T minus 3

So, having decided that the jelly floor had to go, we made the choice to take out all of the tracking with an angle grinder. This was a much bigger job that thought, but we wouldn’t have wanted to deprive Danny of getting under the van with an angle grinder inches from his face…So after a few difficult days of cutting, grinding and drilling we managed to get all of the tracks out. We were left with a colander of a chassis, after taking out about 150 individual plates and bolts. They really hadn’t been messing around when they attached the tracking through the baseplate of the van…

Still, doing this the proper way meant that we had a good starting point to then build back up and create a really solid, level floor to then lay vinyl on. Once the tracks were out, the gaps were rust proofed and filled with a mixture of putty and gripfill. This would stop any water getting in…hopefully. Timber was then cut to size to drop into the gaps, and planed off with an electric plane (well two actually, both graciously donated by Trev’s kindly benefactors…

It’s always been the plan to cover the (fairly small) areas that aren’t already covered – in carpet. This should mean there’s no areas of metal open to the air, to minimise condensation and to provide a bit more insulation. Sticking carpet to curving van walls isn’t as easy as it might sound, but the results are pretty rewarding, as it makes for a really soft finish instead of the stark white metal. To date, only one door, and a small portion of the wall are done, but it’s a job that’ll be fitted in around the larger jobs like finally getting the top coats of paint on…

We’ve decided to paint most of the walls and ceiling in a white bathroom paint, so that it’ll be nice and easy to clean. Hopefully. White walls and camping did seem like a good idea at the time…There’ll be lots of other colours involved though: when the partition between the cab and the back gets put up (12mm ply), it’ll be painted teal, and the rich red colour for the cupboards and wooden frames was bought last night, on what will be our last trip ever to Peckham B&Q…it’s been officially boycotted by us, and Big Trev. Makes Tesco in Brixton seem like a Mayfair boutique shopping experience….

So, the walls and ceiling are being painted with the hard wearing, waterproof bathroom paint, and the cupboards are ready for their first coat – once I’ve finished shouting at B&Q Peckham.  The lovely flat floor can be seen on the left, just under the tins of paint…

No, we’re not tinting the windows…we’ve decided to block the two rear windows out. The cupboards will soon cover the nearside one anyway, and once the cooker goes in on the off side, the window above would just get steamed up anyway. So, some self adhesive vinyl was bought, and through an ingenious mixture of water, soap, and white spirit, the vinyl was stuck to the inside, and trimmed to size. Apart from a couple of little air bubbles, it looks pretty good from the outside. We then cut out 9mm ply boards that’ll be painted and screwed over the recess of the window, with some more insulation fitted inbetween (we still have 5 bags to get rid of if anyone needs any…) This will then provide a solid surface for the back of the cupboard on the nearside, and a surfce to hang kitchen utensils from on the offside.

Seeing as it’s T-3 days until Trev has his first trip as a fully fledged camper, it seems like there’s still a fair bit to do. But, having sorted the floor out properly, it should hopefully be a quick progression from here to live-able camper. Once the insides are painted, we’ll be able to lay the vinyl, fit the painted partition wall, assemble the cupboards, stick a matress in the back and we’ll be away….We’ve scaled back our plans for a fully fitted camper for our holiday (in three days time!), and just going for storage cupboards and a matress. Electrics, seating and fitted cooking appliances will come over the grey winter months. For now, we’re going to get out and enjoy this legendary British summer…