2006 LT46 TDi 158 LWB Motorhome Build Project

[Crafter4x4]

As a new member on hear Ime hoping to do a build thank you for your comprehensive detail of what you have done looks excellent and a lot of helpful tips keep up the good work you should beproud of what you have accomplished much better than a bought coach build well done keep the updates coming

[TheBeast]

45. Fitting the Living Area Floor Covering

Hi all. It's been some time since I've been on here. Simply been busy using the van. and also other stuff that gets in the way.

However, An update is long overdue so here it is.

I finally got around to fitting the floor covering last weekend. And after much mulling over, decided to go with some B&Q adhesive floor strips.

Fairly thin at around 5mm - which is important to me as my head is not far off the ceiling as it is.

It's fairly cost-effective at around £11 for a box of 7 tiles. I needed 3 boxes in total, and used about 2 and-a-half of them (including some f**k ups along the way). Easy to cut too - can be done with strong scissors for careful angles cuts around the cupboards.

Here's the before and after pictures, some of the tiles have slight 'lift' due to the plywood flooring joints underneath, but this is now starting to settle down 1 week later as the floor 'sets' in it's place.

This job took the best part of all day. (Experienced Flooring Tradesmen could probably do it in half the time !).

The tiles:-





Before I started the job:







Job done:








I'm a total novice at this type of DIY, but I am fairly happy with the result.


Next up - a total indulgence is being fitted to the van this weekend...... more to follow shortly.

[The Great Escape]

Don't put yourself down, we are all making this up as we go along, I'm on about 3rd set of alterations in mine to hone it to our exact needs ... as we are about to get a Dog, looking at more changes LOL

Some nice touches too, luv the colours, very retro - and neat place for your sockets by the sliding door ... cool

[TheBeast]

46. Bulkhead Curtains

These have also been on the 'list' to fit for some time. Was looking for a compact curtain rail for ages and found just the job on a trader's stand whilst I was up at BusFest in Malvern last month.

So it's a black mini-curtain rail and is fitted to the cab side of the upper bulkhead. The missus made-up the curtains for me and they work a treat - perfect for those moments when you need some privacy.

Here's the pictures of the finished outcome:-

[TheBeast]

47. An unnecessary extravagance

I alluded to this a little earlier. I saw one of these a while back whilst on a trip, and decided these were neat: QLockTwo Touch

I wanted one in the van and fitted to the wall. These are not designed to be wall-mounted as they are designed to be primarily used in the bedroom (as an alarm clock) stood on the supplied aluminium stand (not used here).

So I had to find a way to retro-engineer a power supply through the back of the cupboard and to the Fridge Battery - all of the pre-planned wiring is already in the van and well-hidden - and this didn't form part of the original plans at the time .

It needs a Mini-USB cable and I bought a handy 2m 'flat' one in black on eBay, and ran a fused +12v power supply with an in-line 2amp fuse to power it. It meant climbing into some fairly small cavities in the boot and my claustrophobia was rearing it's ugly head at times.

All the wiring is hidden in mini-trunking in the cupboard behind and you can't see it when there's clothes in there. Stuck to the wall with double-sided Duck Tape carefully cut to match, and holes drilled through the wall where the buttons are on the back of the clock so that you can still adjust it and use all of the functions. Finally I bought some 19mm x 19mm aluminium angle from Screwfix and cut this to size to provide additional support underneath it. Also all stuck together with the super strong double-sided Duck Tape.

It draws less than 400ma so the fridge battery barely knows it's there - the drain is negligible.

Anyway, Here's the finished job:






I like it

[Kentish_Karl]

Loving the van, what is the blue plank wall covering?

[TheBeast]

48. Build Completion

This weekend I had a good run of free time to get loads of jobs done on the van. Now we've been away in it for a stint I've had a chance to get a feel for what needs to change, and what needs fixing or re-working. There wasn't a great deal, (other than a troublesome fresh water tank hose - which needs replacement).

So this really does bring this build thread to a close. When I'd finished, I spent the Sunday afternoon giving the van a wash, and proper wax finish - a deep clean it's never really had to be honest. More on that below on the next section.

Here's the summary of what I got up to on the Saturday.

Found a floor mat runner that fits the gangway:




Fitted some essential life support:



Some odds and sods to make the place feel a bit more 'homely':







And that's about it - the only other job left to do is to put the cupboard doors on.....

[IMG]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll82/FinalEditionE34M5/VW%20LT46%20TDI%20158%20LWB%202006%20Camper%20Proj ect/20171029_154445_z************b9fk85e.jpg[/IMG]

[TheBeast]

49. The Finished Article

On Sunday I gave the old girl a propoer wash and brush up. I covered her in all the AutoGlym products I could find in the back of the garage, so Washed, waxed and Polished, and all the faded plastics treated too. It's the first time I've actually done this in the near-two years since I bought her in December 2015. Makes the iffy paintwork look quite good from a distance I thought.

The finished article - pics as below - all we need is the summer so we can now go touring

Over and out - I hope this has been an enjoyable read .

[The Great Escape]

Looking good, like the look on the exhaust exit.

Roll on Spring next year

[TheBeast]

Post-Build Repairs

'The Beast' has been in the shop for the best part of a month to remedy some of the longer-term items that I was going to deal with later, but could no-longer let them irritate me !

The cracked windscreen during our October 2017 mini-tour of the Isle of Wight hastened my desire to have the screen out and have the scuttle panel repaired - it was starting to rust-out in the corners. From other people I've spoken to it's a VW LT weak spot.

I also had some paintwork damage to the passenger door front, and also the panel that the sliding door runs across - all self-inflicted mind, during the many things that happened during the self-build process.

Finally, the NK Tuning front bumper had a terrible paint job and only served to re-inforce that I'm no DIY expert when it comes to painting vans !

So it went into the shop to have the screen out, and all of these jobs done. The cab roof was also looking tatty, so whilst the boys were doing the windscreen surround I asked them to do that again for me, too.

Seems like it took forever for the new windscreen to arrive (don't ask), but it's all back together now and freshly painted too, with the elusive new windscreen rubber seal as well !

Hats-off to the bodyshop guys for their patience - they did a great job and this is just about too big for their premises.

I should also mention that whilst it was up in the air, I had the clutch and Dual Mass Flywheel replaced too, so it's been an expensive month all round, but no more juddering in first and reverse gear.

Here's the finished article:-