Van Conversion Project
Basic requirements for the conversion were:
Basic requirements of the van itself were:
Given the requirements above I narrowed my search to the lwb (long wheel base) Toyota Hiace and Volkswagen Transporter. Unlike some other types of vans, these vans come with a lined roof. In the end I bought a panelled 2001 Hiace. If a van is bought unpanelled, places such as Cafco (St Margarets, D11, 01-8640300) and O'Kelly Conversions (Santry 01-8322206) will put them in for you. If you are getting panels put in, it is probably a good idea to also get insulation.
My starting point was:
I left the dividing board as it was apart from putting the spare wheel back under the van.
Would have preferred if the wheel arches were not boxed but decided to leave them as they were.
This first thing to tackle was the floor:
Bought 3 rolls of rubber matting in B&Q. The Liffey Valley store seems to be the only place where these are stocked. Despite their thickness and durability they can be cut with a scissors. I bound them to the plylined floor using carpet strips which were also picked up in B&Q. As no glue was used this rubber flooring can be easily removed.
Next was the bed:
This consists of 18mm plywood on top of 3 goalpost shaped metal frames. The frames were made by buying 4 steel bars in B&Q and using Metric Engineering on the Greenhills road to shape them according to design. They charged 140 Euros for this work. Paint them with Hammerlite as they will rust very quickly otherwise if there is any salt water contact.
I used a distance of 120cm between the posts and the bottom of the crossbar is 42cm high. I wanted a height which was high enough to allow most things fit under but was not so high that one's head would be going through the roof while sitting on the bed. Best to experiment yourself with heights keeping in mind your payload and personal dimensions.
The frame floor plates have 4 drilled holes and are screwed to the plywood floor.
The bed base is sized at standard double bed size. This was made by buying 2 sheets of 8 foot x 4 foot 18mm plywood in B&Q and getting them to make a 192cm X 68 cm cut from each one. The 2 pieces were attached side by side to the goalpost frames using self tapping screws (drill a small hole first before screwing through the metal).
You may notice I built small boxes on top of the boxed in arches. This is so that personal items can be stored on the original wheel arch boxes without falling off. There is enough room on each side to fit a hand down.
Next a couple of simple curtains:
The simplest solution is to sew a fabric on to a curtain cord. A light blocking fabric is best.
The cords and fabric (I got remnants) were picked up in Hickeys. The cords can be snipped to size using a wire cutters.
On one side of the front curtain the hook needed to be placed in to the metal body. I broke two hooks trying to do this in spite of drilling a small hole first.
So in the end I used a self tapping screw and large washer. The curtains can be pulled back but I often find it easier just to unhook them.
That was it. After this is was just a matter of kitting it out:
An ordinary double mattress was put in. I spent quite a bit of time looking at sleeping bags and in the end bought two extra large teabag shaped sleeping bags in O'Meara's on the Crumlin road. When these are zipped together the effect is the same as sewing two double quilts together. Very comfortable and roomy.
Bought a 35 litre fridge with good insulation (thick walls) in Halfords. This works off the cigarette lighter. It doesn't slide under the bed but I could have got a smaller one if I wanted that.
Right of the fridge is a small table which stores away nicely.
O'Meara's had a good selection of different sized water containers and I managed to find a 25 litre one which fits snugly along the side and against the boxed in wheel arch.
The van was not set up to be a camper but if the bed base is as close to the back door as possible there should be enough space in front of it to set up a table and stove. These particular ones can be got in O'Meara's. Charles Camping in Blessington also stocks this table.
Gas cylinder and storage box for food and cooking utensils. I found Atlantic Homecare in the Liffey Valley had the best selection of storage boxes. The gas stove sits neatly on top of this when folded away. The box came with 4 wheels. I removed two to stop it rolling around, leaving the other two on allows one to slide it in and out easily (the rubber has high friction).
Waterproof van seat covers. Useful if you want to sit in with your wetsuit on. The only place I could find van seat covers was Argos.
There is enough room under the bed to carry one board, a bodyboard and other outdoor/personal/cooking gear. More boards could be carried by removing the mattress and using the base as a shelf. Placing something on this to stop boards sliding about would be a good idea.