Ford Transit conversion to camper MKII

I started building the kitchen unit today with 12mm ply. I was originally going to go with 18mm for rigidity but its considerably heavier than the 12mm.

To give the sides a bit of strength I added some 2 x 1 to it. I can get my hands on drawer kits locally - the sides and the rails so that means I can have drawers whatever width I want them to be. Trouble is, they can only be got in 300mm and 450mm.



The depth of the carcass is 470mm, so that I can fit a 500mm countertop to it and still have 30mm of an overhang.



I'm thinking of adding a smaller box that sits out over some of the sliding door for maybe the gas and the heater tank and the coutertop can finish off at an angle towards the front. Either way - there's more space to be better utilised there.


I also added some roof sheets to finish the roof. That was a complete sheet. I figure the overhead lockers will cover the corners anyway, and I'll be doing something to cover those gaps anyway.

colm_mcm wrote: »

Nice job, you seem to have plenty clearance between the double seat and the kitchen

Yeah, seems to be plenty of space. I originally had the carcass depth at 500mm but I took the 30 off because I wanted to be sure it wasn't an issue when there's an overhang from the worktop.

It means I may not be able to fit the 450 drawers in, I'm not sure yet. I'll have to get one to see how it works


I also gave some thought to the cabinet that overhangs the door for the gas and diesel. The gas has to be a sealed container with a drop hole & access to it has to be from outside the van - ie with the door open.



Doing so would potentially block access to the manual lock of the sliding door. I've had a mk6 one of these before and the central locking never unlocked the sliding door. I always had to open it from the inside. If it was an ordinary cabinet I could leave an access hole, but if it can't be opened from the inside..........

colm_mcm wrote: »

You might look at relocating the inside lock handle on the door, I’d say it’s straightforward enough if it’s cable operated,

That’s on the to-do list for the Ducato back door, the bed is up against it now.

No can do, It's actually just a plastic piece that goes directly into the lock mechanism. No cables to move unfortunately.

Panelled one of the outside walls of the bathroom



And then, in typical make it up as you go along fashion, I started on the overhead locker over the seats




And then I decided that I'd line out the panels with carpet liner.



I appreciate that this isn't a great photo, but there's a better one coming

I noticed that since I panelled the wall it blocked all the light in the front of the van and made it difficult do any work on it. I assembled one of the led strips and diffuser's which spurred me on to to the storage. Or at least I think that's what led me down this path anyway.

I then stole - err got some inspiration for the led strips and routed a 7mm strip into the underside of the cabinet.

It's not actually held in with anything, but I lined the underside and then cut a line down the gap with a knife. The added dimension of the carpet is enough to wedge the rail in good and tight. It remains to be seen if it'll fall out, but it seems snug now.

Looks pretty cool



Sir Liam, Still waiting on your build thread. :pac: :pac: :pac: :pac:

colm_mcm wrote: »

Very nice! What are you doing for light switches?

Your cavity walls are ideal for them by the looks of it.

Funnily enough i hadn't given them much thought.
This week just I picked up a caddy for getting about in. I added some small 12v lights to the back of it that I had for the conversion which I'm not using now. I used these rockers for the on off, and I was thinking about using them as light switches. They're discreet and simple and will do the job.

I don't want to use domestic switches in the van. It's not a house, it's a campervan and should feel like one.

......


That is of course, until SirLiam came along with his suggestions again.....

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

I'm putting posh switches in mine.



Screwfix do a selection (Varilight). www.switchtowood.co.uk have the motherlode.

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

They're right fancy. They look way better in real life too. The Nickel toggle looks best I think.
Very spendy though but vans are small.
I swapped all the ones in the house by throwing one in the basket every time I have to put in an order for lecky goods. Screwfix are pretty unbeatable for 13A tough plugs and metalclad mains sockets, switches, m20 grommets....allsorts.

I like the look of the black nickel toggle. Something retro-cool about the toggle switches. I think it'll be nice over the grey liner. Might order a few of them, plus a twin gang socket. Dry lining boxes would do the job here. The fridge can be plugged into any old socket, it won't be seen.

Plenty of them with USB sockets for twice the price - no thanks

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Mad how fast he is without some sparky throwing him curveballs all day innit?!

True, but none the less I"m grateful for the advice so I know it's a safe install.

Built another overhead cabinet. The idea is that this one will be at the end of the bed, hence why I made this one deeper than the first one.



I also routed out for a light strip to be fitted. I can use the wall cavity to run cables down to the bottom of the cabinet for the lights. I wonder are these led's suitable for dimmers, and would standard dimmers work?

I learned after I had done this that the lining carpet will stretch enough to do the void without cutting it and re-gluing. It's turned out a little less tidy that I wanted.

As ever, the other side will be a better job I'd imagine. In an attempt to be frugal and in the knowledge that I've a limited supply of the lining carpet remaining I've used two pieces to do the back side of the bathroom wall. It'll not likely be seen that much and I'm hoping it won't peel with use.

Picked up some self adhesive vinyl in homebase for a tenner and I said I'd give it a shot. Doesn't look too bad truth be told. Just got the one to see how it'd behave. Will pick up some more and do a tidy job of it




Also, for those that'll notice :pac::pac::pac: