Lots of people have asked me about my conversion and how long it took, so while writing this again I remember all the things I did and wish I had done when not it a hurry to fit Bronwyn out...you may remember in my earlier description of things to watch out for while buying, I mentioned the holes in the floor... Bronwyn was a blank canvas, a shell but such beautiful potential... I started off firstly worrying about privacy so off I went to the hard ware store and bought two pieces of 1"x2" Baton about 5metres each..with this I also bought a box of 1.5" self tapping screws ( they screw into metal and make their own thread).and curtain rail.
Now at this point it would be good if you have not bought one already ... To buy or borrow a good battery drill that can save you time, and a small screw driver head set with sockets.. About 5mm up to 10cm would do nicely, cross head and flat head screw driver bits to...
We van drivers are a resourceful lot and the main thing I like to do when walking round the isles of a hardware store is to look at products and think about the other alternative uses that I could apply things to... It's like looking at building products and thinking, "if I had some left over would I dump it or could I use it somewhere else in the van"?, eg that bubble silver foil that the builder uses to insulate the hot water tank and put at the back of radiators... Would come in handy to put across the window screen at night for insulation and privacy... You get the meaning... Ok so you have your curtains up... Or in my case duvet covers because they were cheap in a second hand shop.
Mastic filler, foam filler, liquid metal filler and that small sheet of metal mesh( halfords) comes in for filling holes to...
rain like a river runs its course and with my van it started on the gutter between the van and the high roof and ended up by my feet in the drivers side foot well..rust erosion and water pools. Nothing more off putting than to lift the carpet and see a small rust patch that when pressed disappears through the floor and onto the road below !! Clean it and metal mesh it then mix your liquid metal and spread over affected area.. Just the same as foam insulation will fill gaps quite nicely where you can't get your fingers... Nothing like a lovely rainy day, your sitting there listening to the peace and quiet at your park up and suddenly hear a drip drip drip and wonder where the hell that is coming from, or driving down the road and realise the reason your leg feels cold and dead is because the last owner drilled a bloody big hole through the engine bulkhead to wire the stereo to the battery !!
Fillers come in all sorts of strengths these days from foam, when it sets you can cut, trim, sand and paint them, to fibreglass and metal fillers that you can hit with a hammer with little damage... When my power steering pipe went the AA mechanic came and rolled a small piece of liquid metal around the pipe to seal it while we got the van off the road ... So you have your stripped out van ... You have an idea and a drawing.
...measurements... You did get a tape measure ?, planning is everything and even before you part with your hard earned money, you had a vision as to your future comfort and house on wheels driving merrily down the road, lighting that log burner ( that you didn't tell the insurance about ) or any other modification that may not get you insured... You are using a friends address for mail, passport,licence, INSURANCE .....
Right... From the inside... You stripped out the seats and sealed the holes in the floor, keeping the seats you wanted as dining area seats with seat belts and the rest you sold on EBay... Gumtree .... Ect...
Now hear is a thought.... Think of a sandwich ... That's what your insulation is going to look like when you start ... Builders use a two way paper under roof tiles which is breathable instead of the old roofing felt with bitumen on it... Lighter and breathable it very easily adheres to the metal skin of the inside of the van once you have removed that bloody awful grey plastic flammable trim coach builders used.
Paper well and then line with that foil bubble roll that the builders use for insulation round hot water tanks and behind radiators.. Yes I repeated myself so you and I don't forget it !.
Any places that look like you can't get to them ... Expanding foam... Especially driver side cavity above exhaust pipe... Have a look underneath where the exhaust pipe is and you will see some long round holes that let fresh cold air strait into the van !! Use a can of fire foam as it is near the exhaust. More sealant foam can be used before cutting your ply board to fit your van or that nice tongue and groove timber to give the inside that lovely wood effect...tech screw into any metal... At this point again go into the plumbing section of the builders DIY store and get two lengths of high temperature water pipe ( the stuff they use now instead of copper) this I thought was particularly clever of me... Have a look at the ribs of the high roof in your newly acquired van... There is enough room between the rib and outer shell to push very snugly a long piece of this pipe.... For transferring cables from front of van to back instead of the metal cavity used by LDV... It's high temperature gives the wires protection where log burners are fitted !! and with a longer piece of copper wire inserted so that you can pull your cables through that you duck taped to the wire it makes quick work of passing cables safely to the back of the van.
Planing for speaker ports and outlets, power sockets,lights and solar panel wiring.
Beware of cheap fire board !!
It's all well and good planning that lovely log burner with its beautiful glass door and handle that you ordered from Snail stoves in Glastonbury...yes phone Graham now to arrange a visit ... I had mine designed and fitted within weeks !! See pictures... But the surrounding board is critical to A insulate against heat and B adhesion for tiling... Some builder merchants will sell you a type of fibre board that will cover the inside of your van with a fine dust in no time and it's only in years to come when you are on an oxygen bottle due to pulmonary obstruction or worse you realise that it was the cheap board you used in your van that was killing you and your loved one for years... Think ahead... Use proper fire board that has been designed for the job and can be tiled !!
Front seats ...as you will undoubtedly be sitting in them, driving in them and viewing the vista while having a coffee in them ... You can get those lovely captain seats out of a ford galaxy that swivel to !! Worth investment and thinking about ...
Flooring,
That foil bubble wrap gets everywhere doesn't it ??
Including under the flooring you will be laying and fixing to the cold metal floor of your nice warm van... There is nothing more annoying than thinking you have covered every aspect of insulation only to go to bed and feel that dreaded draft blowing under your duvet ( I don't mean gas) and around your nether regions... Plan ahead insulate throughly first !
Most of the floor pan ... That huge tray that sits on the sub frame of the floor of your van is quite strong enough to tech screw through but beware of fuel pipes ect and make sure that while driving you haven't opened up a hole where exhaust gasses can leak through...
Plan where lights, sockets,speakers, wiring, gas bottle pipes, shower water pipes, and all other services are going first before flooring and timbering to the inside and make sure that they are serviceable to ...
Paints and varnishes !!
Under coats and paints ... Please use thoughtfully...there are some pound shops that do sell undercoats BUT they are not water based they are solvent based... Taking hours to dry and holding you up applying that lovely shade of purple you always envisaged your van in with unicorn sparkly clear paint to !! What ever you can do in a house you can do in a van !
Hope that you have enjoyed this offering and have many happy hours in your new van..
