Hello! I have found it useful and interesting reading about other people conversions on here so I though I better post some pics of mine now its nearly done.
My aim was to make a simple camper that is still a practical vehicle to use when carting bikes or kayaks around.
So my shiny new Transit
It already had a ply floor and plylining, I bought some thin hardboard for the ceiling.
The previous owner had stuck foam insulation to the roof which I didn't want to remove so I stuck the wiring for the lights to it with tape...
I stuck roof flashing to all the large panels before insulating. This has made a big difference to the noise when driving.
Most of the ply panels were a poor fit so needed trimming before covering with carpet
Ceiling panels made, carpeted and lights fitted
I decided to make a single full height unit behind the drivers seat with a couple of cupboards and a slide out drawer for a removable cooker. I'm quite happy with this and have found that if the weather is nice then I would rather cook outside the van anyway.
I used Birch ply for the cabinet with a wood molding round the edges of the doors. I'm hoping that this should stand the test of time and not get marked or damaged when filling the back of the van with kayaks.
I bought a battery to battery split charge kit, a 12v socket for a cool box and a double USB socket for charging phones. I have used some old batteries I acquired that came out of an electric scooter or something. I figured I'm not going to be using a lot of power so didn't spend the money on a proper leisure battery. The batteries are housed in a box behind the drivers seat with the 12v socket in the side and the USB socket is in the side of the cabinet.
I decided early on that I wanted the bed to fold to the side of the van giving me a full length load space and a bench seat to sit on. I eventually decided the best way to do it was to make two separate metal frames with some heavy duty ball bearing runners between them.
I used plywood on top of the frame and made some hinges that allowed the two pieces to move apart when folded so the foam mattress doesn't get squashed.
I also forget to mention the vinyl floor and the bike rack both of which you can see in this picture
I wasn't sure about doing the side window myself but I'm glad I did because it was actually quite easy. I drilled a load of holes from the inside of the van and then joined the dots with a marker pen on the outside.
I used masking tape to protect the paint when cutting the hole out with a jigsaw
I painted the bare metal before fitting the rubber trim
Then it was just a case of squirting a continuous bead of adhesive all the way round and sticking the glass on.
i made some covers for the foam and attached then to the plywood with velcro
And here's a pic of the ceiling because I forgot earlier
I'm pretty happy so far. Still a few details to sort out and I think I want to create some more cubbyholes for storage.
Thanks for looking.
Nick