Club 80-90 Forums

I'd like to make a custom interior for my van. I've just built our kitchen from 18mm birch-faced ply and would like something similar to go in the van, probably a mix of 12mm and 18mm though. We have a poptop and what I think is a Leisuredrive interior with a Rusty Lee 3/4 bed. It has served us well, but there just isn't enough storage for us when travelling. I'm really keen to see how other people have addressed this issue - I know a fair number of folk on here have built their own, so if you can share any photos, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks

Iain

Just watch the weight, 18mm is v heavy and overkill. Think my factory one is 9 or 10mm and plenty strong. Go for it

I agree with the weight factor.
I did mine in 6mm birch ply and finished the edge's with another strip of 6mm so it looked heavy. Worktops are 10mm again doubled up on the edges.
If you design it well it can be incredibly strong.
All shelfs are glued in for regidity.

Thanks for the tips. Any photos I could look at?

Iain

Hope you don't mind me asking but if you are removing an original Leisuredrive interior I would be very interested in buying some of your original door/drawer latches as i have some broken ones which i would like to replace.

I placed a wanted add a long time ago but got no joy.

Thanks
Andy

Hi Andy,

If they're genuine leisuredrive (I'm not 100% sure) and they are compatible with your van, you can have them. I'm not planning on starting this until I have a really good idea/plan for the design though so it might be a while before they're available.

I rebuilt my Liesuredrive interior over ten years ago and being a bit skint at the time used 12mm contiboard for the cupboards etc and leftover kitchen worktop for the - yes you guessed - van worktops. While it is still in near perfect condition I do cringe at the thought of it being so heavy, flying towards our heads in the event of an accident. Maybe one day when I have the more pressing jobs/projects done...

Iain

I've sent you a PM.

Thanks
Andy

Hi,

I've just done ours using 15mm birch ply where it can been seen and 12mm poplar core ply where it can't. Topped with formica laminate sheet where needed. The advantage of the 15mm is that most standard camper cabinet fittings are made for 15mm voringer board so fit straight in.

Blimey, those look very nice! How did you make them?

No fancy CNC machines here! This was all mainly done with a circular saw with a fine tooth blade on a rail, a jigsaw, a 1/2 router and jig for the big cutouts and a palm router for the laminate trimming. The flat fronts and doors are fairly straightforward. All the backs were scribed to fit the curves of the van and either templated from the old units or done in sheets of cardboard first to check the fit. Ply faces and edges were all sanded down to 240grit and coated with water based acrylic varnish, 3 coats denibed between each coat (could have used wax oil but it goes yellow a lot faster).

The rock 'n' roll bed uses westy style hinges salvaged from the old interior as were the push button locks. The back cupboard doors are on a bog standard sliding rail, making it easy to rummage around when the back is loaded (or we are in bed!). The upholstery is bus seating from Martrim run up on a basic sewing machine, templated from the old, as was the new vinyl headlining. The 3 way fridge was kept but has a new laminate insert to match the top. The SMEV hob/sink was new and pig to fit, far to much routering needed.

It is possibly a bit on the weighty side but using lighter and thinner materials inside all the units ensured it wasn't too much heavier. It turned out about 20% more than the knackered interior that came out, so not too bad and should last a lot longer. It is all held together with plastic assembly blocks and screws so can be pulled apart for the inevitable rust treatment and welding access in the future!

Very nice too.

Being a Westy Joker owner I would highly recommend the layout. It’s very well designed and has plenty of storage and feels like every inch of space has been used. If you knew someone locally with one you could also use as a template to take measurements from? At least it would give you a guide which you could then modify to suit your needs? This may also help:

http://www.westfaliat3.info/html/westfa ... antic.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only thing I would change is that we don’t use the wardrobe much (the mrs does more than me) and is huge, have considered putting in some shelves. Does come in useful when going to a wedding though!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Half my problem is that I keep changing my mind. When I first bought my bus, I purchased (at great expense) a proper Caravelle full-width folding bed/seat. That was because I wanted to keep the three-seater in the back (kids), but wanted a bed. These days, with the kids gone, I'm feeling that the full-width bed takes up space, and ponder whether to go to two-thirds, and build a copy-westy interior. Probably won't, though....

I'd stay with the full width.
A three quarter bed is a little too narrow for anything more than a weekend.