Novice attempts a Peugeot Boxer conversion.

[George Mc]

Camperjack, Good luck with your conversion. The biggest and hardest thing is to think it through so that you have a plan (write it down). That way you don't find things that you have done get in the way of something that you later need to do later.

This link is to one of the best conversions (economical as well) that I have ever seen. He has detailed everything and I don't think there will be anything that he has left out. Unfortunately, he has passed away and his wife keeps the website going in his memory and because so many used it as a source of information (myself included).

Deep Red - A self-build motorhome - home page

Self-build motorhome.

deepredmotorhome.com

Do you have any pals with DIY skills that can hold your hand when it comes to things you have never done before. I ripped an old NHS ambulance apart and converted it with guidance of a friend. I was nearly 70 with poor DIY skills but it is amazing how quickly you pick them up.
Once again good luck
George Mc

 

[Littleoldman]

Welcome. I'm also converting a boxer (2017) and am really enjoying it. I have asked for advice on this forum and there's a great bunch of people who are more than willing to help you. Everyone has been a novice at some point. Look at as many videos as you can. Look at the comments by others who have viewed the videos before you. That way you'll work out who's worth watching and who's not. Enjoy the experience and there are many better days than bad days on your build.

 

[MisterB]

Good luck with your conversion

There are alot of people on Youtube with howto videos!

This guy is really good and very knowledgeable !

Greg Virgoe

We are currently travelling as much of Europe as we can in a self-built Mercedes Sprinter Camper Van. We quit our jobs and handed back the keys to our home a...

www.youtube.com

Another vote for Greg. I was a bit unsure of him at first, he seemed to be a bit of a know it all, then after watching some of his 'build' episodes I realised he was, BUT in a good way and he does his research/homework first and is very good on the tools and he has (had?) a lot of them....

I am surprised though that he ended up cutting up and repurposing some of his templates. I reckon he should have kept them all and sold paper copies of them. But he does explain how he took sizes etc and where everything came from.

His YouTube build videos are well worth a watch even if like me, you have no intention to ever self build, especially to spend a few hours during the lockdown.

 

[ryan_flea]

Must say, i did titter at the part where you are 'enjoying it'. Must admit there were a few days like that at the start of our revamp. That will soon change to headscratching and uncertainty. However, try to be as positive as you are being ?...i will keep an eye out for your progress. Best wishes

 

[Hilewaychile]

The floor. My Movano had spent 8 years/175,000 miles trundling between a flower shop in Newport, on the Welsh coast and Covent Garden flower market. So, the full length of the M4 plus a wiggly bit in the far west - ideal work for a diesel engine and at 210,00 mile still pulls like a train and gives +/- 35mpg.

I presumed the flowers would be in buckets or similar and water would have sloshed about, rusting the floor. In fact when I got the ply off the floor - really difficult as they had not only screwed it down from inside but screwed it up thru' the floor from below! - I found the floor was pristine.

I still wanted to give it a good coat before hiding it forever under insulation [double sided silver bubble wrap], 13mm ply, more double sided silver bubble wrap, another 13mm ply and carpet.

I bought a tin of gloss white Hammerite. This tin, waiting for me to get round to doing the job, was on the shelf over the cab but which is open to rearwards. I thought the tin was safe up there as the shelf has a pronounced lip.

The 'when' to do this job was taken out of my hands by going over a bump, the tin leaping off the shelf and bursting open on the floor. Hammerite dries fast so I had to get a move on. I spread it about with a domestic floor broom with soft bristles. Took 5 mins.

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[Duckato]

I have just gutted the ex Ambulance electrics in a Boxer for a customer, a couple of observations:

The driver side floor mat wears through extraordinarily quickly, not helped by there being a hole in the floor directly beneath where your heels go!
The B pillars is cavernous and ideal for hiding cables in I have run a thick cable back to front in this van for the B2B which can be seen in this video and since doing that I noticed there is a rubber cover at the bottom of the B pillar under the van so I have suggested to the owner that a later date she re routes the cable under the floor and directly into the battery box rather than under the mat




I own two vans myself, I have a Crafter Panel van which I paused last year whilst building an Ex A&E Sprinter.

Originally I had intended to make the Crafter open plan but I have changed my mind since creating a bulkhead door in the Sprinter.

I am so impressed with the segregation provided between box and cab in the Sprinter that I will be reinstating a bulkhead in the Crafter with a door however it will be set back enough to still be able to partially use Swivel seats

The segregation provided by having a doorway has proven invaluable imho, total control over Solar gain and heat loss but most important of all is the added security the door provides, that has a significant impact to our feeling of safety when wild camping.

It also provides us with somewhere to isolate the dogs when necessary.

 

[Hilewaychile]

The floor 2

Here you can see how the floor is done. Ali foil double sided 'bubble wrap' stuck to the floor. 13mm waterproof ply - the only wood used in the fit-out. More bubble on the ply then another layer of ply. This sandwich screwed down. Carpet over all.

I was coming back from a furniture run to Spain when I was stopped by the French police. They were on the lookout for drug running. Three officers searched the van, which at the time only had the floor [minus carpet] installed. One of the officers decided that dope might be hidden under the flooring. I pointed out that the floor was screwed down with dozens of self-tappers. Nevertheless, the officer was determined to check it out. The only tool available was my Swiss Army penknife which has a slot screwdriver head at the end of the bottle opener tool.

The police officer got down on her hands and knees and started on the first screw. She made no progress in 5 mins. The other officers thought she was on a hiding to nothing and this English bloke, speaking reasonable French and chatting about Brexit, was not the usual type to be running dope, so they called her off. She never did succeed in getting even one screw out.

 

[Hilewaychile]

I think the most compelling argument I have heard against having a bulkhead behind the cab is that the most certain and secure way to get out of a dodgy situation is to drive away. If the doorway provides rapid access to the cab, fair enough ...

 

[Duckato]

Absolutely! we have only needed to clear off once after a bunch of Drug taking Chavs invaded the parkup and the door simply made doing so a much simpler and safer exercise.

I also have and regularly use my extremely bright LED Scene lighting all around the van.
They are wired both to switches and to the reversing lights and they are extremely handy for all sorts of planned and unplanned reasons!

I can't recommend scene lighting and a lightbar strongly enough!



The ones fitted above are by Labcraft and being made extremely well for the likes of Emergency vehicles are also quite expensive, so for the Crafter I bought some of these instead, they aren't quite as bright but are made from solid alloy so will still take a good bashing from branches etc.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=142992659250

 

[Chris51]

Best thing I did to my conversion was having it "spray foamed "made it more rigid /quieter and no damp even in winter with no heating.

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[Ralph-n-Bev]

Peter & Elaine you called ?
Hi you two hope you are both well.
Here you are CamperJack this is a link to Ralphs self build. It took a while to do as he was working full time (builder) . Lots of planning as he’s a brickie not a sparky or joiner. But until Covid we use him ( Pug ) all year round. Toasty warm . We’ve got everything onboard what we need and nothing we don’t.

rb panel van conversion begins !

Well after Ordering our base vehicle back in July it has finally arrived..... As you can see its a Peugeot Boxer, the van is 6.4m long and has a 2.2 engine with 130 BHP. The new Boxer has a few changes to it the obvious one being the face lift. Other changes made are to the sliding door gear...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[CamperJack]

Peter & Elaine you called ?
Hi you two hope you are both well.
Here you are CamperJack this is a link to Ralphs self build. It took a while to do as he was working full time (builder) . Lots of planning as he’s a brickie not a sparky or joiner. But until Covid we use him ( Pug ) all year round. Toasty warm . We’ve got everything onboard what we need and nothing we don’t.

rb panel van conversion begins !

Well after Ordering our base vehicle back in July it has finally arrived..... As you can see its a Peugeot Boxer, the van is 6.4m long and has a 2.2 engine with 130 BHP. The new Boxer has a few changes to it the obvious one being the face lift. Other changes made are to the sliding door gear...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

I read through you build post a few months ago, Ralph and Bev. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it. Thanks for the link!

 

[CamperJack]

Today I found something to remove the funny bolt and took out the drivers cage. I also filled in the holes.

This evening I was merrily adding things I'll need for doing the floor into my online basket on the B&Q website but when I hit buy it turns out everything is out of stock. The wood, the celotex, the paint, the spray foam, the tape. Nothing to be had. Unavailable for delivery or collection. I tried Wickes which put me on a hours wait just to get on the website! Not sure what, if any, progress I can make without any materials. ?

 

[Campervan_man]

ebay is still up and running.
Providing you don't want to buy hand sanitiser or toilet rolls.

 

[CamperJack]

Another vote for Greg.

Yes, I've watch all his build series. Clearly a very knowledgeable bloke. His video on the merits of various types of insulation are very in depth and I found it hard to follow everything, even with a B.Sc.

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[CamperJack]

I've managed to sauce all the materials I need for the insulation part of the build. I paid well over the odds for some wooden battons for the floor. The delivery was more than the wood too! I gave up trying to get plywood for the floor. I'm not paying hundreds of pounds for it, plus delivery. So I'm going to cut the bad bits out of the old floor and patch it with plywood from the old bulkhead. I reckon I've got more than enough to make a good job of it. We shall see. However everything else should all be working its way to me!


I have to say though how impressed I was by Dodo Mat. Ordered yesterday for "free next day delivery". Got a text this morning saying it would be with me between 12.13 and 1.13. At 12.15 it had been delivered.


I was skeptical about the merits of their Dodo Dead Mat Sound insulation but bought some just because all the YouTube van builders I have watched use it or something similar. I was shocked by how effective it is. As I was pealing it off and fixing it to the sides of the van I was constantly tapping away on the side panels, amazed by the way it absorbed the vibrations and the difference of the sounds on panels with and without the matting.


I also found metal paint in Aldi while doing a weekly shop for my Grandparents and so I've also painted the van floor. I've done most of it, focusing on the parts around the back and side doors. The back two thirds had a good coat but the area behind the drivers seat is a little thin as I started running out of paint. But I have another 750 ml tin of hammerite on order anyway to finish this off.

 

[Tarn2]

Good luck with your conversion, I've almost finished my 2014 Boxer - sadly as I can't use it and will now have to look for things to do! My best advice is to use this lockdown time to plan, plan, then plan again. Stick tape on the floor and sides where things are going, cut cardboard shapes to visualise it easier. Plan where you need strengthening batons to support panels and furniture. Run enough cables whilst you've got access for lights, sockets, solar panels if fitting, pump, (even piezo igniter for hob/oven if you're getting one - I forgot!), plus spares! Greg Virgo is great for ideas as is Ralph-n-Bev, I used both throughout the build. In the early days Ralph said 'take your time, you'll be surprised what you can do' great advice. Maxxfan is brilliant - like Greg, I put in a mini Heki rooflight, only to replace it with a Maxxfan?. Even with planning, you will undoubtedly change half way through though (several times ?)

 

[CamperJack]

Tarn, thanks for the reply. It's good advise to plan and take your time. Yesterday I put tape down on the floor for layout planning. I sat on the bed frame and looked for a good half an hour. And then made quite significant changes by making the bench seating longer and cupboard smaller. Dad thought I was mad. Just sitting there in a near empty van, looking and thinking. But I'm confident I've got it all planned out nicely now.

Also put in insulation on both side walls and have attached beams to the side of the van for the bed. That really made me feel like I was making progress. Still want a few leg supports for the bed but that will have to wait until I've done the floor but I've been having issues with that because the sliding door leaks! No use putting a new floor down, only for water to destroy it.

The side door is really slowing me down. I waiting for stuff that will hopefully make it water tight and then I can get the floor down and get cracking! Also the handle was missing on the sliding door. I've ordered one but I'm struggling to fit it. I'll get there.

No sliding door handle on inside of Peugeot Boxer.

Hi all. I am making progress on the conversion. I have most of the struts up for attaching the tongue and groove cladding / ply lining on the walls. But before I do this to the sliding door I need to sort out a problem. The sliding door has no handle on the inside to open it. In addition, to...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[mitzimad]

They are Hex bits. Quite common across these vans.

Regarding the paint, it won't be seen so something that's a good rust inhibitor. I used red oxide, but anything similar would be good.

thats not hex it torx

 

[Wissel]

thats not hex it torx

Yep
Was pointed out straight away after I said it. Brain fart moment

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[denisejoe]

Looked at the first video and the gas tank caught my eye the on off tap is right under the van how would that get on with the tunnel

 

[CamperJack]

I thought I'd update this thread as the build has progressed a fair amount since I last posted.

You may have seen this in another thread. I was astounded by the cost of new (and even terribly battered second hand) single passenger seats. So Dad and I introduced the old double bench passenger seat to the angle grinder and converted it to a single seat. Mum isn't sure my needlework is quite worthy of the Beeb's Great British Sewing Bee, but it works and save a hole heap of ? for other things in the van or a trip away when the van is finished.

I don't think I posted about this here, but I created a sliding door to access the driving cab via the living space. I built this using heavy duty runners that were, really, made for draws. I'm really pleased with this. I wasn't sure it would work but it has turned out just as I imagined it.

The pictures below show a lot of what's been done lately. The B&Q kitchen cupboards are in. The sliding door and kitchen / bed divider panel has been painted a lovely shade of green. The walls have also been done out in tongue and groove cladding, as have the back doors. The horizontal beam running across the van is one of three beams that the bed slats will be screwed into. I know there's an ugly join in the two lengths of cladding, but once the high level kitchen cupboards have been built you'll not see a single join on the entire wall because they will all be hidden within the cupboard.

 

[Raul]

I just seen this build tread. Just a observation.
Your insulation is as good as your vapour barrier integrity. I see you build some stuff before you finished sealing your walls, ceiling in one uninterruptible vapour barrier, all taped around any opening and holes/fixtures. This will tax you later.
The ceiling should of been insulated at that stage, with the vapour barrier on it, then all wall/ceiling coverings in place, before any furniture goes in. Please don’t take it at heart, it’s just my opinion.

 

[CamperJack]

I just seen this build tread. Just a observation.
Your insulation is as good as your vapour barrier integrity. I see you build some stuff before you finished sealing your walls, ceiling in one uninterruptible vapour barrier, all taped around any opening and holes/fixtures. This will tax you later.
The ceiling should of been insulated at that stage, with the vapour barrier on it, then all wall/ceiling coverings in place, before any furniture goes in. Please don’t take it at heart, it’s just my opinion.

Due to lockdown celotex or kings pan insulation board is / was impossible get hold of. That’s what’s going on the roof.

The double layer bubble foil vapour barier is easily reachable by removing the top piece of cladding. So when I can finally get celotex it should be easy to fit and then tape the vapour barrier together.

Not ideal but with this virus you do what you can.

 

[Chocks Away]

The van arrived today at 3.30 pm. They very kindly agreed to deliver it free of charge because I couldn't collect it because of the lock down.

(It looks much bigger sat alongside the car than it did among the other vans in the dealers yard! ? I'm going to have to get used to driving it when we are allowed out again.)

The van is a 2013 Peugeot Boxer 2.2L Diesel L3H2. It's had one other keeper since new, who seem to be a reasonably large conservatory company. So hopefully they have maintained it reasonably well.

I hope people will enjoy reading about my progress. I've enjoyed reading through old posts about other people's conversions on here! Hopefully too people will be able to help when I get stuck. I'm more than open to comments and observations because I don't really know what I'm doing!! So this could be fun. The only thing I have in my favour is that I did reasonably well in wood work in high school.

View attachment 372667





Before

The picture below shows the what it was like at the start of the day inside, with the old wooden panels that once held the sides of peoples conservatories.


View attachment 372671


After Day One


View attachment 372672

View attachment 372673


Next Jobs

1. Removal of the wooden fixtures on the passenger side.
2. Removal of the wooden paneling on the side of the van.
3. Clean everything inside - treat any rust spots (only found one or two very small bits so far!) and paint.
4. Fixing holes where once there was a frame hung on the outside of the van. - I pan to put bolts in with rubber washers to seal it up. Any better ideas peeps?
5. Removal of the metal frame around the drivers seat to make space for either a hatch or door from cab into living area.
6. Ordering and installation of sound deadening material. Any recommendations?

Issues For Pondering

1. The sliding door seems to be lacking a handle to open from the inside - tricky as this was the planned main entrance / exit.
2. The airbag warning light is on on the dash - dealer said he fixed this. Either he lied or its broken again on delivery.
3. Indicator on drivers side works but plastic is smashed. Same too with lights at back on passenger side.

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[Chocks Away]

The van arrived today at 3.30 pm. They very kindly agreed to deliver it free of charge because I couldn't collect it because of the lock down.

(It looks much bigger sat alongside the car than it did among the other vans in the dealers yard! ? I'm going to have to get used to driving it when we are allowed out again.)

The van is a 2013 Peugeot Boxer 2.2L Diesel L3H2. It's had one other keeper since new, who seem to be a reasonably large conservatory company. So hopefully they have maintained it reasonably well.

I hope people will enjoy reading about my progress. I've enjoyed reading through old posts about other people's conversions on here! Hopefully too people will be able to help when I get stuck. I'm more than open to comments and observations because I don't really know what I'm doing!! So this could be fun. The only thing I have in my favour is that I did reasonably well in wood work in high school.

View attachment 372667





Before

The picture below shows the what it was like at the start of the day inside, with the old wooden panels that once held the sides of peoples conservatories.


View attachment 372671


After Day One


View attachment 372672

View attachment 372673


Next Jobs

1. Removal of the wooden fixtures on the passenger side.
2. Removal of the wooden paneling on the side of the van.
3. Clean everything inside - treat any rust spots (only found one or two very small bits so far!) and paint.
4. Fixing holes where once there was a frame hung on the outside of the van. - I pan to put bolts in with rubber washers to seal it up. Any better ideas peeps?
5. Removal of the metal frame around the drivers seat to make space for either a hatch or door from cab into living area.
6. Ordering and installation of sound deadening material. Any recommendations?

Issues For Pondering

1. The sliding door seems to be lacking a handle to open from the inside - tricky as this was the planned main entrance / exit.
2. The airbag warning light is on on the dash - dealer said he fixed this. Either he lied or its broken again on delivery.
3. Indicator on drivers side works but plastic is smashed. Same too with lights at back on passenger side.

These vans sometimes have a bad earth wire that illuminates the air bag light and seat belt, I think its an easy fix,

 

[Raul]

Due to lockdown celotex or kings pan insulation board is / was impossible get hold of. That’s what’s going on the roof.

The double layer bubble foil vapour barier is easily reachable by removing the top piece of cladding. So when I can finally get celotex it should be easy to fit and then tape the vapour barrier together.

Not ideal but with this virus you do what you can.

Search in the self build tread “ camper first build”, I did the conversion before I joined this forum. Hence no build tread but, a comprehensive timeline with photos of the build. It may give you ideas of insulating the ceiling. Celotex would be the last thing I would use, for such a application. Dodo mat is superb, if you can afford go for the thermo layer 10mm, that has sound deadening properties to. I covered the entire metal surface with that stuff, before I moved on to upholstery plastic wool.

 

[CamperManLez]

I suggest you just have think about how you will use the van and design around that, on the insulation front, pay attention to that and if you have to spend then put money into that. Closed cell foam works very well and is fast to apply, ditto YBS bubble as an additional shape conforming material. If you use either do not rely on self adhesive foam, it comes unstuck, use high temp spray adhesive such as found from Kiravans. The insulation side of things took me far too much time to get finished but my van is quiet with no rattles and has good insulation, a frosty morning with the heat in the van will show you that.
I retained the front triple seat and have no problems with a separated cab and accommodation, you can always change that aspect later as the work is in one area. You retain three seat belts this way.
Use a nibbler for the window openings, and put magnets on the panel to hold the cuttings, they make bad rust spots if they drop into the inside. The nibbler will give you a clean cut with most cuttings to the outside of the van. Look at machine mart for a simple nibbles, it works well
Good luck.

 

[CamperJack]

I've not updated this thread in ages.


A couple of months ago I did the tile back splash for where the kitchen counter top will be. The tiles are fixed to the wall with sikaflex pro and “grouted” with Unibond black mold free kitchen and bathroom sealant. Unlike traditional tile adhesive and grout these should stay flexible to prevent cracking when the van is being driven... I hope.

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The fridge will go in this gap, which will be under my bed. I made a cage around it, to protect the back of the fridge from anything moving around in the storage area at the back doors side. It is made using mostly recycled pallet wood and off cuts of 8mm plywood. That's cheap and eco. It doesn't need to be pretty, you'll not see it under there! And the gaps are intentional, because the fridge needs to be vented.

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My first sticker, inside the kitchen cupboard doors. Recent YouTuber, Jock In The Box, lost his job and home due to Corona Virus and was forced to move into an unconverted LDV van. His story is inspirational - both his determination to go on and not be broken and the way the van dwelling community had reached out and given support. Dave has documented it in a very real, and raw videos on his YouTube channel.

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Early stages of electrical wiring. Also installed since the photo was taken is the sterling B2B, the 12v Fuse / Bus and the input to the batteries from the solar charge controller.

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Today I have built a roof rack, onto which the solar panels will be mounted. That should happen tomorrow, with a bit of luck! The wooden beam across the top is mounted to the frame using 10mm threaded bar. It should offer some protection to the solar panels from any low hanging branches. The middle piece of decking timber running down the length of the van had to be shorter so I can fit the two turbo vents at the front and back of the van.

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[uzsnowdrop]

Hows the build going???

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