Mercedes vario 814 self build bus to FLT palace (1 Viewer)

[Northernraider]

what skylights are you using, are there any double or triple glazed ones with real glass for van use instead of the plastic ones?

The front one is being replaced with a maxxair fan vent ...not decided on the rear one yet

 

[Lenny HB]

The front one is being replaced with a maxxair fan vent ...not decided on the rear one yet

Good but won't give you much light.

 

[chaser]

Good but won't give you much light.

This is the only criticism I could make of this whole fantastic job he's doing, couldn't see right from the beginning , why buy a bus and close up all the windows, a van would have been far cheaper and there would already be no windows.
We love the windows all round our ambulance, get the light and sun in and can park any way we like and still have a great view.
We once had a converted ldv van that had few windows, and found we always had to have the door open to see anything.
But that is just my view and wouldn't have brought it up if someone else hadn't mentioned it.

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[Onemanandhisdog]

Stealth?

 

[Northernraider]

Good but won't give you much light.

No but the other one will

 

[tonyidle]

No but the other one will

Go for the big Heki. They're decent quality, have a simple lift mechanism, and best of all, are clamp fitting - no screws into roof.

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[Northernraider]

This is the only criticism I could make of this whole fantastic job he's doing, couldn't see right from the beginning , why buy a bus and close up all the windows, a van would have been far cheaper and there would already be no windows.
We love the windows all round our ambulance, get the light and sun in and can park any way we like and still have a great view.
We once had a converted ldv van that had few windows, and found we always had to have the door open to see anything.
But that is just my view and wouldn't have brought it up if someone else hadn't mentioned it.

I bought a bus because a vario panel van with just as much rust would have cost me twice as much and i couldnt get one without rear doors or a large sliding door on the side....the bus is also longer than the panel van. Single glazed windows are a greenhouse In summer and a condensation magnet in winter. They also take up valuable wall space unless you cover them over which then can cause problems if they leak undetected or get broken and require inside access ( like these ones do ) to remove and refit. This is going to be my fulltime home in all weathers. Therfore i want it as warm as possible. It will have 2 windows where the rear seating area is and one on the side door ...that will be enough. When its nice weather im usually outside anyway ...and i will have a 4.5 metre roofdeck to be lounging on

 

[Northernraider]

Go for the big Heki. They're decent quality, have a simple lift mechanism, and best of all, are clamp fitting - no screws into roof.

Its a possibility

 

[fat haggis]

2 max air fans would be perfect one push and the other pull. Are you finishing the welding on the windows then cutting any windows back into the build. Looking great so far mate.

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[Northernraider]

2 max air fans would be perfect one push and the other pull. Are you finishing the welding on the windows then cutting any windows back into the build. Looking great so far mate.

Yes i considered 2 maxxair fans but id only do that if i was to fit a 3rd skylight in between ...problem is it would then be parallel to my stove chimney.

Yes i will cut the new window holes in to the panels later before insulation etc .. but that will probably be spring time...if i can get away November to end of January i plan to. Lots of vans coming up for sale now...they are just typically all way down south.

 

[Northernraider]

An example of vario panel van prices ...and i expect this to go up at least another 2 grand

<Broken link removed>


Had i still been looking i might have bought it but my bus cost £3700 and at present its cost me around the current price of this one ....around £6000

 

[Minxy]

An example of vario panel van prices ...and i expect this to go up at least another 2 grand

<Broken link removed>


Had i still been looking i might have bought it but my bus cost £3700 and at present its cost me around the current price of this one ....around £6000

Ah but that has it's own balcony!

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[Dutch 68]

An example of vario panel van prices ...and i expect this to go up at least another 2 grand

<Broken link removed>


Had i still been looking i might have bought it but my bus cost £3700 and at present its cost me around the current price of this one ....around £6000

Yours will be the best sorted vario in the country, can you educate us on the various vario types? 614, 18 814 16 and so on?

 

[Northernraider]

Yours will be the best sorted vario in the country, can you educate us on the various vario types? 614, 18 814 16 and so on?

Basically the first letter depicts the weight , and the last 2 the bhp ( rounded up )

So a 614 is a 5.9tonne 136bhp

An 814 is 7.5t 136bhp

An 816 is 7.5t 156bhp

The later models have more electrics and require adblue

The one i have is quite simple thankfully

 

[Northernraider]

Yours will be the best sorted vario in the country, can you educate us on the various vario types? 614, 18 814 16 and so on?

Well it might not be the best as i have some stiff competition. But if it turns out like the vision i have in my head it will certainly be a nice van .

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[Northernraider]

Ah but that has it's own balcony!

Yes that tail lift would be handy ...but its also very heavy

 

[Dutch 68]

Basically the first letter depicts the weight , and the last 2 the bhp ( rounded up )

So a 614 is a 5.9tonne 136bhp

An 814 is 7.5t 136bhp

An 816 is 7.5t 156bhp

The later models have more electrics and require adblue

The one i have is quite simple thankfully

Thanks, funny those figures for BHP are so close together, yip adblue is recipe for trouble , lots of electronics to go wrong , and they do in Hgv ‘s , had various daf and Volvo adblue issues, costs thousands to repair…..

 

[Dutch 68]

Well it might not be the best as i have some stiff competition. But if it turns out like the vision i have in my head it will certainly be a nice van .

Which vario threads are worth following on you tube?

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[Northernraider]

Which vario threads are worth following on you tube?

Sometimes i wander

Wanderbusadventures

Max and sophie

Those were my favourite 3

Instagram is good for them though


Isambard ( john and kerry ) is quite a special build and started off in a worse state than mine ....and a very talented couple

They have me reconsidering my paintjob now

This is theirs which is work in progress which is being done by a grafiti street artist

 

[Jamesh]

Thanks, funny those figures for BHP are so close together, yip adblue is recipe for trouble , lots of electronics to go wrong , and they do in Hgv ‘s , had various daf and Volvo adblue issues, costs thousands to repair…..

As well as ford!

Wish I had brought a 2.9 sprinter or a 2.8 lt35!!

Cheers James

 

[Northernraider]

Threw some cheap white gloss spray paint over the rear panel this morning to try and keep the weather off it while i concentrate on the other window panels... Doesn't look to bad given its not had all the imperfections sanded and filled ...

Certainly in comparison to this

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[Dutch 68]

Sometimes i wander

Wanderbusadventures

Max and sophie

Those were my favourite 3

Instagram is good for them though


Isambard ( john and kerry ) is quite a special build and started off in a worse state than mine ....and a very talented couple

They have me reconsidering my paintjob now

This is theirs which is work in progress which is being done by a grafiti street artist View attachment 538210View attachment 538211

Thanks, I will have a look at those, love seeing people giving those things a seventh live lol, I would need one completely restored just with an empty shell, love building interiors more then anything, street artist can be awesome, the annual graffiti festival here in Cheltenham produces the most fantastic artwork, but so much for a stealth presence eh?

 

[csd4t]

Sometimes i wander

Wanderbusadventures

Max and sophie

Those were my favourite 3

Instagram is good for them though


Isambard ( john and kerry ) is quite a special build and started off in a worse state than mine ....and a very talented couple

They have me reconsidering my paintjob now

This is theirs which is work in progress which is being done by a grafiti street artist View attachment 538210View attachment 538211

It's here at Stratford, not had a good shufty yet but looks well from the outside.

 

[Northernraider]

It's here at Stratford, not had a good shufty yet but looks well from the outside.

Yeah theres a good few of them there ...id hoped to go myself but im vanless the inside is really nice go see him im sure he'd love to show it off

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[gus-lopez]

An example of vario panel van prices ...and i expect this to go up at least another 2 grand

<Broken link removed>


Had i still been looking i might have bought it but my bus cost £3700 and at present its cost me around the current price of this one ....around £6000

The plses are that it has plenty on it that you could sell on. The minuses & what would rule it out for me is no mot & sold as spares or repair. At that price ??

** + I've just looked & the test ran out 3 years ago??
The previous 4 mot's only advisory was last one in 2017 for "condition of body" ??

 

[gus-lopez]

** + I've just looked & the test ran out 3 years ago??

not only that but it hasn't been taxed since december 2017 & isn't on sorn either?

 

[Eggs]

I looked at that red 814 a few days ago, I wouldn't be surprised if it makes close to £10k as it stands.

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[Northernraider]

I looked at that red 814 a few days ago, I wouldn't be surprised if it makes close to £10k as it stands.

Yes i think it will too

 

[Eggs]

Yes i think it will too

As we were saying a few weeks back the vans usually make 2.5-3 times what the buses make.

 

[Northernraider]

As we were saying a few weeks back the vans usually make 2.5-3 times what the buses make.

Yeah they are much harder to come by

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