# Big red Sprinter van.



## Risky (Feb 7, 2014)

This is our van. Looking forward to getting away soon for a few trips. At some point in the future we will probably be on the road longterm and out the bricks and mortar.
*SORRY ALL…seems that this link to my photo bucket account has been auto edited and it is cutting out the word P I K E Y….which apparently is not allowed!!   So, until I can change the address/link/name on my account….it's all gone a bit pear shaped:idea:
I can assure you we're not TOO Risky…and it's all just a terrible mistake ha ha ha!
Talk amongst yourselves, i'll try and sort it.

Try this link..hopefully it will work. Only a few pictures but will upload more to NEW cleaner account:scared:
http://s1292.photobucket.com/user/p...inter campervan/IMG_3413_zpsf6208a2e.jpg.html
*


Hmmm, let's try this link again...
http://s269.photobucket.com/user/pikeyphil/library/Sprinter Campervan


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## bru (Feb 7, 2014)

link don't work for me


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## grumpyengraver (Feb 7, 2014)

bru said:


> link don't work for me



or me!


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## Dive Tramp (Feb 7, 2014)

Nor me. It starts trying to connect to "www.35glam.com"... hmm??


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## hextal (Feb 7, 2014)

It redirected me to a porn site.

Not a complaint, just a statement.


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## Fazerloz (Feb 7, 2014)

hextal said:


> It redirected me to a porn site.
> 
> Not a complaint, just a statement.



Might not call them Risky for nothing.


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## mark61 (Feb 7, 2014)

Nice looking van there. Sure you will have loads of good trips.


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## Rodeo (Feb 7, 2014)

"Too risky" now thats a saying I aint heard in many a year mush!


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## hextal (Feb 7, 2014)

Looks good that (maybe not as good as the girlies).

I see you've opted for no bathroom too.  We ummed and ahhed over that but also decided not to bother.


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## Risky (Feb 8, 2014)

hextal said:


> Looks good that (maybe not as good as the girlies).
> 
> I see you've opted for no bathroom too.  We ummed and ahhed over that but also decided not to bother.



We wanted a more open feel to the van so its not so claustrophobic. Looking at some that have shower/toilet all built in they just take up so much room unless you have a truck.
We do have a shower on the back. Still got to make up a curtain but if we're in shorts or middle of no where we'll just have a wash looking at the scenery..nice 
We can always find somewhere (wall or fence) to back up to with the doors open...instant privacy and windbreak. We're not soft and a bit of a chill is refreshing....that said, South of France/Spain in Summer....happy days!


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## ellisboy (Feb 8, 2014)

Link works for me,nice looking van mate!


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## Murviman (Feb 8, 2014)

Link to pics worked OK.
Used to have an R reg mwb 308. Great van. Hope yours gives as much enjoyment.
Cheers!


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## trevskoda (Feb 8, 2014)

link works fine,very nice job,like to finish mine?


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## stupottrotter (Feb 8, 2014)

I think you've done a fantastic job on van...... I hope you have great trips she looks the biz.... Thanks for showing her..


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## Risky (Feb 8, 2014)

Murviman said:


> Link to pics worked OK.
> Used to have an R reg mwb 308. Great van. Hope yours gives as much enjoyment.
> Cheers!



It's a great van, very solid despite  a few little knocks and paint fade. It's actually a 2001, private plate used to be on my motorbike.
The 1st links I tried had the complete build in but for some reason the auto check made it not open...re-directed to a porn site supposedly...HAPPY DAYS!!:lol-053:
Anyway...a few pics, usual type of stuff in a van!


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## Risky (Feb 8, 2014)

trevskoda said:


> link works fine,very nice job,like to finish mine?


Thankyou...it only turned out that way because my friends build vans, T4..T5s and the likes. Just so happened that they was a bit quiet so they showed me the basics and how to use a router etc....taaa dahhh, ended up with this.
I've got a few people ask me to do theirs..re trim..build a few bits. I enjoyed doing it and now help my mates do the odd conversions that they get in. Learning all the time...all good.


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## horshamjack (Feb 8, 2014)

Link worked fine .. Nice fit out esp kitchen area ,,Hope you have some great times in it :have fun:


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## Neckender (Feb 8, 2014)

Really nice interior, great conversion.

John.


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## miss jones (Feb 11, 2014)

good work, how do you find the sun/daylight is it enough just having the 2 large windows at the front? (trying to suss out my window situation. Thanks


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## Tezza (Feb 11, 2014)

Great looking van...i love it. Go out and have loads of adventures!!!!


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## Beemer (Feb 11, 2014)

Nice conversion.
Two gas hobs?  Ok for Sunday dinners then?...


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## gipsy_jo (Feb 11, 2014)

very nice well done 
:have fun:


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## Touringtheworld (Feb 12, 2014)

*Love Sprinters*

Had a 'n' reg 310 5 pot sold with 280,000 miles in 2002 and it's still running around now.

Had a '02' reg 316cdi 5 pot sold with 192,000 miles in 2013 to my nephew and it's gone on to add thousands of miles all with no problems.

Got my first new Sprinter 2013 316cdi 4 pot, just under 6000 miles at the moment, In no particular order, been to York, Great Yarmouth, France x 2, Italy, Austria, Germany, Holland and Belgium.

Yours is looking absolutely cracking and I sincerely hope you enjoy every minute of your time using it.


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## Risky (Feb 12, 2014)

miss jones said:


> good work, how do you find the sun/daylight is it enough just having the 2 large windows at the front? (trying to suss out my window situation. Thanks



Light enough at rear, got the roof light at back and one a bit further forward so it's ok. Also a very good LED light at the very back gives it a daylight feeling and uses hardly any power.
There's not much in the way to block light. I like the idea of fewer windows so knew that I didn't want to build loads of wardrobes or units that made the van claustrophobic.


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## bru (Feb 13, 2014)

both links work now and looking good , cracking job m8


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## Risky (Feb 13, 2014)

Beemer said:


> Nice conversion.
> Two gas hobs?  Ok for Sunday dinners then?...



This is where our conversion started, the old Calor stove/oven and grill. That was the beginning and how I was going to build it....old bits of a pine bed, odds and sods found at the local skip and possibly the internals from a caravan.....then I saw my mates that build vans.
We took that old Calor cooker in our Delica and had some great roasts out the oven, grill is superb for Cheesy toast and the kettle boils real quick...so it was ALWAYS going to stay. The Smev hob is just that, no grill no oven, so now we have 4 rings...happy days.
We like the "old meets new" look, shabby chic style...bit rough around the edges but works great.


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## Risky (Feb 13, 2014)

bru said:


> both links work now and looking good , cracking job m8



Cheers, we love it.
Our future plans are to live in it longterm. We intend to set off sometime this year and do as much of the UK as possible and then drop back over to France and see where we go from there. The van is set up for what we think we need. We toured Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and France for 3 months last year in our Delica towing a Bailey Senator caravan....I've got nigh on everything we need in the van...minimal but should do the job.:fun::wave:


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## moggy (Feb 13, 2014)

*moggy*



Risky said:


> This is our van. Looking forward to getting away soon for a few trips. At some point in the future we will probably be on the road longterm and out the bricks and mortar.
> *SORRY ALL…seems that this link to my photo bucket account has been auto edited and it is cutting out the word P I K E Y….which apparently is not allowed!!   So, until I can change the address/link/name on my account….it's all gone a bit pear shaped:idea:
> I can assure you we're not TOO Risky…and it's all just a terrible mistake ha ha ha!
> Talk amongst yourselves, i'll try and sort it.
> ...


great looking van


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## phillybarbour (Feb 16, 2014)

Love the roof rack, gives it a very safari look.


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## Woodster (Feb 16, 2014)

*Nice windows*

Hi mate, can you tell me where you got your opening window and how much it cost? Cheers. Cracking van, by the way.


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## Risky (Feb 16, 2014)

phillybarbour said:


> Love the roof rack, gives it a very safari look.



Cheers...fits in well around South London!


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## jacks906 (Apr 5, 2014)

great looking van dude 
im really tempted to get a bigger van n the more i see converted on here the more i want too lol


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## Risky (Apr 6, 2014)

jacks906 said:


> great looking van dude
> im really tempted to get a bigger van n the more i see converted on here the more i want too lol



We think this will be the right size for our needs. Last year we had a caravan that we took to Poland/Russia borders...loads of other places too in just under 3 months away. We came back after that trip knowing what we wanted for longterm on the road. 
We think this ticks the boxes. Not too big, under 3.5 ton, reliable/easy spares and not overly technical, stealthyish.
We're close to setting off on a trip soon in the UK. That'll give us an idea of how it performs and show up any problems whilst still in UK....after that, longterm Europe and wherever we want to go.
Going large?.....you know it makes sense


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## n brown (Apr 6, 2014)

just tried the link again and it worked.nice job and a nice roomy van,where did you get the rooflights,they look a bit nautical ?


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## Risky (Apr 6, 2014)

n brown said:


> just tried the link again and it worked.nice job and a nice roomy van,where did you get the rooflights,they look a bit nautical ?


Well spotted regarding the rooflights. They are indeed boat hatches...found them in Newhaven, Simpson Marine? They are strong as, really well made and of course they are very well sealed when closed. The last thing I wanted was to cut holes in my roof, stick in some plastic cheapo roof light that gets knocked off by a twig!
Not cheap but quality costs. They also open right up as an escape hatch if needed. The bigger one at the back allows me to get access to the roof rack.


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## n brown (Apr 7, 2014)

they do look good quality.i often browse round the Force 4 chandlery here,loads of camper-type stuff but built to last a bit longer than 5 mins,but as you say,it costs !


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## Tco (Apr 7, 2014)

You can be justifiably proud of that van. Give us a tip when your missus next has a shower in that bucket will you? :dance::dance::dance::dance::dance:


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## Risky (Apr 18, 2014)

In the next few days i'll probably have sold my recovery truck and effectively put myself out of business. I'm not really doing much work anyway since our return last year (Aug). Customers are generally not busy themselves, most cars have recovery included in their insurance policies or the owners have separate cover..either way it's not that busy. 
I could've gone out and pushed for more trade but the reality was I knew we are doing the off soon anyway. The time has now come to either sell the truck or put it away somewhere....I think it's time to have closure on this now. I'm pretty confident that things will turn out okay and we'll survive on the amount left over from rental income. It's a bit of worry that if things go wrong then I am not able to jump back in the truck and get out and scratch a few quid from the remaining customers that use me. That said, I detest driving around the area I work and can well do without the insults and aggression aimed at me most days.
So....this is the turning point I think. D.Day cometh for me and my truck. 
Regarding our van, trip and new way of life coming up....cannot wait!  We keep having the odd day out here and there but we both know that the actual day that we drive away in the van with no idea of when we will be back is only a matter of weeks...no DAYS.

This is what we want to do more of


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## jacks906 (Apr 27, 2014)

good luck dude wish i could do the same..... one day i hope so


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## john77 (May 7, 2014)

Risky said:


> In the next few days i'll probably have sold my recovery truck and effectively put myself out of business. I'm not really doing much work anyway since our return last year (Aug). Customers are generally not busy themselves, most cars have recovery included in their insurance policies or the owners have separate cover..either way it's not that busy.
> I could've gone out and pushed for more trade but the reality was I knew we are doing the off soon anyway. The time has now come to either sell the truck or put it away somewhere....I think it's time to have closure on this now. I'm pretty confident that things will turn out okay and we'll survive on the amount left over from rental income. It's a bit of worry that if things go wrong then I am not able to jump back in the truck and get out and scratch a few quid from the remaining customers that use me. That said, I detest driving around the area I work and can well do without the insults and aggression aimed at me most days.
> So....this is the turning point I think. D.Day cometh for me and my truck.
> Regarding our van, trip and new way of life coming up....cannot wait!  We keep having the odd day out here and there but we both know that the actual day that we drive away in the van with no idea of when we will be back is only a matter of weeks...no DAYS.
> ...


Nice van, have safe trip and tell us all where you get to


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## Risky (May 8, 2014)

john77 said:


> Nice van, have safe trip and tell us all where you get to


Hello all...little update time. I'm sat here in Glastonbury, it's raining but that doesn't matter because we're warm and cosy.
So we're on the road and have been since Monday having decided to leave a day later...good move as it turned out.
We bumbled along at our own pace and headed down towards Marlborough just as a point to make for initially. Stocked up on foodstuff and got to Marlborough about 6pm. Found a place to stay for night and then went for a walk all around the High/back street.
Next morning we headed down the road to Avebury, parked up next to Silbury hill and had some breakfast...nice and easy day spent there, good long walk with Dougal and not bad weather.
From there we moved on and found a place between Bratton and Westbury..big white horse on the hillside just off the B3098. Great views from atop the hillside...windy but again great inside the van and cosy. Found another place to stay overnight and awoke to fantastic views and sunshine.
Spent a fair bit of time around there sorting out the van and cooking up grub and then later in the afternoon we headed to Glastonbury taking in a few villages that we just headed towards just to be nosey.
Plotted up at Drapers the shoemakers...£2.00, convenient and quiet around the side. Wandered around the area and looked at the shops...great if you're a hippy and into alternative lifestyle, to be expected in Glastonbury really...great vibe man!!

So that's where we are about now. We're a little higher up than planned and may go towards Chedder Gorge...see what Aggy fancies when she crawls out of the pit!
So far i've slept really well, better than I have at home. I'm slowing my head down and pace of life, feels great already. Despite the weather being a bit overcast and rainy it has not dampened the feeling of being free and out the rat-race. It's only been 4 days and we're already loving the pace and freedom to go and do as we please...working well so far.
Van is running spot on, all the build is working as it should be and seems that we are in business. I'll try and do a few pictures and updates along the way if I can but sort of happy to be away from internet and all that. Got into the bad habit of spending too much time on the various forums i'm a member of although they have certainly helped to get us to where we are now.
Overall...100% happy with how things are going and looking forward to being on the road as long as possible.


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## fifthwheel (May 8, 2014)

Very envious, have a great time I should of had my conversion done by now. There is such a lot to see in this country.


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## Risky (May 8, 2014)

fifthwheel said:


> Very envious, have a great time I should of had my conversion done by now. There is such a lot to see in this country.


So far all good. I'm just taking it easy and enjoying getting everything working for us.
As you say, there is just so much to see in this country so we're happy to be on our travels and ticking a few of our "to see" places.


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