Our new van
01. When we bought the van it was a blank panel van...
until we added three windows.
02. Window 2
03. Window 3
04. The solar panel
it was a bit fiddly to fit but it's great to have it on board, helping the van to be self sufficient
05. The holes we drilled in the roof
had to be sealed properly
06. The wire from the panel that provides the charge to the batteries.
07. Next we added electrics
Well, we payed someone else to! Not something we were up for doing ourselves. Obviously, we had to plan the layout of the van before these got installed, it was a bit committing.
08. Our two chunky leisure batteries
We decided that two would safely cover our electrical needs and with the solar panel and the split charge relay, they'll stay charged permanently.
09. Wiring for our sockets
We'll have one 240v that leads to the inverter and one 12v for other needs.
10. The wiring for the four spotlights
and also wiring for a fridge, which we still need to decide upon.
11. Next came insulation
I was very keen that our van be environmently friendly. It's not 100% but i've tried to make it as much as is reasonably possible on our budget. The insulation I went for was treated sheeps wool, did I order too much??
12. Test piece
We glued a peice into the cab cupboard, just to see if the adhesive worked. After a few days it was still there, yipee.
13. We were keen to do a proper job with the insulation
It gets very cold in a van at night and we wanted o be extra cosy
14. So we went about stuffing every crevice the van possessed
15. More cutting and...
16. ...and more stuffing
17. Finally, all the cavities were filled.
They had eaten more than 20 metres of sheeps wool, wo!
18. The last phase of insulating was to glue the larger panels on.
19. Finally, the van was insulated.
20. Then I had a thought...
the floor. Hmmm, I guess that would need insulating too if we wanted to do a proper job. So after dinner one night, I lifted it up. It took a while and was very dirty under the ply, so the next day, I cleaned it.
21. Measuring up for the new ply floor.
We decided to go for thinner ply, to save weight and a little height. The jury is still out on whether this was a good idea or not...
22. Unfortunately, the sheeps wool was too thick to insulate the floor.
So we used some thinner stuff, that was measured up and glued on, then the new floor was put in the van.
23. It feels warm and looks lovely
shame it'll be covered in carpet.
24. Next on the van conversion agenda
ply lining the van. We were fortunate that some of it was already in when we bought it, so we refitted that, then put in a ceiling and other smaller bits. Getting the van ready for the new lining carpet, which was going to help keep it cosy.
25. Our lovely ceiling
26. Our little apertures for the spotlights.
They look pretty good and fit perfectly- can't wait to get the carpet on and get the spots in position.
27. With most of the ply lining done, the lining carpet arrives,
yes, it's red! Oo blimey. We realised that there were a few small holes in the exposed metal work that needed to be covered, as the carpet was very thin and wouldn't support it's weight at these points. So we had to think of a way to cover them without them adding too many lumps and bumps.
