# whitevanwoman's white vans



## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

I've been a whitevanwoman for about 10 years now, with a Peugeot Partner which I bought in 2002 at 12 months from Peugeot Dealer. I traded in a Vauxhall Astravan to buy the Partner - the reason for driving a van was because I had 3 collie sized dogs, and did alot of outdoor activities such as hillwalking, backpacking, climbing etc and so I needed something with plenty of space and but where kit wasn't on display, and which was cooler and bigger for the dogs in cage(s) for their safety in event of an accident.







Getting the Partner so new, with only 13k on the clock, and still smelling new was a joy, the newest vehicle I've ever owned and it's been money well spent. All finance is paid off so it belongs to me 100% and it's never really let me down. There has been the odd thing such as a disintegrated oil filter on the way home but that was my fault as it had never been changed in 7 years. Lesson learned. And apart from leaving the light on and flattening the battery last week, the only other time it's not started was down to glow plugs - again lesson learned, if it doesn't start first time every time then the glow plugs need changing - approx every 2 years. And even after having been completely flat, the 10 year old battery seems fine, although I'm ordering a new one just to be on the safe side. 

I don't do huge mileage in it, about 12k a year but it has to cope with standing in the full force of the weather from across the valley off the fell tops halfway up a fellside in Cumbria, driving in some wild weather over Shap on the M6 and Stainmore on the A66, and with bumping along dirt tracks, farm tracks, fields etc and as a mobile kennel for the dog (just one dog now but he's a big 'un) all year round, and for camping in and out of. 












It's got a full bulkhead although the top half is grille so I can see into back through mirror and have some vision through rear windows (blackened) if not fully loaded with dog and kit .









I've slept in it on a few occasions, sometimes for a few days at a time. From the bottom of the bulk head to the ply inside the rear doors is approx 5ft 4 inches, and I'm 5 ft 3 so it's a tight fit but ok for me next to the dogs kennel. Anyone bigger would have to sleep diagonal which would mean taking the cage out. It's ok camping like this if weather is good and can cook outside but it's a nightmare in wet weather. With the back door open, I use a groundsheet with eyelets, and bungees to give some extra shelter from rain or privacy. Basha making skills learned long ago in the army.









I have a one man mountain tent which I used on a 2 week camping adventure in Northumberland in summer 2010 - that was just big enough to sleep in but not to cook, and I used the back of the van to sit in, change in, prepare food in, cook in etc. That worked well, especially with the groundsheet up but I was lucky to only have 1 rainy day in 2 weeks. 















But after that camping trip which reawakened a definite desire to start getting away and exploring again more often, I realised that I needed something bigger than the Partner for camping. I'd had a little caravan but sold it as although I loved it, I wasn't using it as it was such hard work for one person, who's not brilliant at trailer reversing, particularly cos of where I live, with parking being very tight. And being a solitary kind of person, never bored in my own company, and not bothered about roughing it outdoors, a caravan was just a bit to "suburban" for me. 









So I've been thinking about a campervan for a while and had seen a Romahome which I thought would be perfect but there wasn't anything I could afford. But the more I thought about it and where I would put the dog and cage, and possibly a second dog,  I realised that a "ready made" campervan wasn't going to meet my needs. 

So I took the plunge a couple of months ago and invested my redundancy pay in the Tranny, which I want to gradually convert to being pretty comfortable for a week or two away but designed around my needs, and not legally a motorhome, so that it's easy to strip it back to a van if I want to sell it etc.






Photos of Tranny when I first bought it& a couple of pics at Ribblehead on New Years Eve 

I haven't really got a budget for conversion and am relying on doing a bit here and there when I can afford it, or when I am able to recycle something. I'm ok at DIY such as putting up shelves, (proper ones with homemade support batons etc, giving all measurements to sawmill to cut etc - not just IKEA packet with metal brackets), and have all sorts of "things which might come in handy some day", such as old sofa cushions, odd bits of kitchen units, old shelves, old hinges, handles etc which I will be able to reuse.

I'm not in any rush to start major work as I want to wait until I've got a definite idea of layout and then want to get a leisure battery wired in and a hook up point. So at the moment I've got an airbed on the floor which is ok. But roof insulation is a priority cos of condensation.

I've just started a blog so will record further improvements there as I go along.


edit : photos sorted I think


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## runnach (Jan 15, 2012)

for your photos, open a photobucket account it is free then copy and paste images you want to share ...

By the way do you have a sister ? .......I is an eligible batchelor lol 

Channa


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## sueperstarring (Jan 15, 2012)

*Home made campers rock!*

Our 'Camper' used to be a Ducati LWB panel van...we've taken our time and converted into a comfortable (for us!!) 2-person sleeper.  We are no experts but our conversion suits me and 'im lol!


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

channa said:


> for your photos, open a photobucket account it is free then copy and paste images you want to share ...
> 
> By the way do you have a sister ? .......I is an eligible batchelor lol
> 
> Channa



Ha, ha, Is I being chatted up?  

I got several criteria for men in my life - they must :

1. like dogs and various other creatures
2. own wellies or walking boots and use them regularly
3. be able to cook or afford to eat out every day

That's probably why I'm single - setting my standards too high....


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2012)

Just a thought - you could pick up an old fold out bed sofa (the box type) from a pre-owned shop and perhaps an old single kitchen unit if you know someone who does kitchens and then you could have something like this which you could attach to the bulkhead with a couple of right angle brackets and self tapping screws.


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## runnach (Jan 15, 2012)

whitevanwoman said:


> Ha, ha, Is I being chatted up?
> 
> I got several criteria for men in my life - they must :
> 
> ...



chatted up c'est moi ? 

but in answer to your questions....

1 ) Like dogs ? ....Monseiur Léon et moi, are best pals, I went to the trouble of importing him ???? bringing him home from France albeit he is a militant chien Misses the sunshine and sanglier he does. (chasing wild pigs) And Old Arthur gets upset when he rounds up his Vietnamese ( never seen Vietnam ) Pot  bellies ....although OA turned up with a sunday Lunch today one of his own pigs on the plate tasty it was too......actually seriously tasty 

2) Wellies, walking boots all part of the necessary clutter invaluable when on ones travels ....me hound is four paw drive I isnt, so necessary footwear to at least try and keep up and swear at mon errant hound.

3) cook .......forget eating out, restaurants serve crap, I cook from the heart, lets play ready steady cook give your five ingredients lol, I cant gurantee you will like my fayre but a lakeside starlit evening , gentle aromatic candles got to be a winner at dinner ? and I am not bad with a skillet ..

Afford to eat out every day ??? ...forget it......I would far rather cook with the knowledge of where the ingredients come from and I dont mean the co op ....cook with reverance to the animal that has foresaken its life to feed me ......and cook with respect and reverance..

A far better meal to enjoy 

So do you have a sister or  fancy a date ??? 

Channa


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

Viktor said:


> Just a thought - you could pick up an old fold out bed sofa (the box type) from a pre-owned shop and perhaps an old single kitchen unit if you know someone who does kitchens and then you could have something like this which you could attach to the bulkhead with a couple of right angle brackets and self tapping screws.
> 
> View attachment 4164



Yep, have had similar thoughts.  I'm on the lookout for a sunlounger which needs a new home, the kind that folds into 3. Then a cushion on top and it's a chair too. Doesn't matter about state of the fabric as I can make new covers. I picked up a piece of new denim fabric at least 10 foot by 12 foot for £3 in the charity shop, perfect for cushion covers, curtains etc. 

Got spare kitchen units in the loft  but dog's cage is up against the bulkhead, and with a piece of plywood on the top it makes the perfect work top approx 4 x 2.5 foot. I'll get some up to date photos tomorrow.


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

channa said:


> chatted up c'est moi ?
> 
> but in answer to your questions....
> 
> ...



Ha ha. Ok, trying to sort myself some food out at the moment, I got a packet of microwave rice, some frozen peas, and tin of sweetcorn. So far so good. All microwavable. But stuck now cos what else can I have with it? I got some tins of soup, a jar of veg & cheese pasta bake sauce, tomato puree, gravy granules, tins of tuna, baked beans, ravioli. And I got some Lancashire and Cheddar cheese. 

Ready, steady, cook...


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## runnach (Jan 15, 2012)

whitevanwoman said:


> Ha ha. Ok, trying to sort myself some food out at the moment, I got a packet of microwave rice, some frozen peas, and tin of sweetcorn. So far so good. All microwavable. But stuck now cos what else can I have with it? I got some tins of soup, a jar of veg & cheese pasta bake sauce, tomato puree, gravy granules, tins of tuna, baked beans, ravioli. And I got some Lancashire and Cheddar cheese.
> 
> Ready, steady, cook...



microwaves ?????sacré coeur ......its easy peasy lemon squeezy 

rice , peas and sweetcorn , tuna flaked over the top, cheese pasta sauce to finish ...garlic bread a look outside stars fit for a queen;

Channa:ninja:

I am sounding like I has romance bones still eek


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## oldish hippy (Jan 15, 2012)

i got 4  out of 3 and a extra point for steel toe capped wellies but dont wear them every day at the moment due to spinal difficulties dont walk that far but can but slowly get there bit like my bus


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## Moondance (Jan 15, 2012)

*White van woman too!*

I've a transit too! Spent 5months travelling in Scotland last year with my dog. I took out the bulkhead-for an easy escape if needed- and just put in a bed and a couple of storage shelves. The beauty is that if you've no windows-nobody knows who might be inside! Oh-the joy I've had! Sadly though, the van doesn't want to start-I'm hoping its the battery! Ah, cooking! Sandwiches are easy!!


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

Moondance said:


> I've a transit too! Spent 5months travelling in Scotland last year with my dog. I took out the bulkhead-for an easy escape if needed- and just put in a bed and a couple of storage shelves. The beauty is that if you've no windows-nobody knows who might be inside! Oh-the joy I've had! Sadly though, the van doesn't want to start-I'm hoping its the battery! Ah, cooking! Sandwiches are easy!!



 Two of a kind, pleased to meet you


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## Moondance (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi! Pleased to meet you too!
I love the freedom of my ol' Tranny-the world's out there to be seen and enjoyed! I work every winter-then off all sping and summer. A fire and a cup of tea in the morning! I even love it camping in my woods. I live in Cornwall-so am really lucky-wildness is only a stone's throw away.


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## runnach (Jan 15, 2012)

Oi never mind the lunar dancin gadgy (soz moondance) I hope you took notice of my culinary expertise and indulged in decent tucker with your frozen peas, weird rice etc ??????.........MMMM?

It was good wasnt it ??? 

Weddings , Christenings and Barmitzphars .....give me a shout, and I will run a culinary mile lol 

Channa


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## Rubbertramp (Jan 15, 2012)

Moondance said:


> Hi! Pleased to meet you too!
> I love the freedom of my ol' Tranny-the world's out there to be seen and enjoyed! I work every winter-then off all sping and summer. A fire and a cup of tea in the morning! I even love it camping in my woods. I live in Cornwall-so am really lucky-wildness is only a stone's throw away.



 Would them woods be Colan woods by chance? I'm often to be found at Porth Reservior, Porth Beach, Pentire headland, and Park Head.


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## Moondance (Jan 15, 2012)

I live a stone's throw from Fir Hill!


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## Rubbertramp (Jan 15, 2012)

Ah right, Colan then...a good friend of mine lives down at Lady Nance..I'll look out for you when I get back to Kernow. I have an old cream coloured Transit home made motorhome with a pushbike on the back.


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## Moondance (Jan 15, 2012)

Ah-yes! Lady Nance! My friends lived there a while ago! When I was a teenager we used to go down to the old quarry at Fir Hill to camp! Still a lovely place with the sun on the reservoir.


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

Bump...  photos added to 1st post


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2012)

> Ready, steady, cook...



Sounds like the ingredients for a reality show.....so whose bringing the camcorder lol.


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## scampa (Jan 15, 2012)

Moondance said:


> I've a transit too! Spent 5months travelling in Scotland last year with my dog. I took out the bulkhead-for an easy escape if needed- and just put in a bed and a couple of storage shelves. The beauty is that if you've no windows-nobody knows who might be inside! Oh-the joy I've had! *Sadly though, the van doesn't want to start-I'm hoping its the battery!* Ah, cooking! Sandwiches are easy!!



Watch out Whitevanwoman, Moondance is only after one thing..... your newly aquired "how to deal with a duff battery" skills!!    :lol-053:


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## runnach (Jan 15, 2012)

scampa said:


> Watch out Whitevanwoman, Moondance is only after one thing..... your newly aquired "how to deal with a duff battery" skills!!    :lol-053:



Scampa shush man ...Iam hoping WVM can sort my clutch pedal problem out .....brings tears to the eyes of a fully grown man it does.

I know damn well she wouldnt enjoy as recompense..

Onion soup with a grilled Gruyere cheese topping 

or 

Pork chops with fried potatoes and French beans with garlic , served with a fresh mushroom and cream sauce ..

or tart tatin with chantilly cream..

What a man will do to sort his clutch problem ???

Channa


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

scampa said:


> Watch out Whitevanwoman, Moondance is only after one thing..... your newly aquired "how to deal with a duff battery" skills!!    :lol-053:



Lol, I'm happy to help a fellow WVW (is that not a contradiction in terms?) but all I know is contained in the dead battery thread :lol-053:

Shame we're separated by the entire length of England, but I might be planning a trip down to the South West in mid Aug for a week or so.


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## whitevanwoman (Jan 15, 2012)

channa said:


> Scampa shush man ...Iam hoping WVM can sort my clutch pedal problem out .....brings tears to the eyes of a fully grown man it does.
> 
> I know damn well she wouldnt enjoy as recompense..
> 
> ...



Mmmmm... I can smell it from here  :bow:


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## runnach (Jan 16, 2012)

whitevanwoman said:


> Mmmmm... I can smell it from here  :bow:



should my culinary recompense fail, always a bottle of Newcastle Brown, bag of pork scratchings, and a night at the greyhounds..funny as owt watching the daft buggers chasing a netto bag disguised as a hare 

Channa


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## Firefox (Jan 16, 2012)

Looks good! Partner reminds me of Kangooroo's iKangoo. Just take out the dog cage and put in a rabbit cage!

You could probably sleep a taller person in there. Just put a trap door in the bottom of the passenger's bulkhead which would also be useful for carrying long objects like wood or skis. You wouldn't lose the safety feature of the bulkhead, if you didn't want too, it could slide up, like a coal scuttle door.

As for conversions I would think carefully before stripping it out to sell it. Kangooroo got a very handy PX on her van from a motorcaravan dealer that she wouldn't have got on a basic van. It's surprising the extra value of a well insulated van with a rooflight and some basic facilities.


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## Lorry Ball (Jan 16, 2012)

My old white LWB 4x4 transit,




about 08/2002 near Meir,stoke on trent
Those were the days.........:wacko:
contained double bed, wet shower/toilet, cooker

Lorry   :drive:


do miss it some times, but the Merc has a lot more room


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## Ste (Jan 16, 2012)

whitevanwoman said:


> Two of a kind, pleased to meet you



I've just bought a similar Tranny. I'd offer to make it a Tranny Threesome, but I think that might be a different website!!!!!

Mine's an ex-works crewbus, so already got lockers, microwave & hotwater. Should be able to have it finished with a couple of weeks.


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## scampa (Jan 16, 2012)

Lorry Ball said:


> My old white LWB 4x4 transit,
> 
> Those were the days
> contained double bed, wet shower/toilet, cooker
> ...



I always fancied one of those 4x4 transits ( Transit "County" wasn't it?). I like the idea of the 4x4 in a van of that size, but what was it like for mpg or problems etc, compared to normal transits?   And were they permanent or part time 4 wheel drive?


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## kangooroo (Jan 16, 2012)

Firefox said:


> Looks good! Partner reminds me of Kangooroo's iKangoo. Just take out the dog cage and put in a rabbit cage!
> 
> You could probably sleep a taller person in there. Just put a trap door in the bottom of the passenger's bulkhead which would also be useful for carrying long objects like wood or skis. You wouldn't lose the safety feature of the bulkhead, if you didn't want too, it could slide up, like a coal scuttle door.
> 
> As for conversions I would think carefully before stripping it out to sell it. Kangooroo got a very handy PX on her van from a motorcaravan dealer that she wouldn't have got on a basic van. It's surprising the extra value of a well insulated van with a rooflight and some basic facilities.





Yes indeed - the Peugeot is very similar to my 'iKangoo-Camping' - even the dog crate probably has a similar 102 x 60cm pawprint to my rabbit cage!

On buying this my first job was to remove the bulkhead to create space, initially using the nearside for my bunk but last spring I rearranged it with the bed on the offside and extending into the cab area creating a 7' long, 60cm wide bunk.

As Firefox said, I was extremely lucky in achieving full market value (higher than book value!) for my butchered van when part-exchanging it for a campervan (which I also had a discount on).  I'd assumed that fitting under-sized side windows, roof vent and fan along with an untidy carpeting job would devalue the van, but I was wrong.  This was almost certainly helped by trading it in to a dealer which is also a converter and offered the trade-in value I suggested.  They recognised its potential and seemed to like my ideas for a 'proper' conversion to include leisure battery, split charger and small cooking facility.   I was quite persuasive but I was also very lucky: other motorhome dealers wouldn't have been interested and the car/van dealers I approached wanted it stripped out and offered less.  

One observation when doing your adaptation, don't do anything too smart, tidy or comprehensive or you may run into insurance difficulties.  Insurers insist vehicles have to be either a motorhome or a commercial vehicle and there appears to be next to no flexibility or middle ground  between the two.  My objective was to produce something which looked still looked like a van and it was 'pure coincidence' that it was possible to sleep in it with the addition of a 'bed cushion'...  The lockers had to be declared and I was allowed the sink and roof vent because I was carrying animals (just as you're carrying your dogs!).   Pics available if you're interested.


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## scampa (Jan 16, 2012)

scampa said:


> Watch out Whitevanwoman, Moondance is only after one thing..... your newly aquired "how to deal with a duff battery" skills!!    :lol-053:



(only kidding Moondance.... if we can help at all, just ask!)


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## oldish hippy (Jan 16, 2012)

well it looks like a culinary meet is coming up in cornwall this year road kill specials and mech courses and how to fix it with a hammer when all else fails and camping van design course i up for that


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## n brown (Jan 16, 2012)

re ceiling condesation,get a can of spray glue and stick whatever material you can find,thick cloth,old carpet,thin polstyrene on a roll,denim from a charity shop,doesn't take a lot to stop the drips,then when you do it properly rip it off or go over


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## Lorry Ball (Jan 16, 2012)

scampa said:


> I always fancied one of those 4x4 transits ( Transit "County" wasn't it?). I like the idea of the 4x4 in a van of that size, but what was it like for mpg or problems etc, compared to normal transits?   And were they permanent or part time 4 wheel drive?



Yep a county 
good idea on paper, but not that good in real life
they were part time 4x4, with a lever next to the gear stick, and twist lock on each front wheel.
I was towing a small trailer across a wet field, started rear wheel spinning, put it in 4x4 mode still slipping  :juggle:..
Decided to up the rear ratio to give higher top speed and remove transfer box, now being dead weight, 
never did use it for cross country wilding:dance:
used to drive a V4 2000cc Mk1 LWB twin wheel transit for work, went like a rocket....


Lorry   :drive:


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## Moondance (Jan 16, 2012)

whitevanwoman said:


> Lol, I'm happy to help a fellow WVW (is that not a contradiction in terms?) but all I know is contained in the dead battery thread :lol-053:
> 
> Shame we're separated by the entire length of England, but I might be planning a trip down to the South West in mid Aug for a week or so.



Hey-if you're down this way-you'd be welcome!


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