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Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

My Euro Jolly

As i may have said my intention of this van was to make a mini camper cheap to see if the wife and myself would enjoy it. Well we did. Took the van from Hull to Zeebrugge cut over Luxembourg and down through Germany down to the border at Lorrach. North again to Holland for a motorbike rally and back to Zeebrugge. Had a great time and great weather apart from one night and funny enough it was Belgium.  I did 1750 miles and used 1lt of oil but that was more precaution rather than heavy drinking as as usual with me i never check before i left. I never stuck to my 60mph as i was doing 300 kilometre's some days so was up at 70-75 and managed a mere 32mpg average.

You need to look close for the smoke but i lots brakes coming over mountain passes in the German Black Forrest due to overheat

Setting up camp before black forest

Pepper Steak

Took the dog with us

See the van down the left after the bikes. This was a place called Todtnau as they have a large cart ride down a hill.

The ride

All day breakfast in a tin

Lake Titisee

Stop for a break

Cochem showing the Castle

Campsite

Starting to set up camp in Holland at the bike rally

Early friday night and slowly starting to fill at the bar

Nice sunset

Anyway, enough. Van was fine and looking to take it to Italy next year Planning already. If the van costs me nothing over the next 12 month then its a go. I think i need a gearbox but i new that for a while so not that bothered.

Dr_Feelgood

Member

Registered: 2016-09-09

Posts: 29

Re: My Euro Jolly

Looks good mate! Do you have any more pics of the interior, or your build process? I'm thinking of something similar with a bed filling the entire back when it's bed time, bed takes priority over storage down the side

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

Looks good mate! Do you have any more pics of the interior, or your build process? I'm thinking of something similar with a bed filling the entire back when it's bed time, bed takes priority over storage down the side

Aye. Bed is at page 5 and a small video at page 6.

http://mytintent.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html

If you are wanting a full bed this will reduce your storage options. Mine is 42 inch and i could have went thinner. I am thinking of cutting down again. Basically i stole this blokes idea

http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2444338

Bed height is around 15 inch. You may want to go lower if you use the rear view mirror but that reduces your underseat storage. At 15 inch that is enough height for a rolled up duvet and pillows. I split the storage area so i could have shelves at the back

A proper metal frame rock n roll bed was 100 quid for a shitty looking 2nd hand one. The wood to make one was under £100 form B&Q

Dr_Feelgood

Member

Registered: 2016-09-09

Posts: 29

Re: My Euro Jolly

Awesome, thanks! I don't have any windows in the body so no worries about rear visablilty... I don't have any anyway I'm planning on taking a 2 week tour of Europe so a nice big bed is just what I need, everything I need should go under it. Mine has the half ladder bulkhead behind the drivers seat, I'm thinking of taking it out but not sure if it's structural? Would I need to add a support beam of some sort?

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

Awesome, thanks! I don't have any windows in the body so no worries about rear visablilty... I don't have any anyway I'm planning on taking a 2 week tour of Europe so a nice big bed is just what I need, everything I need should go under it. Mine has the half ladder bulkhead behind the drivers seat, I'm thinking of taking it out but not sure if it's structural? Would I need to add a support beam of some sort?

Nope take it out. That 6/8 inch one along the floor has a bolt each side and a couple of spot welds. I used an old chisel on mine and a bog old hammer. You dont have them in the taxi and people carriers and if structural i doubt it would have been spot welded.
If you are fitting a leisure battery and taking an extension power cable for camp sites i recommend taking or fitting a 240v lamp on a dimmer switch. Two nights with two interior lights and a radio running was almost enough before having to run the van. I was only paying €2-3 a night for power so may as well use as much as possible. Remember what underseat storage you have doubles when the bed is down so what bags you have in the back can be chucked under the bed at night. Just remember they are still under there when trying to put the bed back up as it wont go. Dont ask how i know that

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

BTW are you going away along? I recomend you have at least one window on your passenger sliding door. Its a god send when trying to get out an angled junction.

Dr_Feelgood

Member

Registered: 2016-09-09

Posts: 29

Re: My Euro Jolly

I'm planning on having some dimmable 240v led strips from IKEA, there're designed for under kitchen cabinets but they'll be bright enough in the van, when I run battery power I'll only be running the standard interior lights, charging phones/iPad and maybe running a small 12v DVD player. Just need to figure out where I'll put the battery, and the best place to run the power cable to it.

For the long European trip I'll be going with somebody, but I'll be using it for the odd night away alone too I think. I'm planning on keeping it looking as van like as possible so if needs be I can park on an industrial estate and nobody will batt an eyelid at it. Once the bulkheads are out I'm thinking of just running a curtain behind the front seats.

As for site power, I've got a tent hookup which I'll just trail through the window, or possibly through the floor at the back... I've discovered an odd vent type thing in the floor behind the passenger wheelarch, I'm not sure what it's real purpose is but I plan on sealing it up with a rubber bung of some sort.

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

That vent you are on about is a handy place for the jack. For the sake of condensation i would leave it as i never sealed mine up and i was hot in the van. As long as you insulate you will be fine.
My original idea for the battery was up the back where you see the camping extension in the photo ^^. Reason its in the cabinet was i ordered the wrong split charger as i lost the link to the one with a long cable so could not be bothered waiting for a new cable to arrive. 

I could not find the hole to thread the cable through the bulkhead so what i did was use the window drain pipe and feed the cable through the inner wing like this

Sorry no more pictures of this but feed the cable through and open the passenger door you see a gap into the inner wing. Pull your cable through taking care not to pull the side repeater wire. Put padding on the sharp body work edge as you dont want rubbing and a short. Next you see a grommet on the door frame above the large cable tidy for the doors electrics. Take away the plastic trim and feed your cable through. Before doing that you could hole and feed it through the grommet first so you can use that again then route to wherever. Another option was to go down the engine bay and along under the van into the rear where you drill a hole in the floor.

You camping power cable, up there ^^ you see i have it hooked through the window. I recomend the window wind deflectors as it prevents winds nut allows air for condensation. I also just ran it in the door on the floor and just closing it as the door rubbers prevent any metal cutting into the cable.

vaz2121

Member

From: Glasgow Living:~ SW. Scotland

Registered: 2015-08-31

Posts: 1,311

Re: My Euro Jolly

As i may have said my intention of this van was to make a mini camper cheap to see if the wife and myself would enjoy it. Well we did. Took the van from Hull to Zeebrugge cut over Luxembourg and down through Germany down to the border at Lorrach. North again to Holland for a motorbike rally and back to Zeebrugge. Had a great time and great weather apart from one night and funny enough it was Belgium.  I did 1750 miles and used 1lt of oil but that was more precaution rather than heavy drinking as as usual with me i never check before i left. I never stuck to my 60mph as i was doing 300 kilometre's some days so was up at 70-75 and managed a mere 32mpg average.

Anyway, enough. Van was fine and looking to take it to Italy next year Planning already. If the van costs me nothing over the next 12 month then its a go. I think i need a gearbox but i new that for a while so not that bothered.

Excellent, I fancy Germany/Austria and down to the Alps for a change and a go on that ride (did you?) at Todtnau...  ..... I just got back myself on Thursday evening (6th Oct) was in Luxembourg, Arlon and Bastogne on the 4th/5th ......... But I sailed back from Dunkirk

I managed on the whole to stick to my 60mph..... but there was a period (most of the whole day) when crossing the Pyrenees and I managed to find Top gear I was at 70mph

Last edited by vaz2121 (2016-10-08 11:22:20)

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

My fist night on the 24th Sep was in the campsite at Bastogne. I wanted to see more of the town but forgot next day was Sunday and had to run down to Windhof in Luxembourg first to but Tobacco then double back to the campsite so cost us a couple of hours. Bloody Route66 was having trouble getting Tobacco from the UK so just got the wifes supply out a garage what was about €20 dearer. I tend to buy lots to sell what almost pays for next years jolly but not much profit buying bulk out the garage. Still, plenty money left over for the Italy jolly now.

I think i could have did the 60mph thing but when a few trucks pass your foot starts to get heavy or when you are stuck behind an ugly line of them i want to pass ASAP then forget. Cruse control would be nice i think.

vaz2121

Member

From: Glasgow Living:~ SW. Scotland

Registered: 2015-08-31

Posts: 1,311

Re: My Euro Jolly

Out of curiosity ......As we are talking about a possible future jolly to Germany/Austria...... Did you stay in campsites all the time or use Wohnmobil-Stellplätze(Aires) as well, Also did you need or bother with a umweltplakette ?

Last edited by vaz2121 (2016-10-22 21:11:13)

Casper

Member

From: East Lothian

Registered: 2015-12-20

Posts: 2,180

Re: My Euro Jolly

Out of curiosity ......As we are talking about a possible future jolly to Germany/Austria...... Did you stay in campsites all the time or use Wohnmobil-Stellplätze(Aires) as well, Also did you need or bother with a umweltplakette ?

Campsites all the time. Just stuck them in the sat nav as a destination if we get lost taking the scenic routes. I pre booked two as well just incase they got busy as when we go i think its a school holiday in Germany.