Richy's T6 Panel Van to Camper DIY Conversion!

[RichyJ91]

One of the most helpful and enjoyable aspects of this forum is seeing the before, during and after photos of other peoples camper conversion. It’s great for tips and tricks, layout ideas, and general information - so here’s mine. I’ve been keeping track of every single cost and purchase in a spreadsheet so may well upload that at the end for any prospective self builders out there.

The plan is for me and my wife to turn it into a 2 berth, self-built camper. We’ve opted for no pop top, and a few other choices that maybe aren’t the norm, but that’s what's great about it being self-built - it’s how we want it, and what will work for us. We've hired them in the past so know what we like and what we don't.

The Van



2019 (69)
133,000 miles
LWB
Highline
T32
Tailgate
150bhp
6-speed manual

Preparation
Stripping out the back of the van was fairly simple, but took longer than I thought it would. First to go was the bulkhead, obviously. Ideally I still need to take out the frame, but I don’t have the tools required at the moment.



After that, the inbuilt shelving unit the previous owner had installed. This thing was held in place by what seemed a ridiculous amount of screws, many of which were so tight they took forever to get out.



Next up, the ply lining. I did keep some of the panel-type pieces as they’ll provide good templates for any of my own I need to make. The vehicle still had its grey, factory panels in place behind the ply so I’ve also kept them for good measure.

Windows
Probably the most daunting task of the build so far as it obviously involves making drastic, irreversible changes to the body of the van. After watching almost every video on Youtube for advice I gave it a go, first by drilling the corners of the panel and then using a jigsaw to work my way around.



I’d bought a set of metal-specific Bosch blades for my jigsaw as I knew getting through the central brace would be a challenge. It didn’t turn out to be as difficult as I thought. I feel like I could have taken the blade closer to the natural template of the “window”, which would have left a more straight edge, however this was my first attempt and so I can’t complain too much.



Next, I prepared the bare metal edge ahead of adding the trim.. Easy. After that I degreased and cleaned everything as there were little metal flecks everywhere, then it was a case of adding the primer around the hole ready for the bonding to go on. This was more nerve racking than making the hole as I felt it required more concentration and if I did it wrong it wouldn’t seal right.



Adding the window itself felt easy, although I later learned it wasn’t quite positioned right and had slipped a bit despite the copious amounts of tape to get it in place.

Next up, repeat the process for the sliding door window. This one went a bit better and I was much happier with the finish of the trim.





By the time I got to the tailgate I felt much more confident about it all. I’d read that this one was hard to bond because you have less of an outer area to prime, so I made sure I applied more sealant this time which worked a treat. No issues, no leaks, no rattles!





The same can’t be said for the first two though, and I ended up having to pay some £100 per window to remove and rebond them as they were leaking. To be fair, he said they weren’t the worst attempts he’d seen though so I’m taking that as a win.

Insulation
I’ve gone for the standard layering approach. Sound deadening, covering about 30% of each large flat panel, as the base layer. I'd also taken up the floor by this point, and gave it a good clean!!





Then I added a 10mm thermoacoustic liner on top, which went on a treat. This photo was taken part way through, it's fully lined now.



Followed by a mix of 30mm and 50mm ecofleece depending on what space there was available.



I have some more insulation to go down on the floor, however can't put this down until I have time to do the flooring as a whole.

Ultimately I’ll be looking to clad at least the upper half of the walls, with carpeting for non-clad areas. I’ll likely add back on the initial panels under this, probably carpeted, just as another layer for layers sake.

Follow this thread for updates as I go if you wish!

Watch this space!
Flooring - coming soon!
Walls - coming soon-ish!
Ceiling
Roof
Electrics
Seating/Bedding
Units
Everything else!

 

[64 SPLIT]

Looks a nice clean van to start from unlike some of the typical white van man cast-offs!
Personally I'd carpet line before adding the ecofleece insulation, cut the holes in the carpet once it's applied and then fill the voids. Just saves the fleece sticking to the carpet when you're trying to apply it to the various curves.

 

[RichyJ91]

Looks a nice clean van to start from unlike some of the typical white van man cast-offs!
Personally I'd carpet line before adding the ecofleece insulation, cut the holes in the carpet once it's applied and then fill the voids. Just saves the fleece sticking to the carpet when you're trying to apply it to the various curves.

Yeah, I thought so too. Although the rear inner pillars are scuffed beyond belief, but they'll be covered by carpet anyway.

Hmm, good shout. I do have the lower panels to put back on so may do that to avoid the sticky fleece issue.

 

[Badjamin]

Dunno if you need one but I have a full height left rear panel already carpet lined in grey suede if you want one for free...

 

[RichyJ91]

Dunno if you need one but I have a full height left rear panel already carpet lined in grey suede if you want one for free...

Ahh thanks for the offer, but I've got that area sorted, or at least a plan. Thanks though.

 

[RichyJ91]

I’ve made some good progress since my last post. Not all of the updates from this point onwards will appear in the right order as I flicked between different tasks as I went depending on what time I had between shifts.

Walls
This was the first time I’ve applied any 4-way stretch carpet before. We’re favouring a wood look for the upper half, but also didn’t want any bare metal exposed. It’s not overly difficult, but can be a pain to get right. My attempts were hit and miss depending on whether the surface was an awkward bit, but overall most of it went on fine.



I learned a lot from the plenty of mistakes I made, mainly not to cut off too much apparent excess until you’ve confirmed whether it actually is excess.





I also ended up applying the wrong side of the carpet to the tailgate, despite actively trying not to. It’s not blindingly obvious, but it is when compared to the rest in both appearance and feeling. I’ll order some more and redo it otherwise I’ll forever be annoying looking at it!





For both the side door and tailgate I tucked the carpet into a small u-trim channel that I super glued around the edge of the door to give it a neater look. If I can I may move the small trim back a bit towards the tailgate seal to avoid showing any of the white metal, although I'm doubtful as I'm pretty sure the superglue has almost melted the trim to the metal..





I wasn’t a fan of the carpet simply ending, albeit being hidden by the door trim when the door itself is shut. The inner edge of the trim is tucked behind the more rigid u-trim that surrounds the windows, nice and neatly. Pretty pleased with the outcome!



I’ve started creating new panels that are to be carpeted and held in place with tan colour trim clips. I'm quite pleased with them for now.

Next...
Flooring is coming along really nicely so will get some photos of that soon. There's quite a few layers and stages involved so it's taking a little time.

 

[T6ChrisO]

Love watching a project come together. Well done for having a go yourself, I've never been brave enough to attempt carpet lining. I don't think I have the patience ha ha

 

[BuzzT6]

Looking good!

 

[T6NOMAD]

Looking to be a super build!!! Nice work

 

[T6Ollie]

This is looking really good, such a clean van to start with! Well done doing the windows yourself too, I was too scared to do mine. I was just wondering about the carpet lining around the tailgate window as I am about to do mine, did you remove the trim? It looks like the trim was (at least partly) bonded when you put the window in, does that mean the trim can never be removed?

 

[RichyJ91]

This is looking really good, such a clean van to start with! Well done doing the windows yourself too, I was too scared to do mine. I was just wondering about the carpet lining around the tailgate window as I am about to do mine, did you remove the trim? It looks like the trim was (at least partly) bonded when you put the window in, does that mean the trim can never be removed?

Thanks, man. The tailgate set up is the same as for the two side windows. Once I cut the hole the trim is then just knocked into place, unbonded. It's tight enough that it's secure though, it's mainly just to give it an edge and cover the rough metal. Then you just lift it ever so slight,y and tuck the carpet under it with anything slim and plastic.

I had to pay to have the side windows redone at the beginning due to leaks as it was my first ever attemps, so it was quite handy being able to just pull the U-Trim off without issue.

 

[RichyJ91]

So, the conversion took a bit of a set back for a few reasons - money, time, weather, life. It's back on track now though, and I have a few more updates for the flooring, completed wall/door panels and the re-carpeting of the tailgate after my costly mistake of applying the carpet the wrong way round... I've lost track of what I did at what point, so the update/photo ordering is a bit off.

Flooring & Door/Wall Panels
I used the existing poor quality plywood as a template to create a new, thicker 12mm flooring base, which worked well! Unfortunately the old flooring was screwed directly into the metal so I had to repaint with some Hammerite and reseal with Sikaflex.



I decided to save time and buy a floor packer kit to create my subfloor. Expensive for what it is, but worth it, even if there was a piece missing and came with no real instructions.



This was secured to the metal floor with Sikaflex to allow me to drill the plywood and any furniture directly into it. Solid as a rock.



I then applied Dodo Deadn Duo to the floor in between the packers for a combined sound deadening and insulation layer. One £180 roll filled in everything you see here. I’m not too concerned about the missing sections down the sides as they’re really quite minimal, and not worth me buying a new (expensive) roll.



I took advice from others on this forum about whether to go in between or up and over. I ultimately decided that the plywood would sit better and be more easily screwed down if it sat flush against the subfloor. I sealed the edges with a PVA-mix just to give them a bit of extra protection against any moisture or water.

After making my own “map” of where the packers were for screwing into I relayed the 3-piece floor, which although not the perfect fit around the edges, went down well. The gaps will be hidden by furniture anyway. Screwed in nice and securely now.



You'll also be able to see the new carpeted wall/door panels in a lot of these photos. They were secured using tan-coloured push clips which work well when they don't snap. Buy extra if you go for this option.

We’re yet to decide on what kind of flooring we’d like. Probably some form of hard wearing, wood effect vinyl, which we can cut from the roll using the old flooring as a template. Watch this space.

The rear end was then sealed off with an extended threshold to cap off the full length of the van, rather than just the middle. Once the vinyl has been laid, I’ll add the new, deeper side step so that it will sit flush above the thicker 12mm plywood.

Tailgate
I finally got around to recarpeting the tailgate recently too, and sorting out a new panel to give it a nicer finish. I'm pretty happy with how it came out to be honest. I feel like you don't see many carpeted tailgates, but I'd highly recommend it rather than just having the panel done.







Coming Soon
Vinyl
Wall Cladding
Furniture

 

[Wickzter]

That is a really nice finish! Did you not fancy cutting the bulkhead lip out? That job terrified me, but slow and steady did a good job

 

[T6NOMAD]

Thats a great looking job you have done there!

That is a really nice finish! Did you not fancy cutting the bulkhead lip out? That job terrified me, but slow and steady did a good job

Also saw this and was going to ask the same

 

[RichyJ91]

That is a really nice finish! Did you not fancy cutting the bulkhead lip out? That job terrified me, but slow and steady did a good job

Cheers! Oh I did, but didn't have the tools needed. I have my jigsaw with a decent metal cutting blade but I figured it needed a grinder or something. The cabinets are going to go across the back of the seats anyway so the lower lip will be hidden.

 

[T32Rich]

Really nice work there. very satisfying when it comes out well

 

[T6ChrisO]

Looks great! Well done again for having a go yourself

 

[Wickzter]

Cheers! Oh I did, but didn't have the tools needed. I have my jigsaw with a decent metal cutting blade but I figured it needed a grinder or something. The cabinets are going to go across the back of the seats anyway so the lower lip will be hidden.

I cut mine out having watched a bunch of YouTube videos, thankfully I was able to borrow a grinder. It wasn't the worst job ever, but very messy and I was super nervous. The slitting disc goes through the metal so easily, so steady was the way. I wish I'd documented it, even a short video because I feel the YT Vids make it look a bit too easy, which with experience it probably is.

 

[RichyJ91]

I cut mine out having watched a bunch of YouTube videos, thankfully I was able to borrow a grinder. It wasn't the worst job ever, but very messy and I was super nervous. The slitting disc goes through the metal so easily, so steady was the way. I wish I'd documented it, even a short video because I feel the YT Vids make it look a bit too easy, which with experience it probably is.

Yeah, I think I would have given it a go if I had access to a grinder, but also maybe not - the videos of sparks flying everywhere made me nervous! Well done for giving it a go yourself though!

 

[RichyJ91]

It's been a few months since my last update so thought I'd share some progress photos. Originally I thought I'd save them up until I'd finished that aspect of the van, but all that means is long periods of no updates as that'd take quite a while. Since the last update, I've primarily been sorting the U-shaped custom bed/seating frame, the table, vinyl and made a start on the window coverings. I've also bought the fridge and power setup.

After plenty research I found what I was after in terms of simple cab window covers. It's blackout, stretches across and is held in place by 4x snap and fasten poppers, for lack of a better term. The side ones are part of the pack too, but they're magnetic. Pretty happy with them all.



I think set about sorting the vinyl floor. It's a heavy duty, pre-cut ash wood effect. It's maybe a bit too grey for us as we wanted something a bit more brown-wood-look but it's what we found and within our price range. Set us back about £90 from Base Camp Flooring.



I'd already a lot of time designing the bed/seat frame on Sketchup, but it did end up changing slightly when it came to the reality of my measurements not quite lining up, but I'm happy with it overall. Lots of cutting, re-measuring and a fair bit of playing around.





It's all secured down through the vinyl and into the 12mm plywood I showed earlier. Solid as a rock too.

Next up was to start covering it. This was 9mm plywood I think, which I still need to cut holes into for ventilation and moisture control but it'll do for now. It's hinged to allow access to the storage space below.



This was also my first attempts at trying to scribe wood to a not flat surface, which was a ball ache but I'm happy with how it turned out.



The panelling has turned out as I hoped too, although I do plan on getting some L shaped corner covers that I'll cut to size to cover up the wonky corner joins. It has a slight lip at the top to stop the foam from sliding once upholstered.



During this time I was also oiling the table that once lowered can form the missing base of the bed. I installed braces on either side that was unobtrusive. Lovely piece of wood.

I don't know whether to fit a fixed table leg that can be removed in order to lower the table, or one that is adjustable so it simply moves up and down. It's hard finding one that can do the exact height I need.



And finally the foam! I used GBFoam in the end, and luxury firm for the foam type. Yet to be tested so may still need a mattress topper for comfort but it certainly feels like good quality for now. The two back rests can be moved around as required and slot nicely (with a bit of effort) into the table gap.



Happy to provide questions on anything, including where I bought stuff, how difficult it was, or how costly!

Next Up
Kitchen Furniture/Cabinets
Curtains/Window Coverings
Ceiling
Electrics
Wall Cladding