VW T4 Forum - VW T5 Forum banner

Lockdown Delayed... Project Camper......

3K views 44 replies 8 participants last post by  GoldFish67 
#1 ·
Well been looking for a T5 SWB ideally 2.5 130 with a tailgate, for about 18 months, lockdown kind of spurred me on, yet finding a good one at a decent price in between work and family was a bit more difficult than I imagined.....

Had a T5 SWB 05 plate 2.5 130 in 2005 and in 2012 had a T5.1 LWB 180 DSG as well..... Both were work vehicles and not campers......

So decided to buy a T5 and camperise it myself due to a. not being happy with some of the camper conversions I have seen and b. not wanting to shell out lots more £'s than I need to when I can do most things myself.....

So have just got a 2013 SWB T5.1 140 6 speed manual with a tailgate and twin side doors, it came on Ebay local to me on Saturday night, I was the first there Sunday morning with a queue of 20 behind me, needless to say I drove off with it.....

So here the list of whats going to happen to it over the next 5 months (not necessarily in the order below)

Rear completely stripped and any rust treated
Remove front seats and front roof lining - front seats to go away for stripping and new leather and heater pads
Electric Rock n Roll Frame to go away with front seats for foam and leather
Cut and fit Skyline Aurora Roof
Fit Planer heater externally under the vehicle and plumb ducting in
Fit Water and Waste tank under the vehicle and sort plumbing out
Silent Coat all the rear complete
Insulate and seal rear complete with Low-E and Low-E ultra insulation
Run out wiring and/or ducting for wiring
Insulate all large voids with Thermafleece (from Celtic Sustainables)
Either Ply but more than likely fit floor in 12mm Wedi Board and 4mm for the sides and roof
Vinyl and/or Suede the sides and roof
Electric Under floor heating under main floor area (not under kitchen units) - the missus loves underfloor heating
Latex screed the underfloor
Fit Vinyl / lino Floor
Trim everything as far as possible up
Fit & wire rock n roll bed probably on large machined spacers/spreaders so as not to compress the floor (unsure yet till I have the bed frame)
Fit front seats and swivels and finish heater ducting
Measure up for making kitchen units probably out of Valchromat all bespoke - Kitchen / Wardrobe style and should manage thin wardrobe on the passenger side as bed will be central to tailgate (unsure at present)
Kitchen to have Dometic fridge and Smev sink and hob
Not sure where its going to go yet but electrics will be Rolls 1 x 290AH Gel Battery, Victron Smart Inverter, Victron Smart Charger, Victron MPPT solar tracker 310Watt flex solar on the skyline roof, Victron battery monitor, 12VDC fuse board, 230Vac RCBO board, Various 230V and 12V outlets, 12V Lighting and dimmers, LED strip under Fiamma awning
Under bonnet, large fuse and cables and sterling pro ultra split charger, possible put the smart victron charger under the bonnet if room is available
Small 8/10/12 litre calorifier plumbed to both engine and 1200W immersion, not sure where this is going yet or if ill be able to squeeze it in
Wiring on the electric underfloor and immersion to be linked so as only to be used when plugged in on mains hook up......
Fit and plumb and wire Jabsco pressure pump and stainless steel accumulator (small) for hot and cold water
Fit Fiamma F45S awning
Probably missed a good few bits buts that the gist of it, read up on a good few camper builds on here and a lot look very neat indeed......

Wish me luck

GF
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Congratulations Goldy on buying your new toy 😎 .
Gonna keep you busy for a while and with that list you'll be spending a dew quid . 🙃
I hope the weather is kind to you or you have a workshop so you can crack on with stuff .
Looking forward to seeing the updates . (y).
Come on then ...well all want to see what it looks like now ....
 
#3 ·
So far, so good, all stripped out, 70% soundproofed and insulated, pop top roof cut in, water and waste water tank fitted underneath, diesel heater fitted (but not plumbed or wired)..... More sound proofing and insulating to do next month and then once all the sides and roofs done crack on with the floor......
 
#23 ·
I look at it as when on a camp site ill have a 16amp supply, apart from the hours it takes me the underfloor heating matt and wiring is all free for me (I work in the electrical industry) so its a no brainer to have it as its free rather than paying for my diesel to heat the van in the winter. And im doing the camper to keep for a good many years so I want all the boxes ticked for my own personal preferences.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I just added a gallery with all the photos....


I think thats done ok

So far work done

Carpet removed
Rust Treated and Sprayed
Silent Coated Most Big Bits
Insulated Most Big Parts
Twin Seat Removed
Swivel Base fitted to drivers seat
Water Tanks Fitted Underneath (1 fresh water 1 waste water)
Position for Diesel heater sorted but not fitted yet (as waiting for air suspension due to air compressor location)
Air Suspension Fitted (VB)
Roof Cut Out and Pop Top fitted (Needs Trimming)
Some Electrics Done ( ducting for cables and reverse camera supply wiring done
Rear spoiler removed, tail gate sprayed in ready for tail gate bike rack
8 point fixings drilled for rock n roll bed
 
#22 · (Edited)
Jobs for the next two weeks (Weekdays).....

Machine up 50mm diameter steel spacers for Rock n Roll bed to space it up from the new floor (about 33mm from bottom of dips (dips are 8mm to the ridges))
Fix Spacers to Floor, seal and loctite them not place
Finish insulating wheel arches
Cut, trim and fit Wedi 20mm Insulation board for flooring
Fit new alloys and tyres
Fit tailgate Bike Rack
Fit Fiamma Awning

Jobs for weekend of April 10th

Weld up extension frame to raise rock n roll bed and fit same
Drop Fuel Tank and plumb in and fit diesel heater including ducting under seats and exhaust
Run Wiring Loom for diesel heater
Fit Water Acculumators underneath
Fit Water Heater underneath
Fit Water pump underneath
Carry on soundproofing and insulating roof area where pop top cut in and door pillars

Quite a lot and wont get it all done but good to have a list to try and tick off as much as possible
 
#29 ·
Finally found a local (ish) chap that upholsters seats - have been messed around for 6 months by a well known name after paying a deposit - every excuse under the sun, furlough, Brexit, covid19...... Managed to get my deposit of them today (they were looking at August bearing in mind I gave them the order last October).....

So wasn't happy at all, popping to see the local chap next friday and booked for upholstery in may so much better and he seems to know what he's talking about and doesnt give me the run-around
 
#33 ·
Yes, 230V 400 Watts, 2sq.m. Also have a Planar Heater on diesel, just got the underfloor electric as when im plugged in on a campsite then I dont have to burn my diesel.

More photos, epoxy resin floated down, and then started the Karndean oak floor, dry fit then glued down tomorrow.
Bicycle Motor vehicle Automotive tire Hood Wheel
195548
195549
195550
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top