Intorducing.... The Fag Bus

[damien devil]

Cheers Dude means alot,

I was going to call this the two grand camper project as thats the limit I've set myself for it. Still a long way to go and depending which way I go with the beds thats going to be a big chunk but the total so far tallys up to £1583.87p and thats including the purchase price of the van. Luckily I had the donor engine at my disposal and maybe im regretting not going the TDi route while I had the chance but theres plenty of time for that.

Your doing great mate . Keep it up .its all money well spent. Youll love it even more when you camp in it .and sit and know you built it . Well done. Keep the pics coming on the build.[emoji106]

Come rain or shine im out in mine!!

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[Sirfbum]

It’s a work of art mate. I’m still blown away at your cleaning skills [emoji23]


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[89Rallye]

It’s a work of art mate. I’m still blown away at your cleaning skills [emoji23]

Ha ha.. Do I need to do a how too? take soapy water, clean water, various scrubbing implements and erm... scrub. lol

[Grubb05]

Great thread, pics are great and the work is awesome. Going to be a crackin camper when your done

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[89Rallye]

That's great - well done!

Where did you get the floor from, I've got a house project on at the moment that it might suit.

Sorry Reg.. only just seen this, The Flooring is Egger Century Wood Cocktail I got it from here.

https://www.woodfloorwarehouse.co.uk...ing/egger.html

They also sell on eBay,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Egger-Cen...19.m1438.l2649

Luckily there local to me so I could pick it up but they do deliver but it isnt cheap or maybe you could have a look for a local Egger stockist.

[89Rallye]

Few days away from work has given me time to continue with the van, next up is the one piece headliner. Ive been planning this in my head since I began with the interior of the van, so its sill at the experimental stage and even after all this work i'm still not sure it will actually work.

So first up is to cut out the basic headliner shape.





Followed by a quick trial fit







Then lots of careful marking out,



And routing/sorting wiring for lights etc





Then some very careful cutting and shaping,







Followed by some vinyl application, I'm not sure where the wet patches came from but thankfully its not permanent







Its going to be an absolute mare to get in without breaking it in half, i'm hoping it doesnt sag with the weight of the vinyl but worst case scenario i'll have to put some screws in with maybe some trim around the holes.

Anyway, its been two long days working everything out and cutting it hopefully without making a mistake, heres a quick overview of the end result.



I'm just waiting for some longer clips to arrive then next job is getting it all in without breaking it! Wish me luck!

[S49]

That's putting my ropey headlining install to shame mate.

[damien devil]

Looking good that

Come rain or shine im out in mine!!

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[Sirfbum]

Intorducing.... The Fag Bus

Looks great mate.

I’d use something like his to hold the lining up whilst you take your time clipping/fitting. I used them for plasterboarding ceilings.

http://www.toolandfix.com/silverline...p-115-29m.html

You can screw a strip of wood to the top to create a wider support. Saves holding/supporting the weight.

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[89Rallye]

Back on nights this week and I've managed to juggle a little time on the van, been pushing to finish the headlining off as im away now for the next two/three weeks and didnt want the headlining sitting round in the way.

Lights are all fitted now,



The lights came with a cigarette plug and a junction box, I decided to just open the box up and unsolder the socket and wire direectly into it..





I ended up running the wiring the long way around to avoid hitting anything in the roof,



Glueing it all in place with what is quickly becoming my favourite tool,











And ended up doing away with the junction box all together as I thought its just giving the opportunity for something to fail or unplug, so everythings been soldered and heat shrinked.



And a quick function test,



With the last bit of carpetting done (around the roof area anyway) and the wiring ran and in place...



It can finaly go in.... with some pleasant and disappointing but not unexoected results,



Bit of a juggling act to get it up there,



And I was struggling in the dark until I realised I had lights!





Slowly working around with the clips from the rear, the rear end looks good and is all nice and tight (probably because theres a little more meat across the headling to support the weight) but sadly the front is sagging a little. I did actually expect this so have a plan of attack to rectify it.





Basically the either the board is ever so slightly to wide (maybe me not taking into account the width of the carpet/vinyl) or my holes are slightly off. So the plan is to remove the clips on the rear side and glue the centre sections up then I'll probably have to slot the holes slightly and re clip it. Either way I know I can make it work

Its difficult to photograph with the poor lighting inside the unit but I very happy with the overall effect so it has been worth the extra ball ache to do it!

[daleydub]

Wow how short are you you need a step ladder [emoji23]

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[89Rallye]

Wow how short are you you need a step ladder [emoji23]

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Ha ha... at 6'4 it's actually the complete opposite! It was just saving my back and head!

[arfur fox-acre]

It's coming on nicely.

[Activ8]

Great build thread bud, the breakdown of the progress and the steps is really useful and you've passed on some great tips,... thanks for that.

[89Rallye]

Wow cant believe its been over two months since an update on this, being back at work now really eats into my van time!

Still a massive list to work through on the interior before even considering what to do with the outside,

Install leisure battery (when I decide where to fit it) and sort electrics.
Finish up cupboards and do a final install
Finish installing headlining and sort cab headlining
Build/buy and install and trim bed
Install heater

I'm sure the list will grow but thats plenty to be getting on with.

I took a gamble and bought a pair of these cheap chinese heaters, I've heard/read different opinions on there performance and longevity but I've test run them and they are awesome. In fact probably too awesome for a little ban like a T4.



Still debating on the location for the heater, it may end up in a stainless box underneath as its quite noisy but I have to have it accessible for servicing as im expecting it to require lots!

I'm not sure if I mentioned my plan with the cupboards, its nothing new but since the rear unit is completely inaccesible from the front I had to come up with a plan for access from the rear. Now this meant a standard or tambour door. Me being the cheapskate that I am, theres no way I'm paying £50 for a kit so came up with plan B.

I managed to blag myself two full sets of doors from a pair of large filing cabinets that were headed for our scrap bin in work, now its taken far too much work for just two doors but im very happy with the results and all for nothing! Even the MDF was a salvaged packing box that was being thrown out.

So the plan was to create a runner in the MDF with a router, so to make identical runners I first made a template so it could be replicated perfectly.







This allowed me to make an identical but opposite pair,



To make mounting it easier and on a perfect level plain I bolted it together so I could adjust the widths and mount it without anything moving.





I made a simple jig to allow the slats to be cut identical (and quickly)



And slowly laid them in till I had a full door,





Then for the tricky bit, cutting a precise hole the cupboard made more difficult as its already in the van (hindsight is a great thing!). I could then clamp the unit in the hole and screw it all in.








Then for the really nerve racking thing, cutting the out trim board. This was a one shot deal as there is no spare.




Little wonky at the corners which I can fix, fitted back in place and im happy with that! Just need some T-trim fitting now.






I wont bore you with the in's and out's again but the middle cupboard was pretty much the same process, I didnt have time to cut the outer door but you get the idea. Doors still need a good clean.







Small things in life put a smile on your face