Samwise's Mk6 Camper Conversion

[LlewejB]

Looks like it was the right descision to turn down that other van and get the unfinished project! Very nice and like the others say you won't have an issue selling the sliding door which has a window in. Looks like you're already making good progress too

I personally don't think you should bother moving the driverside window, seems like filling it is more effort than it's worth, just my 2p though!

[dumper]

Looks like it was the right descision to turn down that other van and get the unfinished project! Very nice and like the others say you won't have an issue selling the sliding door which has a window in. Looks like you're already making good progress too

I personally don't think you should bother moving the driverside window, seems like filling it is more effort than it's worth, just my 2p though!

Mine has all bar two boarded over on my x bus .

[Noctule]

I've got a full set of flat aftermarket glass in mine, lovingly fitted by those who did the minibus conversion after it left the factory. I'm gearing up to welding up at least five of the windows as some of them just let water in all the time (hence much welding when I first got it). Who ever decided to cut out the single large 'window' panel at the back and put in two separate windows with a stupid plastic filler in needs a large slap as it's stupid (and stupidly realised as it overlaps the window frame at the top and bottom) and lets so much water in you don't need a pump for the taps. Currently sealed using fish tank sealant, but not ideal as the rot has already got in and will be again as the rubber gets older.

stupid_windows.jpg

And the rust doesn't just rot the window frame inside, it then drops down into the wheel arches and rots them out where they join the floor and to the bottom of the sill too.

window_frame_repair.jpg

Not that I want to worry you or anything.

For now I've put coloured film over those windows I'm not using, and one small window has been replaced with a piece of aluminium sheet as it has the exit vents for the fridge in it.

[Samwise-zambeezi]

Bit of an update...

Pulled all the electrics out, some of which was extremely dodgy, save a few cables which I've left run around the van for when I come to install new wiring assembly.

Spent most of the last two week doing little bits of bodywork and rust repair. There was a lot of rust on the roof where the equipment was installed, this was an absolute pain and ended up taking everything off and then removing tons of old silicone they'd splodged all over.

Saw tiny bits of rust around the edges of the aftermarket windows which, on further inspection once I'd got them out, turned out to be pretty bad. Grinded it all back and removed the rust to primer and paint up.

Lots of time spent doing those bits and pieces where nothing really looks like it's getting done, but which I know is worth doing in the long run! Cheers for the heads-up re windows rusting Noctule!

[Samwise-zambeezi]

... Also decided to leave the windows where they are, not messing about swapping or installing new, just going to design the layout to suit as best I can. Got a good layout design in mind pending wife approval haha

[Jay2018]

I'm glad you removed all that mess under the roof vent. Horrible. Now you can put a nice fresh bit of silicone there. You're right though sometimes these jobs look like nothing has been done for a while, but this is the reason.

Having fitted the window in my sliding door myself I'm glad I followed multiple different youtube tutorials to do it. They always said you must prime the cut egde to prevent rusting and looking at yours it looks like the cut edge wasn't primed which is a shame.

[Samwise-zambeezi]

Absolutely right mate, worth doing these bits just so i know they're done and for peace of mind. The window frames in particular were a fair state.

Once i've got these bits done i'm going underneath. It's been (mostly) undersealed but, tbh, it looks fairly recent and possibly like it's been painted over existing rust in places. That said, bits of the chassis and underbody that are visible and haven't been painted look really good - just slight surface rust in places. I'm going to have a scrape around and remove anything that is loose, or looks like rust beneath the existing underseal, remove/convert then re-seal. Also got some 'Eastwoods' interior chassis rust treatment, expensive stuff but sounds like good tackle according to what i've read on the internet. Might be 'belt and braces' but, again, worth doing i think.

The worst bit, for some reason, looks like the radiator support bar/cross-member, behind the front grill. This is really heavily rusted for some reason so thinking about replacing, not sure how big a job that is...