Hello! Newbie here looking for any advice for a DIY van conversion :) (1 Viewer)

[Sinead09]

Hi there!
I live in Northamptonshire and I am currently waiting for restrictions to be lifted to go and test drive some vans I have shortlisted, the idea at the moment is to find a suitable high roof, MWB van to convert into a camper. I would love to do UK trips and hopefully Europe too (fingers crossed!), something I have wanted to do for a very long time.
Any help or advice along the way would be most appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Mikeco]

Unless you have a particular reason to use a MWB van you will have more scope conversion wise with a LWB van which in the Fiat Ducatto or Peugeot Boxer is usually 6m although some converters use the 6.3 m long version.
The Ducatto or Boxer are also wide enough to fit a fixed transverse bed across the back which is useful if you intend spending a few weeks at a time in it,

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

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[Swifter]

Hello and welcome

 

[CamperJack]

I'll second @Mikeco's suggestion for a Boxer / Ducato / Relay (all three the same, by different makers). In addition to them being wide enough for a full size double width-ways they are also more square when compared to other vans. The walls in Sprinters for example curve in comparatively much more sharply than a Boxer. This means building off the walls is much more tricky and there's less space the higher up you get.

Just buy one with a better engine than mine. I'm seriously considering driving mine into the canal and claiming on the insurance!

You might have already seen them but Greg Virgoe's build series is well worth watching.

Greg Virgoe

We are currently travelling as much of Europe as we can in a self-built Mercedes Sprinter Camper Van. We quit our jobs and handed back the keys to our home a...

www.youtube.com

You can also see my progress here:

Novice attempts a Peugeot Boxer conversion.

The van arrived today at 3.30 pm. They very kindly agreed to deliver it free of charge because I couldn't collect it because of the lock down. (It looks much bigger sat alongside the car than it did among the other vans in the dealers yard! ? I'm going to have to get used to driving it when we...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[CamperJack]

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[Grummyb]

Hi and welcome from a fellow northamptonioan
If you decide on a MWB van and depending on how much your looking to pay a friend is selling a sprinter

 

[Sinead09]

Unless you have a particular reason to use a MWB van you will have more scope conversion wise with a LWB van which in the Fiat Ducatto or Peugeot Boxer is usually 6m although some converters use the 6.3 m long version.
The Ducatto or Boxer are also wide enough to fit a fixed transverse bed across the back which is useful if you intend spending a few weeks at a time in it,

I think the biggest factor in possibly deciding on a MWB was the ease of driving/parking/navigating smaller towns or villages, as I have some experience of driving a van for work however never a LWB. Completely agree on the fact there would be more scope space wise! This is exactly the sort of thing I am here to gather advice on thank you

 

[Mountain man]

Hi welcome from the Highlands of Scotland

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[Sinead09]

I'll second @Mikeco's suggestion for a Boxer / Ducato / Relay (all three the same, by different makers). In addition to them being wide enough for a full size double width-ways they are also more square when compared to other vans. The walls in Sprinters for example curve in comparatively much more sharply than a Boxer. This means building off the walls is much more tricky and there's less space the higher up you get.

Just buy one with a better engine than mine. I'm seriously considering driving mine into the canal and claiming on the insurance!

You might have already seen them but Greg Virgoe's build series is well worth watching.

Greg Virgoe

We are currently travelling as much of Europe as we can in a self-built Mercedes Sprinter Camper Van. We quit our jobs and handed back the keys to our home a...

www.youtube.com

You can also see my progress here:

Novice attempts a Peugeot Boxer conversion.

The van arrived today at 3.30 pm. They very kindly agreed to deliver it free of charge because I couldn't collect it because of the lock down. (It looks much bigger sat alongside the car than it did among the other vans in the dealers yard! ? I'm going to have to get used to driving it when we...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Thank you so much for your reply! The Peugeot Boxer is top of the list at the moment, what problems are you having with yours may I ask?
Thank you for the YouTube links too, I have some bedtime reading/watching to last me for quite a while!

 

[Greame.M]

Hello

 

[Sinead09]

Hi and welcome from a fellow northamptonioan
If you decide on a MWB van and depending on how much your looking to pay a friend is selling a sprinter

Hello!
Thank you so much for your reply, how much are they looking for for the Sprinter? We have looked at them as they seem to be a fab choice for conversions but the mileage has been so high on all of the vans within our price range.

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[Mikeco]

I think the biggest factor in possibly deciding on a MWB was the ease of driving/parking/navigating smaller towns or villages, as I have some experience of driving a van for work however never a LWB. Completely agree on the fact there would be more scope space wise! This is exactly the sort of thing I am here to gather advice on thank you

I converted the 6m one and can park in a normal car park space providing its on the perimeter and you can overhang the back.
Have a good look at the professional converters websites such as Rapido and Globecar and look at their layouts, it’s surprising what you can learn.

 

[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN.

 

[AndyPK]

Welcome from Ciren!

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[CamperJack]

Thank you so much for your reply! The Peugeot Boxer is top of the list at the moment, what problems are you having with yours may I ask?
Thank you for the YouTube links too, I have some bedtime reading/watching to last me for quite a while!

It's a bit of a long winded story to put here but you can read about it here:

Peugeot Boxer Error Code p2100 and constantly stalling engine.

A few weeks before Christmas (when travel was allowed) I took the van away to Yorkshire, however it developed a fault. The engine stalls and cuts out when you slow down / the revs drop. Also it drives rather juddery / shaky. When the engine cuts this means the power steering is lost and the...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Jo662]

 

[Vikdikdok]

Go for the Citroen Relay

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[mitzimad]

i did a fiat 10 years ago details in my blog in my signature below that shape van is the only one you can sleep across the width so bed uses less space

 

[HugoBNB]

Welcome

 

[David and Sally]

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[ambulancekidd]

 

[jonsea]

Hi and

 

[Sinead09]

Go for the Citroen Relay

Thank you for the recommendation! Do you have experience of owning a Relay?

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[Sinead09]

i did a fiat 10 years ago details in my blog in my signature below that shape van is the only one you can sleep across the width so bed uses less space

Thank you so much for the recommendation and the link!

 

[Snoopy]

Hi and welcome

 

[TheBig1]

The thing to remember is that the ducato/boxer/relay is the same van, built on the same production line with different trim and choice of engine. If you choose an engine with timing chain rather than belt, it will save time and money later. Belts need changing every 4 to 6 years and it's not a cheap job. Plus if you need automatic, only the ducato has that in older vans. previous use will be a massive issue too, some are high motorway miles and clean, some high mileage stop start short journeys as a courier, some are beaten and scruffy. I would choose the high motorway miles van every time out of those choices. Clean low mileage vans are way more expensive and hard to find

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[Vikdikdok]

Thank you for the recommendation! Do you have experience of owning a Relay?

Yep, we took a chance on a part completed 2007 Relay, after some changes (& improvements) it suits us perfectly

 

[Vipar]

Greetings peeps welcome from Bexley

 

[GirlyVanGirly]

and

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