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Locost motorhome
MK9R - 20/5/09 at 01:30 PM

The price of motorhomes are ridiculous, so i've toying with ideas ranging from converting a panel van, luton van and 7.5 tonner. Then i thought, i wonder if anyone has done something like this:-

vanavan
vanavan

(sorry for the very limited art work!!)

A luton van chassis with a caravan chopped and fitted, or as i like to call it a Vanavan


scotlad - 20/5/09 at 01:32 PM

There used to be one near me around 25 years ago. Looked quite cool in a weird sort of way.


balidey - 20/5/09 at 01:37 PM

When you've finished making it will you come and tarmac my drive?


(yes it 'does' look a bit pikey )


Jasongray5 - 20/5/09 at 01:38 PM

Keep the tipping mechanism. Then if you had teenagers who were problematic to get out of bed...


MK9R - 20/5/09 at 01:41 PM

quote:
Originally posted by balidey
When you've finished making it will you come and tarmac my drive?


(yes it 'does' look a bit pikey )


PMSL!!! The pikeyness maybe the reason its not done!!


Guinness - 20/5/09 at 01:53 PM

Love it! You could have a range of interchangable backs for different missions!

Mike


speedyxjs - 20/5/09 at 01:56 PM

I like it


Mr Whippy - 20/5/09 at 01:58 PM

a bit of careful panelling plus a proper skirt round the bottom & it would look ok

Caravan skins are not what they use to be, very thin aluminium over a foam core so you might have a but of difficulty riveting to it and you can’t let any water ever get in-between the skins as then the outer bond fails and the caravan just comes apart

what about this



MK9R - 20/5/09 at 02:01 PM

Do panel vans have a chassis??? or just a conventional body????


blakep82 - 20/5/09 at 02:12 PM

panel van would be the best way i think. as long as you're not wanting the height of luxury, but happy with somewhere to kip. build in some bunks, bit of carpet and a window, job done
in fact, if you got a transit van for example, and got the sliding door from a tourneo (or whatever their minibus things are called) as long as they are the same (except the window) swap it over i reckon it would be pretty good!
you can get back doors with the windows too


mangogrooveworkshop - 20/5/09 at 02:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jasongray5
Keep the tipping mechanism. Then if you had teenagers who were problematic to get out of bed...



think i will build one just like that to see their faces


blakep82 - 20/5/09 at 02:58 PM

i quite fancy building a beavertail out of a luton van chassis now...


MK9R - 20/5/09 at 03:02 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
i quite fancy building a beavertail out of a luton van chassis now...


Thats an option i was looking at, beaver tailer for the race car to sit on and tow a caravan, rather than the other way round


MK9R - 20/5/09 at 03:03 PM

Or buy a luton with a tail lifet, sack the box off and use the tail lift to get the car on the back


blakep82 - 20/5/09 at 03:29 PM

will the tail lift off a luton be up to lifting a car?


GregSL75 - 20/5/09 at 03:39 PM

http://www.sbmcc.co.uk/

There's been a few comedy caravan-on-a-flatbed type campers on Ebay...


Daddylonglegs - 20/5/09 at 03:46 PM

Starcraft
Starcraft




Mk4/5 Cortina-based Starcraft


Benzine - 20/5/09 at 03:47 PM

Yeah sbmcc is worth a look ^


I've just about finished converting a Bedford TK horsebox into a motorhome. I didn't like the white plastic motorhomes (or the price tags! ) so decided to 'go locost'. Basically everything is wood and it's like a compact swiss chalet on wheels ^__^ Double bed above the cab, shower/toilet at the back, sofa, wood stove, solar power. No road tax, cheap to buy, fun to drive, interior is gorgeous (imho )

[Edited on 20/5/09 by Benzine]


Daddylonglegs - 20/5/09 at 03:48 PM

quote:
Originally posted by balidey
When you've finished making it will you come and tarmac my drive?


(yes it 'does' look a bit pikey )


Want to be careful he doesn't check out your garage contents while he's at it


zilspeed - 20/5/09 at 04:28 PM

Friend of mine did that very thing.
Took a f**ing massive caravan with some front damage.
Repaired the damage and grafted it onto a Transit chassis.
The transit chassis was lengthened and the back of the cab cut away and blended into the caravan.
He then built belly lockers to house the genny and tanks.
This tows a 4 wheeled tipping Brian James with the Fisher Fury on it.

Uses it for away weekends doing the sprints and hillclimbs.

It needn't always be a lash up of an idea when done properly...


mr henderson - 20/5/09 at 04:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MK9R
Or buy a luton with a tail lifet, sack the box off and use the tail lift to get the car on the back


Interesting idea, but most tail lifts use the upright bits at each side of the rear of the Luton body, and don't extend back far enough to put a car on.

I've thought about this a lot, and haven't come up with the definitive answer yet.

John


MK9R - 21/5/09 at 06:47 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
quote:
Originally posted by MK9R
Or buy a luton with a tail lifet, sack the box off and use the tail lift to get the car on the back


Interesting idea, but most tail lifts use the upright bits at each side of the rear of the Luton body, and don't extend back far enough to put a car on.

I've thought about this a lot, and haven't come up with the definitive answer yet.

John


There are loads of people out there using the tail lift, including a guy who races in RGB with me who has a 7.5 ton lorry to carry the car in and has a living area aswell. This is alos for sale on piston heads, i was very tempted!



http://www.chriswilson.tv/more814/814.html


MK9R - 21/5/09 at 06:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
Friend of mine did that very thing.
Took a f**ing massive caravan with some front damage.
Repaired the damage and grafted it onto a Transit chassis.
The transit chassis was lengthened and the back of the cab cut away and blended into the caravan.
He then built belly lockers to house the genny and tanks.
This tows a 4 wheeled tipping Brian James with the Fisher Fury on it.

Uses it for away weekends doing the sprints and hillclimbs.

It needn't always be a lash up of an idea when done properly...


PICTURES?????


MikeRJ - 21/5/09 at 04:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MK9R



That looks quite scary to me, check out the hooks for the chains at the end of the main tail lift section, wouldn't have to bend much for the chain to fall off.


Schrodinger - 22/5/09 at 10:10 AM

If you go down the conversion of a panel van route you need to bear in mind the deffinitons of what a motorhome is for insurance purposes as it may just still be a van in their view.
Try looking here http://www.diy-motorhome.co.uk/