Panel van advice sought (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

I'm looking ahead to the day when I either buy a ready converted camper van or do my own conversion .. I know what I want but need to hear more, pros cons of different base vehicles..
Nothing ruled out but it needs to fill the following criteria

No black boxes.. I want basic engineering .. something a blacksmith can repair.. so probably pre 1998 ?
Bullet proof diesel engine.
Walk though height, LWB with Twin back wheels
Readily available spares throughout Europe and beyond
Reliable ..

I'm thinking either Iveco, Ford or Merc .. but leaning toward a Merc .. and if so , what models are available , what lemons are to be avoided ?
Is turbo a must or are normal aspirated engines more reliable ?

Any advice much appreciated

Jim

 

[vwalan]

jim , you are back to 814 van, not a sprinter. or the iveco now you also have a large vehicle. we need more info as to what you need as spec . i would say sell the georgie get a truck trader n start looking .

 

[pappajohn]

Mercedes.......make doubly sure it has an engine in A1 condition or you too could be paying 11k euros for a new motor in a foreign country.

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[vwalan]

another good van is the renault mascot . its a rear wheel drive version of the master .not so common here but widely used on continent. also goes up to about 6.5t.

 

[Terry]

Hi Jim,after the yank any thing is going to appear small :thumb: My 99 Iveco ambulance is as you say no black box and is proving very reliable.Although 4 ft shorter than a lwb panel van it is about 10 ins wider (6 ft 6 ins internal) which makes it ideal for conversion.
ASK away but bear in mind you will spend about 7 k in parts (all new) whether it be on a new van or old one so if I was you I would buy as new a van as possible.
terry
BTW turbo is a must

 

[scotjimland]

Hi Jim,after the yank any thing is going to appear small :thumb: My 99 Iveco ambulance is as you say no black box and is proving very reliable.Although 4 ft shorter than a lwb panel van it is about 10 ins wider (6 ft 6 ins internal) which makes it ideal for conversion.
ASK away but bear in mind you will spend about 7 k in parts (all new) whether it be on a new van or old one so if I was you I would buy as new a van as possible.
terry

Hi Terry

don't want a new van .. too many electronic gizzmos to go wrong ..
did a conversion on a Renault traffic years ago and know how much it costs...
I was hoping to pick up an already converted van .. or one that the owner had run out of money to convert .. it's early days but never too soon to look about ..

cheers

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[vwalan]

how about this ebay 220439187999 could make a new georgie.

 

[scotjimland]

how about this ebay 220439187999 could make a new georgie.

Nice ..

but too big and too flash, too many windows .. looks like an RV

I want drab, robust, reliable , inconspicuous , go almost anywhere van

 

[vwalan]

been watching the nissan for a whle its very tempting. ldv ex parcel force van with transit/peugot engine also go anywhere . i think you do know what u need . long term travel lets you have all the answers n all the dont wants.

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[Terry]

Hi Jim keep looking on ebay I have seen loads for not much more than the cost of the van. You could easy rip it all out and make a nice job of what they have botched.:thumb: for not a lot of money.Iveco are the longest closely followed by merc, and vw :thumb:
terry

 

[Sundowners]

sounds like you want a camper for interesting travel-------have you considered a Land Rover 130 double cab or single cab with long bed with a demountable ?? I know they are expensive but that would give you an ideal every day car in Scotland and a superb (and simple) base vehicle, you have a good choice of truck campers that it could carry Maybe also tow a caravan if you need more space on some trips ???
Just a thought??
If you are even slightly interested in a Land Rover a visit to the Land Rover Max show at Newark would be an ideal place to pick up ideas, weekend of 19th July
Nigel & Pamala

 

[scotjimland]

sounds like you want a camper for interesting travel-------have you considered a Land Rover 130 double cab or single cab with long bed with a demountable ?? I know they are expensive but that would give you an ideal every day car in Scotland and a superb (and simple) base vehicle, you have a good choice of truck campers that it could carry Maybe also tow a caravan if you need more space on some trips ???
Just a thought??
If you are even slightly interested in a Land Rover a visit to the Land Rover Max show at Newark would be an ideal place to pick up ideas, weekend of 19th July
Nigel & Pamala

Hi Nigel

Interesting idea with a lot of merit .. might try and get to the show at Newark .. are you planning on attending ?

jim

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[Sundowners]

Hi Jim
As you must know by now, we work on the Land Rover circuit, this year we are only working on 2 shows------Newark is one of them (the other is at Peterborough in Sept.)
We hope to be very busy during the day but should be quiet in the evenings, We should be there from Wed 15 to the next Mon.
We will be in the Dodge & truck camper, And Land Rover 110 CSW
Let us know if you decide to come,
Nigel & Pamala

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks Nigel ... will let you know ,

Jim

 

[Terry]

ebay 120443418521
190318578617
260441483385
130316213567
check them out :thumb:
terry

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[tofo]

not sure if its what you need but


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[scotjimland]

ebay 120443418521
190318578617
260441483385
130316213567
check them out :thumb:
terry

Hi Terry
mmmm .. some interesting vans .. but not what I'm looking for..

I'm thinking more like this 270418927246

what ya think ?

Jim

 

[Terry]

Hi Jim that would be a good vehicle to convert :thumb: and run forever :thumb: all be it slowly then again we are not formula 1 drivers so no rush :thumb: They also do a very nice square version :thumb: 308 I think based on a truck rather than a van.I ran one about 30 yrs ago but cannot remember the number 60mph top speed but it would get you anywhere and back I will have a scout about for the type I mean :thumb:
terry

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[vwalan]

trouble with 308 is your loaded before you start 608 is more like it. that one seems v.low milage so could be good. we could have a weekend part theres enough of us to build it in a weekend. hurry up get your base summer is nearly over it,ll be too late soon.

 

[Terry]

trouble with 308 is your loaded before you start 608 is more like it. that one seems v.low milage so could be good. we could have a weekend part theres enough of us to build it in a weekend. hurry up get your base summer is nearly over it,ll be too late soon.

does this mean we are having a one hour make-over jobby ( one weekend ) get the caravan channel guy off here to film it --could well pay for its self

been looking for poss 308 type but it keeps coming up with sprinter types.Somebody will know the proper sq type I mean (may be vario ?) they made them on 56 plates ?????
terry

 

[vwalan]

terry i think you mean the vario as used by snap on. they arent 308 ,814 here but germany did others slightly not as heavy .trouble with vans they demand high prices . 814 truck much cheaper with a small box ideal.

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[pudseykeith]

suitable van to covert

hi Jim
We have in the family a Merc 709 panel van that we converted 5yrs ago. The benefits are that the engine, transmition and running gear are bomb proof. For a 7 toner it is reasonable economical, spares are available every where. We built into it every bit of kit the big boys have [exept wind outs] including 60 gal fresh water tanks, inbuilt gas tank. It still leaves room to carry all the things you need to camp in comfort. My son and his family have gone as far as southern Italy in it. When he built his house he his wife and 2 little ones lived in it for 2 years [The insulation value we built in is extreamly high. Something which is ofter omitted when vans are converted].
If you are going to do a convertion your decision on the base vehicle is the most important one. The time spent on the conversion can be considerable,so its important pick the right base.
Hope this is of help. :thumb:

Pudseykeith

 

[Terry]

Hi vwalan, yep the snap on ones are what I mean :thumb:
terry

 

[scotjimland]

hi Jim
We have in the family a Merc 709 panel van that we converted 5yrs ago. The benefits are that the engine, transmition and running gear are bomb proof. For a 7 toner it is reasonable economical, spares are available every where. We built into it every bit of kit the big boys have [exept wind outs] including 60 gal fresh water tanks, inbuilt gas tank. It still leaves room to carry all the things you need to camp in comfort. My son and his family have gone as far as southern Italy in it. When he built his house he his wife and 2 little ones lived in it for 2 years [The insulation value we built in is extreamly high. Something which is ofter omitted when vans are converted].
If you are going to do a convertion your decision on the base vehicle is the most important one. The time spent on the conversion can be considerable,so its important pick the right base.
Hope this is of help. :thumb:

Pudseykeith

Hi

Thanks very much .. do you have any sketches, drawings or pictures of the internal layout. ? ..
I have plenty of ideas and what I want on the technical spec .. and a fair idea of a floor plan.. but still deciding on a layout


Cheers

Jim

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[Terry]

Hi Jim have a look at mine for lay-out this opens up the cab area as well giving a more spacious feel to the van :thumb: we have only ever used the table once in almost 3 yrs but we are lounge lizards and do not like sitting up in a dinette type lay-out.You can always go for a rear U shape ? but basically depending on the room available / wheel arches this will decide the layout you wish/want :thumb:
terry

 

[pieterv]

Hi Jim,

We did a panel van conversion many years ago, and the one piece of advice that comes to mind is: don't under estimate the cost! When you add all the expensive major items and all the little things it costs more than you think. Consider a donor caravan (although much of the furniture might be a bit light weight).

We recently wanted to go back to a motorcaravan (after many years with a caravan) and thought of doing a conversion again. Mindful of what it had cost us last time around, I made a fairly detailed budget and then decided to forget about it!

We bought a used "ready made" instead. Will have a better resale value as well.

Pieter

 

[scotjimland]

Hi Jim,

We did a panel van conversion many years ago, and the one piece of advice that comes to mind is: don't under estimate the cost! When you add all the expensive major items and all the little things it costs more than you think. Consider a donor caravan (although much of the furniture might be a bit light weight).

We recently wanted to go back to a motorcaravan (after many years with a caravan) and thought of doing a conversion again. Mindful of what it had cost us last time around, I made a fairly detailed budget and then decided to forget about it!

We bought a used "ready made" instead. Will have a better resale value as well.

Pieter

Hi Peter

very good advice, I've done one before and know how much it can cost .. however it will be more than a van, it will be a project that I will enjoy doing and I've seen very few conversions that I a) liked or b) could afford .. besides, I need something to keep me busy .. not doing gardening the rest of my life

I'm budgeting on around 15k .. a lot depends on the choice and the cost of a good base vehicle, that's where I'll concentrate first ..

cheers
Jim

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[pieterv]

Yes, it has to beat gardening hands down!

 

[pudseykeith]

Hi

Thanks very much .. do you have any sketches, drawings or pictures of the internal layout. ? ..
I have plenty of ideas and what I want on the technical spec .. and a fair idea of a floor plan.. but still deciding on a layout


Cheers

Jim

Hi Jim.
When we did the conversion we had mountains of picys stored in the PC. unfortunatley they have disapeared. Sods Law, suppose , but never mind. The van is at my sons place, so i will endever to get over and take some picy's of the lay out. It has a lounge area with a table when neaded that converts into a double bed behind the cab. The large sliding side loading door acts like a patio door in front of the lounge.The heater is housed oppasit. Beyond this is the kitchen area with work tops extended to form a 'L ' shape with a wall unit to match above it. This houses all the things you would find in a kitchen, inc oven and water boiler. The frige is housed facing the kitchen in the wall units. The TV and other entertainment is housed in these units. At the rear is anothe lounge area that covert into a double bed. At the other side is the bathroom / toilet and shower. We intend to fit a drop down bed over the cab [Hymer style ] some time soon as the kids are geting older.
The gas,and water tanks are mounted underneath on the chassis. The electric on the vehicle are 24 volt. We mounted a 12 aultinator run of an extre drive belt from the engine to feed the house batteries. All the walls floor and ceilingwer insulated 2inch thick with high densityfoam [Fire retardent ] before the internal were fitted and the supports to mount the funiture and fittings. All the support work is attached to the van sides with Sycerflex [If that is how you spell it ].
I will endever to get some picy's to you soon.

Regards Pudseykeith. :thumb:

 

[scotjimland]

Much appreciated .. I've PMed you

Jim

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