Ola! this will be my third thread started on ExPo, I hope it doesnt go the way of my first two.
One was about a boot box for a Mitsubishi Outlander I sold without finishing and the second was about a roof rack I was making for a Hyundai Santa Fe that I've decided to retire in preference to this project.....
Given Covid rumbles on and here in Ireland we are in lockdown no 2, and even when it ends international travel won't really be encouraged for most of this year we've taken a notion to build a van because accomodation in Ireland is going to be impossible to get this year without exchanging a kidney.
Ireland has some awkward motor tax and insurance rules, we don't have the freedom you guys have in the states so I'm working within a specific set of paramters, many of which are regulatory.
We are a family of four, kids are 9 and 13, we like to go camping and touring. not really much proper off roading to be had in ireland, but lots of crappy roads and beach access trails and the like.
Looking for a van that will transport and sleep the four of us, but fit under a 2M barrier, these are not uncommon at car parks, particularly beach ones, to discourage wild camping, particularly by gypsies to be honest.
2m mean medium sized vans, the one size from europe that hasnt invaded the states yet, although I believe MB are looking at bringing over the Vito.
Main choices are the ubiquitous VW Transporter, the Ford Transit Custom, the MB Vito or the Renault/Nissan/Opel Trafic/Primastar/Vivaro all these vans are
After looking at Transporters for ages nothing much was coming in the spec I wanted. 1.9 or 2.0, LWB, passenger. I started to look at the alternatives and the Renault/Nissan/Opel seemed the next best option, it's actually a tiny bit wider inside but the floor is slightly longer.
It's not as nice to look at but who cares, it's a van. they're generally a lot cheaper than the VWs which attract a heavy scene tax.
awd is a very rare option on any of these vans and not even available from the manufacturer on the Primastar, but given the terrain it'll be facing that's no big deal.
I picked up a rough looking 2007 minibus that's had the back seats replaced with ones from a Renault Espace people carrier, these are great seats as they come on separate rails and have integrated seat belts.
We've wasted no time in ripping out the seat conversion and putting two of them back in, with a folding bed frame behind it.
plan is to have a small kitchen pod where the third seat might go. this will (if I can get it approved by the camper club who will be providing the insurance for this) be a sliding unit that hides under a cooler box and has a sink and hob built in
we will sleep on the bed platform and then with the kitchen pushed back in the kids can sleep on the floor.
The mattress will be in three sections as is the bed platform
We will still retain a decent sized boot under the bed platform, and I will built a cabinet on the right of it floor to ceiling for storage
That's where we're up to so far. short term plans are to get the kitchen design approved before I build it, finish the storage and bed, insulate the sides and make some window insulators.
After that it needs tyres so I'll go up a little in size and fit an all terrain, then see if I've any headroom for a tiny lift while staying under the 2M target.
Doing this as cheaply as possible to see if we make use of it more than we would the tents and if we do then next winter I'll spend more on a better base vehicle (maybe an awd transporter) and apply the lessons learned on this one.
Only ten days since we got it, hoping to keep the pace up, not much else to be doing in evenings and weekends because of lockdown, but delivery companies are still working so parts are arriving to keep us occupied.
One was about a boot box for a Mitsubishi Outlander I sold without finishing and the second was about a roof rack I was making for a Hyundai Santa Fe that I've decided to retire in preference to this project.....
Given Covid rumbles on and here in Ireland we are in lockdown no 2, and even when it ends international travel won't really be encouraged for most of this year we've taken a notion to build a van because accomodation in Ireland is going to be impossible to get this year without exchanging a kidney.
Ireland has some awkward motor tax and insurance rules, we don't have the freedom you guys have in the states so I'm working within a specific set of paramters, many of which are regulatory.
We are a family of four, kids are 9 and 13, we like to go camping and touring. not really much proper off roading to be had in ireland, but lots of crappy roads and beach access trails and the like.
Looking for a van that will transport and sleep the four of us, but fit under a 2M barrier, these are not uncommon at car parks, particularly beach ones, to discourage wild camping, particularly by gypsies to be honest.
2m mean medium sized vans, the one size from europe that hasnt invaded the states yet, although I believe MB are looking at bringing over the Vito.
Main choices are the ubiquitous VW Transporter, the Ford Transit Custom, the MB Vito or the Renault/Nissan/Opel Trafic/Primastar/Vivaro all these vans are
After looking at Transporters for ages nothing much was coming in the spec I wanted. 1.9 or 2.0, LWB, passenger. I started to look at the alternatives and the Renault/Nissan/Opel seemed the next best option, it's actually a tiny bit wider inside but the floor is slightly longer.
It's not as nice to look at but who cares, it's a van. they're generally a lot cheaper than the VWs which attract a heavy scene tax.
awd is a very rare option on any of these vans and not even available from the manufacturer on the Primastar, but given the terrain it'll be facing that's no big deal.
I picked up a rough looking 2007 minibus that's had the back seats replaced with ones from a Renault Espace people carrier, these are great seats as they come on separate rails and have integrated seat belts.
We've wasted no time in ripping out the seat conversion and putting two of them back in, with a folding bed frame behind it.
plan is to have a small kitchen pod where the third seat might go. this will (if I can get it approved by the camper club who will be providing the insurance for this) be a sliding unit that hides under a cooler box and has a sink and hob built in
we will sleep on the bed platform and then with the kitchen pushed back in the kids can sleep on the floor.
The mattress will be in three sections as is the bed platform
We will still retain a decent sized boot under the bed platform, and I will built a cabinet on the right of it floor to ceiling for storage
That's where we're up to so far. short term plans are to get the kitchen design approved before I build it, finish the storage and bed, insulate the sides and make some window insulators.
After that it needs tyres so I'll go up a little in size and fit an all terrain, then see if I've any headroom for a tiny lift while staying under the 2M target.
Doing this as cheaply as possible to see if we make use of it more than we would the tents and if we do then next winter I'll spend more on a better base vehicle (maybe an awd transporter) and apply the lessons learned on this one.
Only ten days since we got it, hoping to keep the pace up, not much else to be doing in evenings and weekends because of lockdown, but delivery companies are still working so parts are arriving to keep us occupied.
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