Ford Transit Campervan - DIY Conversion
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The Van
A 1986 pale blue Ford Transit short wheel base minibus, it was used from new as transport for the disabled and was fitted with a number of seats in the back. It was purchased in 1998 with the intention of carrying stock, so the original seats had to be removed. It was soon realised that the van had potential as a campervan as it not only had a good wooden floor but also side panels, roof lining and side windows, something never found in a regular commercial vehicle. It was slowly converted over a number of years with several incarnations until a satisfactory layout was settled on. One of the requirements of the conversion was that the internal fittings needed to be removable as the vehicle was still to be used for its purpose of carrying stock. It was used in this way for a number of years until it finally reached a stage where it was no longer cost effective to keep on the road. If you are interested, there is more information and photos available here
The Model
This was built from the 1:24 scale Esci kit. It was heavily modified to represent the real vehicle. The side window panels were cut out and clear plastic fixed in place. The side door was cut out and working hinges made. The body work was brush painted as the real van was painted like this, including the caption on the rear door. The paint was custom mixed to match. The interior was painted sky blue to match the original colour of the van. The rear doors were converted from a top hinged door to 2 side hinged doors. The door handle and recess were scratch built on both the back door and side door. In addition the tow bar and side step were also scratch built. The interior was all scratch built to replicate the original van, including the bed, cooker, sink, counter, wardrobe as well as all the soft furnishings. The carpet was replicated with flocking and then painted to reflect the colour of the carpet in the real van. The bodywork was subtly modified to reflect rusty panels that had been repaired on the real vehicle, including the wheel arches and bonnet.
Completed January 2005
