The van build

Hey!
I've been banging on about getting a van to build a camper for over a year, I worked away and decided to save money to make it happen. I have decided to live a stress free life and to continue in travelling whilst working seasons, which means I will have enough time to travel, and manage to save money for diesel as I have accomodation provided on site, sometimes free food, so any money I earn is mine!
I now have the time and money to start this self build project, originally I was a brand whore, I only wanted a VW but after viewing T4's for sale I realised most in my price bracket were battered old builder's vans which would need considerable work just to make it look presentable. i decided to widen my search and look for a cheaper, better conditioned van which wasn't battered, and there are many models which fitted, however I don't have a class C1 on my licence and going from a clio I settled on a Vivaro, these are less commonly advertised on the net as a camper conversion van, however when you notice this model you will see hundreds on the road, meaning that they are reliable, so I viewed one and bought it. 

Original Images 
27/01/2013 I picked up the van this morning, drove it home, it took a bit of negotiation around the roundabout at first and a lot of men were looking at me as I jumped out of the cab in the petrol forecourt to pay and climbed back into the drivers seat. I drove it home and after getting used to looking in the mirrors i drove smoothly and didn't rattle at 70 mph. So the "it'l never happen project" happened.

I am changing the bulkhead panel to allow more light and a sense of space into the back.

First Steps:
27/01/2013
The van was already ply lined, we took out all of the wood, dusted and cleaned the metal work, and started on the insulation. This was time consuming but the ply boards seem to be in good condition, although after removing them, it became apparent that the previous owner had the theory of "silicone will fix it" i think everything has been siliconed into place.

After a clean, as good as new! although as an empty shell it is pretty cold!

We bought foil backed bubble wrap, this will cover the metal panels, then a insulation board with the original ply on top, the floor will be lino to easily keep clean and stop sand being ingrained into the carpet. This is an easy job, but don't believe that instant bond adhesive is actually instant bond.