Betty - my van conversion

[Firefox]

"it's the stupidest thing you have gone and bought, i don't know why you have gone out and bought it" is what it's been referred to as.
anyway! i was going to get a vw until i started viewing them and realised what a battered builders van you could buy for 3-4k! then i started looking at other vans with a better interior/cab and driving comfort. as soon as i thought of a vivaro i seen loads driving around, so it's a safe bet they are realible (imo)
so i viewed this and bought it, part exchanged the car so there was no going back! (although this compared to a clio, there is a bit of a size difference )
as i picked it up (27.1.13)

The Vivaros are pretty good. Only problem being no headroom to stand, but if you were going to get a VW that has no headroom either, and if it doesn't bother you then you did the right thing as you get so much better value second hand on the Vivaros.

You'll soon get used to the size - they will park easily in a standard space. I have the Movano which is the next size up and I squeeze that into car size spaces all the time.

Definitely fit a leisure battery as WVW says. In the simplest set up you just connect the positive of the leisure to the engine battery positive with a thick bit of cable (50A), a 30A inline fuse, and an isolator switch in the cable. Fit an earth strap to the negative and bolt that to the body. Turn your switch on when you drive and want to charge, and off when you park up and want to use the leisure battery.

 

[miss jones]

thanks all!!
there is no head room but when i'm on holiday i'm out after breakfast and in when it's bed time!
plus i'm limited to 3.5tonne, i've gone from a clio to this, give me some credit already haa
i wanted a good looking van and easy enough to get around back lanes in, although give it time i'm sure i'll opt for a motorhome, or i could love this and not part with it!

still trying to figure out the small details - bed, cooking, storage, leisure battery, i feel as if i've missed something out which i will realise after it's all finished and stuck down :/ hopefully not though!

 

[n brown]

not many things can't be retro-fitted,no worries

 

[miss jones]

it's all finally looking more like a camper than a panel van!

so the windows were fitted last Weds, cut the ceiling boards, and a hole on the other side panel for the window, finished putting the ply back in - after making it fit rather than what the prev owner had done - mostly stuck it in with silicone,
finished foil lining the panels, fitted insulation boards/insulation, kept that in place with sheeting, screwed battens to the ceiling to screw the ply onto, filled with insulation, secured with sheeting, made a diamond shaped hole for the vent, as i'm anal and didn't want a square (i am aware a diamond is a square ) covered half the ceiling ply with pink leather,
and started on the bed which so far hasn't cost any money as dad has a minor/major obsession with keeping pieces of wood!
carpeted one panel this morning and a full day tomorrow on carpet lining, leather covering and bed making! then it's painting and curtain making