New to the fleet - Blue Movano!, Lights, CAMPER, Action!

[cpjitservices]

Hi all

I put up a wanted the other day to see if anyone had any campers for sale, as it turns out, a quick check of FB marketplace turned up this remarckable Van. Not a single spot of rust on it! 2.5 CDTI, Its Blue, and it has 167k on the clock with cam belt change 1000 miles ago  (paperwork to prove) and runs lovely!.  MOT until December so thats not bad!

Its a Medium Wheel Base version and we are going to turn it into a camper, I have already put in a seperate battery and added lights in the back so I can work on it when it gets dark! 

No rear windows so I think that will be the first task, to get those fitted to DVLA guidelines and then get the rest of the guideline things done and see if we can re-register it in terms of logbook.

 

Will be an interesting project thats for sure.

 

Oh Yeah, forgot to mention... it cost me £1800. 

 

[cpjitservices]

First task has been done today, Bulkhead removed!, 

 

Surprisingly, have gained another 3-4 inches in the back! 

 

Secondly, battery added in the rear (Plonked in for now) LED strip lihts running off of it so I can work on it in the dark if needs be!

 

 

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Interested to see how this goes. How are you insulating it? Looks a decent starting point and there's no scene tax on the base vehicle which is a bonus!

[cpjitservices]

4 minutes ago, Dick Van Diesel said:

Interested to see how this goes. How are you insulating it? Looks a decent starting point and there's no scene tax on the base vehicle which is a bonus!

Oh its base allright, Keep fit windows in the front man!!!!

Insulation:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ecotherm-Celotex-Kingspan-Recticel-PIR-Insulation-Boards-2400x1200mm/143208343300?hash=item2157e1e704:g:lKkAAOSwxqZctidD

 

Looks like good stuff and is well used among the Camper Van community.

 

 

[barefoot]

Captains chair bases will give you far more extra space in the back than you'd expect.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Just now, cpjitservices said:

Oh its base allright, Keep fit windows in the front man!!!!

Insulation:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ecotherm-Celotex-Kingspan-Recticel-PIR-Insulation-Boards-2400x1200mm/143208343300?hash=item2157e1e704:g:lKkAAOSwxqZctidD

 

Looks like good stuff and is well used among the Cmaper Van community.

 

 

Looks decent stuff. There was a fella on RR who converted a standard van into an all singing camper conversion a couple of years back. May be worth having a look at some of his ideas too - all seemed really well thought out. I do fancy doing something similar, although need to finish this darn house first!

[cpjitservices]

1 minute ago, barefoot said:

Captains chair bases will give you far more extra space in the back than you'd expect.

We are looking at switching the double seat we have into a double swivel seat and leave drivers seat as is. 

 

We will need to add 2 seats in the rear as well with seatbelts.

[barefoot]

Only the passenger seat revolves in my bay.

Have a look at an 'M1 tested' Rock n Roll bed - http://www.jdsmetaltech.co.uk

[Bren]

The larger engined ones go very well.

[cpjitservices]

2 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Only the passenger seat revolves in my bay.

Have a look at an 'M1 tested' Rock n Roll bed - http://www.jdsmetaltech.co.uk

Cool we will see what we can do. We are going to include the rear setas (when we get them) into a L shape type thing to sit on. So need to source some rear seats. How do the Swivel seats work is it just a base? So you install the base and add the seat... any seat or something special?

Thanks - ill take a look at that,

[cpjitservices]

5 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Only the passenger seat revolves in my bay.

Have a look at an 'M1 tested' Rock n Roll bed - http://www.jdsmetaltech.co.uk

The only thing that worries me is the new DVLA guidelines for making it a Camper in regards to its classification.... 

 

I need to figure out exactly what this means...

2 or more windows on at least one side of the main body (this does not include windows on the driver or passenger doors) to provide a reasonable amount of daylight into the living accommodation

 

Possibly we will need to have 2 Windows on one side, so one in side door and one behind it. For it to qualify.

[barefoot]

I have Porsche 928 seats in my bay, I bought a base from Bluebird Customs for a T3 & left them with my tame VW bloke.

This is the only pic I have to hand.

 

 

[cpjitservices]

17 minutes ago, Bren said:

The larger engined ones go very well.

Seems energectic enough!

[cpjitservices]

SitRep regarding registration/classification etc.

 

SO with DVLA guidelines and reading on groups/forums, it is easier to register a self build as a van with Windows, but places like AdrainFlux WILL insure you as a camper van, I just got a quote from them for less than £500 for the year... (£427 to be precise) with me and the wife covered. Thats covered as a camper van conversion on the policy. 

This may be the route we take to get it registered, just need to figure out how to get it registered as a van with windows, and actaully fit some Windows (on the hunt now). 

Follow the thread to see how we get on!

 

In the rods of Clarkson..... This will be a good one!

[Dave_Q]

Ref van with windows, it seems to be what people get back when they have tried to register as a camper but not met the current, seemingly way stingier guidelines. 

Typically this is for lack of high top - a pop top does not count. 

So just apply for camper classification and see what you get. 

Am in a few camper conversion groups on FB as fancy something like this myself, will be interested to see how it turns out.

[NorthernMonkey]

When I looked into it a year or two ago, I seem to remember the criteria for getting ‘camper’ status with the DVLA is the permanent fitting of a sink and cooking facilities among others?

[cpjitservices]

[cpjitservices]

Just insured with Flux for £384.66. Paid up front.

 

Good policy.  90 days Euro cover!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

My brother is converting a van into a camper too,  he only wanted one window but had to fit two on one  side . This was the smallest he could get away with, my suggestion of some opera windows or portholes like a dralon lined 70’s Transit, were dismissed.

[Liggle]

Following with interest!

[mat_the_cat]

2 hours ago, cpjitservices said:

This does not mandate two windows, so it may be that your application would be approved (especially if most or all of the other criteria are met) with less.

[cpjitservices]

49 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

This does not mandate two windows, so it may be that your application would be approved (especially if most or all of the other criteria are met) with less.

Interesting, there are people on the forums and FB groups saying they have be classified as Van with Doors as reclass as Camper is hard to get even if you do have the guidelines done.

[cpjitservices]

This is nice,

 

A friend of mine has offered me anything I want from his scrap Astra H, well, I need seats for the rear of my van (With seatbelts).

So, do I take the front seats and rails, those will be able to be easily installed in the rear of the van and easy to fashion them to something (Box section?) to install in the back with seatbelts... or

would I fashion the rear bench seat and back rest together somehow to save space in the back of the van - I cant figure out a way at the minute to join the back and seat together, not safely anyway - So maybe the front would be better! 

Hmmm decisions... I may take all the seats and try different things and ways.

 

Any one got the measuremtns of the seats in an Astra H.... not that easy to find online surprisingly. Car isnt handy for me to visit at the moment.

[cort1977]

Front seats will be easier I reckon.  If they are for kids they may well prefer them, I know mine would.  Also, and more importantly they are designed as a single unit to resist crash forces.  As you say joining the back seats together safely is not easy.

DVLA seem to be having a war on camper conversions lately.  Do you want to change for the higher speed limits?  Insurance doesn't seem to be too much of an issue now as you have found.  

Looks good anyway, will follow with interest.  Keep meaning to get on with carpeting out my van and adding a second battery.  Been saying it for years and no closer.

 

[cpjitservices]

11 minutes ago, cort1977 said:

Front seats will be easier I reckon.  If they are for kids they may well prefer them, I know mine would.  Also, and more importantly they are designed as a single unit to resist crash forces.  As you say joining the back seats together safely is not easy.

DVLA seem to be having a war on camper conversions lately.  Do you want to change for the higher speed limits?  Insurance doesn't seem to be too much of an issue now as you have found.  

Looks good anyway, will follow with interest.  Keep meaning to get on with carpeting out my van and adding a second battery.  Been saying it for years and no closer.

 

Yep I need to look into the legalities etc, and the strengthening of the underside where the seats bolt to.

Im sure the garage I sue can sort that - they do MOT's so will know the safety guidelines etc.

 

As for the re-class... No, im not fussed about speed limits but I think you have to go through the mtoions of getting re-class as motorhome/motorcaravan to be rejected and be giving van with Windows class, which I would rather have on the V5 rather than just leaving it as van / LGV on the log book. Plus it helps when you need to get Ferries etc, slightly cheaper but not by much, but if Insurance are happy and all mods have been included in the policy,, then I guess thats what matters. So Ill be happy with Van with Windows on the V5. It just gets the van out of that 'Commercial' category.

[Dave_Q]

The official word from DVLA is that the V5 classification needs to match what the vehicle looks like in traffic, previously they would have given it to you with an airbed and a Trangia in the back more or less but on the outside it still looks like a van.

 

The conspiracy theory version is that they are planning to make sleeping in a van not registered as a Motor Caravan illegal so they can persecute VANLIFERZ who live in a layby in a converted Luton,

I'm really not that sure if Da Man is that bothered about a minority of crusties who want to opt out of The System but it does seem odd they are cracking down on it so much when there are no obvious $$ in in for them.

[cpjitservices]

6 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

The official word from DVLA is that the V5 classification needs to match what the vehicle looks like in traffic, previously they would have given it to you with an airbed and a Trangia in the back more or less but on the outside it still looks like a van.

 

The conspiracy theory version is that they are planning to make sleeping in a van not registered as a Motor Caravan illegal so they can persecute VANLIFERZ who live in a layby in a converted Luton,

I'm really not that sure if Da Man is that bothered about a minority of crusties who want to opt out of The System but it does seem odd they are cracking down on it so much when there are no obvious $$ in in for them.

Can only see what happens I suppose

[Jerzy Woking]

I bought l a pair of seats out of a Mercedes bus and bolted these to the floor in the back of my VW T4. Put some big FO steel plates under the vant o spread the load in case of impact.

Big advantage was that the seats came fitted with full inertia reel seatbelts built in which gave me options as to where I placed them.

[barefoot]

59 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

The official word from DVLA is that the V5 classification needs to match what the vehicle looks like in traffic...

There's something about stealth campers being thought of as vans so they don't look inside them after a collision for injured people as well. That's why they want the happy camper graphics, although I suspect that two tone paint with a white roof will become the new norm, look at T6 California's etc

[New POD]

DVLA are weird bastards. 

When I mistakenly bought a mk2 fiesta van which had been converted to a car.

When i asked DVLA to make it a hatchback, on the V5. 

The V5 was changed from Car Derived Van to.....drum roll....... Van with rear side windows....... 

They refused 100% to say it was a hatchback. 

They also refused to say......... Car Derived Van with rear side windows. 

And Ford wrote me a nice letter saying that the seat and seat belt mounts were exactly the same as on the hatch back, so in terms of crash integrity, it would be identical to the car, which my insurer appreciated.