Hello there guys I’ve come across your channel by chance and I’ve been watching the van build of Erica 👍🏻 witch I found very helpful & Entertaining. I would like to say you should be very proud of you van and you have done a great job 👏🏻 Thanks
@@GayleEBird I've now pretty much watched the whole series - thanks for a great comprehensive breakdown. I'm in the process of looking, buying, and converting the exact same van (with wheelchair access). However, I'm now really nervous. You guys did a sterling job and appear to have a lot of experience (including the tools!) - I'm not sure I can pull all of that off to be honest.
I've had a reasonable amount of experience with domestic renovations (hence the tools!), but this was our first experience of a van conversion. I thus had quite a bit of transferable knowledge, but there was still a large learning curve and lots of time was spent researching (particularly on electrics, with 12v and mains being such different beasts). The bonus these days is that if there's something you don't know, there will almost certainly be some content on the internet that will tell or show you. And, as long as you use safe practices with power tools (keep those fingers away from moving parts!; use PPE!), are prepared to do lots of research, and have your electric and gas checked, then the worst thing that's likely to happen is that you'll cut/build something badly and want/have to do it again (hoping that 'something' wasn't a hole in the body of the van!). Good luck and I hope all goes well.
Nice work. Im looking at getting a van to turn into a camper..eg a citroen dispatch. I want to be able to get my bike in it aswell and because of that I may forgo having a permenent kitchen but rather have a camping stove and a plug socket for a kettle. Im just trying to decide on where to put the seats and bed platform, and yours seems like it would work fine for me. Great videos, thanks for the ideas. Good luck with it all.
Great channel! I am thinking about converting a wheelchair accessible vehicle - and I wondered has the reduced clearance under the vehicle because of the ramp trough caused you any issues? thanks!
Many thanks for putting the whole series on from start to finish. I have almost exactly the same van, so it was really interesting to see how you did it. Mine is a much more basic setup, I used a bed frame from a folding bed, great to sleep on, but limited when wanting to use it as a bench. due to the springs sagging in. What does the insurance company say about it, do you have it insured as a camper van?
I do have it insured as a campervan. Initially there was an 'under conversion' endorsement on the policy, but I've now informed the insurer that it's complete.
Hi 👋 I'm looking at converting a wheelchair accessible vehicle myself and have stubbled on what to do about the spare wheel. What solution did you come up with or did you decide not to have with one?
Great videos. Very informative. I'm looking to get my own van and I've been toying with the idea of getting a mobility vehicle. How have you found the temperature and condensation? It's the only thing I'm questioning, the warmth and insulation.
We've only been able to spend one night in Erica to date, so I've very limited feedback on condensation. However, that one night was sub-zero, so was a reasonable (if severely limited) test. My feeling is that condensation on the windows will be extensive. We haven't had the opportunity to play around with mitigations yet (e.g. better ventilation by fitting rain guards to the front windows and leaving them cracked open overnight), and never sleep with heating on which would also help the condensation. We have managed a few days out in between lockdowns, where we've used the heater and haven't had any problem, even in negative temperatures, getting the interior up to a good temperature and keeping it there. It's also been pleasing that even after running the heater we've managed to retain snow on the roof, suggesting that the ceiling insulation is doing its job well. All the best with your own project :-)
Thank you for sharing your excellent videos. I've found that passenger airbags are a rarity in these vans before 2015 and understand that retrofitting is not plausible. Have you any info on this issue?
I'm afraid I no nothing more than the fact that they're a rarity on the Comfort model. We were aware that it was a feature that was missing, but decided it was a compromise we could live with.
You've done a great job , I was thinking of buying an expert tepee but as its just me I bought a partner tepee. Do you find the heaters produces to much heat for the size of the vehicle because I've been advised not to fit one in my build .
To date we've only used the heater when it has been around, or below, freezing outside. Each time we've used it has been for relatively short periods (I think the longest was a couple of hours), and we don't run a heater overnight (with a background of sleeping in backpacking tents in negative temperatures, we're happy to use warm bedding and sleep in a cold place). Within these parameters, we've not found the heater too hot - particularly with it running on its lowest setting. Whilst not a particularly environmentally-friendly solution, one option if it does prove to be a bit too warm even on the lowest setting is to simply open a window. The only other obvious (but more expensive) heating solution would be a gas (LPG) heater (e.g. Propex) as they can cycle on and off without the big drain on the battery caused by the glowplug in the start up and shut down cycle of a diesel heater.
Thank you! Yes, it is the standard wheel base. The long version would certainly have been advantageous when it came to fitting the gas locker in between the wheel arch and the tailgate! The distance between the front seat bases and the tailgate is approximately 2.3mm. To allow for the front seats to slide/recline, slightly less than that is usable for furniture.
@@GayleEBird thanks for your reply! In the current market it is difficult to find a LWB so going for a SWB probably. Good to know we need some space for the swivel seat.
We have indeed got a drop-out vent in the gas locker; it was one of the reasons why we found the gas locker so tricky to make, because we were limited as to where we could drill through the floor, which in turn required the locker to be an odd shape. I think that part of the build is covered in Part 10 (Kitchen Construction) of the series.
Our spare wheel is currently sitting in our back garden ... which isn't particularly useful should we get a flat when out and about! The conclusion we've reached is that there's nowhere we can possibly put a spare (can't go underneath because of the lowered floor; can't go inside because it would take up too much room), so we've got one of those 'fill it with sticky sludge, pump it up' emergency tyre repair kits and some breakdown cover.
@@GayleEBird Thanks for your answer. That's what I was thinking after watching your videos. I hope you don't ever need a spare. We ripped our tyre (normal estate, not a camper van) last year on a broken well cover in France on a French bank holiday Monday.. and to make a long story short it's hard to find a garage in France willing to talk to you on a bank holiday Monday. A sticky sludge thing wouldn't have gotten us anywhere that day and I was glad we had our spare tyre.
It is a risk and one I'd rather not take if there was anywhere we could sensibly put a spare. At least if we do get stuck waiting outside a garage we'll have a sofa, bed, kitchen and bathroom with us!
Let's hope you never need it and please know that I didn't want to sound negative at all! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this conversion and keep coming back to certain videos to check things out in more detail. Hopefully we will be picking up our Peugeuot Partner, Erica's little sister, this coming Saturday and we can start building our own micro campervan. A bit smaller than yours but as we have a roof top tent we don't need a bed in the car and compared to sleeping in a 1 1/2 person tent in the pouring rain it will be absolute luxury! Your conversion has definitely been an inspiration and great help. Thanks again.
Sorry for not replying sooner. We're largely happy with what we did, but I will in due course make another video outlining the things that I think could have been done differently. The main two would be: 1) putting the heating controller on the end of the sofa/bed (behind the driver's seat), so that it would be more accessible when the bed is pulled out; and 2) making the lift up lid of the sofa a two-part construction, so just the half over the storage area could be lifted.
The solar panel was from Photonic Universe. Definitely far from the cheapest flexible solar panel out there, but it seems a good solution for its semi-rigidity and thus far it has performed well. (If you haven't watched Part 9 of the series, right near the beginning I give a potted history of how we bought and returned two other solar panels before settling on this one.)
It's currently sitting in our back garden ... which isn't particularly useful should we get a flat when out and about! The conclusion we've reached is that there's nowhere we can possibly put a spare (can't go underneath because of the lowered floor; can't go inside because it would take up too much room), so we've got one of those 'fill it with sticky sludge, pump it up' emergency tyre repair kits and some breakdown cover.
@@GayleEBird I'm just in the proceeds of buying the same van so i've followed your adventure in fitting yours out .Yes,think I will get myself one of those kits too.cheers.
Can't disagree with that! I previously saw tinted windows as a 'nice to have', but have come to realise they're more important than that. Now I just need to get around to doing something about it.
Hiya Gayle. I completed my conversion on the same van and used a lot of your video information. Thank you for making the videos! Carl.
Hello there guys I’ve come across your channel by chance and I’ve been watching the van build of Erica 👍🏻 witch I found very helpful & Entertaining. I would like to say you should be very proud of you van and you have done a great job 👏🏻
Thanks
Thank you!
Well done, great job. Thanks so much for the series
Thank you. I am rather chuffed with how it has turned out, and glad you've enjoyed the series.
Excellent series. You present very well....x
Thank you :-)
Just got my expert guys. So much work to do... Crikey.... Well done you guys.
Exciting times! Hope all goes smoothly and you have a good time doing your conversion.
Nice job
New to your channel - following with interest as doing one myself, many thanks.!
Hope it's all going smoothly for you and that you have many a happy trip in the end result :-)
Simple. But yet so very sweet
Looks great. Well done guys
Thank you!
@@GayleEBird I've now pretty much watched the whole series - thanks for a great comprehensive breakdown.
I'm in the process of looking, buying, and converting the exact same van (with wheelchair access). However, I'm now really nervous. You guys did a sterling job and appear to have a lot of experience (including the tools!) - I'm not sure I can pull all of that off to be honest.
I've had a reasonable amount of experience with domestic renovations (hence the tools!), but this was our first experience of a van conversion. I thus had quite a bit of transferable knowledge, but there was still a large learning curve and lots of time was spent researching (particularly on electrics, with 12v and mains being such different beasts).
The bonus these days is that if there's something you don't know, there will almost certainly be some content on the internet that will tell or show you. And, as long as you use safe practices with power tools (keep those fingers away from moving parts!; use PPE!), are prepared to do lots of research, and have your electric and gas checked, then the worst thing that's likely to happen is that you'll cut/build something badly and want/have to do it again (hoping that 'something' wasn't a hole in the body of the van!).
Good luck and I hope all goes well.
NICE LITTLE CONVERSION
Thank you!
Great job I might go smaller myself 👍
Nice work. Im looking at getting a van to turn into a camper..eg a citroen dispatch. I want to be able to get my bike in it aswell and because of that I may forgo having a permenent kitchen but rather have a camping stove and a plug socket for a kettle. Im just trying to decide on where to put the seats and bed platform, and yours seems like it would work fine for me. Great videos, thanks for the ideas. Good luck with it all.
Glad you've found something useful in the series. Good luck with finding your base vehicle and doing your conversion.
Great channel! I am thinking about converting a wheelchair accessible vehicle - and I wondered has the reduced clearance under the vehicle because of the ramp trough caused you any issues?
thanks!
Many thanks for putting the whole series on from start to finish. I have almost exactly the same van, so it was really interesting to see how you did it. Mine is a much more basic setup, I used a bed frame from a folding bed, great to sleep on, but limited when wanting to use it as a bench. due to the springs sagging in. What does the insurance company say about it, do you have it insured as a camper van?
I do have it insured as a campervan. Initially there was an 'under conversion' endorsement on the policy, but I've now informed the insurer that it's complete.
Hi 👋 I'm looking at converting a wheelchair accessible vehicle myself and have stubbled on what to do about the spare wheel. What solution did you come up with or did you decide not to have with one?
How did you do the roof lining and what does it look like now thanks laura
Love this! Would love to talk to you as I’m looking at the same van ☺️ so any advice is hugely welcome!
Sorry - I'm a bit late in replying. If you were to search for me on Facebook you could send me a message there if you've got any specific questions.
Great videos. Very informative. I'm looking to get my own van and I've been toying with the idea of getting a mobility vehicle. How have you found the temperature and condensation? It's the only thing I'm questioning, the warmth and insulation.
We've only been able to spend one night in Erica to date, so I've very limited feedback on condensation. However, that one night was sub-zero, so was a reasonable (if severely limited) test. My feeling is that condensation on the windows will be extensive. We haven't had the opportunity to play around with mitigations yet (e.g. better ventilation by fitting rain guards to the front windows and leaving them cracked open overnight), and never sleep with heating on which would also help the condensation.
We have managed a few days out in between lockdowns, where we've used the heater and haven't had any problem, even in negative temperatures, getting the interior up to a good temperature and keeping it there. It's also been pleasing that even after running the heater we've managed to retain snow on the roof, suggesting that the ceiling insulation is doing its job well.
All the best with your own project :-)
Thank you for sharing your excellent videos. I've found that passenger airbags are a rarity in these vans before 2015 and understand that retrofitting is not plausible. Have you any info on this issue?
I'm afraid I no nothing more than the fact that they're a rarity on the Comfort model. We were aware that it was a feature that was missing, but decided it was a compromise we could live with.
You've done a great job , I was thinking of buying an expert tepee but as its just me I bought a partner tepee. Do you find the heaters produces to much heat for the size of the vehicle because I've been advised not to fit one in my build .
To date we've only used the heater when it has been around, or below, freezing outside. Each time we've used it has been for relatively short periods (I think the longest was a couple of hours), and we don't run a heater overnight (with a background of sleeping in backpacking tents in negative temperatures, we're happy to use warm bedding and sleep in a cold place). Within these parameters, we've not found the heater too hot - particularly with it running on its lowest setting.
Whilst not a particularly environmentally-friendly solution, one option if it does prove to be a bit too warm even on the lowest setting is to simply open a window. The only other obvious (but more expensive) heating solution would be a gas (LPG) heater (e.g. Propex) as they can cycle on and off without the big drain on the battery caused by the glowplug in the start up and shut down cycle of a diesel heater.
👍👌✋
Love your conversion! I think this is a normal size wheelbase, not the long wheel base right? How long is your space in the back?
Thank you! Yes, it is the standard wheel base. The long version would certainly have been advantageous when it came to fitting the gas locker in between the wheel arch and the tailgate!
The distance between the front seat bases and the tailgate is approximately 2.3mm. To allow for the front seats to slide/recline, slightly less than that is usable for furniture.
@@GayleEBird thanks for your reply! In the current market it is difficult to find a LWB so going for a SWB probably. Good to know we need some space for the swivel seat.
A nice little conversion,
Have you got a drop out vent in your gas locker?
We have indeed got a drop-out vent in the gas locker; it was one of the reasons why we found the gas locker so tricky to make, because we were limited as to where we could drill through the floor, which in turn required the locker to be an odd shape. I think that part of the build is covered in Part 10 (Kitchen Construction) of the series.
@@GayleEBird That's good. Some people don't put a vent in.
Thanks for the video, excellent conversion. Thinking of doing the same thing. Can you tell me what you did with the spare tyre?
Our spare wheel is currently sitting in our back garden ... which isn't particularly useful should we get a flat when out and about! The conclusion we've reached is that there's nowhere we can possibly put a spare (can't go underneath because of the lowered floor; can't go inside because it would take up too much room), so we've got one of those 'fill it with sticky sludge, pump it up' emergency tyre repair kits and some breakdown cover.
@@GayleEBird Thanks for your answer. That's what I was thinking after watching your videos. I hope you don't ever need a spare. We ripped our tyre (normal estate, not a camper van) last year on a broken well cover in France on a French bank holiday Monday.. and to make a long story short it's hard to find a garage in France willing to talk to you on a bank holiday Monday. A sticky sludge thing wouldn't have gotten us anywhere that day and I was glad we had our spare tyre.
It is a risk and one I'd rather not take if there was anywhere we could sensibly put a spare. At least if we do get stuck waiting outside a garage we'll have a sofa, bed, kitchen and bathroom with us!
Let's hope you never need it and please know that I didn't want to sound negative at all! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this conversion and keep coming back to certain videos to check things out in more detail. Hopefully we will be picking up our Peugeuot Partner, Erica's little sister, this coming Saturday and we can start building our own micro campervan. A bit smaller than yours but as we have a roof top tent we don't need a bed in the car and compared to sleeping in a 1 1/2 person tent in the pouring rain it will be absolute luxury! Your conversion has definitely been an inspiration and great help. Thanks again.
Just a quick question, how long is your kitchen unit? The van is amazing, you should both be very proud of what you have achieved 👏
Thank you! Sorry if my reply is too late to be of use to you, but our kitchen unit is 1500mm long.
@@GayleEBird Don't worry we haven't started the build yet. Thanks for replying, hope you have a great summer in the van 👍
After using your van for a while ,is there anything you would of done differently or things you would now want to tweak ? Thanks.
Sorry for not replying sooner. We're largely happy with what we did, but I will in due course make another video outlining the things that I think could have been done differently. The main two would be: 1) putting the heating controller on the end of the sofa/bed (behind the driver's seat), so that it would be more accessible when the bed is pulled out; and 2) making the lift up lid of the sofa a two-part construction, so just the half over the storage area could be lifted.
@@GayleEBird Thank you for replying ,looking forward to the future video.
Oh...Nice.. Just my cup of PG. Where did you get the solar panel?
The solar panel was from Photonic Universe. Definitely far from the cheapest flexible solar panel out there, but it seems a good solution for its semi-rigidity and thus far it has performed well. (If you haven't watched Part 9 of the series, right near the beginning I give a potted history of how we bought and returned two other solar panels before settling on this one.)
@@GayleEBird wow thanks I'll check it out. Great work BTW.
Great build but where did you put your spare wheel?
It's currently sitting in our back garden ... which isn't particularly useful should we get a flat when out and about! The conclusion we've reached is that there's nowhere we can possibly put a spare (can't go underneath because of the lowered floor; can't go inside because it would take up too much room), so we've got one of those 'fill it with sticky sludge, pump it up' emergency tyre repair kits and some breakdown cover.
@@GayleEBird I'm just in the proceeds of buying the same van so i've followed your adventure in fitting yours out .Yes,think I will get myself one of those kits too.cheers.
This thing needs tinted windows
Can't disagree with that! I previously saw tinted windows as a 'nice to have', but have come to realise they're more important than that. Now I just need to get around to doing something about it.
I really don't get the idea of having a toilet in any camper-vehicle, nevermind in a miniscule vehicle like this.
Each to their own. That's the beauty of designing and building your own isn't it: you can put in it what you choose.
"The final solution..." cancel that woman!