We had the sporadic and slightly radical idea of using our existing savings on a van, instead of a mortgage deposit. We figured it would probably be a while before we were in a position to buy our own place and would probably need adult jobs first. So, since student life still hasn't come to end we started looking... This involved meeting some pretty dodgy people at suspect industrial estates across Leeds. Thankfully we found a great local company called Pro Vans (https://www.provans.co.uk/) that sold off their ex-fleet vehicles. We looked up the common faults online and attempted to check everything as thoroughly as we could (with a bit of help from friends). Pro Vans were really good and agreed to fix some of the paint scuffs and areas of rust we noticed, whilst also knocking a bit of money off (result). Transferring the money was a bit daunting, so I triple checked the bank details to be sure. This was the most amount of money I had ever transferred. Although, doing it digitally was a little bit less dramatic that the last car I bought in cash when the bank had to open the safe. It was an exciting day to be driving off down the road in a van, something I thought was not going to be an option until I had finished my PhD. Instead the present to myself came two years earlier than expected. Adventures here we come... Apparently, Charlie said that people in the delivery industry refer to these as 'my hermes' vehicles. Since we were looking for a suitable name, we opted for 'Herman'. This may have been linked with a certain J.K Rowling book that somebody listens to regularly. Also, herman has got something to do with starter culture for bread. And this was going to the be the start of a new approach to weekends for us. Thankfully we randomly decided to invest right before Covid-19 struck and social isolation thrust itself into our lives. This gave us a great project and distraction to work on most days whilst staying at home. We are only a week or so in and I think I may have gone mad without something to distract me which wasn't work. One of the first jobs we did once we were proud owners of our new wagon was removing the bulkhead. This was so that any snooping opportunists could see that there was nothing kept in there overnight. It made us feel better and sleep a little easier. The next discussion was what do we do with this beast.. would somebody want to buy it.. would we make anything via scrap metal? We investigated, and at present, it is still on Gumtree for free with no interest. Scrap metal calculations worked out at about £1.50. This explains why the camper van garage had loads sitting outside. Once we had taken the ply boards up we quickly realised how many holes were in the floor, it was like a collider. We filled these with fibre glass, which took a while to dry in the below 10c temperature. Vans are really cold with no insulation. Charlie did this job whilst I was at work and strangely counted the number of holes, which was 146 (random). She made some van friends amongst the tradesmen fixing the water pipes outside our house that week. One said 'thats a right good van there, but by ek do them inges rust' (good old Yorkshire accent). Don't worry it's on the massive and ever-growing list. At first, I thought sound deadener was either a joke or a marketing ploy to empty people’s wallets. Having done some research online it turns out I was wrong. Rather than paying loads for the 'correct' stuff Charlie thought that roof flashing has very similar properties. This self-adhesive lead replacement is very dense, pliable, and also saved a load of money. Having warmed it up on the radiator (it was a cold morning) we stuck it onto the larger flat panels to reduce the vibrations and low frequency noises. We lathered rust eater solution onto the areas of metal work in and around the back that we thought may have rust spots. Thankfully, since we bought a pretty new van there weren't many areas to treat. After about 20mins this reacted with any traces of rust and sealed them by turning black. We were surprised with what appeared fresh paint actually reacted (£4.50 well spent). We then painted over this with several coats of Hammerite paint (well Screwfix's own version actually) which worked well. You could barely make out the rust solution or fibre glass repairs we did. We watched a few videos on YouTube showing how people had laid their floors. Once suitably informed we felt pretty anxious about screwing down through the floor many times. We quickly figured out pre-drilling the metal resulted in a neater hole, and also that the design of the vehicle was pretty smart. If screwing through the raised floor sections, with the right sized metalwork, it sat a reasonable distance from all the important things underneath, like the massive fuel tank (Gulp). I did a lot of checking underneath before committing to some of these, which got a lot more casual towards the end. Acting on advice from my Dad, we also fixed the wood with adhesive (picture above) which was also a sealant and flexible. Called OB1, it was expensive but apparently used widely in the building trade. Once the batons were suitably spaced with noggins fitted, we tackled the massive sheets of Kingspan that were cluttering our front room. Cutting this with a sharp Stanley knife seemed to work the best, as the handsaw peppered the street in tiny plastic particles (sorry environment). We finished up with rolls of aluminium tape to seal around the edges of the insulation.
Seeing as only the vans software had been updated, we also opted for belt and braces and got an uprated lock fitted. I thought it may be tricky finding someone to fit a very specific lock cylinder, but it tuns out there were a few places around the corner that did it. Van Locks Leeds (https://vanlocksleeds.co.uk/) did an amazing job and they were very familiar with the weaknesses of the Transits security. An hour later (whilst reading a book on a nice piece of grass in the sun staying 2m away from other humans and conscious that if somebody came close we would be classified as a social gathering) everything was sorted. It turned out to be money well spent as the previous lock cylinder had had a break in attempt and some of the metal and components were broken. Cue an even better nights sleep. The next job involved cutting self-adhesive foam insulation to fit the various nooks and crannies. We quickly realised that although the Ford Transit Custom looks quite sleek from the outside, this causes a nightmare on the inside. Every panel was different and very sculpted in multiple directions. Progress was glacial. Patience well and truly tested, we were pretty happy with our level of precision and reckon we could get a job working for NASA. Saturn 5 rocket eat your heart out. Well maybe, an internship... We were excited to progress to the next stage and rip open the recycled bottles which had been cluttering up the front room for days. This was polyester wadding and worked a dream to fill up all of the awkward cavities, which there were many. No issues with being irritating, and small chunks could be pulled off really easily. If it were hazardous, then we would have been screwed as all the dust masks were long gone. The next mini hurdle involved electrics. We didn't want to wrap the existing cables with insulation and potentially risk turning into a fireball heading down the M1. Having realised that regular electrical conduit is a bugger to cut lengthwise, and fearing for my fingers, we shelled out for some split casing. Turned out that orange was cheaper too. Result! We could drive along with the lights on, not concerned about an impromptu inferno. Then a friend told me low current cables don't produce much heat. Oh well. A local company Van Trim in Otley (http://www.van-trim.co.uk/#1) sorted us right out. Frazier was a top guy and gave us loads of advice, and did a great job of our windows. It was cool looking at the campers in his workshop at different stages of conversion. Mostly VW Transporters, standard. It was nice he was happy to help with individual aspects of the project rather than demanding an all or nothing approach.
We have done many more jobs recently, such as laying vinyl, carpeting the walls, and fitting a solar panel. I will make a camper blog part II soon. Stay safe and watch this space :)
5 Comments
Sarah
11/5/2020 01:48:21 pm
Well done you two , if you fancy a few days away please come and see us with Herman ! X
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Chris
15/5/2020 10:51:28 am
Thanks Sarah, we would love to once everyone is allowed out. Hope you are both keeping well :)
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Mum
16/4/2021 08:57:04 pm
I loved reading this
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18/1/2024 07:55:05 am
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19/2/2024 03:02:15 pm
Software-defined vehicles represent a new era in automotive technology where essential functions of vehicles are controlled and managed by software rather than traditional hardware. This innovative approach allows for greater flexibility, adaptability, and over-the-air updates, enhancing vehicle performance, safety, and user experience. By integrating advanced computing and connectivity, software-defined vehicles pave the way for autonomous driving, smart mobility solutions, and personalized driving experiences, revolutionizing the automotive industry and shaping the future of transportation.
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