The Van - Part 2

Part 2 of our series about how awesome our van is, talks about the building of the internal structure and how I guessed most of it.  As we saw in the previous post the interior of the van was big and empty (albeit very well insulated, by me) so now using the 3D diagram I set about building the inside.  As I am not a wood work person at all, I decided to build the framework of the intended structures and nail wood on to them.

Wood frame.

(Above) Wood nailed/screwed on.

(below) Once the box had been finished then the addition of some automotive fabric called Veltrim and some high temp impact adhesive finished off the box amazingly.  Also it covered up any problems in the wood or my (it'll do) building skills.

Once I had the recipe for a good finish I set to the van like a man possessed, creating the walls and cupboards wherever I felt like it. Again I used long straight wooden batons and fixed them in place.  Nailing/screwing the large panels on afterwards.   

(above) three batons for the bathroom and main cabin walls.

(below)  wood on said batons.  We will get to the dishwasher carcass and wheely bin in the Water/Shower section.    

You would think in this day and age of mighty technology that I would have used some great invention to make sure that the poles were straight and true.  In a word no. I didn't even use a plumb rule.   Because of this they were not exactly parallel, at the time I thought nothing of it I just shrugged it off with the, by now, legendary statement.  "That'll do"  Luckly enough the problem was not major and the batons could be moved when the walls were attached.  but I could have saved my self a week of madness by doing it right first time.

I would like to think that the ordeal bettered me and I never made that mistake again.  But it didn't and I did.    

So by now most of the inside was built and covered with the Veltrim and ready to go.  But I still lacked a cooker and therefore I could not build the kitchen.  30 seconds on ebay and we had bought an entire unit.  Its not a very good photo as I cant find the older ones but you get the idea.  

By now the van is a real motorhome not just a collection of bad fitted wood and nails.  Next issue we buy and fit my favourite part.  The electrical system.  That's right its time to get our geek on.  

Lloyd out.  

Counting down

Countdown to launch people.  The ferry is booked. Boom.

The Van - Part 1

I have been asked (told) to write something about the van as I am the one that built the thing and therefore understand it. 
So here goes.
The original idea for this trip was to stay traveling as long as humanly possible.  My basic thinking was that if we use campsites then this is £20-£50 per night, more, with electricity. Then I found out that most local councils in the EU put aside places where you can camp for free in the hope you will use and pay for the local amenities. So I hatched an idea to build a van that is as self-sufficient as possible.
Choosing the van.
Basically i wanted big and simple.  We settled on an LDV convoy, long wheel base and high roof with loads of room, so we would not go crazy.  The addition of a roof rack from ebay doubled the space.

Throw a few ideas around concerning the inside and what it was going to look like, whip up something on Google’s basic 3D designer program to get an idea, and suddenly we had a plan. 

I wanted to be able to use the van in all weathers as at this point we didn’t know how long we were staying out for. To this end I thought insulation and because it was cheap in B&Q I bought a roll of Rock wool.  If it’s good enough for a house, its good enough for the van. I pulled off all the panelling and inserted as much Wool as I could, wrapped it in insulation foil for even more heat retention, then rammed them back on. 

More panneling then some Sealant and sealing tape, and we were ready to make a motorhome.

The next instalment sees us starting to build up the insides and start buying all the awesome parts.
Tune in tomorrow folks.