smdts
Bought a swb vivaro and a mazda bongo both out the scrappy to merge together.
Greggbear67
Forum Member
Looks an interesting project, keep the piccies coming....
smdts
insulate the walls next, a wee roadtrip to bute next week with the bikes then roof swap once I am back, then kitchen, wardrobes and rock and roll bed.
been given a diesel night heater and a 200 amp leisure battery too, very fortunate.
Greggbear67
Forum Member
Looking good already bud. Hope the roof swap goes well....
wildebus
Forum Member
Interesting conversation.
Just a note on your wheels and a topic that comes up a lot on the VW Forums .... Are you sure they are heavy duty enough for your van? The use of Audi and BMW wheels are popular on the Transporters but very few are actually suitable for the GVW of a commercial van the size of the Transporters, Transits and Vivaros.
They may physically fit, but it doesn't mean they are ok to fit.
(Sorry to be a downer on this point, but it is a critical safety thing, especially as you are likely to to running at near GVW if doing a camper buildout).
Just a note on your wheels and a topic that comes up a lot on the VW Forums .... Are you sure they are heavy duty enough for your van? The use of Audi and BMW wheels are popular on the Transporters but very few are actually suitable for the GVW of a commercial van the size of the Transporters, Transits and Vivaros.
They may physically fit, but it doesn't mean they are ok to fit.
(Sorry to be a downer on this point, but it is a critical safety thing, especially as you are likely to to running at near GVW if doing a camper buildout).
wildebus
Forum Member
The Bongo Roof is very nice and I believe usually motorised as well (I think anyway) and is a popular retrofit on the VW T4 Transporters
The Vivaro/Trafic Roof has that unusual little hump above the cab area - I wonder it that will cause any awkwardness? Hopefully not as would be a great little camper afterwards. (doing this kind of roof swap is way above my paygrade in terms of metalwork manipulation so looking forward to seeing the results
)
The Vivaro/Trafic Roof has that unusual little hump above the cab area - I wonder it that will cause any awkwardness? Hopefully not as would be a great little camper afterwards. (doing this kind of roof swap is way above my paygrade in terms of metalwork manipulation so looking forward to seeing the results
)
RAW
Forum Member
I saw a Bongo whilst in Cornwall and had a manual roof, was an import. Bongo's are rubbish on fuel at around 20 MPG - As @wildebus has stated the Roof job would be something out of my remit too, a big job, so interested how it evolves. Good luckThe Bongo Roof is very nice and I believe usually motorised as well (I think anyway) and is a popular retrofit on the VW T4 Transporters
The Vivaro/Trafic Roof has that unusual little hump above the cab area - I wonder it that will cause any awkwardness? Hopefully not as would be a great little camper afterwards. (doing this kind of roof swap is way above my paygrade in terms of metalwork manipulation so looking forward to seeing the results
trevskoda
Forum Member
Looks good though you could have had the wheels shotblasted /epoxy 2 pac prim and then poly 2 pac finnish,we used to do them for £15 a rim which was a good price as a co down road from us did crappy powder at £100 a rim.
Handy we van i must say but do make sure you have the correct size plates under the seat fixing or mot men will go nuts.
Handy we van i must say but do make sure you have the correct size plates under the seat fixing or mot men will go nuts.
smdts
Literally thousands have them fitted, and I am yet to have seen any reported evidence of any failure. Have you seen any indication otherwise?
wildebus
Forum Member
Well, I took 4 BMW wheels off a BMW and 3 were cracked - customer scrapped them after that clearly unsafe. loads of BMW wheels crack in normal use as they are basically not that strong and also so many cheap clone replicas around that people think are genuine.
I also took the Audi Wheels off my VW T4 which were fitted when I bought it as they were not up to the load requirement - and that T4 had a GVW of under 2.5t and was the lighest T4 model around.
Would you fit tyres to your van which you knew had lower load rating than the van weight? probably not. So why would you fit Wheels with the same limitation? (what BMW model did they come off? what is that models max kerb weight? If same or higher than your vivaro then no worries)
Your choice, but remember it is not just your safety, but that of your family that is travelling in the van and the other people on the road around you ....
I also took the Audi Wheels off my VW T4 which were fitted when I bought it as they were not up to the load requirement - and that T4 had a GVW of under 2.5t and was the lighest T4 model around.
Would you fit tyres to your van which you knew had lower load rating than the van weight? probably not. So why would you fit Wheels with the same limitation? (what BMW model did they come off? what is that models max kerb weight? If same or higher than your vivaro then no worries)
Your choice, but remember it is not just your safety, but that of your family that is travelling in the van and the other people on the road around you ....
smdts
starting to take shape.
Greggbear67
Forum Member
Roof looks like a good fit there mate.
GEOFF
Clever move - using part of the Bongo metal work. Sits well. Geoff.
smdts
the bongo roof has some heavy duty reinforcements around the internal secondary pop up roof/upstairs bed and some heavy box section bracing around the hinges and motors so I thought it would be best to keep that as is and tie it into the vivaro structural sections with 1/4 inch steel folded in to a channel then welded in. there are some other bracing plates that used to reinforce the bongo roof to pillar joints and with some creative grindertickling and metalfrying they will tie in with the vivaros stiffening bars.
just need to tie up the gap at the front of the skin. if it turns out functional but ugly I might cover it with a kelsa bar, big led light bar, or one of those exterior sun visors.
we will see.
just need to tie up the gap at the front of the skin. if it turns out functional but ugly I might cover it with a kelsa bar, big led light bar, or one of those exterior sun visors.
we will see.
Last edited by a moderator:
Millie Master
Forum Member
Sorry to be a downer, but I feel I must support Dave (@wildebus) and his comments about the fitting of wheels which are not suitable for the application.
I can assure one and all that if a vehicle is involved in a major road traffic accident that the police WILL thoroughly examine and investigate any of the vehicles involved. If any modifications made to a vehicle are found to be not to specification and do not comply with the fitment and use specifications of the original manufacturer and they are deemed to be the cause of the accident then all hell will let loose.
Further more a vehicles insurance policy will be invalidated!
So surely, simply for a bit of bling, is it worth risking quite literally everything?
Phil
I can assure one and all that if a vehicle is involved in a major road traffic accident that the police WILL thoroughly examine and investigate any of the vehicles involved. If any modifications made to a vehicle are found to be not to specification and do not comply with the fitment and use specifications of the original manufacturer and they are deemed to be the cause of the accident then all hell will let loose.
Further more a vehicles insurance policy will be invalidated!
So surely, simply for a bit of bling, is it worth risking quite literally everything?
Phil
smdts
Give it a rest about the wheels.
They have 825kg stamped on them.
They have 825kg stamped on them.
Millie Master
Forum Member
Why should we?
They might have 825kg stamped on them, but if the wheels are not specifically manufactured for fitment to your make, model and loading of your own vehicle then I am sorry, they shouldn't be fitted to it!
Far, far too many people modify and generally 'bling' their vehicles without a second glance or thought about the legal implications and on here, I am sure others will agree with me when I suggest it is only right if these errors of judgement are not pointed out to them.
Phil
smdts
What is illegal about wheels that have the correct fitment and load rating and appropriatly load rated tyres? Beacause you dont like them? Because they arent what it left the factory with? If thats your argument all diy campers should be banned. What qualifications do you have to be converting vehicles and to judge what is safe?
The wheels are declared to the insurance, and once the conversion is finished it is going for an engineers report. If they are deemed unsafe by a qualified professional I will change them.
The van came with heavily rusted steel wheels with 4 mismatched, unevenly worn chinese ditchfinders on it. Shall I put those back on for you sweety?
The wheels are declared to the insurance, and once the conversion is finished it is going for an engineers report. If they are deemed unsafe by a qualified professional I will change them.
The van came with heavily rusted steel wheels with 4 mismatched, unevenly worn chinese ditchfinders on it. Shall I put those back on for you sweety?
Last edited by a moderator:
Millie Master
Forum Member
I am sorry but there are numerous issues which can be argued with regards to the fitment of wheels which are questionably unsuitable for a given application.
For instance the wheels in question are for fitment to a BMW car, where the wheels will have been TAG approved for that particular application.
Frequently steel wheels will use totally different specifications of either wheel studs or nuts, the reason being the angle of the chamfer of the face of them can be slightly different.
Believe me when I write I am only doing so in the interest of the safety of your family and other road users........ over and out.