T6 Midroof LWB Wheelchair Campervan Build

[Bryn23]

Well we didn't get too far on our camper shake down trip, After 30 minutes there was an error light that came up, then the engine light.

Lucky we were 5 km from a VW dealer on the way, looks like it could be a faulty engine sensor, from the tech that had a look and scanned it.

I guess i'll find out next week when they can look at it.

Bloody frustrating

But the good news is that the speedo is spot on with the new tires according to GPS

 

[Bryn23]

VW Dealer found the issue, the Exhaust sensor seems to be the problem, so that part is being sent to the dealer and i should see the van back in a few days.

I decided to get the local aluminium tool box manufacture to whip up a storage box for the Fiamma Pro bike rack as i really don't have time, as i want it powder coated as well.

I'll be inserting straight 30mm powder coated Aluminium tubes to replace the 2 offset bars in the rack, then fitting 6 Light bar 30mm clamp mounts to secure the box.

So similar to a Terranger setup but without the quick release rails

2 fittings at the top rail and 4 down the two centre rails, i decided to go 1250mm long x 450mm deep by 650mm high with 50mm x 3mm flat bar welded in the box where the mounting points are, it will also sit on the last bottom bar of the rail for more support.

Material is 2.5mm flat plate 5023 aluminium, and from my final calculations for material it should end up weighting 25kg-27kg giving me a payload of around 33-35kg, if i work of the 60kg limits from the untouched bike carrier.

I doubt i'll have more than 15-20 kg of bulky stuff, such as a pull apart aluminium shower chair, 2 x camping chairs, 5mtr waste and 15 mtr fresh water hose and 15 mtr power lead and shower tailgate awning.

It'll look like this, but in Satin Black, these guys (MW) are only down the road, and hopefully they do a good job.



I also have the option to fit some Maxx Trax if i decide to, as i've allowed space for those on the hinged door.

A big thanks to Loz for getting me some measurements of his black T6 pro bike carrier, as mine is on a boat on its way to Aus.

 

[Bryn23]

I managed to glue up the rear cabinet yesterday and i fitted it today along with the kick and shadow lines, The cabinet is held in by 6 x 6mm bolts into rivnuts inserted into the RIB frame and i also utilised a tie down point, its going nowhere.

I just need to fit the top tomorrow, laminate the doors, side panels, fit the access port covers, install the latches and then relocate the ARB compressor quick connect.

 

[Bryn23]

The tailgate cabinets are almost done, i just need to router out the latch hole and then fit them.

 

[Oldrat]

Loving it, keep the pics coming Bryn

 

[Bryn23]

Thanks for the kind words Oldrat, i'll be glad when its done

The ARB air compressor remote outlet is now wired in and plumbed in, will be handy for airing back up after airing down offroad.



Made some front seat rear covers, secured them with rivets into the seat base, added a few tie down mounts to occy the wheelchair in place while underway.

i will etch and coat the bolts black that are holding the covers in place next week



Made a new table for the van and also fitted some table holder hardware to keep it in place while not in use.




I also fitted a RAM mount for my iPad, as we plan on using our 12.9 inch iPad pro for browsing the web, watching netflix and emails for our trip.

I've got a flat RAM mount coming next week for the roof, so that will give us another viewing option, i watched some Netflix today before starting work with the bed down, it's going to work well and its quite solid mount.



I need to quickly start on the kitchen overhead next week, as we leave in a few weeks to start our trip and a little more storage would be nice.

 

[Bryn23]

I've made a start on the overhead,

' The photo is just from a test fit, it is now glued up, edged and i'm just waiting for the glue to dry and then i can laminate it and then fit doors.

I picked up some 30mm solid aluminium rod for the bike rack modification, i would have preferred tube, but i couldn't find anything that i could safety mill down to 30mm diameter.

 

[Bryn23]

Well I'm getting close to fitting the laminated overhead tomorrow, i got distracted and fitted the side and tailgate fitted midggie/mozzie net




It's not pretty, but for those who have been out west, know how bad the flies are and mozzies on the coast are a pain.

Think of when you see someone wearing a bee suit and that what the fly problem in some areas are like.

I do have to apply some velcro to the bottom of the netting to seal that tomorrow.



I also fitted a tailgate shower tent that tucks into the tailgate.

 

[Bryn23]

Fitted the overhead, surprised how much extra stuff i can fit in it.

Its secured by bolts into riv-nuts and screwed into the wardrobe, solid as a rock.



I fitted an external table rail to utilise the internal table and the Fiamma aluminium awning brackets, it took me a while to decide if i should do it, but its a camper van, not a collectable.

All the painted fittings are colour coded, sikaflexed and screwed.

Sorry for the poor pic, but you get the idea.

 

[Stewby]

Wow Bryn, it's been a wee while since I looked at your thread but the van looks amazing!!


Am absolutely loving the idea of the bar on the door so the table can be used outside.
And coming from the North of Scotland, midge nets are on the top of my list too. They get everywhere!!

 

[Bryn23]

Cheers Stewby,

The table will be handy for lunch and being able to lock the fiamma awning into the side of the van for a quick lunch to escape the sun will be well worth it.

We are heading off on our 20,000km + trip around Aus in a few days, so i'll be interesting to see how it all goes.

I've already started to plan my next build , I'm thinking a MWB Crafter 4 Motion or MWB Sprinter 4x4 highroof, that 475mm extra length and 132mm width will be handy and ill still be able to legally park in a carpark here in Aus.

 

[Bryn23]

Well, after a decent 5000km shake down trip, we are back waiting for the damn bike rack to show up, so i can fit the storage box and continue our trip.

I have to clean up the box as its been sitting in the workshop and give it a coat of wax before fitting it.



Plenty of room for that lightweight bulky stuff

 

[Deaky]

Awesome work as usual @Bryn23

 

[Bryn23]

Well, the Fiamma bike rack turned up last Friday, so i played around with it with the storage box and the modified fittings.

I decided not to fit the aluminium storage box, as it came in at 35.6kg, and we were at Fiamma 60kg unmodified weight limit with all our gear.

I really could have made the box a lot smaller, as with it all in the box, there was heaps of room left, but i didn't have faith in the mountings i had for the box.

So i changed plans and left the fiamma frame as is and mostly unmodified, fitted a 8mm HDPE mount plate to the bike carrier using the existing bolt holes and bolted a Poly Pelican storage box to the mount plate and also fixed the top of the box to the offset rails with 30mm bar clamps and 10mm bolts and spreader plate washers.

I'll fit another locking latch tomorrow in the centre, in case a latch fails offroad, ill also have a quick release strap from the top mount to the lower mount as a back up.

Not that i should need it, the weight of the box and the light weight bulky stuff is around 29 kg, it's more of a case of if the lid locking latches or hinges giving way in time from road vibration.

As for the mounts i was going to use, i've repurposed those, I've fitted 10mm eye bolts onto them for hanging items at camp, occy straps, laundry bags eta

I also fitted some Thule Pods on the storage box, so i can use the Thule bin to keep any smells outside with rubbish at night.

It's not pretty, but it's secure for this trip.

 

[thevolksvegan]

still working on the cabinet templates. got the wardrobe fitted then refitted the bed to check clearances.

It's close, ill look at trimming the cabinets to give myself another 10mm

View attachment 17594
View attachment 17595

I just need to adjust the cabinets once i trim it and then start on the overheads, ill angle them up from the angled roof support as i have already installed rivnuts

As we are heading on a road trip, i ripped the cabinets out, removed the front seats, greased the swivels and seat slides.

I put the 63ah secondary battery in the factory aux battery spot and wired up a set of three 12 volt plugs under the drivers seat (fuses are in the plugs and there is a main fuse at the Aux battery supply ) ran some temp extension cables for the interior LED Lights, Maxx Fan and left the other plug for our old Waeco trusty CF50 fridge.

Easy fix for a quick trip.

Took a oil sample for testing, as it is going in for its 12 month service tomorrow.

Then its time to hit the road

What dimensions did you use for the furniture? I’m starting a midroof build and trying to work our sizes so I can install a seatbelt compliant rock roll bed when I can afford one later on. Your build looks awesome!

 

[Bryn23]

What dimensions did you use for the furniture? I’m starting a midroof build and trying to work our sizes so I can install a seatbelt compliant rock roll bed when I can afford one later on. Your build looks awesome!

Thanks for the kind words, it was a fun, yet frustrating build.

I installed the 1200mm RIB slider bed first and then worked around that, its hard to measure as the depth varies as the walls are curved, also it depends on the bed placement.

I had that bed out so many times during the build, be aware that if you have a larger pronounced fridge area like mine, those cupboards have to be removed to get the bed back in.

I can get some measurements, just let me know which measurements and ill grab them next time i drive out to the workshop

 

[scotia]

Hi @Bryn23 love the work, looks amazing. Where did you get the midge/fly nets?

happy with them so far? i know its not been long but do you reckon they'll be good?

 

[Bryn23]

Hi @Bryn23 love the work, looks amazing. Where did you get the midge/fly nets?

happy with them so far? i know its not been long but do you reckon they'll be good?

I got them from a local company here in QLD, i can pm there details if you like, they did a great job, and it didn't take me that long to fit.

We did a trip around Australia, just under 30,000km after they were fitted, they made a huge difference, as it stopped almost all the midges and mozzies at night in the coastal areas and it was really handy against the swam's of flies in the outback.

We still got some little insects at night, as they love the internal light, the problem is when you have to open the nets to exit the van, they tend to make the most of that time, but they are easy to deal with, i just put the maxx fan on full speed and point a light at the fan, you can guess what happens next.

 

[scotia]

that'd be great thanks.

 

[Oldrat]

I’ve the idea about signposting the I’ve to the maxxfan Bryn.

I hope you have been coping well with the fires and rain, hadn’t seen anything from you for a bit