The Camper Conversion
Progress up to Sunday 19th June 2016
Sorry, no pictures so far. It's been a bit full on to try and meet our self-imposed deadline of Monday 20th June.
As it happens some family affairs have caused our holiday to be postponed. You would think this would give us a chance to catch up but not quite so as the family affairs are taking our time up and restricting time available for the conversion.
Also there have been a couple of new items of maintenance to add in as I've started using DVO to go to and from work. I chose to do this to highlight any mechanical issues that might otherwise go un-noticed until we were on the big trip.
Although, once I'd reassembled DVO, she sailed through the MOT with just one advisory for a slightly loose wheel bearing I'd failed to bed down enough we've now got a couple more jobs to do on her.
Obviously there's the tightening of that bearing but now she's got an intermittently lazy near side front brake which causes her to slew right under firm braking from time to time, this will be sorted straight away! She's also managed to break her speedometer cable. A new one arrived yesterday and will be fitted during my week off this coming week.
As it happens some family affairs have caused our holiday to be postponed. You would think this would give us a chance to catch up but not quite so as the family affairs are taking our time up and restricting time available for the conversion.
Also there have been a couple of new items of maintenance to add in as I've started using DVO to go to and from work. I chose to do this to highlight any mechanical issues that might otherwise go un-noticed until we were on the big trip.
Although, once I'd reassembled DVO, she sailed through the MOT with just one advisory for a slightly loose wheel bearing I'd failed to bed down enough we've now got a couple more jobs to do on her.
Obviously there's the tightening of that bearing but now she's got an intermittently lazy near side front brake which causes her to slew right under firm braking from time to time, this will be sorted straight away! She's also managed to break her speedometer cable. A new one arrived yesterday and will be fitted during my week off this coming week.
Camper Bits
I started by cutting and loose fitting the L shaped seat so I could work out how to get the various desirables (Cooker, sink, water tank, gas storage, coo box/fridge) into the remaining space. I fitted this to the nearside to make the layout work with the opening of the rear door and the drive away awning lent to us by my brother Ivan.
Ivan has lent and donated a number of items and components which have really helped manage the cost of getting touring with this project. These include all manner of cabinet hinges and catches, vents, gas pipe and fittings, water fittings, toilet tent, awning, roof rack components, side windows along with aluminium and steel sheet.
Even with Ivan's donations we have still spent somewhere in the region of £3000 so far (this includes repairs to the Landy and a Fairey Overdrive, over £600 on it's own) and I'm sure this figure will keep rising for now as there is so much more we will want to do but for now we need to keep to making it usable with what we've got.
Having fitted the first window to suit the chosen layout, with a tent type burner and grill cooker we had bought in a local camping shop sale, we were at a local car-boot sale one Sunday when we spotted a couple of 70's-80's two burner, grill and oven cookers on a stall. One was a 70's Calor Gas unit like Mum and Dad used to have in their Sprite caravans when we were kids and the other an 80's Favel unit. I'd have chose the Calor one to be in keeping with DVO's age but it wasn't complete so I focused on the other. While I was looking at them my wife, Sarah, engaged in bargaining with the stall holder. Sarah is a great believer in always insisting on reducing the asking price and managed to secure a deal at £12 for the Favel. This meant on returning home I had to strip out the seating etc and reverse it as the only location in the back of the Landy this taller cooker could go is where the lockable toolbox was in the nearside rear corner, currently part of the bed. All worth it to be able to increase the choices of food while we're away, even if it does give me a bit of a headache as to where I can fit all the essential tools in.
Ivan has lent and donated a number of items and components which have really helped manage the cost of getting touring with this project. These include all manner of cabinet hinges and catches, vents, gas pipe and fittings, water fittings, toilet tent, awning, roof rack components, side windows along with aluminium and steel sheet.
Even with Ivan's donations we have still spent somewhere in the region of £3000 so far (this includes repairs to the Landy and a Fairey Overdrive, over £600 on it's own) and I'm sure this figure will keep rising for now as there is so much more we will want to do but for now we need to keep to making it usable with what we've got.
Having fitted the first window to suit the chosen layout, with a tent type burner and grill cooker we had bought in a local camping shop sale, we were at a local car-boot sale one Sunday when we spotted a couple of 70's-80's two burner, grill and oven cookers on a stall. One was a 70's Calor Gas unit like Mum and Dad used to have in their Sprite caravans when we were kids and the other an 80's Favel unit. I'd have chose the Calor one to be in keeping with DVO's age but it wasn't complete so I focused on the other. While I was looking at them my wife, Sarah, engaged in bargaining with the stall holder. Sarah is a great believer in always insisting on reducing the asking price and managed to secure a deal at £12 for the Favel. This meant on returning home I had to strip out the seating etc and reverse it as the only location in the back of the Landy this taller cooker could go is where the lockable toolbox was in the nearside rear corner, currently part of the bed. All worth it to be able to increase the choices of food while we're away, even if it does give me a bit of a headache as to where I can fit all the essential tools in.
Up to 11th August 2016
Well, despite all the vehicle and domestic trials and tribulations, the camper part of this project are progressing quite well.
DVO is now fit for habitation, even if it can't currently travel anywhere under it's own steam! We have a functioning seats and bed, a table, a sink with running (cold) water, a cooker (2 burners, grill & oven), a built in cool box (not quite working as well as desired but usable) and various cupboards. We've even got carpet and curtains!
DVO is now fit for habitation, even if it can't currently travel anywhere under it's own steam! We have a functioning seats and bed, a table, a sink with running (cold) water, a cooker (2 burners, grill & oven), a built in cool box (not quite working as well as desired but usable) and various cupboards. We've even got carpet and curtains!
It is a long way from finished (there's lots of painting and varnishing to do) but it is functioning. One way or another we will get away in it this year, even if it ends up only being a test run for a few days.
When looking for sites to use on our trip we were looking to use Camping and Caravanning Club sites but Sarah noticed on their website that they require home conversions to be officially approved by them to use their sites. So we have photographed the details and sent a letter as instructed. We did this at the beginning of August but have to date heard nothing back (it's now 2 weeks into August). It looks like one of those bureaucratic processes that you need to allow a fair amount of time for.
When looking for sites to use on our trip we were looking to use Camping and Caravanning Club sites but Sarah noticed on their website that they require home conversions to be officially approved by them to use their sites. So we have photographed the details and sent a letter as instructed. We did this at the beginning of August but have to date heard nothing back (it's now 2 weeks into August). It looks like one of those bureaucratic processes that you need to allow a fair amount of time for.