r6pauls T6.1 day van build

[r6paul]

The next job(s) were sound deadening, insulation, carpeting and the ceiling...

After doing the Caddy myself I vowed not to carpet another van and that if I got a Transporter I would pay a professional to do it for the finished look, as although my attempt was ok, it was obviously done by an amateur.

In the end I went with 'Knights Custom Conversions'.

I opted for the following:
- 3 Stage sound deadening (rear, sliding doors, tailgate, cab floor, driver and passenger doors.)
- Insulation
- Ply lining kit
- Anthracite carpet lining
- 2x spot lights in the tailgate
- Ceiling with patterned material in the middle, with a carpeted halo around the edge, 6 spot lights, and rear speaker installation.
- Vanshads on the tailgate and sliding doors. (anthracite with slate blinds)


I did really want the oak cladding styled ceiling but when I go away diving I end up with a lot of moisture in the van and water sitting in the dive box and I was concerned this may have an effect on the ceiling so decided on material ceiling cover instead.


Typically the dates I was slotted in for were just before we went on holiday so only half of the work has been done so far. They offered to put it off and have it all done in one go but I was too eager to get it started. The only part remaining is the ceiling which is booked in for a couple of weeks time.

I will upload some pictures once the work has been finished.



Thanks
Paul

 

[r6paul]

The van went in for work at Knights and I am very happy with the results.


I managed to grab a photo at the start of works:




Due to needing the van back for work I had to collect it early with just the sound deadening, insulation, carpeting and van shades completed. I re-booked it in for the ceiling to be done a few weeks later.

 

[r6paul]

Whilst the van was back at mine and waiting to be finished off I set to work on designing the bed system.

As I need the van for everyday use, ferrying the kids around, trips out, solo camping, diving etc my layout isn't really the same as everyone else's. I also suffer from a medical condition that means a toilet is required on any camping trip.

List of requirements:
- Doesn't take up too much of the boot space
- Can be removed if required
- Sleeps one person
- Fridge and Toilet can be accessed from inside without opening the boot door
- Fits behind the rear seats
- Doesn't block the area where the middle seat sits (I'm changing layout to 1+1+1 rather than 2+1)
- Has storage for all my crap (stove, jump starter pack, fire pit mesh, fold up chair etc etc)


This is my first rough mock up that is no-where near complete yet:




The fridge and toilet will be on runners so they slide out into the van.

The small space next to the toilet will hopefully house a water heating unit like the Complex Nano 3 or similar.

The storage space will be on runners that will extend out of the van under the tailgate so there is an outside cooking area. (This will also be accessible from the top so anything can be removed with the tailgate shut.

I plan on also having a slide out section similar to the 'Outback Conversions' that slides over the rear seats to extend the bed.

I also have a 24L Wheel Arch Water tank that will fit behind the unit so need access to that.


------

After this first mock up was made I've now worked out where I can make some more suitable changes to dimensions and with the second mockup I'll install the runners and make some mock up drawers to see how it will all fit together.

Once the second mock up is done I'll look at getting this made in black Hex ply.




Thanks
Paul

 

[r6paul]

The van then went back in Knights to have the ceiling installed with the two rear speakers, and LEDs:






I'm not sure why I don't actually have any pictures of the finished product yet. But I'll add some when I do.



Thanks
Paul

 

[r6paul]

Next was to replace a little annoying thing that I didn't notice with the van when I purchased it:



(It had a bulk head in and I just didn't see it).


I ordered part number:

1J0-858-189-C-Y20

Which I thought was the right one, but when it arrived and I took the broken one off they were clearly different:




The actual part number required was:

1JO-857-731-C


Lesson learnt! Always take the old part off and check the number rather than relying on google!

Unfortunately because I didn't get back to VW within 15 days they would not exchange it. Fortunately, the only difference was the depth of the plastic at the back and this was easily shortened with a hacksaw.

I believe the one I ordered was for the B Pillar driver/passenger seat and not the C Pillar passenger seats.



After using the hacksaw and shortening it, it was easily installed:




Another little job ticked off the list.




Thanks
Paul

 

[r6paul]

Another important change for the van to meet my needs is the rear seats to be changed from 2+1 to 1+1+1.

This means it's easy to remove the seats single handed when I go away diving or need the extra space. We can also remove the middle seat so we have a walkway from the front of the van to the rear of the van when using it as a day van.

This required fitting another 4 quick release retaining rails:




For anyone interested in changing their second row of passenger seats from a 2+1 set put to 1+1+1 the required parts are as follows:

4x Long Metal Reinforcement Brackets - 7H0-802-763-A
4x Quick Release Retaining Rail - 7H0-883-873-F
4x Satin Black Covers - 7H0-883-087-A - 9B9
8x M10 Domed Cap Nuts - WHT-003-219

All of the above was around the £235 mark direct from VW.


Interestingly it was near enough the same price to buy brand new from VW as it was to buy secondhand sets off the internet!


These were then fitted by Knights Custom Campers. I thought I had a picture of the finished product but I can't find it at the moment, so will upload this over the next couple of days.


I just need to source the 1+1+1 seats now.




Thanks
Paul

 

[Macp]

The next purchases were from Van-X:

- Glove Box cover
- Rubber inserts for the doors and glove box


View attachment 300244 View attachment 300245



The rubber inserts slip in nicely and are a great fit:

Before:

View attachment 300250


After:

(Sorry for the poor focused picture)

View attachment 300249



I am really happy with these. They stop the rattles and the scratches.





Then the glove box cover went on:

Before:

View attachment 300254


After:

View attachment 300251 View attachment 300253


This was easy enough to fit. I won't lie I would have much preferred it to be on a hinge and find it annoying to use... however it's better than having that area open. In my opinion it finishes off the dash look and its nice to have somewhere to hide things I don't want on display but quick to hand still.




Thanks
Paul

Doing this, well some of it

 

[r6paul]

Thought I had better do another update as a little bit has changed since November...

 

[r6paul]

I only appear to have one picture of the ceiling, I really must take some more pictures!



The outer Halo changes colour and you can either have it as a solid colour or have it changing colour on its own, with the ability to change the speed and the brightness.

There are 6 spots in total. I decided to have these wired up differently to the average 'normal' person. The front two are over the top of the middle row of seats and due to having the children I opted to have these wired into the door opening. So these turn on and off with the doors and also the light switch on the centre panel above. The remaining four are on a dimmer switch in the rear. This is currently on a loose wire until I put my units in and know exactly where I want it.


As I have VCDS I also sorted the fader out for the new rear speakers:






The floor brackets are now also in place:





For the seats, I sourced these from Van Leisure UK on eBay who are based coventry way. These weren't cheap! It cost my £1,000 and I had to give them my old 2+1 split! But its the setup I wanted, so needs must and all that!

Whilst the seats were/are in great condition the service was a little frustrating. We arranged the date and time (9am) a couple of days before but when I arrived after the two hour journey there was no-one to be seen. Granted I arrived a little early but by 9.45 there still was no movement and my phone calls were going through to voicemail! Eventually my calls were answered and I was told 15 minters but still had to wait over 30 minutes for someone to arrive! But soon the seats were swapped over in the pouring rain. On the flip side I am happy with the quality of the seats and I would use them again... just next time I would be checking and ringing the afternoon before to remind them.


With the new seats in place (I stupidly don't have any pictures of these on my phone) it was time to order some seat covers. I would love to have them re-trimmed eventually but for now its covers. These were ordered from Leather Inn Ltd for £290 for the 1+1, 1+1+1 setup:



The installation of these is a little annoying and the arm rest covers they sent don't fit but for the price I can't really grumble.

 

[r6paul]

Next was a service and a new battery!

My plan for this van is to at least replace the engine oil every 6 months. I thought I'd treat it whilst I was at it:



- Replaced the Fuel Filter
- Replaced the Air Filter
- Replaced the Oil Filter
- Replaced the Cabin/Polen Filter
- Topped up the Adblue
- Topped up the Screen Wash

Oh, and it turns out my engine doesn't take 7.4L like everywhere I read online and from YouTube.... it's actually 6.4L

I eventually found @Grim Reaper post:




On the plus side I got to order myself some new tools:



- Halfords Advanced 3 Tonne Low Profile Trolley Jack
- Halfords Advanced 4 Tonne Magic Quick-Lift Jack Stands

I managed to get these in their winter sale which was the same price as a trade card would have normally brought them down to so I was happy. Both are great bits of kit.

 

[r6paul]

I had noticed that the van was starting to have issues with the battery so I thought I might as well swap it out before I go to find its completely dead one morning I'm running late.

After some research on here I decided to upgrade to a Bosch S5 A13 95ah. I purchased this from Tayna, delivered for £167.76



Fortunately I had already read on here that the new battery would need coding in. I still can't get my head around this though, who knew that even swapping a battery out now would require coding in this modern world!!

The new battery is brilliant. The van is a lot happier with this!

I also decided to make another purchase to help in the future, 'just in case':



£84.99 for piece of mind! I've already used it on a car at work that was completely dead when I got in it. A quick jump with the boost option, from dead to working and it only used about 9%!

 

[r6paul]

The next purchase was almost like a joke. I saw a video pop up on one of the Transported FB pages and it was literally the quiet purchase I've ever made:



The video was of someone sitting in the drivers seat of their Transporter and they were using this mini extendable windscreen wiper for their passenger mirror. They were able to wipe it with no smears without even having to move!

Within seconds I was on Amazon and ordered one for £5.99. I thought it was worth a punt even if it doesn't work or breaks after the first/second go.

The next day it arrived and I've now used it quite a few times. Its a silly little 'gadget' but its actually really useful and sits nicely in the door pocket.

 

[r6paul]

I've recently been having a think about my van and how I want it to look. Up until now I've been concentrating on the inside and whilst there is still a LONG way to go on the inside I wanted to make some changes to the outside.

I have no idea why I have gone down this route because previously I've never been a fan... (although probably because my mate has started down this path with his T6 and I really like it in the flesh) but I've decided to go down the Swamper style route. It won't be a full traditional Swamper but it will have a little subtle hint of it.

My first changes were to replace the indicators and purchase some swamper style vents from THQ:




The indicators were quickly installed:


Before:



After: (Ignore how dirty the van currently is)





I should have gone for smoked the first time round!




The trims I was holding off installing until the weather gets warmer (a while I know!)

Before I knew it, after holding up the vents, I was loving the swamper style and I went a little crazy with purchases:


Wheel Arch Kit and Body Mouldings from THQ:




Items from VanStyle:

- Full width Black ABS Bonnet Protector
- Black ABS Rear Bumper Protector
- Black ABS Rear Number Plate Holder



I know I said I wouldn't use VanStyle again earlier in this thread but I thought I would give them one last shot. Other than their dispatch time not being great they did get them sent out after a little prodding and they are all in good condition. (I bought the items from THQ and VanX before VanStyle and they both delivered their items before VanStyle even managed to dispatch their items)



Items from VanX:



- Kombi Seat Base Caps
- Front Grill side Fins
- Door Card Arm Rests

I know these aren't 'Swamper Style', but whilst I was on a buying binge I ordered these too.



I'm not going to rush getting these items on the van so it'll be a little while before any pictures are uploaded. I also need to finish sorting the inside of the van out so new wheels and more swamper parts will have to wait.


Whilst ordering the parts from VanX for the inside of the van I also ordered the this little part from VanForge:



£34.98 including P&P

Its to hold an Autoterm comfort controller holder that then slots up here:




I need to get back to sorting the inside of the van out and next on the list is the leisure battery and diesel heater so I can start getting away in it.

 

[r6paul]

Doing this, well some of it

I do like VanXs products, not the cheapest but well made. I don't think you'll regret ordering the rubber inserts. I do want to order more as I'd like to do the lower dashboard inserts and the top dashboard insert but as they aren't cheap and I've just blown loads on the swamper bits, they'll have to wait!

 

[r6paul]

I really shouldn't make posts when I'm tired and should be asleep, so many errors in the above updates.

Just to clarify a couple of them:

was told 15 minters but

15 Minutes - not sure what a minters is

the Transported FB pages

Obviously I mean Transporter. I can't remember which of the pages it was now.

(I bought the items from THQ and VanX before VanStyle and they both delivered their items before VanStyle even managed to dispatch their items)

This is meant to read: I ordered the items from VanStyle before I ordered the other bits from VanX and THQ, but despite this I had both deliveries from THQ and VanX before VanStyle even dispatched their order. They suggest on their website that orders are usually dispatched within two days, and all items were showing 'plenty in stock'. After four days I sent an email just to check when they were likely to be dispatched. I must admit they did apologise and then dispatched the item the same day which I can't grumble at, although the customer service isn't even close to THQs or VanXs.





It's also worth mentioning, as it worried me for a few minutes until I double checked... but when ordering the Wheel Arch kit, some of the plastics look like they have been damaged in transport, but they haven't, its just to fit the mouldings of the van:

 

[r6paul]

Jumped in the van this morning to do a couple of small bits....

First was fitting the last of the seat covers which was for the drivers seat. I'm not overly happy with the quality of the seat covers but for £290 for 5 I can't really complain. They will certainly do until I can afford to have them re-trimmed properly.

I then stuck on the VanX Foam Door Arm Rests and clipped in the Kombi Seat Base Caps:



Door Arm Rests:




These probably won't be used for their proper use as the captains seats have the arm rests but, for me, they are mainly there to add more black to break up the grey. Fairly happy with them.



Kombi Seat Base Caps:




I really like the look of these, although I'm worried that they aren't secure enough. I managed to knock a couple of them out of place whilst moving around and had barely touched them. With having two kids and the van as a daily drive we'll see how they will last. But I do like how they tidy it up whilst the middle seat is out!

 

[Sim667]

I’m just sticking my nose in as I’m also looking for a diving wagon…… I’ll be interested to see if you do anything clever for kit

 

[r6paul]

I’m just sticking my nose in as I’m also looking for a diving wagon…… I’ll be interested to see if you do anything clever for kit

It took me ages to work out what to do with my Caddy previously but eventually perfected a removable system that took 4 cylinders, two of which were on a pull out section.

I have a few ideas for the Transporter but nothing set in stone yet. We'll see how it progresses.

Have you got any ideas for yours? What sort of kit/setup are you diving?



Thanks
Paul

 

[r6paul]

After a trip to the NEC Camping and Caravan show last week I ended up making a couple of purchases:


- The first was a fire extinguisher. Due to space, size and lack of destroying the van when using it I opted for a Fire Safety Stick:



I think I'll end up picking up a second one once I have the furniture sorted in the back so that I have one in the cab and one in the rear.

It was £69 which isn't cheap but its small, compact, doesn't need servicing and lasts 15 years before needing replacing.



- The second item was a really expensive travel mug:



Fortunately the mug came with a free Roamer 144ah SMART5 Lithium battery .

Its still on back order and should be here for mid March.

The battery came in at £479 with the free electrical consultation appointment and mug.

I did want the 230ah seat base battery but with planning a diesel heater under the drivers seat and not a standard Transporter layout it meant hiding all the other electrical kit was going to be a pain. So I had to go for the smaller 144 so that I can fit the DC-DC charger and an MPPT controller under the seat too.

 

[r6paul]

After coming back from the show I ended up ordering a few more items:


- The Hythe Auto Electrics Transporter Battery Base:




I know its overkill for what's required and it could have been done a hell of a lot cheaper myself with normal ply but I can't help myself with black Hexa and the finishing touches.

For anyone wondering they sell for £150

It'll be installed once the battery has arrived. Planning to have the battery and heater installed in April.