MK7 SWB 4 BERTH CAMPER CONVERSION PROJECT

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

Hi , I'm on converting my mk7 swb transit into a 4 berth camper. I know this will be a challenge to try fit everything in I want/need but I'm up for it .The reason i went for a swb is because of all the bother I've seen my friends going through ,trying to get parked in places like the lakes etc ... even with a mwb . So I thought I'd make a diary of everything ,start to finish including the costs ,also how and why I've done it my way.The main reason I'm doing this is so I can look back at the progress I've made but also to show people that a swb 4 berth transit camper is possible. If you would like me to explain or help you with anything I've done don't be shy, I wont

I've done certain things to the van before I decided to do this journal
1. fitted a parrot hands free music system in
2.fitted most of the insulation
3.laid a new floor

My main priority's of the camper are...
1. nothing needs to be set up ,I just want to pull up and that's it , done
2. everything is there ready to go at a moments notice

I'd just like to point out , before i go any further is that I have minimal mechanical knowledge (but I'll give anything a go )

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

Today I've fitted the new carpeted rear door cartridges ,starting to tidy it up loads, the van is a old builders one so its quite beat up in places (thats why i decided to put fill rear cartridges on ,allowing the cartridge to overhang the window slightly (to keep the curtains back)... my friends vans are just carpeted straight onto the exposed metal internal of the doors ,this looks really cool if done right ,but it creates problems for the curtains . When done like that the curtains fall straight down ,unless you put a bottom runner in,or put a line from side to side to hold them back; I've also seen people attach Velcro to the curtains but this pulls the wall carpets to bits


I've had to reattach the cartridge so that i could mark the internal viewable wood

it was getting dark so brought the cartridge inside so you get a clearer view of it


that's the nearly finished doors, I need to take the ns door card off because I've realised I can see some exposed wood from outside, I'll be doing that tomorrow though also been debating whether to buy a new handle or not ... you can just say see the cut I made to the door catch to open it, but both door release buttons have just been left carpeted

[BigMonty]

Looking forward to this thread matey. Make sure you keep us posted.

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

here's a few photos of the jobs that's been done so far
ns before

ns after

ds before

ds after

rear after

floor all cleaned out and bulk head out, also i would like to thank the man who decided to fit the old floor , what a sterling job he did on the fuel tank... not one but two holes in it

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

floor done with foam and aluminium backed insulation and taped joints

all sides insulated apart from the sides (where the rear side windows can be fitted) roof and above the seating area done also


forgot to mention the windows cost me £460 fitted , they are all tinted glass ,not the plastic tint ... it took me about a month to find a company that could supply/mobile fit them with the tinted back windows... the sides were easy to source ,but until about a month ago you couldn't get rear tinted windows (supposedly)

the foam insulation was £80 a roll delivered, I needed two for the van (got some spare) think it came in 8mx1m rolls
fixing spray was £30? for 10 tins (I've used a tin on one door just for the carpet)

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

the Bluetooth parrot music player was a easy fit ,the box itself is fitted under the storage box above the steering wheel ... the sot leads are ran from the back of the radio to the box (loads of space) the double microphone is slotted from the box up the ds "a frame???" then back over through the roof lining the front light . the music attachment wires are ran from the box to the passenger side storage box and come out where the spare 12v socket is located... the monitor/display and buttons are located next to the steering wheel (where the spare buttons are) i had to cut a small piece of plastic away to fit the display lead through

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

one of the original front fog lights was broken so I decided to buy the drl fog type from ebay they are supposedly a straight snug swap but they leave about a 5mm gap between the light and the bumper , two minute fix though ... the type i bought only works with the side lights on though
here's a photo so you can see the difference

and now with them both fitted

[StickT]

Watching with interest, always good too see home brewed conversions

[ake]

For your rear doors, you really need to cut back the ply by at least 5 mm all the way round, so that when the door is closed, the rubber seal presses against the metal of the door, not the ply, or the carpet.

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

hi,yeah i realised that when it came to putting the carpet on ,originally when the doors closed with the carpet tacked on they wouldn't shut at all ... i trimmed the wood back a little too much tbh about half way up both doors (you can see it slightly on one of the pics) ...

on another note ,the electrics are due on the 5th so hopefully they turn up and i can get moving again

[Mike E]

I will be following your progress with interest as I am also starting a swb conversion. I have just taken out the old paneling and floor and getting my insulation supplies together. First up is installing a reverse camera (I don't have rear door windows), it just arrived today.

[HarrytheSaladdodger]

have you made sure whoever screwed the floor in ,that they haven't screwed through the tank? I made the mistake of not checking before I filled up and ended up with a swimming pool in the load area easy fix , if you don't have a full tank lol ...

have you seen the cameras on ebay (item no.351268725814) they look good, don't know about the picture quality though... I looked into buying a setup that goes into a new radio but was put off by the expense of it all and the wires getting caught in the back doors... if you do get a reverse camera kit fitted could you post a few pics pls

how many berth are you going to make it? good luck with the conversion matey

[transitandy]

Great thread and great work m8y

[Mike E]

Harry. Purchased the monitor and camera from Amazon.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C ... ge_o04_s00
I will document the install and performance and post when I get the chance. I am still sorting the floor plan but looking to keep it simple as it's just for the wife, me and two dogs.

[ake]

hi,yeah i realised that when it came to putting the carpet on ,originally when the doors closed with the carpet tacked on they wouldn't shut at all ... i trimmed the wood back a little too much tbh about half way up both doors (you can see it slightly on one of the pics) ...

on another note ,the electrics are due on the 5th so hopefully they turn up and i can get moving again

I found out the hard way on my first Mk 7, but it was only ply wood, not carpeted!