Some friends of BACV almost had to give up on their beloved LDV Minibus conversion as they simply didn’t allow enough in their budget. They purchased a red 2004 LDV Convoy 17 seat minibus (Larry) and got an insurance policy allowing them 90 days to complete the project.
Whilst checking through their original figures they soon realised that their budget was unrealistic and with the 90 day term in their insurance the whole project seemed to be in jeopardy. As they had been looking to do this for some time they had to come up with a plan to build the campervan of their dreams.
Whilst discussing this problem down the pub on a Friday one of their friends suggested using a caravan breaker for parts as he had used one not far away to fix their beloved caravan.
Light was again visible at the end of the tunnel so Peter and Sally headed to the caravan breakers the next day to check what was available. They were delighted to find a treasure trove of parts and it seemed that the campervan conversion would soon be back on schedule.
Their first find was a Thetford cassette toilet on offer for £100 and with a new one costing almost three hundred pounds provided a great saving. A three way fridge was the next bargain they found and even came with a three month warranty
On their next visit a friend accompanied them who had experience of motorhome electrics. It did take about an hour or so but they selected their entire campervan electrical system (excluding leisure batty). Sally then found a gem: a Truma gas and 12V water heater on sale at only £125 including warranty.
The couple who had taken two weeks off of work wasted no time in getting Larry ready for the season. After the two weeks and a few more visits to the breakers Larry was well on the way and it seemed they would meet their three month deadline.
Peter contacted us last week to inform that their van conversion is nearly ready and when the gas safe engineer has finished the installation they will be ready for the DVLA re-registration.
Sally is now adding colour to the van using a mix of paint and vinyl and if the scheme is anything like Sally’s personality then Larry will be a very colourful camper indeed. Sally has promised us photos of Larry and we hope to publish them soon.
Written by Glenn Adama
