# Rodeo's van



## Rodeo (Dec 16, 2013)

Heres a couple of pics of my van in progress.Transit lwb/semi high/auto/ ex executive minibus.  Its come on a lot more since these were taken. 80 days so far,working mainly w/ends. Got another 10 days before I have to submit pics to ins.co.! No panic there then!







 Done a few in the past,but took a different slant on this one,as its only for 2 of us this time.eg,the gap next to the toilet is for large stacking boxes,which we are using for clothes as opposed to suitcases. We've never used cupboards to put clothing in ,asfor some reason I have an aversion to to creepy crawlies. Thats why I am painting under the seat area in white ,as I dont like murky dark corners,but thats just me!I hope the design and set up 'works' when we try it out! I already had a brand new toilet and shower pump and pipes,so that saved a bit of money. All the rest of the timber/carpet etc is stuff I already had.Had to buy a sink/cooker,a roof vent,one sheet of 6mm ply,and some foam for the bed.
 Not everyones 'cup 'o tea,but hey,its mine and really cheap!


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## shawbags (Dec 16, 2013)

Your getting there .


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## chrisinbrighton (Dec 16, 2013)

I remember when mine was like that, it's very rewarding though to see it progress also the fact you can make it as you want nice and cozy what I liked too is if anything goes wrong you know exactly where it is and how to fix it  good luck do post more pics as you go


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## n brown (Dec 16, 2013)

coming on fine,and really cheap works for me too !


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## Rodeo (Dec 16, 2013)

Thanks guys. Yep,cheap = being resourceful as well! It hurt like mad having to spend money on a few bits like the stacking boxes etc! If I could have sold some of my other bits I probably would have done things slightly different.


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## ellisboy (Dec 16, 2013)

Nice work chap! :banana:


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## Deleted member 38556 (Dec 16, 2013)

Rodeo said:


> Heres a couple of pics of my van in progress.Transit lwb/semi high/auto/ ex executive minibus.  Its come on a lot more since these were taken. 80 days so far,working mainly w/ends. Got another 10 days before I have to submit pics to ins.co.! No panic there then!
> View attachment 19259
> View attachment 19260
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> ...



Well done you 

The cost. The layout should not matter  as you say it is yours 
The thing I like about motorhomers  is it's not important what you motor home in its the fact we all enjoy motor homing 
I started many years ago in a Toyota highace van conversion

 Now I have a 36 foot beast I call home
Many would die at the thought of the fuel costs 
It suits me and I am daft enough to spend my money in running it

Hope I see you about one day
Yours Ian


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## shawbags (Dec 16, 2013)

keeping it cheap is an art in itself , this is the type of van I like , who needs to spend thousands , I bought a elddiss autostratus for when I lived in Ibiza , not long after we got there we realized that it would have worked just as well with the Mercedes 308D that I sold for £500 before we left , the kids ended up sleeping in a tent as it was more fun and there was only me and my partner in a 22 foot van that cost £7000 at the time , we did stay on site for 6 months ( @ a very low cost of £45 a week ) but because of that we had no need for a fully kitted out motorhome , carry with your cheap and cheerfull job mate , it will probably be as good as anything and you will drive it with a big grin knowing it doesn't ow you an arm and a leg :goodluck: , great job , let us see more photo's when its done , cheers shawbags ( Chris ) .


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## phillybarbour (Dec 16, 2013)

Oh to have the skills, I wish. It's looking good.


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## Rodeo (Dec 26, 2013)

Well its done! Pics sent to Ins Co.tonight. Struggling to get pics up on here for some reason,but will do in due course!


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## Rodeo (Jan 6, 2014)

Pics now also sent to DVLA.Im not holding my breath on that one,and expecting a refusal !


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## REC (Jan 6, 2014)

Good luck to you! Hope you dont have to wait long before you get an answer.


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## m1cxf (Jan 7, 2014)

I have been self building my Vito for the last three or so years. It was "finished" some time ago but I still say it is a work in progress as there is always something to alter or add!
From what I can see on your pictures you are doing a good job, just keep plodding along and you will be there before you know it.

Trevor


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## n brown (Jan 7, 2014)

Rodeo said:


> Pics now also sent to DVLA.Im not holding my breath on that one,and expecting a refusal !


 just got my daughter's V5 back,took 4 weeks,the ambulance I fitted for her is now a motorcaravan


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## Rodeo (Jan 9, 2014)

Nice one! Hope I get mine sorted like that.


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## n brown (Jan 9, 2014)

in case anyone is interested,there seems to be a school of thought that encourages people to write long boring letters to accompany loads of pics,describing every aspect of a conversion and how safely all the appliances have been installed.this idea is based on religiously following the dvla guidelines and ticking off all their points one by one.
 however,i disagree with this and wish people wouldn't do it.my method is as follows-1 pic of the side/front to show the general look and model of the van
1 pic with offside rear door open to show some interior and reg no.
4 pics of inside to show it's obviously a camper
a covering letter saying briefly- as can be seen in the photos I have converted this vehicle to a motor caravan and would be grateful if you would change the enclosed V5 to 'motorcaravan' thanks etc

I have a mental picture of some guy looking at his overflowing in-box,pulling out my letter and thinking''fank gawd for brevity-bish bash bosh=there you go sunshine !''


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## Robmac (Jan 9, 2014)

n brown said:


> in case anyone is interested,there seems to be a school of thought that encourages people to write long boring letters to accompany loads of pics,describing every aspect of a conversion and how safely all the appliances have been installed.this idea is based on religiously following the dvla guidelines and ticking off all their points one by one.
> however,i disagree with this and wish people wouldn't do it.my method is as follows-1 pic of the side/front to show the general look and model of the van
> 1 pic with offside rear door open to show some interior and reg no.
> 4 pics of inside to show it's obviously a camper
> ...



Bit of a long post for you Nigel.


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## n brown (Jan 9, 2014)

yeah my poor finger !


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## oldish hippy (Jan 9, 2014)

n brown said:


> yeah my poor finger !



yep it was his poor finger where he kept poking the other half as she wasnt typing fast enough as he cant do long replys he has to get toher half to do it lol


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## n brown (Jan 9, 2014)

oi ! cheek ! I never poked anyone in my life !


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## GRWXJR (Jan 22, 2014)

Looks good. I'm always interested in seeing how builders have done stuff and created their vans. The fact yours is a budget build is good too, seeing what can be achieved with limited expenditure. 

My own van is the humble LDV Convoy that was converted when I bought it as a Moto-X van and I've done some work on it (takes up more time than I thought but you kinda get into it even though I don't consider myself super handy). 

Bung some more pics on when you get chance!

Good luck with the DVLA!  I've not changed mine over as I've had no pribs with camper insurance etc. so not sure if it's all that essential?


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## Rodeo (Jan 23, 2014)

Camper insurance is cheaper.speed limits higher if a camper..plus you stay within the law re use.


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## GRWXJR (Jan 23, 2014)

Rodeo said:


> Camper insurance is cheaper.speed limits higher if a camper..plus you stay within the law re use.



I have camper ins on it already. Also it's a non turbo banana engine so breaking speed limits isn't too much of a headache lol. In truth 55mph is where it's happy (low 60's on the m-way max) so I'm never busting the A road 50mph van max speed by enough for it to be an issue. 

Having said all that I might try n change it over at some point- pretty sure it meets all the criteria anyway. 

Cheers. G.


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## steveuk0 (Jan 23, 2014)

good to see pics of conversions , always good for ideas, ive just finished mine which has been an ongoing process for several years , still tweek things tho after every trip, steve


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## Rodeo (Jan 23, 2014)

GRWXJR said:


> I have camper ins on it already. Also it's a non turbo banana engine so breaking speed limits isn't too much of a headache lol. In truth 55mph is where it's happy (low 60's on the m-way max) so I'm never busting the A road 50mph van max speed by enough for it to be an issue.
> 
> Having said all that I might try n change it over at some point- pretty sure it meets all the criteria anyway.
> 
> Cheers. G.


I insured it as a camper and was given 90 days to convert it and notify DVLA.The ins co were very strict on the timing,threatening cancellation if note done.Which I have done, and am awaiting dvla approval.


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## GRWXJR (Jan 23, 2014)

*Ins cancel?  Got me thinking...*

The firm I'm insured with just seemed to accept that it was a camper and insured it - I've renewed last month with them after the 1st year cos the premium seemed ok.

Got me thinking now though if it not being a camper on the V5 could give an ins co wriggle room if there was ever a claim (lets hope not on both counts).

Maybe I'll have to try and find the time to go through the rigmarole - I like the sound of nbrown's minimalist approach he has mentioned!

The van has all the bits they say you have to have to qualify off the lists I've seen when I did have a quick scan ages ago (extra side window, fixed bed/seat, cooker, fridge etc etc. ) so hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to get it changed over.

Ah well - one more thing to get around to!


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## Rodeo (Jan 23, 2014)

Thats what I meant when I said staying within the law.Its your van, therefore your call mate


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## landyrubbertramp (Jan 23, 2014)

pics look good , remember tho everything is about compromise i changed my layout about 4 times i did not commit to too much work until i went out and thought how i wanted to use it and to how it would enable me to over come my weaknesses, I went for my landrover camper approach as i wanted to use it go anywhere fit in a car park space stealth camp well to be honest the stealth approach has not worked as you can see by the pic its not a usual landrover.  but small enough not to want to spend too much time in it. For example i was going to go for a large single bed type sofa as my main seat so i did not have to make it uo at night etc but i thought if i do that i will be too tempted to just spend too much time in the vehicle lying down watching tv and have too many naps etc, so its bizarre i know but works for im going for a bed i make up and have a lazy boy type single sofa so i can sit comfortably but not too horizontal to want to spend too much time in the van.. Im try to use my landrover camper as a means to get out more and not just spend time in it. ive sent too long talking about myself here but my point is don't fix too much stuff in too early just use the van as you go and you can move thing to suit you that the usp of a self build for example when i wake up on the cold early morning i can jut reach for the heater switch and even make my first coffee without moving. i think their are ppl who have campers to help to pursue their hobbies for example cycling or motoxcross hand gliding and they build their van around that requirement which makes perfect sense.


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## Rodeo (Jan 23, 2014)

I agree.As with most set ups there is a degree of compromise.Having built a few over the years I reckon the set up will be ok.Dont intend to spend much time hanging around in it in the heat anyway!


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## Rodeo (Jan 26, 2014)

Well this build seems to be taking forever to finish all the odds and sods! Got fed up working on the shower area, sodecided to build a shelf above the window next to the sliding door, for tinned stuff etc.Hmmm..so what to use....a wander around the garden produced a large rabbit run I made fromHerras fencing.Out came the grinder and snips and a chunk of mesh was liberated, and the start of a shelf was borne....


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## GRWXJR (Jan 26, 2014)

I totally 'get' the whole butterfly thing. Going fr one task to another or even starting a new one without finishing one of the others first. 

I found it was a) thinking too much about all the things to do while working in there, b) realising the job I'm on triggers the idea/need to do another, & c) getting bored/fed up/wrong time of day to make a racket etc. that leads me to drift off. 

That's how my 'few little jobs' at Xmas is still ongoing :lol-061: !


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## Rodeo (Jan 26, 2014)

My problem is Ive got another totally different project that I have to finish very soon, so Im getting frustrated messing with the van, and all the ideas for extras I keep coming up with!Im getting carried away with this project , which was only meant to be a basic camper to save money on hols!


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