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It's my intention in the near futuyre to get hold of a van of some description, probably a Vauxhall Vivaro and convert it into an MTB day van with the option to get my head down over night if needed.
Im not after a full on camper but something like this
http://vanguardconversions.wordpress.com/featured-conversions/vauxhall-vivaro-mtb-conversion/
Probably split the rear end to either 70-30% or 80-20%. The smaller rear copartment completely closed off to put the bikes and kit in and the larger area to chill, have a nap and brew up in.
The above link pretty much sums up what I would like to do.
What have you done? I'd love to see some photos to get some ideas.
Cheers 8)
I would not split a vivaro there is not a great deal of room to play with and use loose alot of the benefits of having a van and being able to chuck some bikes in the back without dismantling them.
Unless your a dwarf(no offence to dwarfs) you will have trouble stretching out and having a nap. I just sold mine so speak from experience
I've only put a double rear seat in my vivaro, so it seats 5 and carries 3 built mtbs & 2 with wheels off. I think it's too small to separate the back off.
My LWB Trafic (Same as a vivaro) gives me enough room to sleep behind the second row of seats so I could see how a bulkhead forming a small garage could work.
Personally, I like just having one big space. With a couple of bikes in I can easily get the camp-bed down and have enough room to get dressed etc.
I'd like to be able to get 4 adults and 4 bikes in a van comfortably, so I just stick with a car.
[quote=oliverd1981 ]I'd like to be able to get 4 adults and 4 bikes in a van comfortably, so I just stick with a car.
Eh?
Hatcher Components used to make a 3 in 1 sliding bulkhead that had a fold down bed, mainly for Sprinter sized vehicles though because they are wide enough to lie width ways in. Sometimes come up on ebay, not much use if you are set on a Vivaro though.
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The van you have in that link on the first post is coming up for sale very soon according to ms barnes on facebook. Could just buy it and save the looking around 🙂
Bought a 2007 ex Network Rail lwb Mk7 Transit, 6seater, 1kw inverter 240v power, Eberspacher heater, microwave, sink with hot and cold water, insulated, lined & panelled, 73k miles, FSH, mint condition and paid £6k for it. Loads on ebay/autotrader
Brilliant van, goes well and good internal layout. Ideal for day van use but have slept in it as well.
I can (just!) sleep widthways in my Transit, I'm 5'11".
It's sort of split, ie rear is bike area front is sitting/sleeping area but there is no bulkhead in betweeen, storage is under the bikes or under the bed. Wheels have to come off but it will take 5 bikes. No pics yet, still a work in progress but watch this space.
Mine's ex-BT, had a heater and a hot water boiler fitted when I got it. Watch out for van with these, very useful gadgets but a bit of a PITA to retro-fit appaently.
Transits are good vans, mechanically really strong, decent engines etc, but watch the rust! Vivaro's much better rust wise, but check the electrics thoroughly.
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Top tip: fitting windows is difficult, seals are very difficult to get right, very expensive if you pay to have them done properly. Scour ebay for old minibus doors with windows in. I got both rears and the sliding side door. Then sold my windowless ones for £100 more than I had paid for the ones with windows 😀
The van you have in that link on the first post is coming up for sale very soon according to ms barnes on facebook. Could just buy it and save the looking around
I noticed that and could be tempted but I'd like my own van as a bit of a project.
My thinking is a LWB Vivaro crewcab. Take the crew seats out and you have the side doors with windows in and that way there should be enough room to split it 70-30 and have the closed off bike/kit compartment at the back.
Going to go have a look at vans this weekend. There are a couple at the local Vauxhall dealers, can't buy new but it will give me an idea.
It's only £150 to get a window fitted in the side door, so I wouldn't limit your choice to ones only with windows.
The fitter came to my work car park and took less than an hour.
The lwb is 1 foot longer than the swb and makes a good difference.
Just get a van ......insulate ,ply line (roof as well ) , carpet ........futon bed from ikea if you need to sleep in it......oh and if you need rear windows ...see ^^^^^ cheap to get fitted .....pretty easy to do it yourself but for what some charge it's hardly worth it
I was looking at adding windows and seats to my Toyota hiace recently and STWers suggested vanwindowsdirect. Seems like a pretty good outfit but I need someone in the south west - anyone know of one?
Any windscreen company should be fine, it's just cutting a hole and glueing in a piece of glass. Just get a few quotes.
Fiat Scudo seats - better than VW IMHO - fold down and forward & have isofix, if you like that sort of thing.
Plenty of room until people started buying wagon wheel bikes!
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8652125759_c96e3f69d3_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/8133348@N03/8652125759/ ]DSC_0196[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/8133348@N03/ ]oxym0r0n[/url], on Flickr
I went to my local vauxhall dealer today and they had taken in a SWB Vivaro, 08 plate with 58k on the clock. It was in pretty good nick so I'm going to see what they want for it on Monday.
Was just a panel van with 1 side door, no windows in the back but that gives you a blank canvas to do what you want.
I just need to decide now what I want to put in the van. looking at it today a 70-30 split to the back end aint really an option.
@ oxym0r0n, have you got anything in there fitted like a cooker or is it just a crewcab?
If you want occasional camper ...get a kitchen pod
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campervan-coversions-COMPACT-KITCHEN-POD-/221285512757
Same spec as mine;
http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/ford/transit/2007-ford-transit-6-seat-mess-van-high-roof-van-tdci-100ps-diesel-york-vfpa-8ab653e93f7a0fd5013f9b0520c83293
I have a standard size transit set up as follows.
6ft double bed, converts into 3 seats round a table, twin hob, grill with cupboard underneath. Sink with external pump from water carrier. Lots of underneath seat storage. Full electric hook up.
It's also boarded off at the back where I store the bikes widthwise. Either 1 with both wheels on or upto 3with front wheel off Also tools etc fit in there.
Have windows fitted in both side doors and a skylight
Great van, room to cook eat, chill and sleep 2 + dog on the floor with bikes safe in the back.
Use it as my everyday vehicle and getting 37mpg out of it. Will probably never get a car again. Self build by me and my dad.
mostly a never finished project but was completely functional
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6890903511_142ebba7f5.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/6890903511/ ]IMG_7588[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith 79[/url], on Flickr
Bigger than you have so the extra height was good for getting bikes in and sleeping above. I did the electrical hookup as a cable wired up to a RCD in the van to charge stuff and run the fan heater.
Insulation is key if you want to sleep in it, it also makes it a bit quieter. There is 2 layers of underlay under the floor before I relaid the ply. The walls have 25/50mm kingspan foam in them and carpet underlay. The roof was a bit harder and never finished properly but I found hot water cylinder jackets worked well. Some sort of bench seat/store box is also good as you will have somewhere to put your shopping 🙂
Mostly Balanced, What van's that you've done the conversion on?
Looks like a really nice job.
@ Hopk1ns. You have any photos of what you've done by any chance?
@ Singlecrack, thanks for that link, just the job!
I bought a Vivaro crewcab SWB this year, as family transport/biking vehicle.
Crewcabs fetch a big premium, especially unshagged ones - so if removing rear seats and shifting the bulkhead anyway I'd suggest just starting with a LWB van (or minibus) instead.
Although the Vivaro I looked at in the local dealership was a good one it was a SWB and I'm wondering if a LWB would be my better option although there is only about a foot's difference.
Possibly ......but you really do feel that extra foot when maneuvering and parking ..........but if you're used to a big van it won't be too much of a problem
I found that foot makes a big difference to internal space and next to no difference when maneuvering.
I had a Renault traffic SWB (similar in size to a vivaro) and kitted it out for windsurfing gear, boards on a rack on the right, flat but raised floor (sails underneath) with a camping air bed on top for overnight stuff, I also had a hook system for carrying my roadie hanging on the roof when sleeping in it, worked well, bit small and a bit smelly but was fine. I used it like this for a 7mth trip around Spain, worked well. I did buy an awning and camping seat for sitting outside with a camping stove. I went to the southern Doli's with a mate and two roadies in the back and did the trip many many times, 'twas fine.
VW T4 myself. Futon in the back built up for storage boxes underneath and folds out to a full size bed. All bought from Ikea (awful awful place to waste a Saturday)
Double swivel seat in front fitted last week. Can fit 3 complete bikes in back behind drivers and passenger double seat. Self insulated,lined and carpeted. If sleeping wild we can manage both bikes in the front on the seats and have the bed out. Tinted side windows myself very easy and used as a work van. I'd get a LWB if I didn't have to park around the city in tight parking. All designed on the back of an envelope in my lunch break. Off the peg ones are way out of my budget.
Get good sleeping sorted, once I'd got the van personally I use it a lot for holidays. Mrs Marin has stayed in some very nice hotel carparks over the years!
@ Marin, you have any pics of your set up?
I know in my heart I could do with a LWB but this one (SWB)at my Local V'hall dealers is a nice low mileage van.
My IT skills don't run that well at the moment I'm afraid. Pretty simple set up really,currently in a pile on the sofa with man flu, when I can be arsed moving again without leaking snot everywhere I'll see if I can sort some pictures out for you.
This one caught my eye yesterday, loads of potential with little work. You even get flashing lights!
heres a blog about mine:
http://sweatvan.wordpress.com/
van was only £700 and I've spent about the same again doing it up. Bed is really comfy and fits 2 people easy.Its a small van so I use a tow mounted bike rack.
best thing I ever did converting that bad boy. Was up doing 1 of the 7 stanes with it last weekend.