Caravan as donor for m/h conversion

[Deadsfo]

I have a van I intend to convert,I also have a caravan that is probably worth £1800 (though selling it is another matter)and has most of the bits I would need so a few questions
1. if I could get £1800 for it would it still be worthwhile stripping it out ie. what parts could I buy for £1800 to do a good job
2. How do you go about stripping stuff out,there does'nt seem to be any obvious screws and fixings where the furniture meets the walls
3. if anybody out there has done this how did you find refitting it into the donor vehicle ie what did you do about the contours where the furniture meets the walls, make new sides ?

 

[lotty]

have a word with tclarkie, she has just done the very same thing.

http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums...home/28228-my-new-van-new-camper-project.html

 

[Firefox]

You could probably buy the parts for £1800 second hand, but not new.

eg Fridge new £600, Hob £300, Sink £100, heater £400, Rooflights £400 etc

If the caravan is worth as much as £1800, I would sell it complete and use the money for parts.

Screws are often hidden away under trim and push on plastic fittings.

 

[n brown]

caravans are built inside out. ie the furniture is often stapled from the other side of the wall/ceiling frame ,then the ally skin put on last.,that's why you can't see the fixings.also the fittings are very light,which means they're a bit fragile. if I was doing this I 'd take the ally off first then work my way in
as firefox said,stuff costs a lot and if you include lights,copper tube,doorcatches,brackets,table legs,wiring,control boards and switches,taps,pipes,jubilee clips etc etc,never mind the big stuff!

 

[Teutone]

if you sell the caravan, you can use the money to buy NEW stuff, i.e fridge and start off with a clean sheet. And maybe newer technology.

Removing the furniture without too much damage could be a challenge. I think there are plenty caravan dismantlers around where you could get some second hand stuff if budget is a problem. Like shower trays and loo's.

If you can't shift the caravan, then all is different

 

[wildman]

you could sell the caravan, then buy mine for £495 take out what you want and still have the ali to weigh in and chassis to sell as a trailer. Ace Rallyman 360 2 berth, water heater, wall heater, cooker hood, shower, awning, hob, sink, water pump, lights windows, clock etc etc good units and cushions etc and still have the ali to weigh in and a chassis to sell as a trailer.

 

[Firefox]

One point on 3 above, is that you will probably have to recontour the back of the units where they fit on the curved side of the van. This can be done via a tick board, making cardboard templates, or measuring and plotting x and y coordinates for the curve.

 

[mumumum4]

I personally wouldn't use such an expensive caravan. I'd sell it and buy a cheaper one.
I bought an old caravan for £200, and used all the solid wooden cupboard doors and entire drawer unit. I also managed to use the 2 sinks and the seat tops with hinged openings. I used the seat cushions too and stuff like curtain rails and plate holder. I did manage to remove some of the parts with the whole frame around them eg corner bathroom door, which made it a lot easier fitting them into the corner of the van.
The price of new hinges which stay open when lifted up is incredible, so it meant using the cupboard doors with their hinges and catches probably covered the caravan costs. I just made the openings in the wall cupboards the right size to fit the doors. Good luck with your van conversion.

Alison

 

[ricc]

if you can sell the caravan for over 1500 and pick up another tidy one for less than 500 its a no brainer, you might even get someone wanting to px theirs against yours.