Novice attempts a Peugeot Boxer conversion.

[mitzimad]

Thanks for your advice. But I very much doubt I'll be over, or anywhere near over. As I have already said I will be getting it weighed to be sure. But no point until I have finished.

I have looked into it actually.

The kerb weight of an L3H2 is 2025 kg (as I understand it kerb weight includes driver at 75 kg plus full fluids - diesel, coolant etc). Limit is 3500 kg. So load allowed to be added is 1475 kg. That's almost one and a half metric ton!

I don't think I'll be over that. I don't have much that weighs a lot, not really.

I have no big fresh water tanks (only one plastic 25 L jerry can). No grey waste tank (only one 10 L jerry can). Black waste is a little porta potti. No gas yet but that will be one single refill bottle. So no big heavy tanks that most conversions and professional built MHs have.

Inside I think I'm fairly standard, if a little smaller even. One double bed (built with bed slats, not a solid sheet of ply), one bench seat (made with framing batons and 7 mm cladding which is very light weight - 10 pieces at 2.4 M is only 3.5 kg), one pair of B&Q kitchen cupboards, two home built above kitchen cupboards (made with box framing, thin cladding and a base of 6mm ply). Most vans have a kitchen on both sides. I only have it on one.

I'm not worried in the slightest but the weighbridge will tell me, eventually.

at 3500 youl probably be ok im sure i saw you state 3000kg mam earlier in the thread

 

[mitzimad]

The kerb weight is 1845 kg. The gross weight allowed is 3000 kg, I think. So I've got 1155 kg to play with. Not sure what I've added. I plan on taking it to a weigh bridge when it's finished to make sure it's okay. Would think it is though!? I don't have a big underslung water or waste tanks which surely are usually a big part of increased payloads in conversations?

thought i was right is it 3000 or 3500

 

[CamperJack]

at 3500 youl probably be ok im sure i saw you state 3000kg mam earlier in the thread

If I did say 3000 kg I was wrong. No grandfather rights on my license so I'm limited to 3.5 ton and that's also the gross limit of the van.

Lighter the better obviously. But not at the cost of chucking just a mattress in the back and calling it a home.

 

[CamperJack]

thought i was right is it 3000 or 3500

I was looking at the wrong model. I was looking at the 3L before! But I have the 2.2L.

So the load I can add is actually 50 kg more than I first said because the kerb weight it lower in the 2.2L which is what I have.

Boxer 335 2.2HDi 120 L3H2

Engine size (litres)	2.2

Gross Payload (Kg)	1525
Gross Vehicle Weight (Kg)	3500
Kerb Weight (Kg)	1975

Boxer, Specifications | Anchor Vans

www.anchorvans.co.uk

 

[Northernraider]

I would still keep it as light as possible. Being on the limit drives like a lorry, accelerated wear and tear, noisy tyres and consumption through the roof. I would say at 75-80% of max, fully loaded for the trip, is bang on. That gives room for long stays supplies along the way.

This is true and ive no intention to take it to its maximum weight ...

I just find it a little amusing that my actual available payload on the vario is 3850kg and the overall weight of my hymer is 3900kg ...so i could effectively carry my complete current van inside the vario if it fit

But it does mean i can use more robust materials in the build without fear of being overweight. I think i will likely still have 1500 -1800kg of payload left when im finished .....until i fit the rear motorbike carrier and full length roofrack

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[uzsnowdrop]

Hows it going Camperjack?

 

[CamperJack]

Hows it going Camperjack?

All is still very much the same. Just doing little bits to make things neater ATM. Lining around the walls with auto-carpet and framing stuff out.

I spent quite a bit lately getting the engine right after a breakdown. I think we have finally cracked it after three or four mechanics and a big pile of .

Saving up my pennies now to buy the fridge and get a professional to install the gas locker and cooker.

I also want to build a shower tray into the bench seating. And do other small bits like fitting a 4G booster and WiFi router.

I am also looking for a rod thing from inside the jack kit to lower the spare wheel. The person who owned it before me didn't put it back in the box with the jack. But I've only found whole kits online for £80 or more. I've been to a few scrap yards but not been able to find one. Could do with swapping the spare as well.

But otherwise it is almost done!!!

I'm looking forward to freedom in April!! The pub will only be open 4 days a week so I'll be getting in as many trips on my three day weekends as I can manage.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Saving up my pennies now to buy the fridge and get a professional to install the gas locker

Have you thought about an underslung LPG tank?

 

[uzsnowdrop]

Looking great! Keep on going ... and spending... ! Thanks for update, likewise looking forward to getting out... anywhere!
I’m not handy enough to do large work on my Pug but have been faffing with little bits...

 

[CamperJack]

Have you thought about an underslung LPG tank?

Yes. I think we discussed it in a thread here too. It's much more expensive. Not sure it's worth while because I'll only be using gas to cook. Heating is by diesel.

Fairly sure I'll get a refillable lpg bottle and a locker.

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[Minxy]

Yes. I think we discussed it in a thread here too. It's much more expensive. Not sure it's worth while because I'll only be using gas to cook. Heating is by diesel.

Fairly sure I'll get a refillable lpg bottle and a locker.

I suppose the only question is how much is it going to cost for an underslung tank compared to having a bottle and locker installed internally (excluding the other stuff that you'd still need whichever you go for), if there's not much £ in it, I'd go for the tank.

 

[CamperJack]

I suppose the only question is how much is it going to cost for an underslung tank compared to having a bottle and locker installed internally (excluding the other stuff that you'd still need whichever you go for), if there's not much £ in it, I'd go for the tank.

That's the plan. If the total cost is similar I'll go for underslung. However I am lead to believe a locker is the cheaper way to go. I'm lucky enough to live near a motorhome place. I think they do installs for gas. When they open up I'll pop down there and ask about the cost of the two options and see what they recommend.

 

[Eggs]

CamperJack have you got underslung fresh and grey water tanks?

 

[Minxy]

CamperJack have you got underslung fresh and grey water tanks?

Nope, internal cans:

I have no big fresh water tanks (only one plastic 25 L jerry can). No grey waste tank (only one 10 L jerry can). Black waste is a little porta potti. No gas yet but that will be one single refill bottle. So no big heavy tanks that most conversions and professional built MHs have.

 

[TheBig1]

It's a shame you are in Cheshire, somebody local to me was selling a compressor fridge the other day for £50

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[cmcardle75]

That's the plan. If the total cost is similar I'll go for underslung. However I am lead to believe a locker is the cheaper way to go. I'm lucky enough to live near a motorhome place. I think they do installs for gas. When they open up I'll pop down there and ask about the cost of the two options and see what they recommend.

The main advantage of underslung would be the saved storage area. I doubt there would be much different in cost fitted professionally. If anything, I can imagine the gas locker being more expensive. For example, the gaslow 11kg locker is £185 just for the gas tight approved box and you still have to buy the cylinder. The locker has to comply with a BS EN standard. You can't just put it in a cupboard these days!

A gas-it 25 litre (i.e. 13kg) underslung cylinder is £242 (including the on-tank valves) and probably easier and cheaper to fit than a refillable in an approved locker. You'll still need lots of sundries, such as a filling point, valves and regulator, but you'd need these anyway.

 

[CamperJack]

It's a shame you are in Cheshire, somebody local to me was selling a compressor fridge the other day for £50

Where? That's worth traveling quite some distance for (when allowed).

 

[TheBig1]

It was near Bournemouth but sold within a few hours

 

[CamperJack]

It was near Bournemouth but sold within a few hours

I'm not surprised. The one I'm after is about £500 more than that! Probably worth a drip, even that far south!

 

[OliverPullout]

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.

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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

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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.

I refitted my first van 1 year ago. For interior decoration, I used sheet materials that I purchased at an inexpensive price on this site https://sheetmaterialswholesale.co.uk/sheet-materials/softwood-plywood/shuttering-plywood/. I also ordered the bars, and literally in 2 months the interior decoration of the Mercedes Benz was completed.

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