Who lives in a van? Or wants to?

[kalidarkone]

I'm starting to think about getting rid of my lovely van. I have not maintained it and I think it will cost silly money to sort it. She has a great engine though. Maybe I should consider a good body with fucked engine? Any advice will be considered.

I don't know. I've been turned down by two body work places and am taking it to a third tomorrow. A friend of a friend also does camper refurbs so I might pick his brains.

 

[Boudicca]

I was thinking more along the lines of anarcho flags & punk stickers. Fairy lights will happen though.

(I want to wait and see before completely punking it up - don't want to crash it's resale value)

Let me know if you need me to whip up some Ramones bunting....

 

[David Clapson]

What's a good way of stealthing a black Elgrand? It'll have a solar panel and a rack on the roof. And very dark tinted windows with blackout curtains. Is there any point trying to disguise it? Perhaps I could try to confuse people by putting NASA on it in big letters.

Eta: this looks perfect Test vehicle

 

[fishfinger]

What's a good way of stealthing a black Elgrand? It'll have a solar panel and a rack on the roof. And very dark tinted windows with blackout curtains. Is there any point trying to disguise it? Perhaps I could try to confuse people by putting NASA on it in big letters.

Eta: this looks perfect Test vehicle

Make it look like an ice-cream van.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Johnny Vegas new show on C4 is worth a watch, he’s happily converting old buses and vans and trucks to glamping vehicles.

 

[DownwardDog]

What's a good way of stealthing a black Elgrand?

 

[kalidarkone]

Johnny Vegas new show on C4 is worth a watch, he’s happily converting old buses and vans and trucks to glamping vehicles.

And making dreadful impulsive decisions! Watching this (I really enjoyed it) I completely recognised some of the ADHD traits , his creativity and vision and rash impulsiveness. Buying that bus on ebay I guess with having some money and an assistant he just parks his ideas with her....she carries them out and he moves on to the next thing.

Being 99.9% sure I'm ADHD too- I thought....thank goodness I've got to check stuff out and research my impulsive ideas before I actually carry them out...because I don't have money or an assistant

 

[kalidarkone]

After me and my van being rejected by two body shops....I went to South Bristol to see an absolute diamond geezer.....he is old school and gave me hope...so first thing going to get the windscreen replaced and a new seal applied as this is the fundamental source of a lot of problems as water has been getting in for years....so feeling hopeful!

 

[Artaxerxes]

And making dreadful impulsive decisions! Watching this (I really enjoyed it) I completely recognised some of the ADHD traits , his creativity and vision and rash impulsiveness. Buying that bus on ebay I guess with having some money and an assistant he just parks his ideas with her....she carries them out and he moves on to the next thing.

Being 99.9% sure I'm ADHD too- I thought....thank goodness I've got to check stuff out and research my impulsive ideas before I actually carry them out...because I don't have money or an assistant

Yeah that "he never sticks to it" rung some bells

 

[David Clapson]

I guess with having some money

It's a pity the finances aren't more true to ordinary life, with the business having to make a profit one day despite spending 50 grand on restoring just one of his fleet. I hate spreadsheets, but I do actually want to see his.

 

[sim667]

Since you asked kalidarkone heres a couple of pics. View attachment 267075View attachment 267076
I bought it half done. The guy ran out of money and urgently needed cash for something else Picked it up yesterday. There’s no bed and the electric needs finishing, but that was built into the price. Pop top if that’s not obvious.

Very nice. I’m into my T5’s, that’s much nicer than mine even unfinished.

 

[A380]

 

[mx wcfc]

Damn. It'd never fit on the drive.

(more seriously, stuff like solid oak work tops and wood cladding is going to add to the weight and bugger the mpg (if it has mpg, rather than gpm). But yep, brilliant for static glamping.)

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What sort of licence do you need to drive a double decker bus that isn't for public use?

 

[existentialist]

What sort of licence do you need to drive a double decker bus that isn't for public use?

Driving a motorhome

Motorhomes and campervans - size limits and licences you need to drive in the UK

www.gov.uk

Class C or C1

If you passed your test before 1997, you probably have the entitlement for C1; C requires a test.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Driving a motorhome

Motorhomes and campervans - size limits and licences you need to drive in the UK

www.gov.uk

Class C or C1

If you passed your test before 1997, you probably have the entitlement for C1; C requires a test.

Passed in 1989, but guess that bus would weigh more than 7.5 tonnes, or would it? How heavy are buses?

 

[DownwardDog]

Damn. It'd never fit on the drive.

(more seriously, stuff like solid oak work tops and wood cladding is going to add to the weight and bugger the mpg (if it has mpg, rather than gpm). But yep, brilliant for static glamping.)

The Gardener 6LX engine had about 160bhp in the 70s. This thing would be so slow as to be dangerous I reckon. Not to mention all that weight on the top deck and the name...

It might make more sense with a modern engine like a CAT 3406 (400bhp, 1800lbft ).

 

[existentialist]

Passed in 1989, but guess that bus would weigh more than 7.5 tonnes, or would it? How heavy are buses?

The kerb weight of a Routemaster is 7.5 tonnes
That of the Dennis Enviro200 Dart is around 12 tonnes.

I'm not sure how the modern single-decker bus manages to be so much heavier than its 70 year old ancestor...

 

[Orang Utan]

What sort of licence do you need to drive a double decker bus that isn't for public use?

Ask The Young Ones

 

[William of Walworth]

Some work needs doing on our Renault Trafic (from 2004, converted to a camper a cou;le of years [?] after 2004 by the precious owner -- off whm we bought this van in 2015.

Priorities will be :

1. Two more new tyres, for fourth wheel and spare -- we bought three new ones after an MOT advisory a good few months ago.
2. Get all the internal electrics completely overhauled, and a solar panel installed onto the roof.
3. All but one of the cupboard doors inside, are now fucked and need replacing.
4. (But far from least) : New awning!

Bonus sixth [correction : fifth ] :

5. Win some lottery money and buy a new van worth at least £40K

 

[mx wcfc]

From the Guardian today

‘I was sleeping in laybys’: the people who have spent the pandemic living in vans

For some, living in a van is their culture or a symbol of resistance. But for many others it is the only possible response to our growing housing crisis – and proposed legislation could make life much harder for them

www.theguardian.com

 

[Pickman's model]

From the Guardian today

‘I was sleeping in laybys’: the people who have spent the pandemic living in vans

For some, living in a van is their culture or a symbol of resistance. But for many others it is the only possible response to our growing housing crisis – and proposed legislation could make life much harder for them

www.theguardian.com

 

[bellaozzydog]

just visited to empty van of free dive clobber and he said.....it’s going on the ramp tuesday........I don’t hold much hope for that but at least I’ve reminded the fucker

just visited van...it’s in the garage with its bonnet up and they are finally working on it after circa 8 months.

ThEy’ve booked an MOT for the 24th June

I could fecking weep

garage man says expect a parts bill longer than a donkeys dick as he has done a lot of “ah May as well swap/upgrade stuff as the engine is out”
I asked him if I could take eight months to pay him....he actually agreed...

he’s saying it’s incredibly loud and if I need it quieting down they can put some more baffles on it....

something like this sound



I’m such a child

 

[Johnny Doe]

I've rented this for the first weekend in July
View attachment 265816

So having spent the weekend in this, I'm shocked at just how flimsy the fixtures and fitting were. Genuinely felt everything could break under normal usage, particularly the blinds and curtains

 

[teuchter]

A couple of weeks ago I was up in the scottish highlands and there's quite a few people not very pleased about the sudden proliferation of camper vans, whether they are purpose built motorhomes or converted vans. Single track roads struggle to cope with a lot of large vehicles and once there are a lot of them they start to fill up every layby (or anywhere you can pull up onto the verge) with a scenic viewpoint in certain areas. There's the usual worries about rubbish and so on. In Scotland you are quite free to wild camp in most places but big vehicles have much more of an impact than a tent.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if measures start to be brought in to restrict where people can park up.

The "van life" concept only really works if it's something that quite a small number of people are doing.

 

[A380]

A couple of weeks ago I was up in the scottish highlands and there's quite a few people not very pleased about the sudden proliferation of camper vans, whether they are purpose built motorhomes or converted vans. Single track roads struggle to cope with a lot of large vehicles and once there are a lot of them they start to fill up every layby (or anywhere you can pull up onto the verge) with a scenic viewpoint in certain areas. There's the usual worries about rubbish and so on. In Scotland you are quite free to wild camp in most places but big vehicles have much more of an impact than a tent.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if measures start to be brought in to restrict where people can park up.

The "van life" concept only really works if it's something that quite a small number of people are doing.

Yeah, ban the riff raff and leave the highlands unspoiled for Moomin obsessed proper appreciative travellers like yourself.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

A couple of weeks ago I was up in the scottish highlands and there's quite a few people not very pleased about the sudden proliferation of camper vans, whether they are purpose built motorhomes or converted vans. Single track roads struggle to cope with a lot of large vehicles and once there are a lot of them they start to fill up every layby (or anywhere you can pull up onto the verge) with a scenic viewpoint in certain areas. There's the usual worries about rubbish and so on. In Scotland you are quite free to wild camp in most places but big vehicles have much more of an impact than a tent.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if measures start to be brought in to restrict where people can park up.

The "van life" concept only really works if it's something that quite a small number of people are doing.

Scotland is very popular precisely because of the right to roam thing which means you can park up pretty much wherever you like, beautiful scenery with 10 bright white plastic camper vans in the foreground

 

[mx wcfc]

So having spent the weekend in this, I'm shocked at just how flimsy the fixtures and fitting were. Genuinely felt everything could break under normal usage, particularly the blinds and curtains

Yep, the curtains on mine are rubbish. You have to be really careful or they just some off the rail.most of the rest seems ok so far. Got a solar panel going on later this week.

 

[hash tag]

Who could forget the Lady In The Van?

 

[Part 2]

Spent the first 2 nights in my van on Wednesday and Thursday last week. I loved it.

I'd planned to be away longer but on Friday someone crashed into the back of me. Now I have to dimantle it before the insurance collect it for inspection in case it gets written off as a Cat A or B. The damage is fairly minor but the age measn it'll be uneconcomical to repair. I drove it back 100+ miles after the accident so I'm fairly sure it will just be an S or N but can't take the risk.

Spent 9 months fitting it out ready to use. Absolutely gutted just now. Hopefully I'll be able to buy it back and be quids in.