Total newbie in need of MASSIVE help. (1 Viewer)

[mitzimad]

given the value of the van it only has to make it usable for a year or two that way youll either be bitten by the bug or decide its not for you. it would cost that much to hire a van fo a few weekend

 

[TheBig1]

before spending time and money, read this thread and see what it will take

Project camper sorting out a damp

Ok folks this is a project Camper don't know how it's going to turn out Could be a desater lurking under there Certainly going to be interesting The roof lining is certainly past it's best most off the wood is not in prim condition The insulation is soking wet Every seem strip and joint is...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

this van is still dry and being used

 

[scandude]

Thanks TheBig1 for posting the link I was looking for that. Fantastic work by Bill unfortunately time isn't on my side so this is going to be a slow job, even on Saturday I try and see my parents who are getting on a bit and might need help.

There have been a couple of 'constructive' comments recently which I've appreciated as it's better to have a objective view and not wear rose tinted specs and spend thousands (this is a underestimate) and still end up scrapping it.

I work for a carpet company so the flooring will be either free (due to stuff being returned damaged) or REALLY cheap. Since the company I work for have other companies around them who seem to throw HUGE 8ft tall x 4 inch thick wooden posts away, I might be able to use this wood cut it down and rebuild the entire frame, also they throw away 20mm thick square bits of ply which might work on the floor (which is the only thing in good condition) so I can get some materials really cheap.

Despite the comments I think im giving it a go I'll probably still be here by Jan 2020 and I'm giving myself a budget of 1500 but we'll see, whatever happens I hope I can rely on the funsters for help and advice as the months roll on.

Thanks for the advice so far guys

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scandude]

The work has started in earnest today. I've used lots of aluminium to cover the holes in the upper bed area, this has all been bonded using sticks like **** and this now feels lots stronger it's all been fastened down to the metal bed frame and this part no longer moves at all. I've to let it set 24 hours now.

I've removed some styrofoam insulation from the wall area and there are some small holes in the outer skin what would be the best way to fill these holes these are very small in comparison to the bed area so don't want to use aluminium sheets, would jb weld or chemical metal be any good or is there anything else?

Thanks

 

[pappajohn]

There's a member of the sister site, RVOC, who's user name is Bingo66.
He bought a 1947 AMERICAN FLIXIBLE bus conversion unseen in America.
It's still in America and is at the second restorers after getting ripped off big style by the first bunch.
It's very near completion..... After 6 YEARS WORK.
From memory, he took bank loans and he started a small home based business to fund the refurb...... That's DEDICATION.

If you have a spare hour have a read HERE

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Drifter]

Hope you get it sorted and end up with a MH you love and enjoy
Be nice to see a photo journal of your journey. I’m sure you will get lots of good advice on the issues you encounter and maybe help others in a similar position along the way

 

[Terry]

Hi and welcome My thoughts are sell it as spares or repair,or break it for parts -- you would probably get £1000 / 1500 for engine and gearbox off someone desperate for what is becoming very sought after.30 year old boiler £100, and heater 100/150, cooker 100,loo 100 all ish!All hard to put prices on,maybe another 100 quid at scrapyard for the body chassis
£1500 BUDGET first things first make sure all the above work ?if they do then you can do it on your budget.If you shop around for second hand stuff great but a new fridge is around £5/600, boiler anything from 350 upto 2k for a combi ie water heater and heating, as you see it can soon eat away at your budget
You can find most materials at both Magnums and O'learys also look on ebay -I use Puraflex 40 from toolstation (£5 a tube) for glueing/fixing/sealing everything on my builds --Remove as much furniture as you can store in your garage ,then start on the walls etc.Forgot to say make sure the roof /vents and windows are watertight before starting anything inside -You have already been told to get a new MOT and make sure the engine,gearbox and drive train are all ok -I also read that it already has a full MOT, BUT FOR £40 ish get another just to make sure
good luck witch ever way you go Feel free to ask any questions you like

 

[Bart]

There's a member of the sister site, RVOC, who's user name is Bingo66.
He bought a 1947 AMERICAN FLIXIBLE bus conversion unseen in America.
It's still in America and is at the second restorers after getting ripped off big style by the first bunch.
It's very near completion..... After 6 YEARS WORK.
From memory, he took bank loans and he started a small home based business to fund the refurb...... That's DEDICATION.

If you have a spare hour have a read HERE

Just read that blog, what super reading

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scandude]

Ok so it's been a while.

I've started on the bed area initially as I wanted to get some skills built up before starting anywhere else. The bed area has had the holes cleaned and filled with aluminium filler and the bottom layer of ply has been bonded using puraflex 40 from toolstation, the ply was weighed down to the adhesive using 6 bags of cement (120kg in weight) so we know the area is strong and the ply WILL be bonded tightly to the adhesive.

We've got 50% of the wood for the frame but I haven't put any of this up yet, as I've been thinking of the insulation, and I might need help. I wanted to use 20mm STYROFOAM initially as that's what they used originally, however it seems to be difficult to get and can be expensive so I've seen something called QBOARD which is designed for wetrooms and bathrooms which I thought would be ideal so I wondered if anyone has seen/heard of this been using in motor homes it also seems pretty light so might be better than the Styrofoam any suggestions.

Also I can see that the water is getting in via the roof lights, I've seen a liquid roof repair kit and wondered what peoples thoughts were, the pictures certainly look good, although I was thinking of doing the entire roof in this so ordering in much more.

Love to hear some more ideas about insulation, bear in mind it would have to be 20mm not the king-span 25mm stuff from wickes etc as this would be too thick to butt up to the 20mm wood I have got already.

Thanks

 

[mitzimad]

i put 20 mm insulation into google and this was the first of many

Celotex TB4000 Insulation Board 1.2m x 2.4m - 25mm to 40mm | Celotex insulation

Celotex is a multi-purpose insulation board that provides solutions to overcome cold spots in walls / floors / roofs / cavities etc. FREE Delivery over £300.

www.insulation4less.co.uk

 

[scandude]

Hi Mitzimad

Thank you for the link and the recommendation of celotex.

One site offers it at £110 for 4 sheets working out at £27 a sheet inc delivery. The QBoard is available at B&Q local to me at £21, which saves me £6 a sheet i'm going to need maybe 10 or more sheets which would be over £60 extra, as I'm on a budget and due to working between 730am and 6pm I'll need to collect as and when needed as I cannot arrange someone to wait in for delivery. I've heard other people using celotex but wonder if the qboard might be a good supplement due to it being designed for wet rooms etc and as this is on my way to work I could collect it easily.

Thanks for any other replies.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Landy Andy]

The Q board is very heavy compared to celotex, and not as easy to work with for your information.

 

[Terry]

Celotex is 14 a sheet try eBay or you can use silver foil covered bubble wrap. You can also use Dacron

 

[scandude]

Thanks for your advice guys.

I've really got no ideas on how to do the conversion and what are the best things to use in my case. Lot of people say celotex, but the van originally used Styrofoam so I was trying to keep it as original as possible. On another forum a guy used some celotex for his motorhome and then was told by the manufacturer that it wasn't suitable for what he wanted to do:- "

Celotex PIR is aimed at insulating buildings and there is no suggestion that the material is suitable for insulating leisure-vehicles

http://www.celotex.co.uk/applications

Celotex have recommended against what you were planning to do, but have said that a PU type of adhesive would give you the best chance of success if you decided to ignore that recommendation.

"

So I am hesitant to use something that isn't recommended for a purpose. Has anyone else used celotex and had it installed for a number of years and had any issues?

Thanks

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mitzimad]

i had celotex in my self build which i had 5 years without issue probably the most reccomended on all the selfbuild sites

 

[mitzimad]

i hadnt heard of q board but it appears to be similar to hardibacker which is cement faced for tiling on to so i cant see it being suitable for a van due to weight and cement is acidic so chance of corrosion problems

 

[Treeeev]

I used a mixture of Celotex / Kingspan or the foil covered bubble wrap in my VW T4 selfbuild. The insulation worked really well in the 10 years I had that van, warm in winter and cool in the summer

Cheers

Trevor

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mitzimad]

most insulation is aimed at buildings as that is the main market all the main building suppliers will stockclosed cell foil backed insulation of some sort so supply shouldnt be a problem

 

[scandude]

Thanks for the advice, where is best to buy celotex. I've looked on eBay and it says king span/celotex and a I've seen a couple of websites but don't seem reputable.

Travis Perkins seems to do them but at £30 a sheet but that's too expensive, Jewsons does 25mm not 20mm, some of the other stockists on the celotex website seem to want you to setup accounts for quotes presumably as they supply trade.

Thanks for the help so far, so sorry to keep asking seemingly dumb questions but as I said i might need lots of help as I want to do a good job and not a rushed, it'll do, job.

 

[mitzimad]

sure i got 20mm from selco but it may have been 25

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Terry]

Hi as already said ebay ///celotex/kingspan is more or less same stuff

25mm CELOTEX/ RECTICAL/KINGSPAN INSULATION 8ft X 4ft, 2400mm X 1200mm | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 25mm CELOTEX/ RECTICAL/KINGSPAN INSULATION 8ft X 4ft, 2400mm X 1200mm at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

rover.ebay.com

search ,this was found on the first page of my search
I found sellers address and rang them -this produced a discount buying direct

 

[Spriddler]

Tip:
Take photos as you progress so that later you will know where the battening/bracing is and the routing of concealed wiring etc.

 

[scandude]

Thanks Again.

Sorry Terry didn't know kingspan and celotex were the same things, thought they might use different materials in their production or have different thermal properties, weight, compression etc would like to go with all the same product celotex or kingspan that way if something goes wrong on a particular sheet in 6 months time, i'll not have to think if that sheet was celotex or kingspan

Ideally I want to go for 20mm insulation not 25mm as this may cause issues when fitting up against the 20mm wooden frame which I have bought. Like you say it maybe worth calling them and seeing what they can do as finding 20mm to order online seems a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I think that 20mm must be awkward in the uk as most (including wickes seem to do 25mm as a minimum).

Good idea Spriddler, although I have to admit I don't think I've taken enough as I have already missed some parts that I probably should have done earlier.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scandude]

Update.

Just chatting with Nikko Walters on apparently minimum order for 20mm celotex is 120, costing over £1464 ( a little too expensive for my liking)

After checking the ebay link Terry they only sell 25mm, 75mm, 90mm and 100mm im wanting 20mm if possible, but this seems difficult, oh well on with the hunt.

Thanks again guys