I first bought a LDV Hitop 400 Convoy Diesel 2002 with 72,00 miles on the clock and full history. The van had been used as a local delivery van supplying chemist shops. It was later part panelled out and used as a crew bus for a country and western group. So I started by removing the extra seats and plywood division. I then decided to place a removable bed and camper fittings inside so I could use it as a van as well as a camper. Well it was used as a camper 3 times and nothing much else. So I have decided to fully convert it to a camper-van. I have purchased a donor caravan, £350, with a leaky roof but everything working inside and ready to strip out. The caravan almost looks to good to scrap, but my plan is to sell off the surplus parts to recoup some of the cost. The trailer/chassis is galvanised and in very good condition, so should fetch £100. Along with other bits I should get back at least £200. I have done the floor plan and soon will start to remove parts.
The Strip
Got stuck into stripping out the caravan bearing in mind that the van can be seen by my neighbours, so have to do a tidy job and still leave it looking decent. Now I know these are built more or less from the inside out and should be stripped from the outside in! But with careful firm pressure I managed to remove the beds. Once I had a gap to work from things became easier. But had the same problems with the wall cupboards and toilet area. The reason for scrapping the caravan became more apparent as large damp patches were found. All the dampness was found in areas where there was very little run off on the roof joints, a lesson there! I retained as much woodwork, fascia and finishing strips as I could, and wiring and loads of other bits. I removed an Alde central heating system and sold this for £50 complete as it was too big for my van. I intend to sell off other bits as I go. The chassis is a single axle galvanised type sitting on 1″ thick marine ply,so this might sell for a boat trailer! Now for the transfer of goods!