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I'm not sure that this is retro enough, it definitely feels it.. I'm going to give it a go anyway. I was given this as an unwanted vehicle by a friend, its clutch had gone.  I hatched a plan to turn it into a micro camper, which will be a little challenging as there is not enough room for me to lie down in the back, more of this later I'm sure. Vague plans...  For stealth camping I decided the first job would be tinted windows.
 Rigged a 'porch' light up on the inner boot, which works off the factory switch so the two in the rear switch on and off at the same time.  And a method of releasing the boot, whilst also enabling it to be locked and unlocked from the inside.  Realised all this was silly on a car with no MOT. Knew I had broken coils at the front and suspected some rust might hold me back. And so it proved. It failed on coils, windscreen wipers, a bulb and rust. And this was us attacking the rust.  |
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Last Edit: Oct 2, 2013 23:23:32 GMT by barnesy
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Then I started to build a bit, this is the board which will form the back rest of the seat, it's held with 4 bolts, just needs foam and fabric stapling over the top of it.  Here's my floor extension, which is boxing in the rear footwells, I have to make a trapdoor and hatch to allow access to use it as storage.   And I needlessly painted my rusty steel wheels white!!  |
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Cut a trap door into the top on one side, this will be the step through side from front to back.  The trap door supports 14 stone of me.  On the other side, where the bed/seating bit will be over, I have a hatch to allow access.   There is a divider over the transmission tunnel to stop things rolling about and to strengthen. The hatches are held in place by neodymium magnets recessed into the doors. Built a bit of framework for the fixed bench / one side of the bed, from rolled steel and using an ARC welder.   This will fasten sturdily with only two bolts; one to the C pillar by the bootlid, and one at the front centre where a foot bolts through the false floor I already made. Which when combined with a board top looks a bit like this.  In the two back window you can see I've made some fibreboard shutters, which will have padded sections put onto them to lean against. They are each held on with 4 suction cups, dead easy to remove and firm in use. |
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Last Edit: Oct 2, 2013 23:07:58 GMT by barnesy
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Constructed some framework to run down the passenger side of the car (held with a couple of bolts to the chassis), there are two cubbyholes integrated into this, which allow things to be dropped into the rear quarter panel and the area above the sill. There is a step through behind the passenger seat so when the seat is flicked forward you may walk through there.    The seats are being trimmed in grey vinyl, and padded in 1.5inch foam. It all feels very comfortable so far. Trimmed up the shutters so they have a padded section, and also the lumbar thingummy.  Boxed in the cubbyholes and trimmed up the step through counter bit...  And made a couple of bed sections to bridge the gap between cubbyholes and bench, still enabling access to cubbyholes.   |
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I made some curtains up, from two shower curtains, light weight, shower proof, easy to clean, cheap etc etc. My sewing skills are pretty shonky at best but I'm quite pleased with the outcome. They're on the springy type curtain wires, screwed to trim clips of the car, so fairly structurally mounted to the metal work. The front one starts above the seat belts, heads up and in wards at 45 degrees to meet the roofline, then to the middle to meet the other half. I've sewn neo-magnets into the hems, which help keep them together in the middle, to attach them to the metal at the sides and to act as tie backs too!   The side one is more simple, one piece which tucks into the cupboards. The rear hatch has one too, there are two curtain wires here, one to retain it when the boot is lifted. Both wires are mounted to the bootlid, it seemed easier than mounting them to the interior of the car.  With it all closed up  And to give you an idea of light levels when shut in, now have in mind this is lunch time in sunny Manchester, it is much better at night, and I find the blue glow quite pleasant.    In broad daylight you can't see the curtains from outside, so at night you have no chance, in fact even with lights on inside and the curtains drawn very little light emits, so you'd easily go unnoticed. |
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I love the idea, been looking in the past for a Subaru Libero to do pretty much the same.
By the way, the bed seems quite short, doesn't that bother you?
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So that's the inside finished for now and I can turn my attention to the outside. For inspiration I got the photoshop on.  But I fancy a roof rack cum roof terrace, with a ladder up the hatch. An exhaust with a silencer less in it. Some 16 inch steels off a 607 (I think) and some of the dents knocking out of it, but that's a secondary concern. |
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I love the idea, been looking in the past for a Subaru Libero to do pretty much the same. By the way, the bed seems quite short, doesn't that bother you? Thanks! You should do it, it's a laugh. Yeah it's a touch short realistically. I might think of a way of having it extend over the front seats when they're flipped forward but for now it hasn't really bothered me too much, I've generally been quite drunk or really shattered when sleeping in it, I have suffered loss of sleep more through a useless mummy bag than because of limited length, sorted by switching to a good duvet. Also the lack of space gives the victims less room to squirm about in. |
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Last Edit: Oct 2, 2013 23:41:45 GMT by barnesy
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VIP
South East
Posts: 8,293
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Nice work so far.
You can get 'fold flat' passenger seat for these, which could have been used as an extension to the bed area for somewhere to put your feet. Although a bit late now as you've built the bed on the drivers side, I know!
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Awesome! I've got a Berlingo van that is on the verge of being retired from work, this thread has inspired me, nice job.
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jomfun
Part of things
Posts: 212
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What about fitting a sunroof and a big roof box with a hatch over the sunroof to make an upstairs bedroom. Like a DIY maggiolina
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This is very VERY cool. Good work.
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This is very VERY cool. Good work. Thanks! I'm surprised how some people actually approve of this.  And I'd argue as to whether this ^ is actually fitting in the Berlingo! |
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You can get 'fold flat' passenger seat for these, which could have been used as an extension to the bed area for somewhere to put your feet. Although a bit late now as you've built the bed on the drivers side, I know! Interesting, so I guess on a LHD one the drivers seat goes flat... My "bed" is full width, so a couple of full forwards folding seats would be great. OR I could work out how to adapt the mechanism on these to allow them to flip more forward, for now it's ok, I can live with it. |
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Liking this alot! Wish someone would give me one of these!!!
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VIP
South East
Posts: 8,293
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You can get 'fold flat' passenger seat for these, which could have been used as an extension to the bed area for somewhere to put your feet. Although a bit late now as you've built the bed on the drivers side, I know! Interesting, so I guess on a LHD one the drivers seat goes flat... My "bed" is full width, so a couple of full forwards folding seats would be great. OR I could work out how to adapt the mechanism on these to allow them to flip more forward, for now it's ok, I can live with it. There's another guy on here with a converted Berlingo/Partner camper, he has the folding passenger seat. retrorides.proboards.com/thread/127998/1997-peugeot-partner-micro-camper?page=2Can you detail you 'remote' tailgate locking/release mech, as the lock is missing from my rear door, and I have to keep clambering through the load area in order to open the rear doors.  |
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Last Edit: Oct 4, 2013 9:44:29 GMT by VIP
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This is excellent. I approve of the viewing platform idea, four of us inside got a bit cramped for birdwatching.
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1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i |
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Olie32
Part of things
Posts: 133 
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Aha this is amazing! Aren't these based on Pug 306 chassis and as a by-product actually quite well handling little vans?
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This is excellent. I approve of the viewing platform idea, four of us inside got a bit cramped for birdwatching. A hide, like the twitchers have, made of camo netting!? |
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