Comments

Thanks Alex, and good luck! Steal what ideas you can, but do remember everyone is different 🙂 You can get roofracks for the NV for your surfboards. Just put in the basics and enjoy to the max!

Hi Ryan and Mel. Regarding seat runners did you try scrap yards?.
and do you know what nissan car use’s same runners.
I am building a nv 200 camper and have same problem

Good spot!
We really struggled here, I installed the seat with an engineering customer with most bolts known to man, and they didn’t have any, nor did a couple of specialist suppliers on the industrial estate. As we were doing it there and then we didn’t look online. But anyone who prepares in advance should check your link as they do look right (and rated at 10.9 which is important)
Thanks for making me and others aware

Hi.
The panel is slightly raised on the brackets (but still lower than the skylight), and under there I have a waterproof box bonded to the roof, and the cables go into the rear side of that then into a hole through there inside the van. The hole is between the wooden bulkhead (where all the switches are) and the internal wardrobe wall – so it can’t be seen internally. Hope that helps

Glad to help. Still stand by the advice, though I did buy an inverter last week as my 12v laptop power supply failed and it was easier to get a small inverter to power the 240v power supply I had by chance lol – rather than seek out a 12v special one for this laptop which, in northern Norway was impossible.

But kettle and the like – gas is the only viable option

Thanks. Yep, give and take. I learn from others who give info out free too 🙂

The bed, all in with me making the boards and screwing them on, VW Rusty Lee making the frame, and a local company doing the foam and upholstery – was <£1k - maybe £550-600 for frame, £350-400 for upholstery. TBH - the frame is FANTASTIC - far better made than most - worth a LOT more IMO.

Plastic tile edge trim stuck with contact adhesive.
Its *ok* but I bet there is a better way! Maybe if you can cut carpet better than me, and glue neater than me, go without. Or if you find better trim let me know. Could do better here….

Hi
Good question.
I only did it covering the “holes” in the removed panels on the doors. This was then sealed to create a moisture/vapour barrier. The doors have holes for handle that lets in water, and this is to allow the water “out”. The ply/carpet panel goes on top. On the rest of the doors, and around the windows is just carpet. Why? In a small van, when you breath you get condensation. Any bare metal will get wet. That’s a fact. Why don’t the pro’s do it? Because its a b****d of a job lol!
Some other panels were insulated with a cross between the 7mm foam & silver, or the 3mm silver thermawrap – just to maximise insulation really.
But the doors, its only the “openings” where the innards are I covered.
See the entire photo nbuild process for more pics
Hope this helps?

No idea, but same principals apply to any TDCi engine

Define comfortably? Out last cars were a Puma and an MX5 – so the van has lots more room 🙂
But you are right – and some things we took into account to negate this
1 – the roof we didn’t insulate as well as we wanted, and we didn’t ply-over the roof crossmembers – we insulated between. this gives a few more mm (20?) head room
2 – the loo under the bed was priority – so seat height is mm perfect to get access to the loo, and bed modified with flat front cross member at floor (not box section) saving another 20mm
3 – the seat “reclines” so the angle of the back has a couple of possible settings, and when angled means you have more headroom as you lean back.

Is it tight? Yep. (its a small van!). Does it work – yep.

We have 82cm from top of seat to roof (how on earth you got the same measurement is beyond me lol!) – but 86cm following seat back angle.

If you don’t have the loo under you could lower the seat a bit as our seat does feel a bit high to sit on – but the loo was essential for us as we wild camp.

Small van = lots of compromises – just need to fine tune for you.

Good luck

Hi Andrew,

I have started off with another approach where I actually took off the whole front of the Transit. Only then I found out this post.
So I actually have now very good access to the radiator. I am just puzzled how to “unclip the radiator and swing it on the side” part. This would really give me very good access to the pump I think.

No – it is special lightweight ply which is coated. MUCH straighter than normal ply and about 1/2 the weight. Expensive though – £45-50 for 8×4 sheet of plain stuff I used for non visible areas, and £120+ for the finished stuff. Has a very fine layer of covering.
Available from specialist suppliers in self-build parts.

Not sure where you mean? the wheel arches? If so the arches are just the 7mm foam insulation and carpet straight over the wheel arch.
We only battoned the floor as above – and really can’t remember the sizes.

Is it this one http://www.diy.com/departments/diall-loft-insulation-l8m-w370mm-t100mm/197658_BQ.prd?ppc_type=shopping&ds_kids=92700018862572466&utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=PX_GSC_Building_Outdoor_Best_Sellers&gclid=Cj0KCQiA84rQBRDCARIsAPO8RFwPqmhupG8YoJvpW0fL8clMkzgn_qy0bqpOMP5NJNs23AZnSctd3DsaAi5WEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJCKqu7ur9cCFfiE7QodlP8G9A ?

Hi. The door handle is designed to leak, so you need to ensure there is a drainage channel. The step is obvious 🙂 ON THE VAN VERSION there are only a few obvious bolts and then it pulls off. FROM MEMORY the step is clipped in by rubber-over-ball type fittings so is snug when fitted and needs coaxing off. Be brave! (Assuming it is the same of course!!) If you send me a photo I can say if it looks the same?

Nope! No chance. A slow cooker will take 0.7kw over, say, 4 hours cooking time? 0.7kw @ 240v = 3A @ 240v. At 12v this would be 60A (!!).
So 240AH over a 4 hr period. Ideally You should never use >50% of battery power, so you’d need 5x 100AH batteries for powering a slow cooker for 4hrs – and after than they’d be flat. You’d then struggle to charge them!
For heating, cooking, gas is the best/only way in a campervan away from hookup or generator.

Hi, not sure what you mean? Looks OK from here?

Beyond whats on this page, I know nothing, and I’ve never seen a 2.4 So hopefully someone else can help. Also look at the fordtransit.org forum – those guys know their stuff. Good luck

Hmmm. Probably, yes, but I’d not recommend it. for the seat to swivel it needs to be in a particular “place” front to back. If you fixed it there, its not optimum for either sitting in as a passenger, or as a habitation seat. It needs to be “towards the back” for the passenger to have room when driving, and “towards the front of the van” when rotated for the habitation to have room (and to make room for loo). Youd also need to open the door to rotate which you don’t with sliders.

So yes, probably, but I wouldn’t.

Why without runners? They are cheap and don’t actually alter the height of the seat compared to how it is made – even with the turntable?

A/C as in “air conditioning”? If so – no – 12v / solar/ battery will not run air con – or if it does, not for very long. Habitation air con is too much current for that – it needs mains hookup. You also can’t use the engine air con without the engine running.

If you mean A/C as in “mains power” – then the CTEK only does solar/engine/habitation battery – and that’s enough – the solar keeps the batteries full even when running the compressor fridge. Even on campsites where we have 240v – we don’t plug in. (We have separate 240v-12v charger system – see blog).

Everything runs on 12v, lights, pump, laptops, tech, etc – no need for 240v unless, say, camping over winter and need constant heating where a 240v heater may be needed?

Good spot, fixed, thanks.

Fresh is 30L. Waste is 20L.
Fresh has 4x LED for 50%+ 30-50% 10-30% and <10% full (roughly) Waste has 1x LED when 80% full.

No idea of US company, its just 7mm closed cell foam with silver vapour barrier and one side and high temp adhesive on the other. You NEED high temp adhesive otherwise it will melt and drop off in the dun.
I glued carpet directly to the insulation – see build pics. Again – HIGH QUALITY HIGH TEMP contact adhesive.