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Mar 28, 2015 17:36:41 GMT
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The good news is DVLA are happy enough to re-classify the van as a motorcaravan. The bad news is I found that out while speaking to a lady at DVLA who sent me a letter saying I forgot to send the registration document. That'll be the registration document that was in the same envelope as my letter. It turns out DVLA have a 'general mail' office who open the post to see which department it should go to. So they lost my registration document in their own office.  I mean, honestly, if there's once place that should handle vehicle registration documents properly.... Now I've to send in a V62 request for duplicate registration document so my request can proceed. |
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GoJo372
Part of things
www.gojoflocking.co.uk
Posts: 552 
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Mar 28, 2015 23:25:09 GMT
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Fair play excellent build.
I did a similar thing to a LWB T4 a good few years ago however it wasn't as easy as it looked and so ended up looking like someone had dumped half an old kitchen and a mattress in the back of my van!
Your work is superb mate.
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Mar 29, 2015 12:20:12 GMT
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Nice work, looks very professional. I might have to rent a camper van for a weekend one day, because everyone seems to love them, but I don't really 'get it'.
Nevertheless, the quality of workmanship has kept me coming back to this thread for inspiration!
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Mar 29, 2015 18:58:21 GMT
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If it works for you Go Jo, that's fine  It's not for everyone, Waveman. What I love about it is we can be spontaneous, go wherever we want, whenever we want, on our own schedule. |
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Hello again, boys and girls. Well, the Easter break has been kind and I've made progress. We're almost finished. After a false start with stick-on tiles, I've reverted to white-faced hardboard for the wall in the kitchen area.  I'd been scratching my head on how to do a curtain-rail for the cab, but my wife spotted Ikea do some components. It turned out they're perfect for a C-shaped run. I just needed to fabricate some brackets to put it all in place.   An idea came up for a retainer to stop the removable tank from moving around, and a removable shelf above it for a bit more storage capacity.  And back to the electrical saga, but I have a result, after much phaffing. I was searching for a CSB96-P unit from CBE, so the battery separator kicks in 10 seconds after turning the key. I contacted CBE's official UK distributor. They don't have it in their catalogue, never heard of it, can't supply it.  CBE don't supply direct to the customer, and don't supply this unit to any UK distributor They suggested contacting a particular distributor in Europe who specialise in supplying to the home conversion market. Tried them, got no reply. There are other European distributors. I contacted one on France. The replied that they only supply within France OK. A measly £60 part and nobody in Europe seems to want to sell me one. So, back to basics. What is this battery separator doing? Well, based on a signal to say the vehicle engine is running, it switches on the 12v supply to the fridge, and permits the charging of the leisure battery. Right, that seems simple enough. So I've gone lo-tech, which I find always works.  I've added this illuminated switch, next to the ciggy lighter for good reason. The ciggy lighter has a switched live feed. The additional switch taps off that. Soooooo, after I start the van, I flick the new switch. A signal is fed to the battery separator. Job done. When I turn the van off, the switched feed goes dead. Good. But when I switch the van off, I need to knock my new switch off too, so the next time I turn the key, the motorhome system is not stripping the cranking system of power. I can live with that, if CBE can't supply me the correct part. There's always a solution. TBH it's my bad because I probably should have gone with a different system for a more modern van, i.e. the voltage-sensing relay that Tineca suggested. Electrics isn't my strong point, as may be evident, which is why I used the same system I got to work in my old van. In any case, long-way-around, I tested it all today and it works. I can live with that. Sorry for the electrical rambling. Roll on DVLA returning my V5. |
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,971
Club RR Member Number: 29
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H I've added this illuminated switch, next to the ciggy lighter for good reason. The ciggy lighter has a switched live feed. The additional switch taps off that. Soooooo, after I start the van, I flick the new switch. A signal is fed to the battery separator. Job done. When I turn the van off, the switched feed goes dead. Good. But when I switch the van off, I need to knock my new switch off too, so the next time I turn the key, the motorhome system is not stripping the cranking system of power. I can live with that, if CBE can't supply me the correct part. There's always a solution. TBH it's my bad because I probably should have gone with a different system for a more modern van, i.e. the voltage-sensing relay that Tineca suggested. Electrics isn't my strong point, as may be evident, which is why I used the same system I got to work in my old van. In any case, long-way-around, I tested it all today and it works. I can live with that. Sorry for the electrical rambling. Roll on DVLA returning my V5. If you used a momentary switch and a latching relay when the power went off the relay would reset (I think). You would still need to manually trigger the charging but not need to worry about leaving it switched on. |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,336
Club RR Member Number: 160
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Renault Master campervan (modern)Rich
@foxmcintyre
Club Retro Rides Member 160
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Thought- why not use the oil pressure switch to earth the split charge relay/system? That way, only linked when the engine is running.
Just a thought..
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Couple of interesting ideas there, chaps. Now that I've got it working, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid. |
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Apr 15, 2015 17:49:17 GMT
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 Good to know there are some folks in Swansea who know what they're doing. Next step is to get the van insured. Dolmen Insurance in Dublin are a good call for campervans in Ireland, North or South. They require an engineer's report for a van conversion, but DVLA approval ought to suffice. [Edit] It occurred to me I left out some explanation. When converting a commercial vehicle, it's best to re-classify it on the UK V5C "tax book" as a motorhome. Some info will advise that, legally, you ought to. In the end it benefits you as a motorhome is cheaper to insure, needs an MoT rather than a PSV, and may be subject to higher speed limits. Of course you need to prove to DVLA that your conversion is not just your weekday white van with a mattress slung in the back for the weekend. So there are requirements, which are pretty well covered here : www.campervanlife.com/building/legalThe bottom line is you're demonstrating to DVLA that you've carried out a proper conversion and that it's finished to a suitable standard. As the website advises, I sent a set of about 15 photos pointing out how my van met DVLA's required features, and a covering letter to explain my request for re-classification. If you do that well, the re-classification isn't a problem. If there's any query, DVLA may ask you to present the vehicle for inspection, such as at an MoT centre, so get the letter and photos right to impress them. |
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May 24, 2015 16:33:49 GMT
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Nice work, looks like a professional conversion.
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dubscum
Part of things
thats what i do
Posts: 531
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May 24, 2015 18:51:29 GMT
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very nice work indeed
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whip it, into shape ........ go forward
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Hi Darryl;
How does this project work out financially in relation to just going somewhere and paying for a room? or is there more to it than that?
Best
Geoff
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I would be rich if i had not spent so much money on Cars and fast women...oh, i did waste some of it as well!
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is there more to it than that? I can't speak for the OP, but my way of looking at it is that you get the enjoyment of working on a project, you can build a campervan according to your specific requirements (rather than what the market dictates), you can go for a weekend away at a moment's notice, and if like us you have a dog, you are quite limited when it comes to hotels. Plus, which would you prefer? ;-)  Or this?  |
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Sometimes, others may not understand why you like a car so much. Sometimes, you may not even understand why you like a car so much. But none of that matters; all that matters is that you like the car, and having it makes you happy.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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is there more to it than that? I can't speak for the OP, but my way of looking at it is that you get the enjoyment of working on a project, you can build a campervan according to your specific requirements (rather than what the market dictates), you can go for a weekend away at a moment's notice, and if like us you have a dog, you are quite limited when it comes to hotels. Plus, which would you prefer? ;-) Or this? That sums it up for me, why would I want to stay in a city centre hotel? I live in a city, and I get sick of it! I have a caravan rather than a camper, I was going for a camper but although the caravan is more hassle to get going in (hitch up, jacks up, jockey wheel up, check lights, towing mirrors, takes quite a while believe it or not), I didn't fancy having to "break camp" every time I wanted to nip out, and also I love dropping the caravan on site and then just having a car, with no added inconvenience. |
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Nice progress Darryl.
I'm interested in this for my Elgrand....
Do they do specific curtain hooks that clip onto that rail? Do you have the dimensions / Price for the c section?
Cheers
Phil
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Hi Geoff. It makes no financial sense compared to hotels. It makes a lot of financial sense compared to a manufactured motorhome. Mr Fenwick sums it up. We can go wherever we want when we want, and bring the dog. Campervan or caravan gives you great freedom. Phil, IIRC the straight lengths of curtain-rail included the hooks . There are a selection of bits to make up what you need. The lengths can be cut to length to suit. Try Ikea's website. Hopefully it should make it clearer. Let me know if you need more info. Bit of a pain doing this by mobile phone right now.  ? |
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No worries, found it thanks. For anyone else there's a page dedicated to the options - www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/18893/Glad you found this because I reckon I can create a big oval that goes all around the van to curtain off all the windows in one go. I wonder if i can create some kind of motor that will drag them all around the rail. hmmm |
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That's the stuff. The sliders do tend to catch the joints between sections, so fettling and filing may be required. Other than that, they're cheap and ideal for a custom rail.
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Jun 11, 2015 21:22:00 GMT
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Hi Geoff. It makes no financial sense compared to hotels. It makes a lot of financial sense compared to a manufactured motorhome. Mr Fenwick sums it up. We can go wherever we want when we want, and bring the dog. Campervan or caravan gives you great freedom. Phil, IIRC the straight lengths of curtain-rail included the hooks . There are a selection of bits to make up what you need. The lengths can be cut to length to suit. Try Ikea's website. Hopefully it should make it clearer. Let me know if you need more info. Bit of a pain doing this by mobile phone right now. ? Hi Darryl Thanks for the heads up....and thanks Mr Fenwick. Can see the point....haven't got anywhere to keep one though. Looking forward to the updates☺ |
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I would be rich if i had not spent so much money on Cars and fast women...oh, i did waste some of it as well!
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Jan 15, 2016 17:07:14 GMT
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Just stumbled upon this thread, found it v.interesting especially as I've also got a self-build Master (albeit a rather older van with a rather differnet style of interior, and four berth)
Did you ever get to bottom of the battery 'separator'? If not it's really straightforward with a voltage sensing relay. VB to relay, relay to LB and fridge. It's as simple as that. As soon as you turn the engine on the alternator increases the VB voltage, the relay senses it and delivers power to the LB and fridge. Never have to worry about leaving the switch on again!
People usually fit a Smartcom relay but I went for a PCT Volton which has performed fine.
Apols if you sorted this months ago! ;-)
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? 