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my T5 with bike related conversion

24K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  New2T5  
#1 ·
figured it was about time i did a build thread on my van, i bought it a couple of years ago now but after buying it i couldn't afford to do the conversion i wanted straight away so i have done it gradually over the last couple of years but the main conversion was done earlier this year.

basically it started out as a standard panel van, i asked the dealer to paint the standard bumpers, waste as it peeled although it did last reasonably well i suppose, hindsight i wouldn't have bothered, but as a result i converted to a caravelle front end, could have done the 5.1 conversion but prefer the caravelle look personally. the rear end i wanted kitted out for bike carrying and i wanted it all closed in so no one can see inside so didn't do windows in the rear doors and put in a bulk head to keep the bikes out of sight.

seating wise i wanted a pair of singles up front and as i generally don't have more than 3 of us in the van at a time i had the front double put in the back as opposed to buying an expensive set of seats for the back.

the floor has been covered in vinyl and the whole inside/roof and back has been insulated and carpeted

also goes with out saying, 18" alloys and a loud stereo.

there's still some stuff i want to do, rear spolier, side bars, and replace the rear bumper as it's still the one painted by the dealer but that's on the list for next month!

friends keep talking about chipping it and lowering it but i've decided i'm happy with the speed, and as i tend to roll to some pretty horrible places to go biking i have decided not to lower it

overall very happy with it and i can't ever see me going back to a car! :D


van101 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van102 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van103 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van104 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van105 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van106 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van107 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van108 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van109 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van110 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van111 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van112 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van113 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van114 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van115 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van116 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr

van117 by Dr. Branom, on Flickr
 
#3 ·
Really like what you've done there. How do you get on with muddy tyres with the carpetted rear side panels?

Only other thing I'd say is that you've made sure the bikes are hidden but put an Orange sticker on the back marking you out as an mtber, doesn't take much of a leap to guess what is inside...x
 
#8 ·
Only other thing I'd say is that you've made sure the bikes are hidden but put an Orange sticker on the back marking you out as an mtber, doesn't take much of a leap to guess what is inside...x
i know but you'd be surprised as to how many people don't get the reference! but i get your point. the main reason i wanted a van was to beable to put bikes inside which is way safer than having them on the roof of the car, the main thing for me is that the bikes can't be seen from the outside, that said when you turn up at a trail centre (loads of people with vans) they know you're an Orange rider;)
 
#4 ·
I stick a tarp on the floor, slide the bench seat fully forwards and strap the seat tube to the rear headrest (bike diagonal with front wheel wedged in the rear bench seat gap). Doesn't budge an inch and no wheel removal needed. Would need at least front wheels off for two bikes though.

Nice bikes!
 
#7 ·
the seat in the back has been fitted in the same way it was fitted in the front, it was done by a professional veedub guy so i know it was done right, it involved dropping the fuel tank and the mounting bolts have been welded in place, it passed an MOT a week after the conversion and i pointed out all the mods to the tester to make sure he was happy with the work so that if anything wasn't right i could go back to the guy who did it, he was happy with everything.

the carpets in the back was what i wanted from a looks point of view although there was a little misunderstanding about the tops of the arches being carpeted, i wanted them vinyl-ed so that has been done. when the bikes are muddy everything they touch is vinyl now so is pretty much wipe clean, sometimes i do get the odd bit of mud on the carpet so i let it dry then it mostly brushes/hoovers off so hasn't been much of an issue so far.

i didn't do this conversion with the intention of sleeping in it but i have done a couple of times now, for me on my own there is enough space to sleep around the rear seat, the space on the other side of the rear seat will at somepoint get a sink/grill/fridge unit maybe but it's not desperate as i tend to use b+b's as opposed to camp.

:)
 
#9 ·
Nice van you got there. I like what you have done on the inside. I've looked for ideas on what to do with mine as I Mtb as well. In the end we bought a saris bike rack and put it across the back of the van, front wheel off and the bikes bikes sit facing the back doors, ready to have the front wheel on and off I go ....

Nice clockwork too .... Always wanted on we of those. A:A: