Fiat Ducato camper build

colm_mcm

There’s 110mm in the difference between a Ducato and Sprinter (with standard suspension) from the ground to the floor of the van.

I must be used to seeing too many low in the water coach builds. I thought there was a much bigger difference.

colm_mcm

Little bit more progress, starting to feel a lot more campery inside now





Trying to avoid exposed screw heads or even exposed screw covers if at all possible.
Kinda a bit OCD that way..

Next job will be adding overhead lockers (which will cover the pocket holes on the toilet wall ) and a bit more work in the toilet/shower area


Oh yeah, we have a step now

Buford T Justice

What material are you using on the walls of the bathroom there?

colm_mcm

It’s 15mm Morland lightweight plywood.
The veneer is called driftwood.

All routered and cut edges varnished with yacht varnish just in case. We will be adding white PVC sheeting on the outer wall (the one that’s not built yet) but not on the others as all joints with shower and between walls will be sealed so the only way it can get wet is if the veneer on the sheet is broken. Because all edges are hidden either inside the aluminium profiles and knock-in edging (double lipped) or by the shower tray or ceiling, the chances of getting the ply part wet are quite small.

BorneTobyWilde

You should do a VW Bluebird next

So much space to work with.

colm_mcm

There goes my dinner.

BorneTobyWilde

Ah well it would your job to make it spacious luxurious, a real home from home. Imagination

Buford T Justice

Can't change the look of it though.

theguzman

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

You should do a VW Bluebird next

So much space to work with.

Would a regular Joe Soap need a different category driving licence for one of those? Also they are big and akward, I drove back to Slea Head in Dingle this year and it was absolute chaotic with a convoy of German campers, some of which are absolutely monstrous in size and not suited to Irish rural roads at all, wheras the OP's Ducato conversion is turning into a lovely machine.

I am thinking heavily about converting my own camper for next summer, Me and my OH are thinking to do a tour of Scandinavia maybe next summer and a Camper is perfect for us, problem for me is it must be Automatic transmission meaning a conversion is most likely and we will go LHD. Afterwords we are thinking to have it shipped to Cartagena in Colombia or to Montevideo in Uruguay and do a few months on the road from the North all the ways down to Patagonia, if Starlink is a success it would allow us huge flexibility to work away from home also. Obviously we will start small first, one step at a time.

BorneTobyWilde

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Can't change the look of it though.

That's the first thing I would change, total new format regarding windows n such. All those windows have to go, and the back door.

colm_mcm

Those Bluebirds weigh 4 tonnes as a bus, so aside from needing a truck licence I’d say the 2.0 TDI would probably struggle a bit. Plus you’re paying extra on ferries because of the length.

Then you’d have to have your water tanks in the cabin and all sorts of other complications.

BorneTobyWilde

colm_mcm wrote: »

Those Bluebirds weigh 4 tonnes as a bus, so aside from needing a truck licence I’d say the 2.0 TDI would probably struggle a bit. Plus you’re paying extra on ferries because of the length.

Then you’d have to have your water tanks in the cabin and all sorts of other complications.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-Volkswagen-Transporter-2-5-RARE-BLUEBIRD-BUS-CONVERSION-FULLY-OPEARTIVE-PX/264765386127?hash=item3da53f2d8f:g:WtcAAOSw741fUcZl


You'd want the 2.5 TDI, I guess a lot of the weight is in all that glass, seats, rear doors. One would want to remove all that, and fiberglass the whole thing, fitting a pattern of plastic windows that is more reflective of a camper


end up with something like this on the inside

colm_mcm

Finally got the drawers for the kitchen

colm_mcm

Next job was cutting out some cubby holes and a door opening in the side of the kitchen.

First thing to do is use a hole saw for the corners



Then use the router to cut the straight bits



Same process as for the toilet door.

colm_mcm

A lot of campers have a flip down worktop extension at the side of the kitchen, but we wanted to do something a little different so I put the pull-out worktop on soft-close sliders, it’ll be very handy for the passenger seat when it’s turned around. It’s held in the out position by a few magnet catches.
There will be a flip-down door in front of this. We are also building in wireless charging underneath the shelf.




Still a bit of tidying up to do on this.

Buford T Justice

colm_mcm wrote: »

It’s 15mm Morland lightweight plywood.
The veneer is called driftwood.

Where did you get it, aside from ebay / amazon?

colm_mcm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Where did you get it, aside from ebay / amazon?

You can get it from Cosy Campers in Dublin. It isn’t generally available from builders providers.

My friend was in the UK last year so got it there.

colm_mcm

Here is how the kitchen unit will work with sink/hob
Hob has a piezo igniter which stick down quite a lot.

colm_mcm

Did a bit on the overhead shelf today

BonnieSituation

Will you plug those screw holes?

colm_mcm

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Will you plug those screw holes?

Those holes will be covered by an overhead cabinet over the rear seats. That’s why there’s so many of them, and why they’re stuck in the corner

BonnieSituation

I was thinking they were outside of your normal standard of work. "Friday afternoon Colm" did that job.

colm_mcm

BonnieSituation wrote: »

I was thinking they were outside of your normal standard of work. "Friday afternoon Colm" did that job.

That’s why we have exposed holes here too

The others are hidden inside the aluminium corner profiles.

colm_mcm

Did a bit more of the kitchen today, and the bit over the sliding door, which has the CBE control panel and the water heater controls on it



Looks more of a mess that it did before we started, but all the wiring will be tidied up soon!

colm_mcm

Bit better pictures in daylight





We are all out of the T-trim so anywhere that has a slot routered into it will get some.

colm_mcm

Next job....

Buford T Justice

What is the aluminium profile you're using for the edges?

colm_mcm

It’s a 15mm corner profile. Often called a Morland corner profile.
Widely available from places that do camper stuff. Cosy Campers in Dublin do them for €29 for 2.1m length.

It’s great stuff because it adds a lot of strength, there’s a bit of adjustment in it too as the channel is 20mm deep.

Buford T Justice

Looks the job - Naturally designed to suit their expensive 15mm board