Hi Guys
Its not retro, but I hope this thread is ok
I recently sold my 88 Galant vr4 and wanted to look into a camper. As much as I miss my vr4 it has gone to a good home, a fellow club member.
The plan was:
1. Cheap Budget of £4k overall
2. Reliable
3. Cheap parts
4. Bigger than a VW T4
5. Turbo D
So after much browsing and a few visits I ended up going for a SWB Transit. I looked at a few and managed to find the following:
54 plate
Mid Roof
90k
Good tyres
Very good bodywork
For £2300
Although only 85bhp its enough and much much better on the road than many other £2k options. As soon as I bought it I bought a number of parts and put it into a good friends garage who shared my plans
Mechanically the van was good, it only needed discs and pads at the front. I serviced her and fixed a few small items such as lighting faults, but overall nothing that didnt take a few hours to fix.
Once the van was sorted the next item to look at was the interior fit out. I managed to source a single front seat for cheap and that went in to open the front out. Next was a lesuire battery which was put in a battery box under this new seat in the same way as the standard battery. A split charge system was fitted and the wiring for some LED lights and plugs.
We decided tp try Bathroom panels for the interior
This was a great idea in the end as the finish is superb. I chose chrome and white for the ceiling and white wood for the walls. All of the doors were done in the same way and all edging was fitted too.
The bed was expensive but it was one of the cheapest I could find. Lukily its superb. Very solid and comfy, so that was bolted to the floot. I used B&Q carpet tiles for the flooring to finish it off.
Got a nice bonded side window fitted too.
Kitchen wall cupboards were fitted to the floor to give more room and a small sink was cut in. I bought 2 x 25l containers for the water and waste and fitted a nice little hand pump.
Bodywork was tidied a little and i changed the bonnet badge too. Lots of little things have been done.
A few pics of its first trip (no carpet at that time):
Ive been on a few trips since and its great, I love it.
Next items to do are:
1. New Tyres (tyres are good but mixed)
2. Remap - friend can do this, better economy I'm told too
3. Full polish including the roof (very dirty )
4. Fit a 10" tablet in the back
5. Island table
6. Gas hob fitment (gas bottle might be too big though, not sure)
7. Camper graphics
8. Reclass as Camper on V5
Parts are impressively cheap for the thing, makes it easier on the wallet anyway.
I'll update this as I go.
I know its not retro, but thought some of you might be interested (bathroom panels are a good idea)
Its not retro, but I hope this thread is ok
I recently sold my 88 Galant vr4 and wanted to look into a camper. As much as I miss my vr4 it has gone to a good home, a fellow club member.
The plan was:
1. Cheap
Budget of £4k overall2. Reliable
3. Cheap parts
4. Bigger than a VW T4
5. Turbo D
So after much browsing and a few visits I ended up going for a SWB Transit. I looked at a few and managed to find the following:
54 plate
Mid Roof
90k
Good tyres
Very good bodywork
For £2300
Although only 85bhp its enough and much much better on the road than many other £2k options. As soon as I bought it I bought a number of parts and put it into a good friends garage who shared my plans
Mechanically the van was good, it only needed discs and pads at the front. I serviced her and fixed a few small items such as lighting faults, but overall nothing that didnt take a few hours to fix.
Once the van was sorted the next item to look at was the interior fit out. I managed to source a single front seat for cheap and that went in to open the front out. Next was a lesuire battery which was put in a battery box under this new seat in the same way as the standard battery. A split charge system was fitted and the wiring for some LED lights and plugs.
We decided tp try Bathroom panels for the interior
This was a great idea in the end as the finish is superb. I chose chrome and white for the ceiling and white wood for the walls. All of the doors were done in the same way and all edging was fitted too.
The bed was expensive but it was one of the cheapest I could find. Lukily its superb. Very solid and comfy, so that was bolted to the floot. I used B&Q carpet tiles for the flooring to finish it off.
Got a nice bonded side window fitted too.
Kitchen wall cupboards were fitted to the floor to give more room and a small sink was cut in. I bought 2 x 25l containers for the water and waste and fitted a nice little hand pump.
Bodywork was tidied a little and i changed the bonnet badge too. Lots of little things have been done.
A few pics of its first trip (no carpet at that time):
Ive been on a few trips since and its great, I love it.
Next items to do are:
1. New Tyres (tyres are good but mixed)
2. Remap - friend can do this, better economy I'm told too
3. Full polish including the roof (very dirty
)4. Fit a 10" tablet in the back
5. Island table
6. Gas hob fitment (gas bottle might be too big though, not sure)
7. Camper graphics
8. Reclass as Camper on V5
Parts are impressively cheap for the thing, makes it easier on the wallet anyway.
I'll update this as I go.
I know its not retro, but thought some of you might be interested (bathroom panels are a good idea)
