practicality. The main users of the van are my family and having two small children I needed to reach them from the front seats whilst travelling and also I wanted them as safe as I would be, in case of any accident (i.e. full 3 point seat belts, in crash tested seats). This sticking point took me a few weeks to over come and it was linked to my other requirements. I wanted a decent sized kitchen and also if possible somewhere to sit whilst the kids may be sleeping in the van. This was when the idea of a partition wall occurred. A partition wall would allow me to divide up the van into different areas and also give me an extra wall to add items on to / hide electrics within. Also At this time I spoke to friends who were also converting vans, about their designs. One friend had just had his van fitted with windows and roof lights / vents by a professional installation company. Unfortunately they leaked and he ended up going back to the company twice before they were totally water tight. Now this I'm sure is not usual, however it can occur. I worked out that to get the windows and seats fitted that I required, would cost me about 2k. At this time I was investigating second hand vehicle costs and I noticed that mini buses, with factory fitted seats and windows were about 2k more than second hand panel vans. This started me considering a mini bus, they have crash tested seats with 3 point belts and factory fitted (bonded) windows that do not leak, they are also partially carpeted inside and have a wood floor already fitted.
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After inspecting and measuring up 15 and 17 seat mini buses from all manufactures. I found that I could fit the following design into a Ford Transit 15 seater Long Wheel Base Hi-Roof line and it met all my requirements (See scale plan on the next page).

The benefits of this design are : 1. I could carry 6 people safely whilst travelling. 2. I could remove and sell 9 seats to recoup some money. 3. The kitchen would be larger than most commercial vans with good storage 4. Side and rear door access 5. The van was split into two distinct areas 6. The bench seats and table area could become a bed, 5ft10inch * 4ft6inch (kids bed) 7. The electrics and batteries could be housed behind and under the passenger seats. The challenges of this design were : 1. Where and how would I fit a high / roof 6ft bed ? 2. How would I build the partition wall. I settled on finding a Ford Transit 15 seat mini bus for around 9k year 2005 /2006. These vehicles come in 90ps, 115ps and 135ps variants. After driving a few I preferred the 115ps or bigger. And in the end I got a 2006 115ps T350 Hi-roof LWB 2.4diesel minibus (for 10k) and a big bonus was that it was not white !
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Layout scale drawing:

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4. Preparation
In September 2009 I collected the mini bus and drove it home to my drive. This is it :

It was of course full of seats and partially lined.

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4.1 Tidy up and Inspection

Once I got the van home and the project was starting for real, I sat down and ordered most of the equipment that I would be fitting : hob, sink, fridge, electric cable, electric fittings etc. Lead in times for some of these items can be long and I did not want the project held up. First job on the van was to remove all the commercial and safety stickers and hand rails on the van. Next was the removal of the 9 additional seats that I did not require. I subsequently sold these on Ebay for approx 300.(Ironically to other van converters mainly).

Removal of the seats involved a lot of underneath work as they were bolted through the floor with thick top and underneath metal plates (lots of releasing oil required) :

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I then had a lovely empty van, except the six seats that I'd left in :

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The van electrics were inspected next, passenger roof lights had been fitted in the rear of the van, cables had to be traced and disconnected from the vans electric system. These lights would be connected to the leisure electrics system and the fluorescent T5 tubes would be replaced with LED tubes, which only use a fraction of the same power, are brighter and a nicer light.

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By the side door and on one back door, LED lights had already been fitted to illuminate the van entrance / exits. After inspection these came on when ever a door was opened but only stayed on for a maximum 30 minutes, I therefore left them as they were. I also removed the safety hand rails and the door trim / edgings.

Note nothing was thrown away, Aluminium trims can be quite pricey and so I would reuse them later on where possible. The safety hand rails were removed and one was reused after being spray painted black.
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4.2 Design try out

Before I insulated the van or routed any cables I wanted to ensure that the design that worked on paper, worked in the real space. So using a roll of masking tape I outlined my design on the van floor / walls. This proved to be very useful. I was able to do a walk test, by walking around in the van and ensuring that there was enough space. It also showed me that between the back of the passenger seats and the partition wall was enough space to house all of the leisure electrics, apart from the two batteries.

However batteries could be located under the double passenger seat, as long as they were in a strong box and strapped in securely. Note : In the picture above, the wooden base of the new battery box is under the double passenger seat.

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4.3 Cable routing

Based on my layout and design I began routing cables. Note: I had by now mainly finished the electrical schema diagram (in Appendix 7) so I knew what size (amp) cable to run to each point in the van. This involved removing a number of panels and feeding cables around the van, note where possible the cable was secured and rubber grommets were used (to stop chafing) if cables went through tight holes or against bear metal.

This is a time consuming job, but running all the cable now is much easier than when the cavities are all filled with insulation. Of course you will have had to determined where all your electrical appliances are going to be. I did run some spare cables into the overhead locker in case I needed to add any extra appliances later on. You should consider running a couple of spare cables before you insulate. Don't underestimate how much cable you will need, I used 100metres of 8.75 amp cable.

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4.4 Insulation
All camper vans need to be insulated, for noise, heat / cold and to help to prevent condensation. There are various techniques and materials that can be used. There are two main types of insulation, flexible and rigid. Rigid materials are brands like Celotex and Kingspan which are available from building material suppliers or DIY shops. These are cut to shape and glued into cavities, expanding foam can be used to fill any gaps. Flexible materials are glass wool (i.e. loft insulation) and insulation blanket type materials (i.e. ThinsulateTM). My van already had a ply lined floor, ceiling and a lined metal panel fitted along each side at the top.

I used 'encapsulated glass mineral wool loft insulation' which is known as a space blanket. This is glass fibre wrapped in a metal foil one side and a plastic covering the other. This 'space blanket' was pushed in to every cavity in the van, this of course involved removing panels where they had already been fitted. In total I used 7 rolls of this, which adds up to nearly 10.5m2

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All cavities where possible in the van should be filled and all exposed metal should be covered (lined) with auto trim carpet. This is to try and prevent the 'Cold Bridge' where cold from outside is passed into the van (through the metal) and water vapour in the air condenses on it.

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Insulating a van is not an enjoyable task, but it is worth getting right, the difference it makes can be felt and heard immediately, the van is warmer and quieter. You may have to insulate your floor and ceiling before ply lining your van, this was already completed on my mini bus and saved me a lot of time. On my van an above cab storage locker was already fitted, however the inside of this was exposed metal. I glued thermal insulation foil to this before I carpet lined it (see next section).

When installing insulation whether rigid or flexible, it should be glued in the cavity, this is to ensure that rigid insulation does not squeak and so that flexible insulation does not fall down and compress in the bottom of the cavity (over time).
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4.5 Top Bed supports

One of the key parts of my design was to have a top bed (6ft long) in the hi-roof space, this plus the lower bed could be used for us all to sleep in the van, for stop overs without having to put up an awning. However I did not want this to restrict head height when using the van for days out. The problem to overcome was, to be able to attach something to the sides of the van that would be strong enough to be able to support two adults safely. I discussed this with an automotive engineer friend who had an idea for a solution. My van being a minibus was part lined, behind the charcoal carpet (In the picture) is an aluminium sheet that was riveted to the body of the van (in the factory) and then carpeted. I had already pulled back the carpet and drilled out the rivets (4.8mm diameter) so that I could insulate the cavities behind the aluminium sheet.

Factory trimmed side of the van, aluminium plate, riveted to the van then carpeted.

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Carpet pulled back and edging trim rivets drilled out (3.6mm rivets)

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The idea was to buy 6ft lengths of 3mm thick aluminium angle (L shaped) and then insert this in between the van and the aluminium sheet. This would be glued using an automotive adhesive and then we could reuse the existing rivet holes, drill matching ones in the aluminium angle and rivet it all back together. This would provide a 25mm deep horizontal ledge running for 6ft along both sides of the van. I still had no idea how I would make this into a bed spanning the 5ft 10inch gap across the van. That did not matter at this point, what did was to fit these ledges so that I could then carpet the van around the windows. Here is the gap that one side of the aluminium angle will fit into before being glued and riveted.

Now that all sounds simple enough, however I had no idea where to source Aluminium angle or automotive adhesive and I had never used a riveter before. So I found a supplier for the aluminium for which I was overcharged, which is a good lesson, always find at least two suppliers to compare prices. I later on in the build researched aluminium suppliers a lot and found some excellent companies (see Appendix 6). Here is my two pieces of aluminium angle drilled with holes to match the existing ones, note I also drilled additional ones, in total each side would have about 25 to 30 rivets holding it to the van structure. (note resting on the aluminium angle is the existing trim, which provided a neat edge for the carpet to sit in, I would refit this)

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I purchased a hand riveter and rivets from Screwfix and practised on some bits of aluminium. It is not complex to use (although does require quite a lot of effort). You firstly drill a hole through the two metal plates to the exact diameter of the rivet you intend using. Then push the rivet into the hole so that the long thin tail is pointing outwards, the riveting gun then pushes on to this tail. Then as you squeeze the handles, the gun pulls the tail thus crushing the rivet behind the metal plates. Once the pressure of this action reaches a predetermined point, the tail of the rivet snaps away. I ended up using the riveter quite a lot. It is great for attaching anything metal (brackets etc.) to the vans structure, where using a bolt would be impossible as you don't have access into the cavity.

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The adhesive problem was quickly overcome by reading a few posts on the forums of the Self Build Motor Caravanners Club (SBMCC) website. Without fail all self builders and most commercial builders use Sikaflex products. Sikaflex produce a range of adhesives and sealants. One product they produce is Sikaflex 512 which is a sealant and adhesive all in one.

I have found it excellent to use and work with and I've used many tubes on the conversion, for all sorts of jobs, from sealing and attaching the solar panel, to bonding wooden battens to metal. I used 10 tubes of this in total at an average cost of around 8 per tube. Beware when purchasing it, ensure that it has a long enough shelf left on it, the manufacturer does stamp a 'best before' date on each tube. I did receive some that was past its best before date.
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Sikaflex 512 was applied to both sides of the aluminium angle, thus bonding it to the van and also to the aluminium sheet. Before the Sikaflex started curing, I quickly as possible riveted all the holes. Here it is before it had all cured (about 24 hours) and before I'd re glued the carpet.

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And here it is once the carpet was glued. It looks like it has always been there as part of the van.

How to actually construct the bed base will have to be solved later on in the conversion !
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4.6 Carpet lining

One of the most time consuming tasks you will do throughout your build is lining your van. My van was partially lined with auto trim carpet, so I continued with this and lined all exposed metal, battery and seat boxes. Carpet lining is a skill, and it is a one you can learn. You have to be patient and methodical, the auto trim carpet is a good material to work with. You will need some good quality carpet scissors and a very good quality knife with lots and lots of spare blades. Always remember the basics of using a knife, NEVER have your fingers in front of the blade. I made this mistake once and it slipped and I paid for it with a very nasty cut.... ouch.

Do keep your carpet off cuts as you can use them on non visible areas like wheel arches etc.

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In essence lining is straight forward, you glue the carpet onto the exposed metal. In practice some preparation is required. Firstly you should degrease (using a degreaser spay, available in auto shops) the metal and then scour the paint surface to provide a better key for the glue. Cutting and fitting carpet around curves and bends does take a bit of practice.

Glue is very important to carpet lining. It needs to be a contact adhesive, I.e. you spray or brush glue onto both surfaces, leave it for a little while until it is tacky then press the carpet on to the metal, thus forming a strong bond. But the most important point about the glue is that it needs to be temperature resistant up to 90 degrees. This is important as vehicles can get very hot in the summer months and normal contact adhesive will melt and your carpet will start to come away.
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Despite knowing this before I started, I still used a few tins of glue where I could not determine its temperature rating and I have had some carpet come loose. So my point is, don't skimp on the glue, yes it is not cheap, about 7 or 8 a spay tin, but it is false economy to use anything else. The best spray adhesive I used was from www.UpholsteryShop.co.uk which was 7.50 including VAT for 500ml. Overall I would budget 200 - 300 for glue, which seems a lot but you will use it. Another glue I used which has good temperature resistance is Evo-Stik 528 industrial contact adhesive, this does need to be spread or brushed on. Also available is Sticks Like Sh*t from Evo-Stick, which I have not used / tried, but it is +100 degrees rated. Consider buying the glue in bulk at the start of your project, you may be able to get a discount. Other high temperature glues are available and I have listed some websites where they are available in Appendix 5.

Preparation and patience are the key to good trimming, cover any small holes with tape, I used gaffer tape. Degrease and scuff the surface, spay an even amount of glue on both surfaces. Be careful as spray glue can drift in the wind, so ensure you have all glass and surfaces masked and covered before commencing.

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One draw back of purchasing a mini bus is that there are 8 windows in the back of the van to carpet around. I additionally had all 8 windows tinted to 5% (limousine tint) for privacy, at a cost 300.

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Here is a finished window, note there are triangles of carpet cut and inserted at each corner, which are invisible if cut and glued precisely.

The back and side doors are the trickiest to carpet as they have locks, catches and windows to shape carpet around. Each of my back doors took 7 hours to carpet.

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Carpeting the sliding side door was time consuming, but worth the effort. Carpeting this door did make it slightly harder to close for a few weeks until the carpet was flattened where it butted up to the door frame rubber seal.

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5. Electrics
5.1 Electrical installation planning

WARNING : Electricity is dangerous. If you don't feel confident working with it then get a professional electrician or automotive electrician to do the work for you. All work you attempt is at your own risk !
The leisure electric system that you design and fit to your your van is, in my opinion, the most important part of the conversion process. Without power a camper van is fairly useless, no lights, fridge or water pump ! I believe the vehicles battery and the leisure system should be separate so that no mater how you use your leisure electrics system your vehicle will always be able to start. The other reason for keeping them separate is that you will probably use a different type of battery, as its usage is totally different. This is covered more in section 5.2. You may recall from Chapter 2 that I required my van for days out (no mains electric hookup) and family holidays (Mains hooked up all the time). Lets take the first scenario and work out how much power we think we will use, we can then use this to determine the battery bank capacity and thus its physical size. The second scenario, i.e. being on mains hookup, is easier as long as we calculate the correct sized battery charger we will need. I planned to have the following electrical appliances in my van : 12v Compressor fridge (40 watts) Water pump (10 watts) Lights (LED) (15 watts) Battery monitor (0.4 watts) Gas alarm (0.4 watts) Laptop (12v charger) (80 watts) I obviously would not be using all of these all day, so we need to calculate what the average daily consumption of power will be. In power systems we calculate the total amount of energy consumed over a certain period in Amp hours (Ahr). E.g. .one amp consumed for 5 hours has used a total of 5 Ahr of power. To be able to calculate our Ahr's we need to be able to convert between the common measures of power i.e. Amps, Watts and Volts. Volts: Electrical force of pressure behind the electrons in a circuit. Analogous to water pressure or PSI, it tells us the system voltage (12, 24). Amps: The number of electrons flowing past in a second. Like litres per second in a pipe, it defines the electrical current in a wire. Watts: Total amount of electrical energy, per second.
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The conversion formulas are: Watts = Volts times Amps Volts = Watts divided by Amps Amps = Watts divided by Volts

Therefore 40 Watts (Fridge) divided by 12 Volts equals 3.33 Amps. Take this 3.33 Amps and multiply it by the number of hours it will be consuming power (estimated to be 16hrs for each 24 hour period) equals 54 Ahrs (Max of 80 Ahr, if running continuous for 24 hrs.). I therefore calculated my average 24 hour period power usage as follows : 12v Compressor fridge Water pump Lights (LED) Battery monitor Gas alarm Laptop (12v charger) (40 watts / 12v = 3.33 Amps) * 16 hours (10 watts / 12v = 0.84 Amps) * 1 hours (15 watts / 12v = 1.25 Amps)* 3 hours (0.4 watts /12v = 0.03 Amps) * 24 hours (0.4 watts /12v = 0.03 Amps) * 24 hours (80 watts / 12v = 6.66 Amps) 2 hours = 54AHr = 1Ahr = 3.75Ahr = 0.75AHr = 0.75AHr = 13.5AHr

This totals 74 Amp Hours of power, the standard rule of thumb, is to then add on 25% to allow for battery deterioration, poor charging etc. My total was 92.5 Ahr.

Battery / Electrical Precautions If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap and water. If acid enters the eye(s), immediately flood eye(s) with running cold water for at least 20 minutes and seek medical attention immediately. Never smoke or allow a spark or a flame in the vicinity of a battery or an engine. Be extra cautious not to drop a metal tool onto a battery. It may spark or short-circuit the battery or other electrical parts that may cause an explosion. Remove all personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, watches and jewellery when working near a battery. A battery can produce a short circuit powerful enough to weld a ring or any metal, causing serious burns. Make sure the area around the charger has been well ventilated before you connect the charger. Do not charge the batteries at least 4 hours prior to the installation to avoid the formation of explosive battery gases.

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5.2 Batteries, locating and securing

For a leisure electrics system we need 'deep cycle ' leisure use, i.e. we need the battery to provide steady (low) amps over a sustained period and then the battery to be able to be recharged to full capacity (i.e. a cycle). Leisure batteries are usually capable of 200 to 300 full charging cycles. A standard car battery could be used, but it would not last very long as its designed to provide a high amp capacity for a short period (i.e. starting a car) and will typically only last 15 to 20 full charging cycles.. There are three main types of batteries :Flooded: These are so called wet batteries, filled with sulphuric acid. They are manufactured with lead plates which are designed to handle high starting capacity for automotive use, or plates designed for deep cycle leisure use, but Not both. Even leisure types can be easily damaged by deep discharge. Carbon Fibre: The Elecsol range are a type of flooded battery with carbon fibre reinforced lead plates. This gives more power for less weight and better cycling performance. Unlike normal leisure batteries, they offer dual purpose, both deep cycle for leisure use and high starting capacity for automotive use. GEL: The Exide GEL range are absolutely maintenance free, clean and environmentally friendly with no release of acid vapours. Extremely low gassing for use in closed compartments. Constant cold cranking performance over the entire service life. Minimal self discharge. Extremely high cycling capability. 100% leak proof. Deep discharge proof. Unlike normal leisure batteries, they offer dual purpose, both deep cycle for leisure use and high starting capacity for automotive use. They all of course differ in price, performance and how they should be charged, but it is generally accepted that 'flooded leisure batteries' are the best value for the standard camper van. Most professional manufactures fit this type of battery. However please note that even 'deep cycle' batteries can be damaged if they are discharged more than 50% of their capacity. Batteries are rated in Amp hours (as per our previous calculation). Therefore take your calculation and double it, this will then be the total capacity you will require in your battery bank, i.e. 184 Ahr in my case. Leisure batteries are supplied in capacities of 65 Ahr to 120 Ahr. The main manufacturers of 12 Volt leisure batteries are Elecsol, Numax, Exide, Lucas and Varta. However there are many manufactures and as long as they are sold by a reputable company they should be fine. After exhaustive price matching on the internet I found that my local Automotive discount centre could match the best price for Lucas, Numax and Varta products. This was because they could buy direct from the UK distributor (www.manbat.co.uk) at trade price.
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I decided to purchase them locally for a few reasons, but the most important one being that I could pick the batteries up myself. If batteries are transported badly the acid can leak out of them, which did happen to a friend of mine. I bought two Numax LV26MF's, which are 95Ahr each, giving me a total battery bank (when connected in parallel) of 190Ahr. You can connect many batteries together and they effectively just become one big battery bank. How you connect them together is important. Two methods are available : Parallel : Connect the positive terminal to the positive terminal and the negative terminal to the negative terminal. This maintains the voltage at 12V but doubles the current (i.e. 180 amp hours) Series : Connect one positive to one negative and using the other two terminals as the supply. This doubles the voltage, i.e. 24 Volts and maintain the amps i.e. 95Ahr. Your batteries will last longer if they are looked after : Always keep you battery fully charged, even when not in use Coat terminals with petroleum jelly Keep in a frost free location If battery is not sealed, check electrolyte levels regularly. If required, top up with deionised water.

The first point above can easily be addressed by installing a solar panel. This is discussed later on, but its worth noting that a Solar installation will provide a continuous trickle charge. This can considerably extend the life of your leisure battery and save you from having to 'hook up' your van whilst at home. On my van I installed a digital battery monitor, which is usually fitted to yachts. This allows me to see at a glance what current is going in or out of the battery bank and also the current battery bank voltage and charge. Battery voltage indicates its current charge state :Note This is accurate 4 hours after any charging has taken place.

12.7 Volts or more = 100% charged 12.5 Volts = 75% 12.4 Volts = 50% 12.2 Volts = 25% 12 Volts or less = Discharged

Locating where you should put your battery bank is important as you need to minimise cable runs, it has to be ventilated, accessible but most importantly it has to be securely fastened to the van thus safe. Batteries are very heavy and do contain sulphuric acid. They therefore need to be housed securely either in the vehicles engine bay or within its interior. In my van the logical position for my battery bank was under the double passenger seat. This was because the area was accessible, it was close to the vehicles main battery (under the drivers seat in a transit van), it was close to the electric components, i.e. chargers, fuse box etc. and it could be secured to the seat frame using 5 ton ratchet retaining straps. Some batteries that are not sealed (mainly flooded types), can give off explosive gasses and often come with some tubing to vent them to the outside of the vehicle.
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Note : See the gap under the double seat in the picture below.

For me to use this space I would have to construct a custom made battery box to house my two batteries :

This was constructed out of 34mm batons and 6mm ply board, bonded together with wood glue, Sikaflex 512 and wood screws.

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Please ensure that you leave some spare space in the box, as your next set of batteries are unlikely to be exactly the same size as your current ones. I tried my batteries in for size and screwed some additional wooden bars into the box so that they would not be able to move around.

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The batteries are connected in parallel using 170amp battery starter cable. You can also see here the battery monitor (BM1) connected. This is connected via a 'Shunt' that is installed in the middle of the batteries, all charging and load for the battery bank on the negative side has to be connected to and thus pass through this shunt.

This battery box would be securely strapped to the seat frame using two 5 ton ratchet straps, I confirmed this with an automotive crash test engineer, who informed me that one strap would have been adequate. This box is designed to be able to slide out from under the seat and then slide along to the side door of the van to allow easy access to the batteries if required. This meant I would need an 'Umbilical' cord of cables to attach it to the electric components. Battery box secured under the seat.

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Battery box and umbilical (seat removed) and battery box slid out

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5.3 Cable Selection

To wire up all your appliances you will need to calculate what size cable to use. You may think this is not very important as our leisure system is at a low 12 volts. However in practice, as its low voltage this means we need a higher current (Amps) to pass along the cable to the appliance than if it was a mains voltage system. This means that we need thicker cable to handle the increased current. Let me illustrate this point : At 220 volts: 40 Watts divided by 220 = 0.18 Amps : At 12 volts: 40 Watts divided by 12 Volts = 3.33 Amps So the cable we need to use for this appliance has to be at least rated at 4amps. This is important as if the cable can't handle the current then it could melt and cause a fire. Another important factor is 'voltage drop'. A current running through a cable encounters resistance and so the longer the cable the more resistance, this can cause the voltage to drop over the length of the cable. To fix this you use a thicker cable (i.e. a thicker pipe to carry the current). Fortunately you don't need to calculate this you can use a reference table.. You can also use on line calculators, like this one :http://www.solar-wind.co.uk/cable-sizing-DC-cables.html 12 Volt Direct Current (DC) wire selection table Circuit Amps 05 6 7 8 10 11 12 15 18 20 22 24 30 40 50 100 150 200 Watts 30 36 42 48 60 66 72 90 108 120 132 144 180 240 300 600 900 1200 3' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 12 / 3 10 / 5 10 / 5 5' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 12 / 3 10 / 5 8/8 Length of cable run 7' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 12 / 3 10 / 5 8/8 8/8 10' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 12 / 3 12 / 3 10 / 5 8/8 6 / 13 15' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 14 / 2 14 / 2 12 / 3 12 / 3 10 / 5 10 / 5 10 / 5 6 / 13 4 / 19 4 / 19 20' 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 14 / 2 12 / 3 12 / 3 12 / 3 10 / 5 10 / 5 10 / 5 6 / 13 4 / 19 4 / 19 25' 18 / 0.8 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 16 / 1 14 / 2 14 / 2 12 / 3 12 / 3 10 / 5 10 / 5 10 / 5 10 / 5 8/8 8/8 4 / 19 2 / 32 2/ 32

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Use this cable selection table by selecting the amp / wattage of your appliance then look up the length of you cable run and where the two rows meet is the AWG size and the metric size in mm of the cable you require. In my van I only used three sizes of cable : Twin core flat PVC cable 2* 1mm thick (8.75 amp rated) Twin Core flat PVC cable 2* 3mm thick (27.5 amp rated) Battery starter cable 25mm2 (170 amp rated)

I used the 170 amp cable to connect the batteries together and to connect the leisure batteries to the vehicles battery via a Battery to Battery charger (explained later). I used the 27.5amp cable to connect the leisure battery bank to the fuse box / distribution panel. The 8.75amp cable was used to connect up all appliances to the distribution panel. If required I ran two cables (2 * 8.75 = 17.5 amps capacity) to ensure it could handle the appropriate current / voltage drop, i.e. to the fridge. You will use a lot of cable, I used nearly 100 metres of the 8.75 amp cable, so order it in as you don't want to hold up the job waiting for cable. One other point on cable selection is make sure you use automotive multi stranded cable, I have read of some people using domestic (solid core) mains twin and earth cable. This would work but in a vehicle with vibrations it does tend to work loose from connections or snap. Here are the 8.75 amp, 27.5 amp and 170 amp cables :-

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5.4 Leisure system explained

In appendix 7 there is a full diagram of the electrical system I installed. Let me explain why I arrived at this system, as you may wish to have a less complicated or cheaper system in your conversion. We have already covered the batteries and the cabling. The other main components of my installation are :1) BM1 Battery Monitor. 2) Sterling B2B charger 3) Switched fused distribution panel 4) Waeco CR50 compressor fridge 5) Solar Panel and controller 6) Whale submersible water pump 7) LED lighting 8) Gas leak alarm 9) 12v Aux sockets 10) Mains electrical system, RCD distribution, sockets and main battery charger. . BM1 Battery Monitor I felt it was important to be able to monitor my battery usage. The BM1 battery monitor from Nasa Marine Instruments (http://www.nasamarine.com/) continuously monitors voltage, current (charge or discharge), number of amp/hours (charge or discharge), the batteries state of charge and the time to charge or discharge. They do produce a BM1 compact also. The BM1 can be attached to battery banks up to 650 amp hours. The product is 100 or so and there are cheaper monitors on the market. Sterling Battery to Battery (B2B) charger My van is designed for use as a day van, wild camping for 24 to 30 hours or long holiday (mostly hooked up to mains). So this shaped my thinking on which battery charging mechanisms to use. The normal vehicle battery is trickle charged from the alternator when the engine is running, there are three charging methods that can split that charge from the alternator to charge a second battery bank. Split charge relay system Split charge diode block Alternator to battery charger (from sterling) I decided against using these methods for the following reasons : Cabling to the alternator required. More cabling than for a B2B. They split the charge, so your car battery is not always getting the charge it needs. Charging speed is slow. Just one step charging method, i.e. trickle charging The Sterling B2B charger (BB121250 12volts to 12 volts 50 amps) from Sterling Power Products (http://www.sterling-power.com) appears to me to be the best solution. It works by constantly monitoring the engine start battery. When the starter battery voltage exceeds about 13 volts (which is usually the case when it is being charged) the B2B charger will activate itself. It will then start its charging operation during which the starter battery voltage will be pulled down to no less than 13 volts.
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This enables the engine battery to still receive sufficient charge and ensures that the alternator works at its full potential The unit takes the 13 volts from the starter battery into the control box and boosts it up to a maximum of 14.8 volts (depending on what battery type has been selected) at the output. This will charge the secondary bank of batteries fast (probably 5 times faster than an alternator) and up to their full capacity. The charger then automatically calculates the optimum absorption time and keeps the voltage at absorption level until the batteries are fully charged. After that the system will maintain the batteries at a lower float voltage, while always ensuring that the engine battery has priority. The benefits of this are that when you are driving you are charging your leisure battery bank very fast and efficiently using a 4 step charging pattern. This will not only ensure you have power but will prolong the life of your deep cycle leisure batteries. What I liked about this is that I did not have to change the car alternator cabling at all. Also as the vehicle battery on the Ford Transit is under the drivers seat the cable runs between the two batteries were very short. However the most important point in my opinion is that the vehicle battery (for starting) will always be fully charged. The B2B unit also comes with temperature sensors which are easily fitted to the leisure batteries and the vehicles alternator. The B2B unit shuts down if either start to overheat for any reason. This I considered to be a nice safety feature, especially given that my leisure batteries would be under the seat my children would be using. This unit does not come cheap though, I paid 205 for mine. Also it took me a long time to find reasonably priced fuses for this installation. As the B2B unit is rated at 50amps, you need to fit 100amp auto fuses. Some companies were asking about 30 per fuse and the holders were extra. I managed to source them for approx 12 delivered to my door from http://www.thetoolboxshop.com/. Switched fused distribution panel In an leisure electrics system (like a vehicles electric system) we need to protect all circuits by installing fuses. Fuses are designed to interrupt the flow of power to a circuit when the current exceeds safe levels, thus preventing the cable melting or the appliance being damaged. Fuses are rated in amps. We therefore have to ensure that each fuse for each circuit is rated less than the cable capacity (to stop the cable melting before the fuse disintegrates) but that it is also rated higher than the maximum load that the appliance requires (or the fuse would blow every time you used the appliance). Initially I planned using a standard automotive blade fuse box fixed in my battery box. However I also felt it important to be able to isolate (switch on & off) each circuit so I planned to install a switch panel of some description. However after searching through the internet I found that yachts often used switch panels that also have resettable fuses built in to them. This appealed a lot as if I did have a short circuit for any reason and a fuse tripped, I would not have to carry physical replacement blade fuses. I could fix the problem and then just reset the fuse.
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Waeco CR50 compressor fridge As I have explained my leisure electrics system was designed to incorporate a 12 Volt compressor fridge, this was because they operate a small compressor motor and so they are relatively quiet. But more importantly they don't require a flue or ventilators to be cut in the side of the van. This makes their installation a lot simpler. They can also be left to run all night with no concerns about gas or flames, as you have with absorption fridges. Waeco from Germany are probably the best known manufacturer of Motor Caravan fridges and their products are installed into a lot of commercially available vans. They are imported into the UK by Dometic Ltd http://www.dometic.com/enuk/Europe/United-Kingdom/Start/, but are available from a lot of Chandlers and caravan equipment suppliers. Solar Panel and controller Initially I had not planned to install Solar on to my camper van. However after speaking to a friend who had installed over 100 watts of panels and found that he could run his compressor fridge for about 5 -7 days with no mains hookup. I was convinced that I should consider this. Solar panels are not cheap items, however having one would ensure that my batteries would always be in prime condition and should prolong the batteries life. There are four main types of Solar panels :1) Single Crystal Silicon (Mono-crystalline) The cells are sliced from a pure crystalline ingot. This type of panel is the most commercially available efficient type, giving 15% - 20% conversion efficiency. 2) CIS (Copper Indium Diselenide) this is a thin flexible film technology giving 11% - 14% conversion efficiency. 3) Poly-crystaline silicon Molten silicon is poured into a mould and then sliced in to cells. Gives 13% - 15% conversion efficiency. 4) Amorphous silicon This thin film silicon is used in toys and calculators. It gives 8% conversion efficiency. This is all very well but how do you choose ? Unusually I found that the most efficient type is also the best value for money once you get above 50 watts. So the decision was easily made, mono-crystalline it would be. The draw back to this type of panel is that they are rigid and therefore have to be fitted in a frame, this raises the height of your vehicle more than a flexible panel. As I have a high roof line vehicle another 10 centimetres in height did not concern me. Solar panels are measured in watts. An easy way to calculate the maximum amps that a panel will generate is to divide the wattage by 17. e.g. 100 watt panel, in very sunny conditions will generate 5.8 amps. As you have already read my fridge would consume 3.33 amps when running. Given the budget pressure I decided to buy a 65 watt panel, thus giving me a maximum of 3.8amps power during the sunniest summer days. Enough to run the fridge ! My solar installation, solar panel, 10A charge controller (needed if the panel is over 20 watts), fixing kit, VAT and delivery came to 322. It was supplied by www.sunshinesolar.co.uk.
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Whale submersible water pump As you will read further on I decided on a submersible water pump as opposed to a fixed piped solution. Whale are regarded as the best manufacturer of motor home submersible pumps. LED lighting All ready fitted in the minibus were two fluorescent ceiling lights, with each light containing two 8 watts 12 tubes. So in total these lights would consume 2.66 amps per hour of power. This was too much and I researched replacing the fluorescent T5 tubes with LED tubes. The problem I encountered was that T5 LED tubes were just starting to be manufactured in China, but the suppliers here did not yet stock them. LED lights need a little driver unit for them to work, this driver unit is incorporated into the casing, which is why the early LED bulbs were so bulky. Manufacturers have easily incorporated this driver into large strip light fluorescent tubes but only a couple of manufactures have managed to incorporate them in to T5 i.e. 12 inch tubes. To cut a long story short, after 6 months I took delivery of 5 12volt DC, 3.5watt , 3500k 4500k T5 tubes. These were warm white light tubes (that's the 3500 to 4500k rating), in total they take 1.2 amps per hour, they are brighter that the old fluorescent tubes and they give a lovely warm white light. These tubes cost me 10 each, but I know they are now (July 2010) about 20 each due to the pound devaluing and the upward trend in raw material costs. If you need some similar tubes then contact me and I might be able to get some for you. Gas leak alarm One safety feature I wanted to fit, was a gas (butane, propane) alarm, as it happened I noticed my local Lidl was selling them for 6, so I bought one and wired it in next to the gas cylinder. 12v Aux sockets I planned to install 3 auxiliary 12 volt sockets, one for an awning light, near the sliding door, one on the kitchen for a 12v kettle or small AA battery charger, if required and one near the table to run a laptop. You can buy 12 volt laptop power supplies cheaply from Ebay. Do ensure these auxiliary sockets have the appropriate amp rated cable and fuse for their intended uses. Mains electrical system, RCD distribution, sockets, mains charger and plinth heater. You can buy mains hook up kits that include fitting instructions and although I found them a little bit expensive, they are very good for someone less confident of the kit and wiring required. I have had experience of fitting mains electrical equipment so I purchased my own bits and fitted them . If you are unsure at all about fitting this equipment then please get an experienced / qualified electrician to do it for you. I purchased the mains battery charger from my local motorist discount centre, as they price matched the internet. The manufacturer is CTEK (http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk), I found these to be the best value, intelligent 4 stage charges, (cheaper than Sterling ones) that would also act as a power supply when hooked up. They are designed to run permanently so there are no problems when you are hooked up for a long period. They continuously check the battery charge and then use a 4 stage charging curve to charge the batteries back to full capacity, the charger then reverts to supply mode and responds to demand placed on the batteries. I installed the 7amp model, XS7000. One additional item I fitted was a 1.8kw (7.5 amps) mains electric fan heater which fits in the plinth under the kitchen.
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5.5 Leisure Power System installation

To install a leisure electrics system you have to decide where to put the batteries (under the seat in my case) and where to put the electric equipment. The electric equipment needs to be in a well ventilated area and should be close to your main appliances, to minimise cable runs

5.5.1 Electrical component locations

As you have read in section 5.2 Batteries, locating and securing, my batteries are stored under the double passenger seat and the cables (umbilical cord) then come out of the box at the back. The reason for this is that, my design has a partition wall running along the back of the passenger seats (the is covered in the next section) and this creates a space behind the seats where the electrical components could be located. With this in mind I first constructed a back plate made out of a sheet of aluminium and ply wood that I could fix all the electrical components on to. This plate would then be fixed to the back of the partition wall once constructed. I first fixed the Sterling B2B charger and the two required 100amp fuses to the board. I used the 170amp battery starter cable, which I had crimped (using a vice) screw terminal lugs on to. I later on soldered these connections also, to ensure that they would never work loose and to provide a better connection than just crimping alone. The connections on the B2B charger and the mega fuses had M8 connections, which means holes to fit 8mm diameter threaded posts.

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Mega fuse holders, with the 100amp mega fuses fitted, note this is with out the fuse holder covers fitted.

Before fitting any more components I removed the B2B unit and painted the ply board black. A tin or two of spray paint from the local motorist discount centre came in very useful on this conversion. I then fitted the CTEK charger and Mains RCD fuse box. I also worked out where the Solar panel regulator would be fixed . This was then left whilst I fitted the solar panel and the Mains hookup circuits.

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5.5.2 Solar Panel fitting

Once I had decided to fit a solar panel I had to determine where and how to fix it to the roof. Now as you can imagine I was a bit nervous about cutting the ply lined internal roof and drilling holes in the metal roof. The solar panel came with an aluminium fixing kit which was to be bolted through the roof at 4 places. The partition wall construction (covered in the next section, Section 6) needed an aluminium angle fixing to the inside of the roof, so I decided that I would combine all of these into one fix. I would bolt through the internal aluminium angle, the roof and then the front two fixing points on the solar panel. The back two fixing feet on the solar panel would then be bonded to the roof with Sikaflex 512. Incidentally I have read of people using Sikaflex 512 only to attach their solar panels to their roofs, which I'm sure would be secure enough, but you would still have to drill a hole for the cable.. I checked the weather forecast and on a dry and sunny day I fitted the Solar panel. Here is the 60 watt (front and back) solar panel.

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Note: The back two mounting brackets are loosely attached to the panel on the below photo.

All the holes and bolts would be sealed with Sikaflex 512 to prevent any water leaks. The cable entry point would also be fitted with a waterproof cable entry box :-

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After measuring and measuring again, I drilled the aluminium angle that would be fitted inside the roof to match the holes on the solar panel brackets. Here is the panel upside down with the fixing brackets and aluminium angle lined up.

I next measured, marked, cleaned and degreased the roof, where I would be using Sikaflex 512. I then drilled the first pilot hole, using a 2.5mm drill.

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I then drilled the final 6mm hole, masked up the area and then sprayed on anti rust paint, to ensure the metal never oxidised.

(Available at motorist shops)

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The same process was repeated for all four fixing holes and then the cable entry point :

Where Sikaflex 512 would be used to bond and seal, I scoured the paint surface to provide a better key and then I degreased again.

With all the preparation complete, I assembled it all up dry to ensure it all fitted. I also made up some small spacer plates out of Aluminium so as to make the panel level when fitted on the roof. This was because the Transit roof is ridged and my holes were on the high and low parts of the profile. Once it all fitted I removed it all and then applied the Sikaflex 512 to all the parts as required and bolted the panel, roof and aluminium angle together, ensuring that plenty of Sikaflex was in and around the holes to prevent any water leaks. Here is the completed installation :
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To test the installation, the cable from the panel was attached to the solar regulator and then attached to the batteries, free electricity then flowed !

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I now installed the solar regulator on to the electrics back plate and connected the output from it to the BM1 Battery monitor shunt / batteries, this then showed the amp charge the solar panel generated. Here is the BM1 shunt again, the four coloured thin cables are the BM1's power (red and black) and the yellow and white cables are how the monitor measures the current that goes through the shunt (either way, i.e. in or out of the batteries).

Here is the BM1 monitor attached to the batteries. Note the solar regulator restricts supply to the batteries when they are fully charged. So even on a sunny day the charge can read zero if the batteries are already fully charged..

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5.5.3 Mains Hook up installation

I next wanted to install the mains hook up so that I had mains sockets in the van so that I could use an oil filled radiator to keep me warm and use a fluorescent inspection lamp for light. I wanted the battery charging system all complete and working before I installed any appliances (via the fused switch panel) that would drain any power from the batteries. This involved : Drilling and cutting a hole in the vehicle body to fit an external hook up point. Wiring it to the mains RCD box Wiring the mains charger to the RCD & batteries Wiring the mains sockets to the RCD

Note the equipment used should be for a motor home and comply with the relevant British Standards. Do not undertake mains installation unless you are totally sure of what you are doing. Vehicles are metal boxes and can be electrified if the installation is not completed correctly. Before using the electrics ensure they are inspected by a NICEIC qualified electrician. Note The Build your own Motorcaravan book written by John Wickersham and published by Haynes has a good section about electrics. After inspecting the van externally, I found a section of the van free next to the drivers door, this was used on the other side of the van for the Diesel filler point. This section had a empty box construction behind it and was of an ideal size for a hookup socket. The area was cleaned and degreased then measured and marked up, masking tape was applied to protect the paint work. A pilot hole was drilled and then using a jigsaw the hole was cut. The edges were filed smooth and the socket pushed in to ensure a correct fit. Next the area was masked more and anti rust paint applied.

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Be careful not to get spray onto other parts of your van.

The area was cleaned and degreased again, the socket was then wired up (with the cable pushed through the hole from the inside !). Pilot holes were drilled for the self tapping screws. The unit was inserted into the hole and screwed to the vehicle. Note I did not use Sikaflex 512 to bond it, as I felt that if the unit broke or got damaged I would have to replace it. Sikaflex 512 is a very strong bond and would be very difficult to remove. I sealed around the unit using black silicone.

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A hole was drilled through the floor near to where the Mains RCD box would be located. The cable was cut to the required length and a cable shield was pushed along the length of the cable. Holes were then drilled through the supporting struts so that the cable could be routed from the socket to the RCD. Note after any drilling anti rust paint was used. Once the cable was routed, Sikaflex 512 was used at each hole to ensure the cable was secured and to prevent chafing. The cable was also secured using 'P' clips and self tapping screws. Rear of the mains hook up socket

Secured cable (with cable shield fitted) under the van.

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Here is the finished installed socket :-

The cable from the socket was wired into the RCD fuse box, The fuse box did require an earth and so a connection to the van body was made near to the unit. This would also be used as a negative connection for the Sterling B2B unit. The paint was removed (to ensure a good connection) and a M6 bolt used to secure it.

The wiring up of the fuse box was completed as per the instructions, copy below. The mains cables for the sockets were cut to approximate length and sockets and back boxes attached. These would be fixed to the partition wall and the seat box when I had completed building them.
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A mains tester was used to test the sockets. NOTE its worth have one of these to test polarity of hook up posts on the continent.

The 'Mains Fuse Box' contains a RCD, residual current device. This is designed to prevent electric shock and other accidents due to faulty electrical appliances or wiring. The RCD can detect changes in the proper flow of electric current (when a flex is damaged, or an appliance malfunctions). Within milliseconds of this happening, the RCD automatically cuts the power supply before anyone can be electrocuted or further damage can be done. The mains fuse box also contains a MCB Miniature Circuit Breaker, which is in essence a resettable 10 amp fuse. This protects against the circuits (sockets) being overloaded After the installation was checked and tested the battery charger (CTEK XS7000) was connected and tested. Note to test this, I connected a 12v bulb to the leisure batteries to consume some power, I then connected up the mains hook up via a hook up adapter (see below) and I monitored the charge given to the batteries via the BM1 battery monitor, which I had temporally connected
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Mains tester

Hook up adapter

The mains 'kick plate' heater was also wired up, although it could not be installed in to the kitchen yet, it did keep me nice and warm through the build from this point onwards.

At this point the electrics housing board was stood to one side for the installation of the partition wall to commence. Once the basic frame of the partition wall was built (see next section) the electrics board was bolted to the partition wall frame. This allowed the vehicle to be driven. The cabling would in time have to be tided up and secured properly..

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5.5.4 Completing the B2B wiring

With the electrics panel secured, I completed wiring up the B2B charger. The two live cables (170 amp cable) that were fused with 100amp fuses were wired to the leisure batteries and the vehicle car battery. The negative supply to the unit was via the vehicles body, the same connection as the earth for the RCD fuse box. In addition temperature sensors were installed on the leisure batteries and the vehicles alternator. These are provided with the B2B unit, for the cable run to the alternator I did have to extend the cable and protect it with shielding, the temperature sensor bolts onto the alternator negative post, see photo below.

Note: In the next diagram, it shows that any extra power source, alternator and solar panel should be connected to the engine battery. Now this is true of the alternator. However I connected my solar panel direct to my leisure battery pack. This is to ensure that the leisure batteries are kept in top condition. The vehicle battery will be fully charged by the existing vehicle electrics. This has all worked with no problems as the Solar regulator only gives a charge when one is required and so does the B2B charger.
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The B2B wiring schema is :-

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5.5.5 12v distribution and monitoring

With the basic partition frame built I next decided where the 12 volt fused distribution panel and battery monitor would be located. The 12v switched fused (resettable) distribution panel was purchased from a Chandler, its usually for yacht installations. However it matched what I needed and it had the added advantage of having resettable fuses and the ability to switch (i.e. isolate) each circuit. I would obviously have to change the labelling on it, and it came with sticky labels to do so. This was temporally screwed to the partition wall frame to allow me to run the supply cable to it (27amp) and also run cables to each of the appliances. The BM1 battery monitor was also temporally attached and wired up to the leisure batteries :-

I then ran cables of the approximate length for each circuit, from the 12v distribution panel through the frame and out at the bottom of the frame, behind where the kitchen units would be going. All cables were labelled, as they would be attached to each circuit as each appliance was installed. The first circuit to be connected was the fluorescent ceiling lights which were already part of the vehicle, which I intended to re-use with LED tubes.
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All the cable joints were soldered to ensure a good electrical connection and a durable physical connection.
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5.5.6 Completing the electrics.

Near the end of the conversion, when I was laying the flooring I removed the 2nd row of seats and completed the electrics housing, by tiding up the cables and boxing around it. This was to ensure that the electrics had suitable ventilation, were safe from things being dropped on them but still allowed me access to see them if required. One seat removed, batteries strapped under seat.

All 3 2nd row seats removed.

Note: The 'umbilical cord' machine waste water pipe.

connecting the electrics to the batteries was an old washing

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Completed housing, with removable side panel (with handle).

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Here is the completed installation, with seats.

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Here is the completed installation of the battery monitor and distribution panel.

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6. Partition wall installation

The partition wall was key to the overall design of the van, as it 'created space' for the 'L' shape kitchen and the electrics housing. It also provided a useful place to hang a wall unit for extra storage as well as being a great place to put the 12v distribution panel and battery monitor (as you have already seen). Constructing it so that it would be safe and secure was paramount in my mind, if for any reason the van was involved in a crash the partition wall had to be secure.. I spoke to an engineer friend (who luckily for me crashes cars to assess their NCAP rating for a living) and he advised, that I would need metal supports at the top and the bottom of the wall frame (bolted through the roof and the floor) to ensure the wall would be sturdy enough. The rational for this was simple 'Metal deforms in a crash but wood splits and splinters'. As you saw in the Solar panel fitting section I fitted a 3mm thick aluminium angle to the roof, its external dimensions were 33mm * 33mm.

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The first job was to mark out on the floor and the ceiling where the wall should be. For this I used a straight piece of baton, masking tape and marker.

I had to ensure that the partition wall was close to but not touching the back of the 2nd row of seats. The partition wall was to be constructed of 34mm timber batons, faced with 6mm ply either side i.e. 46mm total width (not including the coverings, carpet / leatherette).

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Here is the marked out partition wall :-

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The marked floor covering was cut away, this was because it is a rubberised material with glass bits embedded in it. A very hard wearing floor covering but it would be difficult to bond to.

Holes (8mm, for M8 bolts) were then drilled through the wooden floor and the floor of the van, anti rust paint was applied after de-burring the holes. Note : Its much easier to drill a pilot hole with a smaller drill bit then re drill with the larger bit, than it is to drill the hole with the larger bit on its own.

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The wooden baton and the aluminium angle were drilled to match the holes in the floor, they were then bolted to the floor with a good covering of Sikaflex 512 on each surface to bond them together.

While this was setting I cut the carpet and the ply board from the ceiling where the top baton would have to be fixed.
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This was then trimmed to fit the angle and baton.

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The Aluminium angle was then measured and drilled to fit the solar panel :

Long bolts and big washers were then used to bolt the solar panel, roof and angle together, bonded also with Sikaflex 512 on each surface.

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After a few days of drying the installation was water tested successfully (using a hose pipe). The timber was then bonded and bolted on to the aluminium angle. Side pieces were bonded and screwed to the top and bottom supports, to make the basic box frame.

To this basic frame, cross members were added to give the frame more rigidity.
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Further supports were added to this basic box frame to attach it to the side of the vehicle.

The supports on the side of the van were bonded and screwed to the van and also attached to brackets that had been riveted and bonded to the metal body of the van. This added greatly to the rigidity of the frame. Note all carpet was cut away so that the timber could be bonded directly to other timber or metal.
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Once the frame had been completed, I then started work on cutting the 6mm ply board sheets for the front side of the frame. Two sheets of ply were measured and marked and cut to shape.

These were then joined together with 6mm ply squares which were bonded and screwed to the panels.

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The panel was the tried again against the frame to ensure a good and neat fit, especially where the frame butts up against the window. Once I was happy with the panel I laid it out flat ready to glue on the covering. For the covering I had decided to use a leatherette, as I had seen it in a friends van and it looked great. The leatherette is a fake leather, not that you can easily tell and is used by professional auto trimmers (I ended up having my seat cushions covered in it also). It was supplied by www.Automobiletrim.com and cost 8 per square metre. I spoke to them and they advised that it was usual to glue 6mm upholstery foam to the boards first then glue the 'leathercloth' to the foam. This then gives a smooth finish with the leather being lovely and tactile. Upholstery foam was 8 per sq metre also, and so with 2 tins of high temp spray glue, Vat and delivery it all came to 60.

Upholstery 6mm foam

heavy grain leatherette

The foam was glued and then cut to ensure a 1cm overlap around the edge of the frame, speaker holes, distribution panel hole and battery monitor hole were also cut. Once the glue was dry the leatherette was glued on to the foam and a generous overlap left to attach it to the back of the panel. Glue and staples were used to ensure a tight and neat wrap around finish to the edges.

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The completed panel before attaching to the frame :

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The panel was then secured to the frame using Sikaflex 512 and brackets and screws.

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One job left to do was to carpet a thin strip of wood to attach to the end of the wall, 44mm wide, depth of 4mm. You can see this in later photo's when the van is completed. The other side of the wall would be completed as part of the kitchen installation.
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7. Kitchen installation
7.1 Kitchen design layout and planning
The layout of the kitchen was planned to be 'L' shaped, to be able to fit in a sink, cooker, fridge and then have a good sized bench for food preparation and cupboards for storage. As you have seen on page 14 & 15 (Layout scale drawings) it looked like it would all fit in the van. Now that I had the van with the partition wall built, I re-measured and drew a scale design of my proposed kitchen. For the kitchen I intended to use Ikea kitchen wall cabinets as the base units. After examining the Ikea catalogue I decided on their Abstrakt kitchen (high gloss grey) and Pragel (black marble effect) worktop. The kitchen units and bench came to 372. The following units were bought :Item Horizontal wall cabinet (70mm*40mm) High gloss grey door for wall cabinet Wall Cabinet (60mm * 70mm) High gloss grey door for cabinet Integral hinge Shelf for cabinet High gloss grey side panel (60mm * 1950) Pragel worktop (126mm *62mm) Pragel worktop (186mm *62mm) Wall cabinet (40mm * 70mm) High gloss grey door for cabinet Shelf for cabinet Part No 901.323.79 601.533.92 941.798.10 701.534.00 701.323.75 178.719.10 701.534.38 001.240.86 401.240.89 341.796.10 601.533.92 578.717.10 Qty 1 1 2 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Total cost 41.00 31.00 36.00 72.00 9.00 10.00 56.00 20.00 30.00 13.00 50.00 4.00

This provided me with 3 units for the base L shape kitchen and one wall unit to fix on the partition wall. As you may notice from my plan I was unsure of what height to have the bench and also how I would fit in the fridge, gas locker, water tanks, sink and hob into these units. Note all the kitchen units were 37mm deep. These design issues were resolved by assembling the unit carcasses (using lots of PVA wood glue for rigidity) and having at hand all the equipment that would have to fit in them. Many combinations were tried by moving the units around and slotting in the equipment. I used cut out templates of the sink and hob so that I could easily place them and see the effect.

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Note : Wiring is complete in the partition wall.

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Other kitchen planning considerations are : What type of gas to carry How much gas to carry How much water to carry

The type of gas you carry mainly depends on when you are going to use your van. If like me you only intend to use the van for 3 seasons then Butane will be fine. However if you intend using your van in the winter then propane will be better as it does not become as sluggish or freeze as quickly as Butane. How much gas to carry does also depend on how you are going to use your van and how often you will have to refill / change cylinders. I have been camping with my family many times and I have always managed a two week holiday on 3kg of gas. Space is a added consideration and so is the availability of refills or replacement cylinders. I decided to build a gas locker (metal cabinet vented to the exterior) to house a 4.5kg butane cylinder (Calor gas bottle) which would give me plenty of gas. With Calor gas bottles you can't tell how full they are and they are not readily available on the continent. So as I would be travelling on the continent and I never wanted to run out of gas, I decided to carry a spare smaller butane gas bottle (2.75 kg). This would not be a Calor gas bottle but a Campingaz 907 cylinder which are readily available in Europe. This would give me good flexibility, as I could carry 2.75kg, 4.5kg or 7.25kg of gas depending on how long my trip was going to be. A friend of mine decided that he did not want to have to worry about how much gas he had left and changing cylinders so he installed a large refillable tank under his van. He can see how much gas is left in it and he fills it up once or twice a year. This solution does cost more but does give him more space in his van. However the bottle solution lends itself more to DIY installation. See the Gas installation section for photos of the cylinders. How much water is also dependant on space and how you intend to use your van, as you know I intended to use the van for days away and family holidays where we would be mainly on a camp-site. Because of this I calculated that we could manage with two 10 litre tanks (one for fresh water and one for waste water), these would be installed inside the van. This should be enough for a day out, drinking water and washing up. When on a family holiday the tanks could be easily refilled and the washing up could be completed using the camp-site facilities if required. With my kitchen design I could not store any more water than 10 litres with out compromising storage space. I therefore would install the tanks and see how it all worked out during the year. If I discovered that 10 litres was not enough water, I could later on install larger tanks under the van. Note After a 2.5 week family holiday touring in France and many day trips out, two 10L water tanks are sufficient.

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7.2 Kitchen preparation work

The kitchen would be fitted to batons, attached to the walls, just as you would in your home. To do this I had to firstly complete the back of the partition wall using 6mm ply board. I cut templates to fit the wall and these were screwed and bonded to the frame using Sikaflex 512, the wall would be solid and would never come apart easily. Because of this I first ran additional spare cables through the wall to the distribution panel. A removable ply panel was fitted behind the distribution panel so that I could access the cabling if required. Also before I fixed the ply board on to the frame I photographed the wall with IKEA paper tape measures attached to it. This was so that I could work out where the batons and cables were inside the wall after the panel had been fixed.

NOTE : I had also fitted the 12v axillary socket and one of the mains sockets to the partition wall. I did not fully ply board the partition wall, where the electrics housing was I did not need to as this would be behind the kitchen and seats. However to ensure no possibility of liquids escaping from the kitchen and getting onto the electrics I fitted a thick plastic waterproof sheet on to the rear of the partition wall.

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Next I altered the kitchen wall cabinet carcass so that it did not stick out as much, then I secured a baton (screwed and bonded) to the partition wall.

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The wall unit back was altered and fitted and the whole unit was then screwed and bonded to the baton and partition wall.

What height to fit the kitchen bench at, was the next issue, the units I had bought were 70cm tall. A usual home kitchen bench is at 91.5cm, so that an average adult does not have to stoop to use it. I decided to raise the kitchen units by 10cm (the perfect gap for the electric plinth heater) to 80cm and then by adding the bench (4cm thick) the working height of the kitchen bench would be 84cm. A baton was fitted to the partition wall at 80cm high. The height of the kitchen on the right hand side would be higher than the windows, I therefore had to build a frame that was fixed (screwed and bonded using Sikaflex 512) to the floor and the side of the van. A strip of carpet was removed from the side of the van so that the bonding could be wood on wood.

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The kitchen units would have to be heightened by 10cm, usual kitchen legs could not be used as the units had to be secured to the floor. The usual plastic legs were too flimsy and did not have any way of attaching them to the floor. After much searching around on the internet I found that for a few pounds I could buy threaded feet (used to fit on baths) and some Tee nuts (used in furniture manufacture). These could be attached to a baton secured to the carcass and screwed to the floor.

The two outer units were fitted with these legs. The corner unit would not be raised, this was so that there was space for the hob (that would be fitted into the bench above it) and the unit would therefore not have to be cut.

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The kitchen units and appliances were tried in place and the final kitchen design decisions were made. For example : 1. If I put the gas locker in the corner then I would have to cut away some of the side of the left hand unit to allow access. Here is the work completed.

2. For the fridge to be flush with the front of the kitchen the carcass it was in would have to be installed away from the wall.

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3. It looked like the water containers would fit next to the fridge (just) but they would have to be on their side, which ironically is the best use of the space.

4. The plinth heater would fit nicely under the left hand kitchen unit.

5. Where the kitchen backed on to the windows, blanking plates would have to be fitted to prevent things falling down the back of the kitchen. Here is one fitted.

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7.3 Gas locker construction and installation

WARNING : Gas is dangerous. If you don't feel confident working with it then get a professional gas installer to do the work for you. All work you attempt is at your own risk !
I had decided that the cooker hob would be in the corner of the 'L' shaped kitchen as this was below a slider window (good for ventilation when cooking). It would also be away from the seating area good for safety (away from the children). This meant that the cupboard beneath the corner would house the gas, I measured and checked that the gas cylinders would fit. This unit was moved into place checked it was level and then batons marked and fixed so that it could be screwed and bonded to the floor and the wall.

It was then removed and the vent hole drilled and prepared. To ensure an air tight fit and that water could not splash up into the hole from underneath, a piece of plastic waste pipe was used, this protruded underneath the van floor slightly and was bonded in the hole with Sikaflex 512. This was also used to seal the pipe to the underneath of the van. Note a mesh would be installed over the pipe to ensure no vermin or creepy crawlies could use it as a van entrance.
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I also drilled an additional vent hole further along that would vent underneath and behind the unit where the fridge was to be installed. The unit was then installed and left to dry for 24 hours.

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The gas locker was the next problem to solve, for safety reasons it is advisable to keep your gas cylinder in a metal air tight locker that is vented to the outside of the van. So in the event of a gas leak the gas can escape (Butane is heavier than air) out through the vent, thus dramatically reducing the risk of an explosion. The research I did showed that a gas locker should be made from a minimum 20swg mild steel or aluminium (0.914mm thick). I searched on the internet to source a gas locker but had no success. I contacted a couple of fabrication companies and got quotes to build a locker, but these were in my opinion too expensive, around 200. In the end a friend of mine kindly gave me two aluminium LP record cases that he had owned for years, so I decided to try and make a custom gas locker. Daft as that sounds, these boxes were a possible good solution, they were 4mm ply board covered in 2mm aluminium and reinforced at the seams, nice and light and strong.

These boxes would not house a 4.5kg gas cylinder when upright but it looked like they might if they were turned on their sides and joined together. They were riveted together, so after some drilling :

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The cylinder diameter fitted but it was too tall.

I'd have to use them both and join them together !

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Unfortunately this was too tall to fit into the cupboard carcass. I decided to make a top for the locker by using bits from one box. Bits were cut, drilled and riveted back together to get :

At this point I tried the box in the cupboard and found that I was unable to open the box door as it would snag on the cupboard next to it. So I changed from using it at the top to using it as the bottom of the locker, to over come this problem. It was sealed air tight with Sikaflex 512 and then riveted onto the other box.

A hole was cut in the bottom of the box to align with the vent hole through the floor. And a gas cylinder retaining strap installed.

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For gas safety, flexible pipe can be used inside a gas locker but external to the locker fixed copper pipe must be used (this is a DVLA requirement also). I therefore had to install a bulkhead valve and attach the flexible pipe and the gas bottle regulator. Note the regulator for a 4.5kg gas cylinder is not the same connection as for a Campingaz 907 cylinder, however you can buy a screw on converter. This would mean that I would not have to alter pipe work or regulators when changing gas cylinders.

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The gas locker was screwed and bonded in to place in the carcass and using the wiring I had already installed I connected up the Gas Alarm detector (Butane / Propane / Methane alarm). Note the additional Campingaz 907 cylinder could be stored on top of the locker for long trips.

All this work did take time, however I ended up with a bespoke locker that fitted exactly where I needed it to.
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7.4 Sink and Hob installation

The two other kitchen cabinet carcasses were screwed and bonded to the floor, wall and neighbouring carcasses, to ensure a solid kitchen base. I next measured out the first piece of kitchen workbench. The kitchen worktops were all of a custom depth, with the one on the fridge side being 50cm deep and the one on the partition wall side being 44.5 cm deep. Here is the first cut top with the hob and sink templates on top.

The worktop was cut using a hand held 1400 watt circular saw and the edge was cut smooth using a 2100 watt inch router. The second worktop was measured, I intended joining the worktops together with an 'invisible join' and I had purchased a kitchen worktop jig and router for this. But as my kitchen was all bespoke I had to read how to do it and measure it several times before I made any cuts. I won't explain in this book how to do 'invisible joins', there are many good sites on the internet that explain how to do it. Just make sure you take your time, any mistakes could be costly in wasted worktop. Here is my second worktop cut to size :

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I next cut a small bar to go at the back of the hob and sink worktop, this was to prevent fluids or anything else running off the back of the bench. Note any cut edges were sealed with varnish to ensure no water ingress. With the worktops laid on the carcasses and the templates on top I could measure where the sink and hob could go.

With these measurements the appliances could be laid on the bench and marked up ready for cutting. The outline of each appliance was marked on the worktop, ensuring that they were correctly lined up etc.

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With the external outline of the appliance drawn an internal outline of the appliance (i.e. the cut line) could be drawn.

NOTE: On the corners the inner line is truncated across, this is because Smev appliances use swivel plastic feet to keep the appliance in the worktop. This is covered more later on. The inner line was cut around using a hand held jigsaw. Most jigsaw blades cut when the blade moves up, i.e. the blades teeth are pointing up, this mean that if you cut the worktop from underneath you will get a nice clean cut. Do a test cut first if you are unsure. The sink was then laid in the hole.

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Here is the sink from the underneath, a nice fit.

Here is a close look at the swivel plastic feet Note My worktop was too thick so the feet could not swivel properly, this will have to be altered.

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I next cut out the holes for the brackets and bolts that join the two parts of the bench together.

I then cut out the hole for the hob, which resulted in a worktop as follows :

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This was then used to mark and cut out holes needed in the carcases.

Here is it all tried for size before anything was fixed.

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I then used my small 850 watt router to cut shallow cuts for the swivel feet on the appliances. These feet are spring loaded and are very good, they hold the appliance tightly in place.

Here they are working :

I did not fix the appliances yet, as its much easier to move the worktop around with out them fitted. I next joined the worktop together with PVA wood glue and worktop jointing bolts :

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Here is the join as it was setting (it was left overnight to dry) :

The hob and sink were fixed into the worktop, I used a small bead of black silicone around the edge to ensure a water tight seal.

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The thin plinth bar was fitted (screwed and bonded) along the back of the worktop behind the sink and hob and sealed in with black silicone. This finished worktop was then screwed and bonded to the kitchen wooden batons and the kitchen carcases.

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7.5 Sink and Hob connection

The water system in my van was to be two 10 litre plastic containers, with one being the clean water supply, pumped by a Whale submersible pump and the other one being the dirty waste water tank. The clean water pipework is 12.7mm in diameter (1/2) and the waste pipework is 19mm. Here is one of the containers and the Whale pump with the clean water pipe attached:

Note a Whale plastic non-return valve was inserted into the pipe, as near to the tap as possible. This is to ensure the pump does not have to run too much when being used. Whale recommend not to run the pump more than 15 seconds in one go. The non-return valve is a very tight fit and is held in the pipe by the retaining clip. This system would be a cold water system only, so the clean water pipe was connected to the cold input on the Smev tap and retained with a clip. Another piece of pipe with a sealed end was attached to the hot input on the tap. This is to prevent leakage when the system is used.

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The whale pump was wired to the electrics system and to the micro switch installed in the Smev tap. Here is the installation :

The fridge would be installed next to these containers. To stop them moving around I installed a couple of clip points and then used a bungee to retain them. See the fridge installation picture for the final installation.
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To connect the Smev hob to the gas you use 8mm copper pipe and compression fittings.

WARNING : Gas is dangerous. If you don't feel confident working with it then get a professional gas installer to do the work for you. All work you attempt is at your own risk !
The hob has a solid 8mm pipe to connect to :

The gas locker already has the compression fitting ready for connection. 8 mm copper pipe is soft and can be bent using your hands. However it often kinks and this will restrict gas flow. I would recommend a small pipe bender especially for 90 degree bends. The pipe is best secured every 10 to 15 cm. I used standard 'P' clips to do this, however to stop chafing or vibration, I cut small pieces of rubber pipe that were placed around the gas pipe for the 'P' clip to secure. I also installed a cut off value, here is the job in progress :

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Here is the completed pipe work :

Note On 8mm pipe it is very easy to over tighten the compression fittings, I nipped mine up slightly then tested the system, on one joint I had a small leak and a further fraction of a turn stopped this. I tested the gas system with the gas alarm turned on and my nose clear (you can smell butane very easily as it contains a smelly additive) I also had a container with a water and washing up liquid mixture in it. With the gas turned on at the cylinder I applied the liquid to each compression joint, if you see bubbles being generated then the joint is not sealed. I monitored the system for a couple of weeks by turning the gas off at nights, but back on (and the gas detector) when I was working on the van. After a couple of weeks when I knew the system was ok, I sealed the joints with Sikaflex 512 as an added security measure.
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7.6 Fridge Installation and finishing off

The installation of the fridge is not complex from a wiring point of view, once it is connected up to the 12v DC system it will run. However it did have to fit into a tight space so some precision in the cutting and fixing of its surround would be needed. I had purchased the standard fixing frame for the fridge, which bolts on to the sides and top of the fridge and then screwed to the cupboard door / frame. I therefore had to cut a blanking plate from the kitchen cupboard door, that would go along the top and right hand side of the fridge. This was attached to the carcass with brackets. The fridge was then pushed into position and then screwed to this panel.

Note I have also installed the left hand cupboard door, although it still has it protective plastic covering on it. The outstanding issues were how to latch the left hand cupboard door and how to access the water containers via a removable panel or door. Here are the water containers in place.

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I decided to latch the cupboard doors using caravan push to open, push to lock catches, after some careful measuring I fitted the first of these to the wall cupboard :

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I measured and ordered the bespoke stainless steel splash back for the partition wall. This was then bonded on to a 4mm ply board sheet and the partition wall. A small gap was left all around it so that the carpet could be tucked in behind the splash back. This was sealed to the worktop with silicone.

I next cut and fixed in a blanking plate next to the left hand cupboard door, this doors catch could lock against the back of the blanking plate.

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End plates were then cut and fixed on to the wall cabinet and the base units :

Note. I had bought in a sale a set of 12V DC LED decking lights, that I decided to add to the bottom of the wall unit as down lighters. Here are the base cabinet side panels fitted :

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Here is the completed Wall unit with additional down lighters fitted :

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A panel was cut to cover the water access area. It was held in place with push on catches and then secured using a caravan latch.

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Kick plates were cut and added to the bottom of the units. The kick plate under the fridge unit was made removable, as this space would be used to store the electric hook up cable.

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8. Seats, table and lower sleeping accommodation

The seating table and lower bed sleeping area was 177cm long (across the van) and 126cm wide. Before starting construction I drafted up some designs of how the seat boxes and bed would be constructed. I established that a comfortable seat would be approx 50cm high and 50cm deep and this formed the basis of the designs.

This box would be built from 34mm timber batons, constructed using brackets and PVA glue, the frame was designed to be stable and to transmit weight directly to the floor. Each box would have two hinged lids (using piano hinges) to allow access to the storage area underneath :

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The seat boxes would need to have cushions that could then be reused to make a flat bed, the original aim was to use industry standard 4 inch foam, as it happened I ended up with 5 inch foam, discussed later on, here is the cushions / bed design.

Frame front and sides were made separately and then bolted together (and glued) :

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The frame was tried for size before any more work :

The boxes were to be faced with 6mm ply board, which would be glued and screwed to the frame. This makes a really strong box.

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The PVA glue was left to dry overnight, although it was so cold on a couple of evenings I had to take the boxes in to the house to dry.

The lids were constructed and attached to the box using piano hinges, handle holes were cut into the lids with a jigsaw. NOTE I left a cm gap at the front of the box, this was for the bridge panels to rest upon,. The bridge panels would be used to bridge the gap between the two seat boxes thus making a flat bed surface.

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The corners of the box were cut off and sanded to prevent peoples legs catching on them.

The second box was made and tried for size, the bridge panels could then be cut. Four bridge panels would be made and then stored in the seat box. These would need to be two layers of 6mm ply board bonded and screwed together and then carpeted.

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To fit in with the van dcor each seat box was carpeted inside and outside.

The lids were sprayed black and anti slip matting was glued to the top.

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The boxes were then screwed and bonded to the floor of the van and carpeted inside. This is an expense and quite time consuming, however I felt the finished look was worth it.

The cables for the 12v supply and the 2 nd mains socket would have to be fixed / fitted into the R/H seat box.

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With the measurements for the foam, a local upholstery supply company quoted for 4inch foam. Their quote was 150, after placing the order they offered my 5 inch foam at no extra cost due a supply problem on 4 inch foam. A week later I picked up my cushions :

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The table leg support would next have to be installed in the floor, however I wanted to install this in conjunction with the flooring, after investigation I decided to use Vinyl self adhesive tiles from a DIY shop. These would be glued to the floor using contact adhesive (Evostick 528). To do this I would need a trim to fit at the back of the van. The old aluminium trip was cleaned up using a wire brush, cut and drilled so that it could be fixed to the floor and the tiles could then butt up against it.

This was fixed to the back end of the floor and the first few floor tile installed. A hole was then cut through the floor (with a jigsaw) for the table support. This was screwed and bonded with Sikaflex 512. Plenty of Sikaflex 512 was applied underneath the van to seal in the table support.

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Here is the progress to date :

The bed bridge panels had to be completed, these would be carpeted also :

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I was hoping to be able to buy a lightweight table from a supplier, however after searching I could not find one that fitted my size requirements and finish so unfortunately I had to make the table. I did have 1 metre of kitchen worktop left over so I decided to use that. The final size of the table was worked out by using a piece of hardboard as a template. This was then cut down until an appropriate and working size was determined. The size of the table ended up being 105cm long by 57.5cm wide, although I did have to cut off the corners to allow easier access to the seats. The kitchen worktop was then cut to this size using a circular saw. The worktop was too thick at 4cm so I routed the whole table surface down to a thickness of 19mm (that was fun ! And very messy).

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As I had used 5 inch foam instead of 4inch, I had to raise the table, I used an off cut of kitchen cupboard door :

This was screwed and bonded to the table, the table leg attachment was then fixed to it.

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I sourced some black table 'T' edging from an arcade game machine spares supplier. So using the small router a groove was cut all around the edge of the table

Into this the edging was glued :

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This was left to dry overnight :

Here is the completed table ;

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The best place to store that table was on one of the back doors. After removing a door trim I found a metal supporting strut that I could bolt through. A timber baton was bolted to this strut. Further batons were added to the top of it, with the final one having a groove cut in it for the table end to rest in. This was carpeted to blend in.

The door already had two small holes in the metal either side of the window. They were used as hook points for the restraining bungee cords.

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The remaining floor tiles were glued down, a time consuming exercise. They were then sealed around the edges using black silicone. This would mean they could be washed as required.

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9 Top bed construction

Working out how to design the top bed platform took a lot of time, what I needed to end up with was a 6ft long bed that was the width of the whole van, i.e. to rest on the aluminium angles I had already installed. This platform would have to take the weight of two full sized adults and subsequently be stored when not in use. After some careful thought, measuring and lots of chats with friends, it was decided the solution would be four 9mm ply board platforms with aluminium 'U' profiles fixed onto each side of the ply board for strength, these would be hinged and fold-able if possible. These would be bolted in place (through the aluminium angles) whilst travelling and then removed and used in the awning as a solid bed base when set up on a campsite. As the van sides taper in to the roof, the panels would have to be slid in to place along the aluminium angle, as the kitchen was underneath one side of the angle the maximum width the panels could be was 40cm. I ordered some 3mm thick aluminium profiles and purchased four 9mm ply board sheets, these were varnished, measured and cut

The profiles were then cut to the correct length and bonded onto the ply board. Once dry this panel was tested for strength by sliding it onto the aluminium angles in the van and me lying across it in the centre. It proved strong and very stable with only a little bit of flexing, some 4cm or so.

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A second platform was constructed in the same manner. I decided to connect these two platforms together (using 3 hinges) to give them more strength. Hinges were bonded to the aluminium using Sikaflex 512 and riveted using 4.8mm rivets:
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The platform would then be slid on to the runners with the hinges facing downwards.

Two more panels were made in the same way and then joined in the same way. Unfortunately the panels were too heavy to be able to join all four together. One other additional 20cm wide panel was made to bring the total platform length up to 1.8m i.e. 6ft long. They were tested in place with two adults, they flexed very little, although your hip rested at the point where the two platforms met (which were not connected) and so a 1cm gap could occur. I would have to design some removable joining method to make the whole bed, one solid platform.
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The panels were then painted black on top and carpeted underneath (to stop people banging their heads badly).

While working on these panels I was thinking and discussing with friends where I would store the top bed foam mattress (from Ikea). A friend of mine had a good idea, which was to put one panel on top of the other one and bolt them down whilst travelling. This meant the kitchen could still be used and if I added in a cargo net it could be used for storing the mattress (if cut down) and the bedding. I managed to buy an Audi A6 estate cargo net for a few pounds off Ebay, and some stainless steel fixing loops from screwfix :

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The panels and nets were bolted down as follows :

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Cargo net connectors are bathroom sink plug & chain bolts and rats tails.

Platform retaining bolts are normal M6 bolts with wing nuts.

To secure the two platforms together a metal bar and standard M6 bolts were used :

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Here is the completed top bed, laid out and stored, and I have to say its very comfortable and worth all the effort. We have used it for one night stop overs where we did not want to put up the awning, with all four of us sleeping in the van.

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10 Finishing touches
The van is 'nearly' complete, although there are always a few more jobs that seem to take ages to complete. if you have made it this far in the book well done we are nearly there ! A few jobs were left outstanding, Upholstery covering How to make the van private at night. Electrics in the seat box Side door edging and remaining flooring Additional fitting & remaining electrics How to pimp my van

10.1 Upholstery coverings

I considered covering my cushions, however having never used a sewing machine I did wonder if I was capable of doing them. I read up on how to do this and had a try with some spare Leatherette. I was hopeless, so I asked around locally to find a good upholsterer. My local garage (Millers) recommended to me a local chap called Phil. I met with Phil (contact details in the Supplier section) and he was just the man. He had been upholstering camper vans, classic cars and performance cars for 40 years, he agreed to take on my job, although he was very busy. We discussed the design (stitching and piping) that I required and we selected a nice blue leatherette to match the van's colour. A few weeks later on I received my completed seats and they looked great !

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Here they are with the bridge panels and then the lower bed set up. Note The piping and stitching is only on one side so when you turn them over you get a lovely smooth bed to lie on.

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10.2 Black out blinds / pads

Fortunately for me this problem proved relatively straight forward to solve. I had used Ikea black out blinds before and knew they were cheap and good. I measured up and when I was at Ikea buying the foam mattress for the top bed I also bought 4 blinds. These were dismantled and altered to suit the small drop required and then fixed to the underside of the aluminium angle using self tapping screws :

A blind was fixed to each back door also :

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Some Velcro strips were glued to the bottom of the blind and the top, the blind could then be pushed into the window recess to ensure full privacy.

This just left the other windows, i.e. the sliding door (not enough space to fit a blind on it) and the window that was split in two by the partition wall. I had an idea here, I could use the spare black out blind material (that I had cut off when altering the blinds) and the spare 6mm upholstery foam I had left over from the partition wall lining. Then by gluing them together create a window privacy pad that could be attached by Velcro to the window surround. I measured up and had a try, which worked well :

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These privacy pads, can be folder up and stored in the over cab locker.

I also purchased a set of internal silver screen blinds. These work really well at keeping the heat and light out of the van.

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10.3 Seat box electrics

The 12v auxiliary socket and the mains socket in the R/H seat box had to be completed. The 12v socket was mounted externally as it had a cover on it. I decided to mount the mains socket inside the seat box as it was near to the back door and I did not want to risk it being exposed to water, say if it was raining.

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10.4 Side door edging and remaining flooring

The remaining flooring and side step edging needed to be fitted. The existing aluminium edging was cut and drilled the same as the back door edge trim. The step was covered in vinyl tiles with the back of the step being carpeted.

The 2nd row of three seats were removed and the rest of the floor tiles glued down. Once it was all dry the seats were refitted and the battery box was secured.

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10.5 Additional fittings

The only electrics left to complete were the installation of two LED spot lights for use at bed time. One was for the lower bed and one for the upper bed.

Note I was still awaiting a dry and warm enough day to carpet the last door ! I also fitted a couple of spring loaded handles on to the end of the set boxes, these could the be attached to each other with bungees or ratchet straps. This created a good place to store our luggage whilst travelling and prevented it from slipping forward and hitting the kitchen.

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11 The completed van.

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Lets not forget why I started this project, our first trip out !

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12. Time and money

How long did it take and how much did it cost are the first two questions people who know me ask, when they see the finished camper van. When I started the conversion I had an idea (budget) of how much but I had no idea of how long it would take, I do now !

How Long
The total time taken doing actual conversion jobs took 299 hours. I know this as I kept a build diary (See Appendix 3). What I did not include in the build diary is the thinking, research and sourcing parts time. The time I spent working on the conversion splits up into these build categories : Preparation Insulation Carpeting & Lining Electrics Partition wall Seats and beds Other Kitchen 11 8.5 44 58 22 59.5 45.5 50.5 hours hours hours hours hours hours hours hours

As you can see I spent a long time carpeting the van. Now I don't think this is because I'm particularly slow at carpet lining, but more to do with the dcor choices I made. As you have seen I carpeted the seat boxes inside and out and I also carpeted (and used leatherette on) the partition wall. If I had decided to finish these with other materials this time would have been reduced. In your van design you may not have seat boxes or a partition wall. And in fact you may not buy a minibus as a base vehicle, they do have a lot of windows to carpet around ! The kitchen took a lot of time to complete, the bulk of the kitchen and appliances were installed in 25 hours, however I had to build a gas locker and I choose to make my own table, these took time to construct. Your van and project will be different so please have a look at the build diary to work out what tasks you will need to do and how long they will take. 299 hours is a large commitment to make, the number of hours I was able to achieve each month was : September October November December January February March April May 24.5 31 38 22 62.5 37 39 41 4

I worked on my van on the evenings and at the weekends, but I always made sure I had some time away from it also.
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How Much
The total cost for my camper van was 16,537.14. This was the van cost of 10k and the conversion cost including the luxuries was 6537.14. You're probably now thinking, that's a lot for a conversion. Lets look at the category break down : Glue and fixings Sikaflex Carpet Electrics, appliances + solar timber Other Kitchen (units, water & gas) Luxuries Tools Insulation Seats and beds 296.77 81.42 213.57 1,687.32 292.07 294.96 1,164.28 1,810.83 191.91 100.89 403.12

The biggest costs are the 'luxuries', these are things that I consider as optional on the conversion, ie Vehicle tracker, Awning, Tow bar, window tinting etc. With out these the conversion would have cost about 4700. This is more than I had originally budgeted (about 3k), however this did not include a Solar panel installation or contracting out the upholstery (approx 600), I had also totally underestimated the cost of seating / bedding foam. The approach I took on this conversion was to fit the best equipment as is fitted in a 40k+ professional camper vans. This does come at a cost, and so if you are on a budget read through the full expenditure diary in Appendix 4 and determine what items you can miss out and what items you can source cheaper. On the sourcing of items I tried where possible to buy direct from a wholesaler in the business that I needed the part for. What I mean is, take stainless steel splash backs as an example, in a DIY shop they are 3 or 4 times more expensive than going to an engineering company and getting them to custom cut a size of stainless steel. In Appendix 6 I list all the suppliers I used (and are happy to recommend to you) and what I bought from them so use this as a starting point for pricing of parts. Look out for great deals by searching on the internet. I managed to pick up full gas cylinders very cheaply this way.

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13. Legal paperwork, Insurance, MOT's and DVLA

13.1 Registration document V5C
Your vehicle when you buy it will be classified on the V5C as a commercial van or in my case a mini bus. This classification affects, the type of MOT inspection (and its cost) your vehicle will have to have, how much you will have to pay for insurance and probably the most important thing what speed you can drive at on the road. Commercial vans and mini buses have lower legal speeds limits on dual carriage ways than cars or 'Motor Caravans'. 'Motor Caravan' is the official DVLA classification (that appears on the V5C registration document) for a camper van. The DVLA allow vehicles to change classifications and indeed my vehicle is now reclassified as a 'Motor Caravan' on its V5C. To do this you have to demonstrate to them that the vehicle has been properly converted into a 'Motor Caravan'. The DVLA has a series of criteria that your vehicle must meet to qualify as a 'Motor Caravan', the following permanent fixtures must be present: 1. Sleeping Accommodation There must be a bed with a minimum length of 6ft or 180cms The bed must be an integral part of the vehicle living accommodation area The bed must be permanent or converted from seats (the bed can fold away during the day) The bed fixtures must be secured directly to the vehicle floor and/or side walls, unless it is over the drivers cab compartment. 2. Access There must be a horizontal sliding door or an outward opening rear or side door. 3. Seats and Tables There must be a seating area for diners to sit around The table can be fixed or detachable The table must mount directly to the vehicle floor or side walls The table mounting must be secured as a permanent feature, either bolted screwed or welded. The table itself can be detachable. Seats must be secured directly to the vehicle floor and/or side walls The seats must be secured as a permanent fixture, either bolted, riveted, screwed or welded Permanently secured seating must be available for use at a table 4. Water Container The vehicle must have an on-board or external (e,g, under the chassis) water container Note: Some insurers state a minimum amount.
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5. Storage The vehicle must have at least one cupboard, locker or wardrobe The cupboard must be an integral part of the living accommodation area The cupboard must be a permanent feature, either bolted, riveted, screwed or welded The cupboard must be secured directly to the vehicle floor and / or side walls 6. Cooking The vehicle must have cooking facilities powered by fixed gas, electric hob or microwave oven The cooking facilities must be secured directly to the vehicle floor or side wall The cooking facilities must be a permanent feature, either bolted, riveted, screwed or welded Gas and electric hobs must have a minimum or 2 cooking rings. Microwave ovens must have a power source (don't just fit one that can't be used) Gas cooking facilities with remote fuel supplies must have the gas supply pipe permanently secured to the vehicle structure Gas cooking facilities with remote fuel supplies should have the gas bottle, fuel reservoir secured to the vehicle structure 7. Windows The vehicle must have at least one side window When I had completed my conversion I wrote to the DVLA requesting that my vehicle V5C be amended to 'Motor Caravan'. I enclosed my existing V5C (send recorded delivery) and also numbered photographs to show / demonstrate each of the above points. Note also ensure that as many photos as possible contain your number plate. Three weeks later on I received my new V5C. If the DVLA are not satisfied with your conversion or if you are selected at random, then you may have to present your vehicle at the local VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) station. They will inspect your vehicle based on the above criteria. This is nothing to worry about, the DVLA are just trying to ensure that you have completed a permanent conversion that fits the criteria. It will make selling the vehicle on easier also. One point on minibuses that I did not know is that 9 17 seat minibuses have to be legally restricted to no faster than 60mph. My Ford transit had a computer software limiter installed, some garages were not sure if their minibuses were mechanically speed limited or speed limited by software. Apparently Ford have used both methods before, so do check if you buy a minibus. To get my minibus unrestricted (by Ford) I had to remove the required number of seats and ensure the holes had been filled in and that the seats could not be refitted. Ford charged me 100 or so to update the engine management software to remove this speed restriction. One possible consequence of having a speed limiter fitted is that people drive at the maximum limited speed, this can over time damage the synchromesh in the gearbox. My vehicle had had the gearbox reconditioned.
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13.2 MOT
My vehicle needed an MOT during my conversion ( on the 12/4/10). I took it to my local garage (Millers) who informed me that as it was classified as a 'Goods vehicles (over 3,000 kg up to 3,500 kg DGW) ' it would need a Class 7 MOT. ( See http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022514) A class 7 MOT is 58.60 as opposed to a class 4 MOT (for cars and Motor Caravans) which is 54.85. Therefore by getting my vehicle reclassified it is cheaper to MOT in the future. Consider where your MOT falls in your conversion work, you may be able to save your self some money.

13.3 Insurance
Insurance for commercial vehicles is more expensive than for Motor Caravans. Its therefore worth getting you vehicle conversion complete and reclassified as soon as you can. When you are converting your van into a camper van you can insure it on a 'Conversion' insurance policy. This type of policy gives you a set time (3 or 6 months) to complete your conversion to a specified level, much like the DVLA motor caravan criteria. This type of policy is provided by camper van and specialist insurers and it is typically cheaper than normal van insurance. This type of policy insures the equipment you are installing during your conversion so is very well worth having. I planned to have my vehicle on my drive uninsured for 3 months and then insured on a 3 month conversion policy until it was complete. However it did not work out like this. I quickly realised that to get some jobs completed i.e. Window, tinting and engine de-restricting, I would need to drive the vehicle. I got quotes from camper van insurers (list below) and took out insurance with Campton Insurance Brokers (270). A lot of camper van policies are restricted mileage policies, this is no good for me as I Intended using the van for commuting to work as well as holidays etc. The Campton conversion policy was for 3 month's, it commenced on 1 st November 2009. I would need to provide an 'Independent Engineers report' to Campton soon after the 1st March 2010. Campton provide the engineers report form and it is the same 'Motor Caravan' criteria as used by the DVLA. My conversion would have qualified but unfortunately due to a family tragedy my conversion project was delayed. I had to pay an additional 70 to insure my vehicle as a commercial van. On the 22 of March 2010 I provided Campton with the Engineers report and I was refunded 30 and my vehicle was insured as a camper van. When the vehicle was modified i.e. a Tracker was fitted, tow bar fitted and when it was reclassified to a 'Motor Caravan' I informed Campton. It will be interesting to see what the insurance premiums are going forward year by year. One other thing I came across was that a couple of the insurers would not insure a minibus on a conversion policy, as they had had instances where people had removed the seats then refitted them and used the vehicle as a commercial minibus.
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Camper Van Insurance Companies : Insurance company Campton Insurance Brokers (UK) ltd Adrian Flux Insurance Choice SafeGuard Insurance OnlineCampervanInsurance Frank Pickles Insurance The Caravan Club CaravanWise insurance Footman James Comfort Insurance Staveley Head Insurance Saga Sureterm direct Shield Total Insurance Autonet Insurance group Caravan Guard Crusader Insurance Leisure Website address www.campton.co.uk/ www.adrianflux.co.uk/ www.insurancechoice.co.uk/ www.safeguarduk.co.uk/ www.frankpickles.co.uk/ Telephone number 01883742 460 0800 369 8590 0845 55 77 676 0800 9775953 01943 850999

www.onlinecampervaninsurance.co.uk/ n/a www.caravanclub.co.uk/insurance-and- 0800 0284809 finance/ www.caravanwise.co.uk/motorquote/diy-camper-van.html 0800 3282084

www.footmanjames.co.uk/Other_servic 0843 357 1069 es.aspx www.comfort-insurance.co.uk/ www.staveleyhead.co.uk/motorhome/ 0800 0304206 0800 023 7208

www.saga.co.uk/insurance/motorhome- 0800 096 4553 insurance/ www.sureterm.com/camper-vaninsurance/ 0800 999 2030

www.shieldtotalinsurance.co.uk/motorh 0844 8474 474 ome-insurance www.autonetinsurance.co.uk/motorhome-insurance/?affn=SE05 www.caravanguard.co.uk/ Vehicle www.crusaderinsurance.co.uk/ www.insuremotorhome.com/ www.lifesure.co.uk/motorhomeinsurance.php 0800 021 7333 08452 77 70 70 n/a 0800 050 1170 01480 402 460

Insure Motor Home .com Life Sure Group

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Appendix 1 - The right stuff

I wanted to mention in this book somewhere what it personally takes to complete a conversion project like this. Sitting in the summer writing this book it is all to easy for me to forget how difficult it was to put on 4 layers of clothes, hat and gloves and head out in to the cold and dark to work. To make things a bit easier try and get good long blocks of time, some jobs are best completed in one go. Some jobs like carpeting is difficult to do under artificial light. So plan out what you intend to do. Take advantage of warm dry days to do the exterior jobs as you might find the next 6 weeks are cold and wet (as I did). Getting lights and heat in the van makes the evenings work easier, I often worked one day of the weekend, sometimes two. But beware that this sort of a project is a marathon and not a sprint so you do have to pace yourself. The physical aspects are one thing the mental aspects are another. A camper van conversion is a series of problems to overcome, thinking them through is important, if you don't want to make mistakes. Re working something can be very demoralising. I found a bit of moral support helped a lot, and this was often provided by my kids coming and chatting and 'helping' Dad on the 'family camper van'.

Try and be patient in your approach and if you find you are having a bad day (we all have them) then put the kettle on or down tools for the day. Many a problem was sorted out by sleeping on it ! Perseverance is important to, I don't like carpentry, so for me building the seat boxes and partition wall was no fun at all. I had to try really hard not to rush them but also to keep going until they were complete.

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Appendix 2 - The workshop & equipment

Appendix 2.1 - Workshop
Its a great help when working on the van if you have quick and easy access to your tools and work area. This can save a lot of time going back and forward to your van. This is assuming of course that you don't have a workshop you can drive your van into. I however don't have a workshop, but I do have a drive and a garage. The van was converted on the drive and I created space at the front of my garage for a work area and racking for tools, fixings and parts. This saved me time and allowed me to leave jobs half completed to be worked on the next day. I was driving my van often and so I did not leave my tools in there, this would also have been a security / insurance risk. In your workshop the most crucial equipment is the stove and kettle, this last winter was very cold and I often found a tea break was just what I needed to keep me going in the cold and dark !

The other important item in the workshop is a bench or work mate that you can use to hold / rest things on whilst working on them. Your workshop should be well lit and hopefully have power sockets that you can use to provide light and heat to your van and use for power tools etc. I used two sets of racking, one for my tools and one for the supplies I would need for the van, i.e. cable, carpet, glue etc. I also cleared an area where I could store timber, the van kitchen, van appliances etc. If possible a good solid workbench with a vice comes in very handy too. Some jobs make a lot of mess (saw dust or paint spray etc.) so if possible ensure you can cover the floor and items that you want to keep clean.
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Appendix 2.2 - Equipment and tools

So what equipment and tools are you going to need for your conversion project. Well probably the most important things are the items that will protect you and keep you warm. Ensure you have a good set of warm work clothing, hats, work gloves, coats etc. During a conversion you will spend a lot of time on your knees so invest in a good set of knee pads this will be the best 10 you ever spend !

Also ensure you have a pair of safety goggles and ear defenders for when you are working with power tools. So what equipment and tools do you need ? Here is what I used during my conversion :Power tools 18v battery drill and screwdriver 850watt inch router 2100watt inch router 720 watt Jigsaw 4 inch angle grinder 710watt 2mm electric planer 3 inch belt sander inch sheet sander 1400 watt circular saw (64mm cut depth) workshop vacuum 40 watt soldering iron and solder

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Pictures of a few of the power tools are here : inch router & kitchen router bits

Cordless drill and spare batteries

850 watt router and router bits

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Hand tools Socket sets ( inch and inch) Torque wrench Spanner set Micro pipe bender Pipe cutter Stanley knife and blades Carpet scissors Metal files, round, semi circular and flat Tape measure Pencils, pens, indelible markers Try square Metal ruler Spirit levels (small, medium and large) Clamps Chisel set Twister Riveter and rivets Staple gun Plumb line Hammer Wood saws Hacksaws (junior and 12) Pliers (combination and long nose) Wire strippers Wire cutters Crimping set Grips Allen key set Screwdriver set Drill and bit set Worktop cutting jig Crimping Set

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Drill bit set

Socket and spanner set

Other Items There are some consumables and fixings that you will need for your project, I used : White spirit Releasing oil Grease Degreaser Spray paint (automotive and anti rust) Glue (contact and PVA) Large selection of screws Bolts Brackets 'P' clips Sand paper Gaffer or 'Duck' tape Electricians tape Silicone sealant Sikaflex 512 caravan (lots !)

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Appendix 3 - Build diary

Note this diary does not contain the time for researching, finding suppliers and parts. Date
16/09/09 17/09/09 18/09/09 21/09/09 23/09/09 27/09/09 28/09/09 28/09/09 29/09/09 03/10/09 04/10/09 05/10/09 09/10/09 09/10/09 12/10/09 12/10/09 13/10/09 14/10/09 17/10/09 19/10/09 19/10/09 19/10/09 20/10/09 22/10/09 24/10/09 26/10/09 03/11/09 07/11/09 9/11 11/11 16/11/09 16/11/09 17/11/09

Hr Task / Job s
3 Remove 2 bolts on double seat & spare tyre, hadrail, spare seat 1.5 Remove 5 bolts and 1 double seat 1.5 Removed remaining seats 4 4 3 Measured up the empty van and mark up with tape Removing panels and start insulating Tracing existing roof lights cables and running new ones

Category
Preparation Preparation Preparation Preparation Insulation Electrics Electrics Other Electrics Electrics Electrics Preparation Seats & Beds Partition wall Insulation Electrics Electrics Electrics Electrics Partition wall Electrics Electrics Electrics Seats & Bed Seats & Bed Partition wall Partition wall Partition wall

3.5 Start building battery box base, feed main lights cable 0.5 Remove & refit lock on overhead cab locker after establishing manufacturer 3.5 Build battery box 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 5 2 1 1 0 0 3 3 Finished battery box & lid, connected two batteries together and charged them Complete battery supports and wire in Battery monitor shunt, test BM1 Spray paint the removed yellow hand rail to black Drilled out rivets along the sides of the van, for top bed supports Insulated behind top side panels Fixed 170amp negative / earth point to van floor Routed 170 positive cable from van battery to B2B battery charger unit Fitted Solar panel including partition wall top aluminium angle Fitted partition wall bottom aluminium angle Fitted 12v socket for awning light Building electrics mounting plate Fitting B2B on to plate and wiring in mega fuses Drilled 1 aluminium angle for bed support and degreased it + van side Bonded and riveted one aluminium angle bed support to van. Drilled prepared and bonded and riveted 2nd aluminium angle bed support Build square timber frame for partition wall, fitted 1 support for meters and distribution panel to fit to Cut and fitted two timber partition wall batons Partition wall stud work Van in at AMJ to get the windows tinited to 5% Van speed 60mph (Minibus law) restriction removed by FORD Carpeted 2/3 of one side of the van Wired in extra phone charger and two additional speakers for partition wall

0.5 Cut roof lining for partition wall 2.5 Ran cable for main lights switch and some spares into over head cab box

Carpeting Electrics

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18/11/09 2.5 Carpeting remain 1/3 of one side of the van (next to sliding door) Carpeting 19/11/09 20/11/09 21/11/09 21/11/09 23/11/09 24/11/09 25/11/09 26/11/09 27/11/09 29/11/09 30/11/09 06/12/09 12/12/09 12/12/09 13/12/09 19/12/09 19/12/09 20/12/09 02/01/10 03/01/10 03/01/10 03/01/10 03/01/10 06/01/10 07/01/10 07/01/10 11/01/10 11/01/10 18/01/10 19/01/10 22/01/10 23/01/10 23/01/10 25/01/10 27/01/10 3 3 4 4 4 2 1 1 2 1 4 2 1 7 3 3 2 2 2 2 Carpeting other side around windows Completing carpeting other side around windows Wiring in the mains supply to the electrics board Cut hole in van for the electric hook up socket and fitted it Carpet sliding door Cut partition wall panels (for the front) Finish making partition wall panel (for the front) Secure some cables around the electrics board Glue on the foam and leatherette to the partition wall front panel Build and glue 3 kitchen carcases Complete partition wall front panel and fix to partition wall Wire up electric hookup socket, secure cable under the van Carpet back posts near back doors Carpet first back door Cut partition wall panels for back of wall, including socket holes Wired supply for distribution panel, soldered distribution panel connections and wired up and tested fridge Routed more appliance cables through the partition wall to the distribution panel Wired in partition wall 12v and mains sockets Fitted kitchen baton frame (bench supports) Fitted partition wall panel (on back) and end panel Carpeting Carpeting Partition wall Electrics Electrics Carpeting Partition wall Partition wall Electrics Partition wall Kitchen Partition wall Electrics Carpeting Carpeting Partition wall Electrics Electrics Electrics Kitchen Partition wall Carpeting Insulation Kitchen Other Kitchen Kitchen Other Other Other Kitchen Kitchen Electrics Kitchen

2.5 Fixing batons on partition wall

0.5 Carpeted battery box 1.5 Insulated and lined over cab cupboard 2 4 1 Fitted feet on to kitchen cupboards Altered big blinds and started fitting Fitted kitchen wall cupboard

1.5 Fitted kitchen wall cupboard door (& catch) 2.5 Fitted big blinds 2.5 Made privacy blind pads 2 Made back of kitchen boards and fitted 5.5 Built gas locker, drilled and fitted floor vents, cut side out of last carcass for access. 7 1 4 9 Fitted 2 kitchen units, fitted gas locker Fitted gas alarm Cut 1 kitchen bench and fridge door frame
nd st

Kitchen Cut 2 kitchen bench, routed bench joint. Cut out holes for sink and hob in worktop. Routed worktop joint bolts holes, routed smev appliance fitting tabs, glued and bolted worktop together. Cut holes in the carcasses for sink and hob access (cleaned up a lot of sawdust)

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28/01/10 9 Fitted last carcass. Fitted sink and hob to the worktops. Cut back of worktop Kitchen bar and fitted it to worktop. Fitted water non return value, fitted pipes to water container lids. Fitted worktops to kitchen. Fitted gas pipe and tested it. 31/01/10 04/02/10 05/02/10 06/02/10 06/02/10 06/02/10 07/02/10 08/02/10 08/02/10 20/02/10 27/02/10 27/02/10 28/02/10 28/02/10 06/03/10 06/03/10 07/03/10 08/03/10 16/03/10 17/03/10 17/03/10 20/03/10 20/03/10 20/03/10 21/03/10 29/03/10 29/03/10 29/03/10 30/03/10 04/04/10 04/04/10 04/04/10 17/04/10 18/04/10 3.5 Fitted fridge, wired up water pump, fitted sink pipework and tested. Fitted restraining strap for water containers 2 4 2 1 3 3 1 5 9 3 1 2 1 3 1 3 4 2 4 1 3 4 2 3 6 1 1 1 7 3 4 Fitted kitchen splash back Carpeted partition wall (back side) Built first seat box frame Filled in existing bolt holes in the floor Cut and fitted 4 Kitchen end panels Cut and glued side panels on to first seat box Fitted kitchen door catches Cut timber for the 2 seat box frame, built 2 seat box
nd nd

Kitchen Kitchen Carpeting Seats & beds Other Kitchen Seats & beds Kitchen Seats & beds

Cut and fitted folding lids to seat boxes, cut off and sanded corners, trimmed Seats & beds so they were square in van, cut bed bridge panels Ran cables for spotlights Varnished seat boxes Carpeted outside of seat boxes Spray painted seat box lids Fitted seat boxes to van. Glued anti slip mat on to box lids, cut hole in floor for table leg support. Carpeted inside one seat box Fitted 6 floor tiles and table leg support. Altered and fitted back of van floor trim Fitted 12 floor tiles and cut kick plates for kitchen Cut table shape and rout the thickness down to 19mm (from 40mm) Build up table base and attach table leg holder. Wire in 4 LED 12 tubes to replace the fluorescent tubes Routed table edge and fitted plastic trim Fitted 6 floor tiles, fitted kick plate heater, altered sliding door step trim Completed sliding door step, tiles, trim, carpeting Laid 4 floor tiles, put cloth backing on the table, fitted kick plate removable door Build table storage holder on back door Wired up last mains socket and 12v aux supply in seat box Carpeted last seat box inside. Completed carpeting 2 seat box inside
nd nd

Electrics Seats & beds Carpeting Seats & beds Seats & beds Carpeting Other Other Seats & beds Seats & beds Electrics Seats & beds Other Other Other Other Electrics Carpeting Carpeting Other Carpeting Electrics Electrics Seats & beds

1.5 Remove 2 row of seats Carpet last back door Run temperature sensor cable to vehicle alternator from B2B Construct 2 top bed panels 1.5 Ran cable from B2B unit for temperature sensor on leisure batteries

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24/04/10 1.5 Box around electrics Other 24/04/10 25/04/10 25/04/10 26/04/10 31/4/10 08/05/10 6.5 Construct last 2 top bed panels and connect 1st two panels together with hinges 4 4 4 4 4 Lay remaining floor tiles Hinge last two top bed panels together Carpet top bed panels Paint top bed panels Drill holes for securing to bed panels. Fit brackets and cargo net. Cut mattress Seats & beds Other Seats & beds Carpeting Other Seats & beds

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Appendix 4 - Expenditure diary

Date
May-09 Jun-09 Jun-09

Item
Hookup plugs, for converter leads Gas Leak Detector (mains / 12v) Multi band radio (3vdc or battery) Lidl Lidl B&Q

Supplier
At Newbury show

Cost Category
10.00 7.00 6.00 20.00 10k 49.88 9.50 55.28 22.68 4.49 5.99 36.39 20.57 72.24 Electrics Electrics Electrics Electrics Vehicle Glue & fixings Electrics Electrics Other Tools Other Electrics Other Timber

07/09/09 10 LED light kit 14/09/09 Ford Transit 15 seat minibus 2006 15/09/09 Sterling B2B charger 15/09/09 glue, screws, tape, ties, gloves etc. 15/09/09 Battery connectors (battery posts), fuel can 15/09/09 8.75amp cable and Battery starter cable 16/09/09 Transit Haynes Manual 16/09/09 Staple gun 16/09/09 Wayoyl under seal 18/09/09 100amp fuses and holders (3) and 25mm M8 battery cable terminals 21/09/09 Touch up paint and under seal spray

M4 Van Centre JGTech Screwfix Motorist Discount Centres (Newbury) Chandlery World Ltd Haynes Lidl Halfords ADR Components UK Automotive paint supplies

205.00 Electrics

21/09/09 4 * 6mm ply board sheets, 1 9mm sheet, 4 * B&Q 34mm batons (4) and 25mm" baton 21/09/09 Waeco CR50 fridge / freezer 22/09/09 Sikaflex 512 (*3) 25/09/09 Spray on glue and screw driver 25/09/09 Space blanket insulation (8 rolls) 26/09/09 Solar panel + controller + fixing kit 26/09/09 Mains hook up RCD and inlet 26/09/09 Lining Carpet / sink /hob and water pump 26/09/09 Lining Carpet 29/09/09 4 2 ton ratchet straps 29/09/09 Batteries and ctek charger + switch & connectors' 30/09/09 Waterproof cable entry cover 01/10/09 Kitchen cupboards and bench 05/10/09 170amp positive cable and blade fuse boxes 11/10/09 Riveter tool and rivets 09/10/09 washers+ mains sockets + boxes 09/10/09 Timber spars 07/10/09 bolts and brackets MPS Trading ltd Marinestore Screwfix B&Q Sunshine Solar Van-ellis outdoors Rainbow Conversions limited Rainbow Conversions ltd the ratchet shop Motorist Discount Centres (Newbury) Ebay Ikea Chandlery World Ltd Screwfix wickes B&Q Screwfix

443.66 Electrics 27.92 30.14 92.00 55.73 32.97 25.28 Sikaflex Glue & fixings Insulation Electrics Carpet Other

322.65 Electrics 340.94 Kitchen

258.20 Electrics 13.99 22.60 24.75 12.13 7.44 18.60 Electrics Electrics Tools Electrics Timber Glue &

300.00 Kitchen

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ fixings 09/10/09 16mm drill bit hss 16/10/09 5m 3mmx38x38 aluminium angle 13/10/09 Rivets multi size pack 13/10/09 Battery cable (8,75 amp) and ties. 35A fuses 14/10/09 6way 12v fused/switch distribution panel 21/10/09 paint and battery connectors 29/10/09 M6 washers 02/11/09 27amp cable and connectors 09/11/09 8 windows tinted, 5% tint Unit 42 (Bracknell) Unit 42 (Bracknell) Screwfix Chandlery World Ltd maine scene Motorist Discount Centres (Newbury) Wickes Chandlery World Ltd AJM Auto Services 19.09 36.00 12.37 31.80 24.98 5.55 3.50 10.10 9.98 21.03 9.97 33.00 91.94 2.56 13.39 12.28 34.38 36.97 20.70 59.98 38.89 6.48 6.20 10.50 31.81 14.99 6.12 25.63 47.99 5.99 Tools Seats & beds Tools Electrics Electrics Other Other Electrics Kitchen Kitchen Luxuries Kitchen Other Tools Glue & Fixings Glue & Fixings Timber Electrics Other Carpet Kitchen Glue & fixings Tools Kitchen Glue & fixings Luxuries Tools Kitchen Luxuries Luxuries

300.00 Luxuries

10/11/09 Calor 4.5kg and Camping gaz 907 cylinders Endeavour chandlery (both full)' 12/11/09 LPG regulator, 907 convertor, hose and clips' 12/11/09 Steering wheel cover and screws' 13/11/09 8mm Gas pipe and fittings 16/11/09 Speed restriction removal 17/11/09 Carpet scissors 19/11/09 Contact adhesive 23/11/09 Contact adhesive & copper lugs 23/11/09 34mm timber & 6mm ply + white spirit' 27/11/09 8.75amp Cable 27/11/09 Table leg and ends 27/11/09 Leather, foam and glue' 05/12/09 Water containers, pipe bender, contact adhesive' 11/12/09 Push fasteners 11/12/09 30mm router bush 11/12/09 titan screwdriver refund 11/12/09 m8 bars / feet for cupboards 15/12/09 contact glue (*10 @ 2.78)' 15/12/09 Book of camper van aires in France 17/12/09 Stanley knife blades and window cleaner 21/12/09 3cm splashback (wrong size ordered !) 21/12/09 2kw plinth heater 21/12/09 Rac 12v vacuum' B.E.S. Halfords hamiltons gas products ltd Gowrings Ford Newbury Screwfix 'Screwfix' Screwfix B&Q Chandlery World Ltd Chandlery World Ltd The Automobile Trimmings company Toolmix Screwfix designtech solutions ltd Screwfix banbury plastic fittings ltd toolmix vicarious books screwfix alco Ebay Ebay

-19.97 Tools

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19/12/09 100 - M8 T Tee Nuts Self Colour' Ebay 11.00 Kitchen 03/01/10 junction box & strip wood (wall edging)' 03/01/10 Silver foil insulation (above cab) 04/01/10 Wall cupboard for kitchen' 04/01/10 Blackout blinds for van windows' 04/01/10 M10 tee nuts (banbury plastic sent wrong size feet)' 06/01/10 Non return water valve' 06/01/10 Van lining carpet and door catches 07/01/10 Sikaflex 512 (*3) 19/01/10 Khyam Ridgi Motordome tourer awning 19/01/10 Khyam Pole and clamp kit' 28/01/10 30cm Stainless Steel Splashback 26/01/10 Screws and Kitchen Router bits 26/10/10 Erbauer 1/2 Router 2100w 31/01/10 LPG regulator, 907 90 degree converter, and spanner, LPG stickers' 01/02/10 Brackets 01/02/10 Timber spars 34mm 05/02/10 Corner brackets for seating, battery tester 08/02/10 Timber for seat / bed box + hinges' 01/03/10 Foam for seats 02/03/10 Floor tiles, varnish, spray paint 01/03/10 Screws 01/03/10 Spray paint' 08/03/10 Vinyl floor tiles 08/03/10 Contact glue (*9 @ 4.73)' 16/03/10 LED spot lights 16/03/10 Carpet 17/03/10 Spray contact glue (*9) 16/03/10 LED t5 1ft tubes (x5) 29/03/10 Black silicone 21/03/10 Blind chain connectors 22/03/10 Sikaflex (*3 @7.84) 07/04/10 Aluminium U''s for top bed (*8 lengths)' 10/04/10 12mm Ply sheet, spray paint and evo-grip 21/04/10 3* 12mm ply sheets + hacksaw blade 10/05/10 glue bolts and fixings B&Q screwfix Ikea Ikea Fix8 the caravan accessory shop Rainbow Conversions limited 12 Volt Somerset camping Khyam ltd Alco engineering Screwfix Screwfix caravan accessory shop Screwfix B&Q Screwfix B&Q Roberts upholstery, Thatcham, 01635869176 B&Q Screwfix B&Q B&Q Toolmix Ledbulbs4u Rainbow Conversions limited Toolmix The Light Projection Company The facia place ltd (Nebwury) Fix my blinds the12volt shop Aluminium Wharehouse B&Q B&Q Screwfix 7.06 8.89 72.00 68.94 15.00 9.32 53.73 24.98 32.50 43.57 33.63 89.90 14.48 3.78 10.05 12.77 79.28 Tiimber Insulation Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Kitchen Carpet Sikaflex Luxuries Kitchen Tools Tools Kitchen Other Timber Tools Timber

294.99 Luxuries

150.00 Kitchen 26.92 3.49 12.00 41.86 46.54 38.97 66.89 46.54 61.88 2.35 2.85 28.52 48.12 27.00 54.62 19.61 Other Other Other Other Glue & fixings Electrics Carpet Glue & fixings Electrics Other Other Sikaflex Seats & beds Timber Timber Glue &

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fixings 10/05/10 Leatherette upholstery 05/05/10 Top bed foam mattress 05/05/10 Smoke alarm 20/05/10 Porta potti (Campingaz toliet) (+chemicals and bio loo roll)' 20/05/10 High temp glue (two spray tins), folding bbq 30/05/10 6000 btu mains air conditioner 01/06/10 Vehicle tracker', 01/06/10 Tow bar and bike carrier Phil Silk (Newbury) ikea Ikea outdoor world direct The Upholstery Shop Robert Dyas AMJ AMJ 250.00 Seats & Beds 69.00 9.99 64.41 41.50 99.99 Seats & Beds Electrics Luxuries Glue & fixings Luxuries

600.00 Luxuries 320.00 Luxuries

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Appendix 5 - World Wide Web

Here is a list of websites I found useful, the next section lists the companies and websites that I actually used.
www.sterling-power.com/products-battbatt-info.htm www.camper-van-conversion.co.uk www.mycampervanconversion.com www.mycampervanconversion.co.uk www.sbmcc.co.uk www.camperinterior.webfotos.co.uk/html/camper_interi or_-_carthago.html www.campervanlife.com/self-builds/darrens-mercedessprinter www.maunmotors.co.uk www.121-vans.co.uk www.anchorvans.co.uk www.tomgallaghervancentre.co.uk www.thevanshop.com www.fordtransit.org www.ericboyce.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk www.olearymotorhomes.co.uk http://campervanaccessories.co.uk www.wentworthmc.co.uk/index.htm www.kustominteriors.co.uk/Shop.html www.thecampershak.co.uk www.campershop.co.uk www.wisebuyers.co.uk/motoring/van-prices/ www.youngconversions.com/banner_1.html www.berniehibiscus.co.uk/links.htm www.vwt4forum.co.uk/ www.reimo.com/de/startseite/startseite.html www.scopema.com/anglais/accueil.htm www.swcampers.co.uk www.calypsocampers.co.uk/salisbury.htm www.waveridervans.co.uk www.c-m-c.org.uk http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Campers-and-Caravans-Partsonline www.thevanwebsite.co.uk/vans-for-sale.asp www.fordtransitdirect.co.uk/usedsales Battery-to-Battery Charger Information About this book Other great camper van conversions See my van in colour Self Build Motor Caravanners Club A gallery of Volkswagen camper van interior photos. An example DIY conversion Maun Motors Commercial Vehicle Sales (inc vans) Vans - New and used vans for sale. Used Vans - Anchor Vans The Tom Gallagher Van Centre The Van Shop GB. Ford Transit Forum Volkswagen T4 Panel Van into a Campervan Motorhome Self Build, Parts, Spares and Accessories Out door leisure shop Commercial converter Camper Interiors Shop The Camper Shak - Hand Crafted VW Camper Interiors Drive Away Tent Awning Parts and Accessories Guides - Van prices Commercial Camper van converter VW camper curtains & furnishings VWT4 Forum Reimo Conversion part supplier Scopema, motorhome seats, South West Camper Conversions Calypso Campers UK - Salisbury UK Campervans Commercial convertor CMC - Cheshire Motor Caravans Home eBay UK Shop - Campers and Caravans Parts online

www.vwbooks.co.uk/new_camper/auxillary_battery.htm DIY conversion

Vans For Sale Used vans for sale with Jennings

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ www.cars2bid4.com/ Car Auctions - Southampton Motor Auction http://www.efoam.co.uk/products.html www.freewebs.com/12voltsdc/zigmanuals.htm www.campervanlife.com www.autogas.co.uk/motorhometanks.htm eFoam, all sorts of foam: foam cut to size Zig manuals Campervan Life Motor Home Tanks :: Autogas 2000

https://secure.calor.co.uk/ordercalorcylinders/default.as Calor Gas Shop - Calor Butane Cylinders p www.campingaz.com/ www.hafele.com/uk/products/79.asp www.hodgsonsealants.com www.uk-motorcaravans.co.uk/index.php www.leisureplus.co.uk/ www.whalepumps.com/ www.silverscreens.co.uk/index.html www.leisurespares.co.uk/index.php www.waeco.co.uk/ www.zig-electronics.co.uk/index1.htm www.batteryuniversity.com/index.htm www.heatbusters.com/cooling/product-types/portableac www.toolstation.com www.rawcomponents.co.uk/ www.yachtbits.com www.marinescene.co.uk http://www.busyoutdoors.com/shop/ www.autocraft-motorcaravans.com www.cobbq.com www.ukcampsite.co.uk www.motorcaravanning.co.uk www.smev.com/products.html www.sloughvans.co.uk www.sykesvansales.com/sitemap.htm www.vanmonster.com www.auctioneers.co.uk Www.marinestore.co.uk www.iem-services.co.uk www.eurocarparts.co.uk/ecp/p/Car-Parts www.wrp-poole.co.uk/products.php?cat=111 www.waudbys.co.uk/products/details/18431.html www.electricfence-online.co.uk/shopscr578.html tools Raw Components Ltd - Auto electrical Supplies Marine Chandler Discount Marine Chandler Outdoor shop Autocraft Motor Caravans Ltd. Home of the Cobb Premier Portable Grill Camp-site review website Caravan accessories supplier SMEV website Vans at Slough Vans Sykes Van Sales Stock Located in Oxfordshire Van Monster Merthyr Motor Auctions Marinestore Chandlers Marine & Auto electrical suppliers Car Parts Retailer Straps Waudbys Caravan and Camping Accessories Elecsol 10amp Battery Charger Campingaz Furniture fittings from Hafele UK Ltd Sealants for construction and industry Van Conversions and Mobile Home Conversions from Leisuredrive FG Ltd Leisure Plus - Wholesale Caravan Accessories Whale Pumps Silver Screens for van windows Leisure Spares Ltd WAECO mobile solutions Zig Electronics Ltd Battery University

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ www.ellishorseboxes.co.uk/mains-installation-kit-22Mains Installation Kit - Van-Ellis Outdoors p.asp www.duncanyacht.co.uk www.rubbermattinguk.co.uk www.atconsulting.co.uk/caravan_tech/gas_matters.html www.gasure.co.uk http://www.noisekiller.co.uk Duncan - Yacht Chandlers Rubber Matting Gas safety Commercial convertor Noise Killer - Soundproofing products and solutions

www.sdproducts.co.uk/collar_on_square_base_plate_bl Welcome to SD Products, clips & fastners ind.html www.justplasticsuk.co.uk/asp/measuring.asp www.dcgpanels.co.uk www.goodingalum.com/aluminium-profiles www.mcmmetals.com/products.asp www.capalex.co.uk/standards/H_sections.html www.mpdhookandloop.com/index.asp www.thecampershak.co.uk/category.php www.cbscc.co.uk/index.html www.regalfurnishings.co.uk www.motorcaravanning.com/vehicles/electrics.htm www.visionleisureupholstery.co.uk www.stock-plastic-profiles.com/products/flexibleedgings.html www.npautoparts.co.uk www.kimptonflooring.co.uk www.abbey-carpets.co.uk/product.php/533/karndeanhigh-temperature-adhesive www.thegluepeople.co.uk/index.php Decorative hygienic cladding and plastic wall panels. DCG Panel products Gooding Aluminium - Suppliers of Aluminium Profiles Supplier of Extruded Products | Aluminium | Profiles | Standard Profile Aluminium Extrusions VELCRO Products UK Camper van interiors Caravan & boat upholstery Caravan Upholstery | Motor home Upholstery Motor home Electrics Vision Leisure Upholstery : Flexible pvc edgings from stock to knock in, cap over or stick on auto parts Accessories and Adhesives Karndean High Temperature Adhesive : Abbey Carpets Contact Adhesives : The Glue People

www.caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/books/motorho Motor home Electrics me_electrics_caravans_too.htm www.megavanmats.com www.practicalmotorhome.com http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/ Mot/DG_4022514 http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/ http://www.towsure.com/ http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/?sc_lang=en Mega Van Mats Motor home magazine. MOT Test fees

Caravan Club UK Camping & caravan retailer DVLA

http://www.dft.gov.uk/VOSA/SCRIPTS/texis.exe/webina VOSA, motor home search tor/search/?query=motor+caravans&pr=DFT&x=0&y=0

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Appendix 6 - Suppliers
The list below is of all the suppliers I used on this conversion. They all provided a good service and good quality products and I would use them all again if required.
Company Name Lidl Zygology B&Q M4 Van Centre JG Technologies Ltd Screwfix Motorist discount Newbury Chandlery World Haynes Halfords The Tool Box Shop Automotive Paint supplies MPS Waeco Marinestore Sunshine Solar Van Ellis Outdoors Rainbow Conversions The Ratchet Shop Ikea Marine Scene Wickes ltd Chandlery World AMJ Autoservices BES ltd Hamiltons gas products Automobile Trim Toolmix Design Tech Solutions Banbury Plastic Fittings Vicarious books Alco Engineering Fix8 The 12 Volt shop Somerset Camping Website / contact details www.lidl.co.uk www.zygology.com www.diy.com/diy www.m4vancentre.co.uk www.jgtech.com www.screwfix.com Tel 0163542015 www.chandleryworld.co.uk www.haynes.co.uk www.halfords.com www.thetoolboxshop.com www.mps-waeco.co.uk www.marinestore.co.uk www.sunshinesolar.co.uk www.ellishorseboxes.co.uk www.rainbowconversions.co.uk/ www.theratchetshop.co.uk www.ikea.co.uk www.marinescene.co.uk www.wickes.co.uk www.chandleryworld.co.uk www.amjautoservices.co.uk/ www.bes.ltd.uk www.gasproducts.co.uk www.automobiletrim.com www.toolmix.com www.designtechsolutions.co.uk www.bpfittings.co.uk www.vicarious-shop.com www.alcoeng.co.uk www.fix8.co.uk www.the12voltshop.co.uk www.somersetcamping.co.uk/ What did I buy from them Supermarket, cheap general hardware Automotive lock and catches Timber etc The Van B2B Charger Fixings etc Batteries and CTEK charger Cable Technical manuals A few screws Mega fuses and battery connectors Waeco Fridge / freezer Sikaflex 512 Solar panel and regulator Mains RCD box Lining carpet etc 2 ton restraining straps Kitchen, mattress and blinds 12v distribution panel Electric socket plates Cable and electrical bits Tinting, tow-bar and tracker Plumbing & gas bits 8mm pipe Leatherette & upholstery foam Water containers and tools Router bits Kitchen cupboard feet Book Stainless Steel Splashback Nuts etc Sikaflex 512 Khyam Awning

www.automotivepaintsupplies.co.uk Touch up paint and underseal

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Khyam ltd www.khyam.co.uk/ Khyam Awning pole set Campercare products Light Projection company Fix my blinds Aluminium Wharehouse Outdoor world direct Upholstery shop Gremlin Solutions Cak Tanks Ltd Phil Silk www.ledbulbs4u.co.uk www.tlpc-ltd.co.uk www.fixmyblinds.co.uk www.aluminiumwharehouse.com www.outdoorworlddirect.co.uk www.upholsteryshop.co.uk www.gremlinsolutions.co.uk www.caktanks.co.uk Specialist Vehicle Upholster LED spotlights LED tubes Blind pull jointers Aluminium profiles Portapotti Glue T edging for table Silver screen for van windows Tel 01635 30094

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Appendix 7 Leisure electrics schema

Note. To receive a free electronic copy of this diagram or to purchase an A3 laminated copy please visit www.campervanconversion.com.

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Appendix 8 - How did we get here ?

Hi I hope you enjoyed reading my book and if your eyes are not too tired read on and I'll tell you a bit about myself and how I came to build my own camper van. Professionally I'm not an author (I hope it does not show too much), I've spent the last 24 years working in information technology (IT) in various industries : manufacturing, distribution, airline, insurance, retail and banking. All this time working in offices did not give me the 'hands on' skills needed for a camper van conversion, it did however give me the skills to plan, prepare, document and solve problems. The 'hands on' skills I have are from the numerous DIY, building and house renovation projects I have undertaken over the years.. The camper van conversion project all started with my wife saying 'I'd like a camper van'. I don't recall if this was after a cold night camping or just a normal day out, but it started a long chain of events. This acorn of an idea grew and grew, coincidently around this time I caught up with an old friend of mine who had converted a van many (14) years ago. We got talking about it and he was planning to get a new camper van as his conversion quite old now. So we both started looking at camper vans and swapping information. We pretty quickly came to the conclusion that buying a camper van was impractical for us as they were quite expensive and more importantly they did not provide what we needed. So there it was, if I wanted a camper van the only other option was to build it ! The next 12 months was spent looking into the costs, layouts, vehicles, electrics, gas and designing and costing my camper van. Interestingly the only information I could not really find out was : how long it would take, how much it would cost and a good leisure electrics diagram. This was the main reason why I wrote this book. Once I had a workable design and rough costs, we as a family all sat down and discussed whether we should undertake a camper van conversion project. We could all easily picture ourselves using it and having great holidays and days out. What was harder to picture was the impact and extra work all of us would have to do, with me being in the garage weekend after weekend. We all agreed we wanted to do it and the project commenced. As you have now hopefully read, this book tells how the project progressed until completion some 7 months later on. Having used the van many times now for holidays and days out, all that hard work, in the freezing cold and dark is all but forgotten. It has most definitely been worth it, we all love our camper van or 'Big Blue' as its sometimes called. I hope this book has shown you that nearly anyone can convert a van into a camper van and I hope it's inspired you a bit to take on your own project. Regards, Colin. PS Seeing other peoples conversions can help a lot, have a look at www.mycampervanconversion.com
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