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New LT project!

26K views 124 replies 12 participants last post by  Alexhoc 
#1 ·
Today is a little bit of a historic day for me, I've wanted a T4 since I was about 16, had a couple of cheaper vans over the years, could never afford a good van... Then as I got older and wanted to do more things I decided a T4 wouldn't be big enough... and near enough 20 years later I have bought an LT!

It's an LT35 158 LWB, bog standard van at the moment, 190k miles but one previous owner who bought it 11 years ago for his plumbing business, and with FSH, so I know it's been well maintained (or rather, I hope it has!). No dents or rust to speak of, only a couple of little bits to sort and a huge job to get it clean. All in all I think it's been a good purchase. There is a bit of a noise/vibration that increases with speed, apparently not always there, which I'll have to investigate. Apparently VW couldn't find anything wrong and "they all do it, sir". Not sure I believe that one but as the engine feels good, I still thought it was too good to miss.

I have big plans for this, I keep thinking about what I want to do and I will put up a list in the next couple of days, but overall it's going to be a 2 berth camper, with full cooking facilities, fridge, toilet, and bed over garage (for the motorbike(s)). Swivel captain seats up front, with a table and a double seat facing forwards.

I will "modernise" it a fair bit, with things like central locking, electric windows, Android head unit, and if possible cruise control.

On the outside it will be off-roady, with big tyres, spotlamps, roof rack, etc. I will add windows on the first panel either side, and if possible respray it something other than white.

I don't have a huge budget, but as the van was cheap I have about £3k to play with for a good conversion, I want to build something that will make it into a really nice van.

I will add some photos once I take some in the daylight. I have been looking forward to building a van for so long and have had great enjoyment reading everybody else's threads, so I will keep this one updated as I go.
 
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#63 ·
Change of plan! I received an email from Ikea today saying that my delivery due on 29th is now scheduled for Tuesday 3rd due to stock availability. Not sure why they couldn't tell me that when I ordered but hey... I ring the Customer Service team for more info, it's 1 40x40 door panel that is holding the delivery up. That's it, everything else is in stock. Oh and guess what? Their "system" won't allow them to part deliver, change the item for one in stock or even cancel the item and deliver the rest!

Bottom line, I've cancelled the order and I'll build the kitchen out of plywood, at least it'll definitely be to my spec. Now I just have to source hinges, catches, drawer runners, and edge trim, all over the Christmas period! Happy days. Oh and I'll have to find a way to make the plywood look decent, maybe I'll paint it with a nice gloss paint.

Oh, and to top it off, Ikea's refund system takes 7 to 10 days to refund my card. I like Ikea furniture but I think I'll stick to picking things up in store from now on!
 
#66 ·
Well, that's not gone to plan at all! Fresh from cancelling the order I pop down to my local timber supplier, turns out they've decided to close early and won't reopen until Tuesday 3rd either!

So now I'm left with buying sheet plywood from B&Q (£££) or building my kitchen in record time in January. I'm leaning towards the latter if I'm honest! I'm supposed to be off between Christmas and New Year but I might just move the time off to the beginning of the year instead.

What would you do? I was going to build it by making lightweight panels, with a 12x12mm frame clad in 3mm ply either side, or I could just bite the bullet and by 12mm sheets from B&Q, It's be heavier but it would also be done quicker.

Dave, as far as I know my budget won't stretch to furniture board, but I'll be in touch about the rest!
 
#67 ·
Not withstanding your limited timescales to complete, the lessons I've learnt so far with my build is that when I've tried to rush things to get the mdone (usually n frustration at similar various occurences to those you're having right now), I've ended up having to do the job again to finish it to a better standard.

My advice ? don't rush it. *<:)>

TK.
 
#71 ·
I'm going for a couple of weeks, but we will only stay in the van a few nights. The most important bit is to get the heating and toilet rigged up, and the lights and batteries, the bed can just be a mattress on the floor and we can always use the front seats to eat and chill...
 
#72 ·
As I was pondering my kitchen arrangement, along with the rest of the cupboard space in the van. I originally planned to have the leisure batteries under the rear seat, along with the chargers and other electrical gubbins. My heater will be located underneath the kitchen cupboard, so it's near the gas bottle and I don't have to mess around too much with piping.

This got me thinking about messing around, and routing a cable from the battery to the fridge, is there any reason I can't house the batteries in that cupboard too? I would make it properly vented and waterproofed in case of leaks from the sink, and it would save having to run cables to both sides of the van.
 
#73 ·
A quick update on this, making good progress today. A lot of the equipment is simply placed there for now, to check for fit and to make sure it's in a suitable place before I'm too far along.

most of the panels refitted, the right hand rear door was a right pain to fit:


I made a start on the kitchen unit:



And the washroom/toilet:




I've also made a start on the rear bed/storage area:



The plan is to build narrow cupboards either side of the bed, it will be a standard double bed at 36cm wide. The front and rear "bulkheads" will be used to route the lifting mechanism for the bed. I'll be using thin ropes to "winch" the bed frame up from the back of the van.

Excuse the poor lighting, the last of the work was done with a head torch once again!

Tomorrow I will cut openings in the front of the kitchen unit, fit shelves, and start wiring and installing all the kit underneath. In a stroke of luck, there is nothing in the way underneath the van, so it will be straight forward holes for the heater and water pipes, and the gas drop vent.
 
#74 ·
Well it's been a busy Christmas period and it's opened my eyes to the timeframe needed to do a good job, when it's the first time at least. I like to plan things properly and to work things out in my head so I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted things done, and it's taken a lot longer than I anticipated!

No pictures as there isn't much "new" to show but I now have running water, lights, heating and cooking facilities, and a working toilet (assuming nothing goes wrong when I attach the gas bottle on!).

Over the next week I need to finish a few odds and sods, like fit retaining straps for the water containers, ensure everything is securely fixed to the side of the van, tidy up the cab area and fix an issue I have with the split charge system.

Then I go on holiday for 2 weeks to test the layout, and after that I probably will spend some time making everything a lot nicer! I like what I've done so far but it definitely feels unfinished.
 
#76 ·
Another update on this, I fixed my issue with the charging system, thanks Upspex (turns out I was just being far too cautious!). I've also fitted the gas bottle and glad to report the cooker and the heater work!

I fitted a temporary table, and a battery monitor and USB sockets for charging phones. I also started kitting the van out for travelling, with fire extinguisher, first aid kit, fire blanket, etc.


It feels good getting to a point I can actually go away in it! Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish the area above the cab with carpeting and lights, and fit the rear seats.
 
#78 ·
Thanks, there's quite a lot of work still to do, but I guess that's part of the fun! Everywhere I look I think "ooh, I need to tidy this up" or I find something I need to finish...

I've made progress with the overhead cubbyhole too, turns out you can't see a lot in the pictures but here they are anyway:



The lights I've added are a little powerful!



I've also tidied up the step (but forgot to take pictures) and started fitting the rear seats, everything was going really well until I realised that the bolts I'd bought are far too short... and I realised that at 5pm tonight so no chance of buying longer ones either! I guess it's one thing I'll have to finish on Friday morning, before I set off on the trip in the afternoon!

All I have to do apart from that now is tie things down, then it's time for a breather!
 
#80 ·
Thanks, it's proving really good so far, I like the layout, and since nothing is really finished I'll be able to modify a few things. I'm quickly realising I don't have enough storage space.

The heater is great though, very quick to get the van to a nice temperature, it's a bit noisy overnight though!
 
#81 ·
It was a great first trip in the van, everything worked as expected and the space works well for 2 of us. My furniture isn't great though, the toilet door has started warping and I feel like everything is just built too thin, so I'll redo all the "faces" using proper 18mm furniture board in the spring. I also have a few ideas to fix everything to the van better.

Next move will be to re-route the electrics. I'm happy that everything works but I found out my current location doesn't really give me any access should I need to do anything, even change a fuse, so I'll redo that. I've had time to think about my bed and storage setup so this will be updated using a slightly different approach to everyday storage.

Another big thing was to make sure the outside of the van was spotless, all rust spots treated, repainted, etc. That was a plan for later, however I caught a mate's gatepost (looking right while trying to edge the van to the left, numpty!), and now I almost need a new sliding door. It'll be expensive to get one and get the window fitted again so I'll see if I can fix it first, then do the rest of the bodywork while I'm at it.
 
#82 ·
Sounds like a good first outing. Also sounds like you're going to change a fair few bits ! Thought about changing part of our layout...then rememebred how much effort and time had to go in first time round and quickly forgot the idea :D
 
#83 ·
Right, time to think about updating the van!

I've not done anything to it yet, I've mostly been enjoying not having to rush around at every spare moment to get it ready. Our next proper trip is planned for the beginning of May though, and I want to take the bike with us, so I need to get cracking with the rest of the conversion!

I have planned a lot of changes and will almost rebuilt the whole thing, but this time I feel like I know what I'm doing so it should be a lot quicker.

The only thing I haven't decided on yet is the location of the water tanks. I found that onboard tanks take a lot of space, and I'm always worried about leaks, so I want to fit tanks under the chassis. Who's done this on an LT? Ideally I would want a 70-80l fresh tank to feed my sink and basin, and either a single waste tank for both or a waste tank for each. The sink and basin are located on either side of the van but "facing" each other, so a single tank may be possible if it can clear the prop and the exhaust.
 
#85 ·
Thanks Martyn, I looked at their website and it seems they can do pretty much anything, I was hoping someone would have set something up that I could use as a reference, so I know what to expect.

I'll be speaking with CAK Tanks and Barratt Tanks to see what they can do, plus any others I can find.
 
#86 ·
Time to start the re-work on the interior!

I have thought through several possibilities and I am thinking now that a framework clad in thin ply is my most cost effective option, and it will make it easy to hide cabling runs in the cavities.

I went to the motorhome show in Harrogate at the weekend, did a little homework (found that very shiny panels is very much in fashion right now!), and got a few ideas for storage.

Here's the progress so far:



I feel like I know what I'm doing now so the progress should be fairly quick this time around.
 
#87 ·
Interested in your build and looking at your lightweight framing. I did my kitchen pod in very much the same technique for the frame with a 3mm ply covered in leatherette that was spray glued with high temperature glue (same as used for stretch carpet on walls) All edges are strengthened with aluminium angle. Kitchen pod is 2 years old and all joints are still solid. Before fixing in van, I could lift the whole pod with one hand, therefore very lightweight.

Anyway, I used the following Jig for all joint construction. It's a very strong and accurate method and also quick. Bit expensive but very versatile.

Thought info would be of interest T:
Keep up the good work and keep the updates coming A:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kreg-61366...=UTF8&qid=1491336841&sr=8-3&keywords=kreg+jig
 
#88 ·
The furniture is coming along well, my reworked electrics are good, and I now have a bed again. I've e made the bed move up and down on rails, it's not perfect but it means I can store the bed in the ceiling and get the bike underneath.

In less productive news, I think my engine just blew up. I was cruising along at 70, all of a sudden there was a mechanical noise, like a loose metal plate moving around when I accelerated, then more of a grinding noise, lots of whiteish smoke, it started running on its own oil (then stopped, thankfully). I was able to drive it to a safe stopping location so not the end of the world, but it's not looking promising for the trip to northern Ireland in 2 weeks!
 
#91 ·
Yep, it definitely needs an engine. If I get the garage to open it up and have a look, they will charge me labour for all that before we even know what's wrong, and it's possible I'll need a lot of parts exchanged or repaired, so I'm going to just swap it out.

The garage are getting quotes now for second hand engines, I'm tempted to go for a refurbed one instead for peace of mind, and only a small extra outlay (in comparison). Is there anything I should do/get done while the engine is out?
 
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