Completing the bathroom, mainly the shower, rest of tiling, floor, door and heating.
Old door blocked up and pipes added for shower. Grohe in wall unit which is very well made, easy to fit and test as you go. Recommend the unit but tech help on a query I had was useless.
As I was filling a doorway I went for a cement tile backer board and tanking. Left edge is outside the shower area hence not taped. Added shower niche to avoid having another dreadful hanging basket of shower clutter!!
Finally the shower and floor.
Taken with a wide angle which makes it look more spacious than it really is!!
We’re very happy with the result. On to the next room…
Not much space to get everything in. This is the first unit that incorporates the fridge, hob/grill and sink. It’s work in progress so watch this space. The back and inside is varnished and the outside will be similar to the original yellow and brown.
Took out the units, they were not held in by much and the conversion work from Devon looked very poor quality. Holes where the power cables went not being de-burred and grommets not fully in the holes, just one of the things.
Anyway behind the units I can see the lower outer panel had been replaced. I cleaned up the area and repainted it plus welded a patch over the unused seat belt mount which was rusted through. The surface rust along the edge seems to be the result of leaking window and leaking water socket. The cupboards show a lot of water damage so I guess it leaked for years.
The outer repair needs some work. It was seems to be an old repair and the new paint has not stuck well to some areas of filler so there are a few bubbles along the edge. Now cracking and rusting.
Sound proofing and insulation. This is a right controversial and well debated topic of on-line van conversions. There is a lot of misinformation and unjustified opinions but also between the dross some good info. I’m not sure where my approach lies but as a start I wanted to do something behind the units as once they are in I don’t intend to remove them.
I used Dodo Mat to provide some sound proofing and insulation. It’s closed cell, adhesive and really easy to apply. The basic one is 5mm and was cheap enough to give it a go. Over that, in just the area in the picture, I glued in some 1″ PIR board. A later post will continue with the insulation!
We retained the original 70’s floor with the part under the units trimmed off as it was a bit tatty. The ply is the same thickness and varnished to seal it. I didn’t add insulation under the floor and it’s not really going to be an all season camper so doesn’t need to meet the extreme’s of winter, off grid camping. Yep, I’m a fair weather camper 😉
Look closely and the wheel arch is fixed and lining material is on the bulkhead, all ready for the units….
We bought this November 2021 without viewing it and it’s been under a tarp since. Supposed to be a Dad and Son project. Now sitting in a Clark tent garage.
Closer inspection reveals lots of surface rust however I’m expecting most of it will clean up.
Front end coming apart. It seems to have the wrong dampers. These are similar to an Austin Cambridge or maybe MGA with the arms turned round. Either way the bump stops don’t line up and the geometry is different to the MGB dampers.
The lower radiator hose is kinked and collapsed and full of a waxy deposit from the anti-freeze. I believe this happens when the anti-freeze boils and the waxy stuff separates out when it cools. I have some in the TC V8 expansion tank and I think both V8’s have suffered. Oddly there is little online relating to this and I can’t imagine that I’ve got the only two V8’s suffering this.
Well, a few outings later and the chipboard cupboards had clearly suffered previously through damp, wear and tear and 45 years of camping. So out with the interior starting with the seats.
The drivers seat was very uncomfortable as I was sitting directly on the springs, not sure where the padding had gone. I stripped the front seats down and cleaned them up, having to straighten the frame and weld it where it had broken. Our local car upholsterer recovered them in leather and a fabric I found which was similar to the 70’s original style for a Devon conversion (not a Westie). Must be good as she said everyone who went to her workshop liked the material. (Note, I found it first !!).
New seats and new door cards. You can just see the cab floor which I cleaned up in the passenger side. I added more waxoil to the doors and sills although the work done previously had done that too.
The rock and roll bed got a similar strip down and repaint. Here are all the bits in primer.
Updating the 60’s bathroom, it’s 70’s decoration and 80’s shower. We think it hadn’t had any tlc since the shower was added.
We are rearranging to give, hopefully, a nicer layout and retain a separate shower and bath. As the shower is used most it will be bigger than the current one and located where the door is. I’ve cut in a new door into bedroom 4 which will become part of the landing for access to the side extension.
Bath is moving back to it’s original location and is the biggest we can fit in.
I’ve replaced the hot water cylinder with heat store and heat exchanger which works better than I thought it would but will be adding a hot loop to give near instant hot water at the tap.
Replaced the soil stack that was coming apart at the joints. There is no original pipework in the house, soil, heating and water has all been updated.
Underfloor heating is only a small loop running from the heat store which will also heat a towel rail radiator.
Bathroom shortly after moving in, 30-May-09Bathroom shortly after moving in, 30-May-09
Bath taps are concealed in the wall, note the big hole which is on a wall that is double thickness and tile hung outside with no cavity. Not great construction but handy as there was plenty of thickness to chisel into.
Nest to do is block off the old door, finish tiles and add the shower with its dual pattern rain head and hand shower, nice, but a pain to fit.
With the running cost and work required on the L322 Range Rover we decided part with it. It was a top spec version and really nice but needed some rear subframe work and had a steering lock that was reluctant to disengage. Unfortunately we had already sold the P38 Range Rover which although got a bit tatty was reliable. Without our towing car, which also doubled as our tip run car, the caravan had also to go with the idea of buying a small campervan.
Second hand 6-8 year old VWs were very tempting but still had a hefty price tag for something that was just occasional use. So here we are with a classic VW T2 bay. To avoid yet another complete restoration project, this one had to be useable without taking of the road for major work.
Out in the New Forest with our new VW, 15-May-24
It was a bit of a risk as it had a nice paint job and I saw assured the bodywork was good. A bit of a poke around and it seemed ok but who knows what lurks under the shiny paint.
Interior had not been touched but that gives us the opportunity to make it how we want.
Eric passed his black belt grading and presented with the certificate from Master Dew. A very proud moment. Eric put in lots of hard work (pushed my mummy!) and it has paid off.
Som did her black belt grading Oct 2023 and also passed, well done.
