Tam and Toby ~~ Hunting Zorba .....Take two.

[Northernraider]

Are you definitely keeping it now you have seen and looked over it in the flesh?

Still dont know ...i plan to get all seats out and a bit of interior stripped while im stuck in quarantine ...then ill take it for an mot and hopefully they will do it as a van now instead of a bus psv

Then depending how it gets on at mot i can then remove the floor and the bodykit and see what i have to work with.
If at that point its too much for me ill sell it on as a project but with a years mot.


At the minute i cant see any major problems with it other than the bodywork issues but the stripout is one of the more tedious and hard tasks ....and could reveal problems i cant see.


Basically im just playing cautious at the minute.

 

[Northernraider]

Thats the seats gone finally ....had only the one enquiry on gumtree so couldn't see them selling easily so i phoned a couple of scrap guys and as it happened one only lives in the next street so he came and collected them from the garden . So now ive a bit space to work in ....all the other stuff im stripping out , wood , insulation , wiring , bus parts etc are all just going in the large boot just now and once im allowed out ill swing past the tip on route to mot ..... hopefully.


Still have to phone around for quotes on a conversion insurance policy

 

[pagey]

try adrian flux for the insurance

 

[SiJui]

Thankyou Tam for taking us all on your adventure ! Wonderful photos and loads of info. Hope the pups are enjoying their Scottish home!Looking forward to the van conversion thread.

 

[Northernraider]

try adrian flux for the insurance

Yes thats going to be my first enquiry as they cover all sorts of crap lol

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[Hymerbell]

PS...

Did you ever find Zorba ?

Found him....he’s the one on the right....he was in Kalogria ! ...just up from the beach ....I think Northernraider was about 500 meters from him at one point

 

[Northernraider]

Not as productive day today or at least you dont see much difference bar the seats gone ....but ive been on it for hours just taking screws out and trying to prise wood off sicaflex ...its hard going and pretty boring but its gotta be done .

Got a new cordless drill coming so hopefully that will speed things up.
I sold a lot of my tools when i went fulltime but now gotta buy them all again


But you can at least get an idea of size now.

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks like a bus, you need to get some seats in it.

 

[chaser]

Not as productive day today or at least you dont see much difference bar the seats gone ....but ive been on it for hours just taking screws out and trying to prise wood off sicaflex ...its hard going and pretty boring but its gotta be done .

Got a new cordless drill coming so hopefully that will speed things up.
I sold a lot of my tools when i went fulltime but now gotta buy them all again


But you can at least get an idea of size now.

View attachment 476016View attachment 476017View attachment 476018View attachment 476020View attachment 476021

Do you actually need all that space?

 

[Lenny HB]

Do you actually need all that space?

He's a big lad.

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[Northernraider]

Do you actually need all that space?

Yes its my home not just a holiday

 

[Slippymurphy]

Is the new purchase going to take the place of Toby ?

 

[Northernraider]

Looks like a bus, you need to get some seats in it.

No i need some windows oot lol

 

[Northernraider]

Is the new purchase going to take the place of Toby ?

Yes thats the plan

 

[Northernraider]

So ive just got a quote from Adrian flux for conversion insurance ...that gives me 12 months to convert , £125 excess ,£90 glass cover , 180 days European travel, 5000 miles , gas bottle awning cover etc etc ...£552 fully comp ...thats mirroring my car no claims bonus.

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[Mikey RV]

Your mot will be done with whatever comes up on the screen when they put the reg in. Bus or van.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sound expensive but you are a youngster, £125 excess is very low but increasing it will probably only shave a few quid.
Is that £90 for glass cover?
I take it you can get much better rates once converted, the fact that it's covering you for 12 months to do the conversion is good.

 

[Lenny HB]

Your mot will be done with whatever comes up on the screen when they put the reg in. Bus or van.

That could be a problem.

 

[Northernraider]

Your mot will be done with whatever comes up on the screen when they put the reg in. Bus or van.

Yeah see this is the problem i have as without seats its no longer a bus.
You can't change the taxation class till you are taxing it and i can't tax it till its mot'd .

At the minute it says minibus for body type but its now technically a van with side windows

And the taxation class is bus

It now only has 2 seats not 30 ...so im not entirely sure how i do it

 

[Northernraider]

Sound expensive but you are a youngster, £125 excess is very low but increasing it will probably only shave a few quid.
Is that £90 for glass cover?
I take it you can get much better rates once converted, the fact that it's covering you for 12 months to do the conversion is good.

Yeah once its a camper i could shop around ...but getting conversion insurance that covers you from minibus to camper in stages might not be as easy. And not sure how many companies would mirror my car insurance for the NCB

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[Northernraider]

Sound expensive but you are a youngster, £125 excess is very low but increasing it will probably only shave a few quid.
Is that £90 for glass cover?
I take it you can get much better rates once converted, the fact that it's covering you for 12 months to do the conversion is good.

That should have been 90 quid glass excess for replacement , free repairs

That could be a problem.

It shouldn't be really ...its just whether i can save time and change bodytype and taxation class at the same time as i register it in my name or whether i have to mess about sending the v5 back and forth to dvla.

I have the complete logbook from previous owner so id planned to get it mot first then change bodytype on log book snd taxation class to phgv when registering it and taxing in my name. Saves time and stamps

But knowing DVLA and their eay of complicating things i might have to just sort the bodytype later


But im pretty sure i cant have a 2 seat minibus lol

 

[Barclaybasher]

Does it matter how they class it for the MOT?

You will know after the test, whatever class, if it's worth keeping

Changing the class will mean sending in the V5 - I did mine, only took 6 months....

 

[jockaneezer]

Get yourself one of those multitools Tam and fit the scraper blade, great for getting old glue and mastic off.

 

[Lenny HB]

That should have been 90 quid glass excess for replacement , free repairs

It shouldn't be really ...its just whether i can save time and change bodytype and taxation class at the same time as i register it in my name or whether i have to mess about sending the v5 back and forth to dvla.

I have the complete logbook from previous owner so id planned to get it mot first then change bodytype on log book snd taxation class to phgv when registering it and taxing in my name. Saves time and stamps

But knowing DVLA and their eay of complicating things i might have to just sort the bodytype later


But im pretty sure i cant have a 2 seat minibus lol

Because of its bus status will you be able to get an MOT or will it need a DVSA test?

 

[Northernraider]

Because of its bus status will you be able to get an MOT or will it need a DVSA test?

That i dont know.

I think psv is only required for trade use and paying passengers .

I think if its just private use it can have just an ordinary mot ...but im not sure ..ilk have to ask

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[nicholsong]

That i dont know.

I think psv is only required for trade use and paying passengers .

I think if its just private use it can have just an ordinary mot ...but im not sure ..ilk have to ask

I have got on my UK licence D1 and D1E with a note on each '79(NFHR)' Not for hire and reward.

I expect there is equivalent for MOT and registration.

Ask some charity that run minibuses.

Geoff

 

[Northernraider]

I have got on my UK licence D1 and D1E with a note on each '79(NFHR)' Not for hire and reward.

I expect there is equivalent for MOT and registration.

Ask some charity that run minibuses.

Geoff

Ive fired off a text to my pet mot tester ...he mostly does class 4 but im sure he would have knoweledge of the others.

From what i seen its a class 5a mot for a 28 seat bus with seatbelt check and a class 7 for a heavy van

Can't see how they could do a class 5 one when it has no seats or seatbelts in it.

 

[Northernraider]

Right from someone else on Instagram whos converted the same bus as mine they got a class 5 mot and then when it was converted it was a class 4
Their docs still say minibus regardless

So i think i can mot it at the minute

 

[TinaLes]

There are so many Vario van conversions going on in You Tube, I have been following Max & Sophie over the winter, they are so fortunate to have a humongous workshop to do the van in.
They seem to have thousands of pounds worth of tools, bought or borrowed, but it has taken them a year thus far.
I bet a lot of that time was doing searches online for bits, along with research as Max seems very methodical. I know how long that can take, and you cannot complete any part of the build without every part needed, and things change as you build etc.
I am not on social media, but I know you are, maybe you have already spoken to them?, but they got their van MOT'd and Max is doing his C1 to allow him to drive it.
Might be a good contact for you in the future as they will be doing events full time in the summer, then travelling in the winter, sounds ideal.
Sophie is a peach also and very useful, will have a go at most tasks other ladies would shy away from.
PS: I take it you will remove that rear bulkhead?, that would spoil most rear garage plans I have seen.
LES

 

[Northernraider]

There are so many Vario van conversions going on in You Tube, I have been following Max & Sophie over the winter, they are so fortunate to have a humongous workshop to do the van in.
They seem to have thousands of pounds worth of tools, bought or borrowed, but it has taken them a year thus far.
I bet a lot of that time was doing searches online for bits, along with research as Max seems very methodical. I know how long that can take, and you cannot complete any part of the build without every part needed, and things change as you build etc.
I am not on social media, but I know you are, maybe you have already spoken to them?, but they got their van MOT'd and Max is doing his C1 to allow him to drive it.
Might be a good contact for you in the future as they will be doing events full time in the summer, then travelling in the winter, sounds ideal.
Sophie is a peach also and very useful, will have a go at most tasks other ladies would shy away from.
PS: I take it you will remove that rear bulkhead?, that would spoil most rear garage plans I have seen.
LES

Im sure i told you the last time you mentioned them ive been following their build since October. ...one of many im following.
If youve not found sometimes i wanders build its worth a look ....one of the best builds ive seen and the same base minibus as mine

Max and sophies is a van not a minibus so their mot would be different.

Theres good and bad in their build theres a lot id have done differently but thats the beauty of self builds we all have different requirements etc


The rear framing and the drop boot will all be getting removed ..ill be constructing a different frame to support a rear platform to carry a motorbike on it but the floor will be one level from front to rear

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