No  Boundaries  

Steves' Campervan Conversion

Steve tells his story

The project aim is to convert a van into a camper style vehicle.  The van should have the ability to sleep two people in comfort and have extras such as a fridge, the means to cook basic meals and a sink and storage areas for clothing and other essential equipment.

And so it begins
The vehicle purchased is a Ford Econovan Maxi Diesel.  It was found in the Melbourne Trading Post Automotive section (off their web site).  It came with rego and a road worthy certificate.  The van is in fairly good condition although the paint could use a cut and polish and some touching up.  The engine was reconditioned about 30,000 klm ago

The Van

The Ideas

The layout required consists of having a rear bed, fridge and a stove at the front

The bed (2m x 1.5m, approx. queen size) will fold up on each side at the rear of the van leaving the full floor area useable if required.  A bed of this size is not even found in a full size caravan and so will allow a very comfortable nights sleep.  It will also double as a couch or seating for meals with a removable table by only folding one side of the bed up.

A removable cupboard containing a sink, two burner stove and a 12 volt chest fridge will be mounted behind the driver's seat along the right hand side.

Extra storage will be gained by installing small cupboards along both sides of the roof from the rear of the van to approximately the same length of the bed.  Although they will only hold smaller items as they will not protrude far into the centre of the vehicle to allow some head room when moving around.
Additional storage will be in the form of sealable plastic containers what will fit under the bed.  They will contain food, clothes and any other items that may be required for longer trips.  When setting up for day use of the couch, the containers can be stacked up in the front of the vehicle or stored outside in an annexe or small tent if one is carried.  As the van will have an awning on each side and a rear annexe in most cases the bed will stay set up and the containers will remain under the bed for the duration of most trips.

The option of installing a pop-top roof has been considered but at a cost of around $4400 it is better value to put awnings on both sides and an annexe on the rear.  Most daylight hours are spent outside the vehicle (and a good part of the nights around the campfire) so shady covered areas are more useable than a pop-top roof.  The stove and sink cupboard being removable as a unit also allows for cooking to be done outside under the awning at most campsites.

Side awnings will be fitted to the roof rack.

The work begins 15th May, 04 (read as spending $$$)

The decision was made to lay 8.5mm ply over the original carpet and rubber mat on the rear floor.  This was done for several reasons, the carpet and mat have seen plenty of wear, leaving it under the ply adds a reduction in the road noise and is extra insulation from cold seeping up from under the vehicle.  The flat floor will allow easier installation of the cupboards and some storage boxes around the wheel arches.  New carpet will be laid over the top of the ply flooring.

Using sections of ply, a chest of drawers that will form the basis for making the cupboard for the stove, fridge and sink and another piece of ply for the bed location allows for a rough layout to see if the ideas I have in mind are practical.  At this point the flooring has been screwed down ready for the carpeting.

The rear wheel arches will be boxed in and two large 12v deep cycle batteries will be installed, one behind each wheel box to keep the weight to the back.  They will be used to run the fridge, interior lighting, DVD and audio systems and a 240v inverter.  Eventually solar panels will be added to help keep the batteries topped up when staying at an un-powered campsite.  These extras will have to come later as the dollar rules this project with  an iron fist.  Our priority is to get the basics useable so we can use the van for weekends away.

22nd May, 04

Steel for the bed frame was purchased from a local steel supplier and carpet fro the rear floor was bought from Clark Rubber.  The carpet has been cut and laid today with the assistance of our son who will come over at times to help with some of the work that requires extra muscle and hands.

Next step

I will begin the steel fabrication on the bed.  A 75 x 50mm rail will be made for each side with brackets designed to utilise existing seat belt mounting holes in the rear cargo area.  Two frames will be made from 25 x 50mm rectangular tube;  they will be 1880mm in length and 675mm wide.  Hinges will be welded to the frames and the rails that can be separated to allow removal of the bed halves from the vehicle if required.  The frames will be covered with 8.5mm ply to form the base for two mattresses giving a total bed area 1880 x 1500mm.

There are definite financial advantages to having the skills and equipment to do this type of work.. Also there is great satisfaction doing the work and getting what you want, not someone else's idea of what might suit your requirements.

The Project will continue...

Stay tuned for progress reports in the near future.

Regards, 
Steve

thetrailerman@bigpond.com

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