Old Rabbit's Van

Introduction

Old Rabbit's Van

It might be a camper van. I've heard it called a passion wagon. Some say it is a total aberration. All I know is that it is Old Rabbit's Van, and I drive her. God Bless her, and all who sleep in her.

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Petition

Camping in a camper van is a wonderful way to spend one's leisure time outdoors, but can sometimes be marred when one needs to visit the shops, only to find that some inconsiderate person has put a height bar at the car park entrance that will not allow camper vans to enter. Please sign this petition to have the practice stopped.

Disclaimer

This information is published in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Photo List

Here is a list of the photographs used in this article.

The Fiat Scudo Maxi

The reason I chose a Fiat Scudo Maxi is because I have always fancied something red and Italian, and Ferrari don't make vans. So there!

I bought the van from a 'mandataire auto' on the internet at a considerable reduction on the dealer price. The only difficulty with this was the necessity to pick up the vehicle from the Fiat agent next to the factory in Valenciennes, France and to do the registration of the vehicle myself at the local préfecture. The van is produced on the same production line as the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Jumpy/Despatch with which it shares many mechanical parts.

Rationale

The requirements for the van were:

Useable as daily transport
Small enough to negotiate small villages
Comfortable for long drives
Good fuel consumption
Comfortable bed
Usual water/fridge/cooking/toilet facilities

The Current State of Play

All the woodwork is done except for the overhead lockers and some trim panels. The electrical, gas and water systems are installed and operating. The trim needs to be finished and the sink splashback fabricated. The air mattress needs to be replaced with a high density foam equivalent. The awning is yet to be fitted.

A Rearward View of the Van Interior

I am now using the vehicle for most of my travels and we have been camping in Scotland, England, France, Switzerland and Italy. It has passed the 40 000 kilometre mark. So far, so good, although we have been lucky so far and not had to deal with really inclement weather. We spent Christmas week 2009 in the van in the UK, and although the temperatures were below freezing at night we were quite comfortable.

The Conversion

Fitting the Side Windows

Fitting the side windows is one of the few jobs that I did not do myself. I wanted the windows to be flush with the bodywork as on the Panorama variant of the van, rather than the rectangular aftermarket type. I was having difficulty in finding a supplier of these and happened to mention this when in the local Fiat dealer. They said they could supply the windows, and offered to fit them for a reasonable sum. As there is nowhere where I can work on the vehicle inside, and the weather at the time was rather unpredictable, I took the dealer up on their offer.

Fitting the Awning

At the moment there is no awning on the van. The original intention was to fit one of the roller - type awnings. However the cost of these is somewhat prohibitive, and if the ability to use the door on either side of the van was to be retained, two would be needed. The solution is likely to be to fit marine eye fittings along the roof line, and attach an awning to the eyes as required, supporting the front with tent poles and guys.

Floor and Floor Insulation

The floor comprises 25mm thick panels of styrofoam, slotted between a system of runners on which the floor is mounted, the whole being covered with a layer of aluminium foil and topped with the floor itself which is 15mm marine ply.

Roof and Roof Insulation

I wanted to have the same insulation in the roof as on the floor, but not to take up any more of the height of the load space than absolutely necessary. It was found that the roof had double curvature, and so lining it with a curved piece of plywood or similar material was going to lead to a void in the centre and subsequent loss of ceiling height. It was eventually decided that the roof could be lined with the sort of pine tongue and groove boards sold for wall cladding, there being enough space in the tongues and grooves to allow the structure to follow a double curvature in a similar manner to a barrel. At the very front of the vehicle where the roof curves down to meet the cab, the boards would be allowed to continue in more or less a straight line to conserve ceiling height and there was not enough space for the styrofoam slabs, so polyurethane foam would be injected instead. The foam would also be used to fill any other voids apparent after fitting the roof. Firstly the ceiling support cross members were glued in place with Sikaflex 221, then the styrofoam panels were glued in between them with polyurethane mastic. The ceiling boards were fitted as front and rear sections with a tongue and groove expansion joint between. The boards of each section were fitted definitively to one cross member with polyurethane D4 specification glue, and then to the other cross members with Sikaflex 221 to allow a semi flexible construction in the hope of eliminating most stress creaks when driving. The areas of the boards that were not glued but adjacent to the styrofoam had aluminium foil glued to them with Neoprene glue to further improve the insulation.

Side Panels and Side Insulation

Having previously insulated the roof with tongue and groove boards it was decided to continue with the theme on the van side panels. There were some convenient holes in the top of the side panel recess to which could be fixed a wooden batten and another was fitted along the waist rail of the van. Some styrofoam was glued into the space between the battens. As with the roof boards, the intention was to fix the boards firmly to the top batten with D4 polyurethane glue, and to make a semi - flexible joint at the bottom with Sikaflex 221. To ensure the correct gap at the bottom a thin offcut of carpet was glued to the batten to act as a spacer. When fitting the boards it proved very difficult to make a jig to hold them until the glue set, so small screws were used. Where the holes would be visible they were plugged with slivers of wood cut from the stem of the extra long type of kitchen match and sanded flush. The remaining gaps between the boards and the styrofoam were filled with polyurethane foam.

It was decided to trim the areas around the panels with carpet, and so a frame of square section wood was constructed around the side panels. A slot was cut in the square section wood to accept the carpet trim by passing the wood through a jig attached to the saw bench.

Building the Front Locker

Building the Bed / Seat Unit

Generally I find that if one has a good night's sleep, one can deal with whatever comes the next day. In the past, I have used motor caravans that have converted the front seats into part of the sleeping space. I have found that this results in an uncomfortable driving seat (with little lateral support) and a bed akin to a blanket placed over a log raft with the odd hedgehog thrown in for good measure. Not wanting this arrangement, I decided that the bed was the priority and the rest of the vehicle would be built around it.

Another factor I wanted to take into account was the ability to easily transport largeish objects such as washing machines and fridges on an occasional basis.

The bed comprises four sections:

A folding head end that can also be folded flat against the front seats or made into a bench seat
The two side lockers over the wheel arches
A lift out section between the side lockers

There is a low bulkhead behind the front seats of the van that is used to attach the panel separating the cab and load space on some variants of the van. A small locker unit was built against this bulkhead to provide support for the head end of the bed and also give some more storage space. The head end of the bed was attached to this unit with four heavy duty hinges attached with both screws and epoxy resin. The head end of the bed comprises two boards with hinges between them.

When the folding section is folded against the front seats there is enough room to put the average kitchen appliance into the vehicle via the sliding doors. When made into a seat, there is ample room for three people, maybe even four if you are very good friends. When folded out flat, the section joins up with the side lockers to form the front part of the bed. There is probably enough strength in the unit to adequately support two adults whilst bridging the gap unsupported, but in the best traditions of over-engineering a pair of steel stanchions were arranged to provide vertical support in the middle of the span.

The intention with the section between the lockers was that it should form a table when not being used as part of the bed. In practice the space in this part of the van has been found somewhat limited, so this arrangement has not yet been built.

The boards that comprise the bed are wood/styrofoam composites with the exception of the side locker lids. The composite sections were made by producing a frame in pine, filling the frame with 20mm styrofoam slabs and then glueing 15mm marine ply to each face, using a styrofoam glue on the styrofoam/wood joints and D4 grade polyurethane glue on the wood/wood joints. The composite sections do not appear to distort in use and are probably another piece of over engineering. They also provide a good measure of thermal insulation under the mattress.

The lockers and bed head support are pine frames with inlaid sections of marine ply. This method of construction results in quite an attractive finish when sanded flat and finished in yacht varnish. The wood was not stained as this might have made the interior rather dark.

The steel stanchions that support the centre of the bed head panel were fabricated out of 25mm square section steel tubing, with ferrules of 12mm steel tubing brazed in place to take 10mm bolts that fix the stanchions to the bed head panel. The 10mm bolts screw into threaded steel sleeves that were glued into the framing of the bed head panel during assembly. Smaller stanchions were fabricated to locate the far end of the bed head panel in the van floor when folded as a seat. Either stanchion fits into a cup comprising a short length of a larger size of square section tubing brazed to a metal plate, the whole being screwed to the van floor. The stanchions and locating plates were brazed up using a small oxy-acetylene kit, then cleaned up and given a couple of coats of black Hammerite paint.

Building the Kitchen Unit

The main components that have to be acommodated by the kitchen unit are:

The cooker/sink unit
The fridge
The gas bottles and water tank

as well as the plumbing for the gas and water systems.

Placing everything in one unit results in a hob height which is maybe a little on the high side, but it works in practice and keeps all the plumbing in one place.

The unit was constructed by firstly building a plinth under which is mounted the 40l water tank and gas bottles. The gas bottles are readily accessible for replacement by opening the left hand rear door. A removable panel retains the water tank but allows it to be withdrawn for cleaning or pump replacement. The fridge is positioned on the plinth by means of four bolts attached with epoxy resin. There are holes in the plinth for the plumbing and also to allow any gas that should leak from the system to drain away via the floor vent. There is also a slot to acommodate the various water tank fittings when the tank is withdrawn for servicing. The framework around the water tank is filled with styrofoam to the extent possible to provide maximum thermal insulation for the water tank. The plinth is anchored by being both glued and screwed to the floor and bolted to the D post.

The fridge is then enclosed in a pine frame clad where required with 5mm marine plywood. The frame has a pair of studs glued to it with epoxy resin that secure the fridge by means of a piece of steel angle section bar.

On top of the fridge is a box to take the SMEV 927-960 cooker/sink unit. Because of the limited space this overhangs the bed area slightly.

The whole structure is completely open at the back, to maintain a good distance between the fridge flue and any inflammable material, to allow any escaped gas to fall to the floor vent and to allow a good circulation of air around the fridge heat exchanger.

The top part of the stucture adjacent to the van rear door has cross members positioned to allow the mounting board that holds components of the gas regulation and distribution system to be fixed in place, and the whole is covered with a 5mm marine plywood panel with holes positioned to allow access to the gas taps, regulators and pressure gauge. The gas bottles are not visible unless the rear van doors are open, so this section is currently uncovered.

Door Locking

One thing that has proved a little inconvenient with the Scudo is the door locking arrangement. To lock the doors from the inside there is only a single push button located on the dashboard. It is possible to lock the doors when in the back using the radio key fob, but doing this activates the alarm system with ultrasonic motion detectors, ruling out the possibility of any nocturnal activity.

So at the present time, when passing the night at a dubious location, the doors are locked by poking the button on the dash with a long stick.

A better solution would be a door lock button in the rear load space area. I had contemplated threading a wire round to the dash panel and picking up the wiring to the original switch, but the liklihood is that this is a a CAN bus device so I would have to dismantle the switch and pick up the contacts inside.

So I am waiting until I can lay my hands on a Panorama variant to see if this has a lock switch in the rear, and if so, how it is wired up. If the looms are common, (there are some unused sockets in the vicinity of the doors) it should then just be a matter of ordering up the part from a Fiat dealer and fitting it. We'll see...

Electrical Installation - 230V a. c.

The requirements for the 230V system were:

Standard weatherproof CEE (IEC 60309) 16A inlet on the side of the vehicle
Residual current circuit breaker on power inlet
Automatic changeover of inverter supply when mains available
230V Fridge supply
230V - 12V supply and vehicle battery charging
Power sockets

Choice of System

Two wiring systems were considered for the 230V wiring - the British and the French systems. The French system was chosen partly for the better resistance to reversed line and neutral, but mainly for the availability of the Europlug with this system. Britain shuns many things from Europe, but the lack of the Europlug is one of the most annoying. The huge British 13A plug is fine for electric kettles and fan heaters that need an earth connection and plenty of current, but a real space eater when many small appliances that do not need much current or an earth connection are to be connected such as phone chargers, reading lamps, insecticide dispensers, food blenders, laptops and the like (comparison). When space is at a premium, such as in a van, the Europlug is the way to go!

Wiring Up

It is normal practice to use solid conductor wire for wiring up circuit breaker boxes and running wires in conduits. It was felt that in a Diesel powered van this was inadvisable, as there was a strong chance that a loop of wire could resonate with engine or road vibrations leading to a fatigue failure. Thus stranded wire was used, this being made more suitable for fitting into the types of terminal used in circuit breakers and the like by the fitting of bootlace ferrules to the ends of the wires after stripping back the insulation.

Standard weatherproof CEE (IEC 60309) 16A inlet on the side of the vehicle

The van was fitted with a standard IEC 60309 connector mounted towards the rear of the vehicle where the cable is not fouled by the sliding door. The connector is the hinge out style which, whilst shown in black in a couple of catalogues, proved impossible to obtain in black in practice. Eventually the white version was purchased, dismantled and sprayed black with the type of paint intended for plastic car bumpers and the like. In this application the paint has been satisfactory for over six months now, unlike a similar treatment on the fridge flue, which has flaked off.

Once the mounting location had been decided upon, the panel was covered with masking tape and the cutout and position for the mounting screws marked out. The surrounding panel was protected with several layers of tape, and then the cutout was produced using a new industrial quality blade in the jigsaw to get the cleanest cut possible. A new drill was used for the same reason to produce the mounting holes. The hole was then filed slightly to obtain a good fit for the connector box, and thoroughly deburred with emery cloth. The cut edges were given two coats of rust killer followed by two coats of red Hammerite that nearly matches the colour of the vehicle. The box came with a mounting gasket but it was decided to use some Sikaflex 221 on the joint as well. This had the unfortunate effect of lubricating the gasket so it had a tendency to slide out as the mounting nuts were tightened, so only a token amount of tightening was applied and the joint cleaned up and the mastic allowed to set. The mounting nylock nuts were then tightened a little more, although probably not needed because of the mastic. The connector was then attached to the 16A feed cable after threading on the sealing grommet, clipped into the receptacle and the hinged cover refitted.

I keep an IEC 60309 extension lead in the vehicle along with adaptors to British, French/German and Italian domestic plugs. A couple of inline waterproof plug boxes complete the kit. I have not been caught out so far, although I did have to move the van a couple of metres to the other side of the pitch on one Swiss camp site where the hook up box was quite a long way away.

Residual current circuit breaker on power inlet

The van is equipped with a standard DIN rail circuit breaker box and this houses a double pole integrated 16A and residual current circuit breaker that receives power from the IEC 60309 connector.

Automatic changeover of inverter supply when mains available

An eleven - pin relay with a 230V a. c. coil and three changeover contacts is mounted on an eleven pin DIN rail socket in the circuit breaker box. The coil is connected via a 2A DIN rail circuit breaker to the output of the residual current circuit breaker. Two of the contact sets on the relay are used to provide double pole changeover switching between mains power and an inverter and used to supply a Europlug socket via a further 2A DIN rail circuit breaker. This is used for small devices such as phone chargers. The common contact of the third contact set is connected to the positive pole of the 12V power socket in the load space of the vehicle. This socket is only live when the ignition is on. The normally open contact is fed to a small piezo sounder so that an alarm is raised if the ignition is switched on with the vehicle connected to the power hookup (to avoid the embarrassment of driving off with the cable still attached). The normally closed contact feeds the inverter mentioned earlier and also the fridge relay. This provides an interlock so that the fridge or inverter cannot receive a 12V supply when the 230V supply is available, although this is unlikely to happen in practice.

230V Fridge supply

Nothing complicated here - the fridge 230V cable is merely plugged into the distribution block in the left-hand locker.

230V - 12V supply and vehicle battery charging

The 12V d. c. demands of the van when camping are not great, but a charger/supply unit is fitted to supply this demand and keep the battery fully charged when a 230V hookup is available. The unit used is a CTEK XS-7000 'intelligent' battery charger. The setup works very well, but caused some head scratching the first time the battery became fully charged (in the middle of the night) as in maintenance mode the charger cuts in and out periodically on a relay, and the noise, though barely audible, sounds like water dripping! Now I know what it is I don't notice it.

Power sockets

The van has two 230V sockets installed at the moment - a 16A outlet on the kitchen unit and a 6 - way Europlug socket on the front of the left-hand locker. The 16A socket is used for heavier current appliances or ones needing an earth connection such as a small fan heater or the Remoska cooker, and the Europlug outlet is used for the myriad of small appliances we seem to carry.

The two sockets are plugged into the distribution panel in the left-hand locker.

Heating

To heat the van when hookup is available a pair of 700W oil bath radiators were aquired in the local supermarket. These are small enough to fit under the bed unit. Running one radiator keeps the van temperature 10C to 15C when the outside temperature is a few degrees below freezing.

Electrical Installation - 12V d. c.

The requirements for the 12V system were:

Lighting
12V Fridge supply whilst driving
Water pump
Alarms
Sockets

Most of the electrical feed points in the vehicle are cut after the engine has been stopped for a period of time and therefore of no use for the powering of low voltage accessories whilst camping in the vehicle. The 12V supply is currently picked up from the feed point to the trailer lamp kit which is permanently live. This terminal is situated in the loom behind the left hand rear wheel. As feeding the fridge and a trailer board from this point may be a bit much, another wire has been installed to feed the fridge separately if required. The other items supplied from this point are relatively low current and only used when the vehicle is stationary.

Having wired the odd kit car and motorcycle from scratch, I have found it generally best to avoid aftermarket parts because of the low quality. It is better to keep an eye out at all times so that you can say when building something up "the light cluster from an xyz would fit perfectly" and then get one from the dealer parts department. The same is true for connectors - I avoid the pre-insulated spade connectors like the plague. Sometimes they are all that are easily obtainable, so I remove the insulation, open up the ferrule, place the wire in and then crimp with a tool that makes a proper M-type crimp - not the tool that comes with the pre-insulated connectors that just squeezes the tube. If there is any moisture where the connector is going to be installed I then solder the joint, and insulate with heat shrink tube. If the connector is a receptacle I put some larger heat-shrink over the whole connector. It takes longer, but you only have to do it once... When available, I use the proper crimp on connectors with a separate crimp for the copper and the cable insulation, and insulate with the appropriate plastic boot.

Lighting

All of the lighting in the van is low voltage and is supplied directly from the vehicle 12V d. c. system via a 5A fuse. The following have been fitted to date:

Cab Lamp

The cab lamp is a 8W fluorescent fitting. This is attached to a varnished wooden strip fitted in place of the original headlining retaining plugs. The fitting is complete with a push button on / off control, and fed with permanent 12V from the lighting fuse.

Main Ceiling Lamps

The five main ceiling lamps are brass finished low profile orientable downlighters that have been flush fitted in the ceiling wood panelling. Two of these were originally halogen types that have been retrofitted with 2W LED modules and the remainder were supplied with 1W LED modules. They provide a good level of daylight white lighting for minimal power consumption. The lamps are controlled from the switch on the over cab locker.

Cooker Ceiling Lamps

The two ceiling lamps over the are sink and cooker area are brass finished low profile downlighters that have been flush fitted in the ceiling wood panelling. They are equipped with 4W LED modules that provide warm white illumination. The lamps are controlled from the switch on the over cab locker.

Locker Lamp

The lamp in the over cab locker is, in fact, a 12V fluorescent inspection lamp held in place with a couple of spring clips. The lamp is fed via a door switch on the locker door.

Fridge Lamp

The fridge lamp is a slimline cold cathode tube chosen to fit in the limited space available. It is controlled by a switch mounted on the fridge housing.

Ceiling Lamp Wiring

The ceiling lamps are grouped into three banks controlled from a switch panel beside the over - cab locker door. The lamps also illuminate when any of the load space doors are opened. The supply wires from each lighting bank were fed to the common terminal of the associated switch, all the L1 terminals were strapped and fed to the 12V supply whilst all the L2 terminals were strapped and fed to the door switch relay box (wiring diagram). The development of a relay box was not as straightforward as might be imagined, as the load space lamp appeared to be some sort of 'smart' device - probably CAN bus - that handled supply, switching and dimming of the lamp on three wires. It was felt that the best course of action was probably to disturb this unit as little as possible. On inspection, two spare connectors on the unit were connected to the three bulbs in the unit, and this was used as a takeoff point, using a plug furnished by cutting off part of a computer power supply connector. The lamps in the load space came on and off on a dimmer, but the equipment was not to hand to establish whether this was on an analogue or pulse width system. Thus the relay box was designed to cope with either, with minimal electrical disturbance. The first consideration was based on a light bulb and photocell, but rejected as the photocell circuitry would require a permanent (albeit minmal) supply and one of the design goals was minimum current consumption to maximise the autonomy when camping away from power hookups. Thus the final solution was to filter and smooth the supply from the lamp and use this to operate a sensitive reed relay, and drive the lighting relay with the reed relay. Because of the amount of electronics in the vehicle, the main lighting relay (as all accessory relays added) was fitted with a snubber diode to stop any spikes from getting onto the 12V supply.

12V Fridge supplies

The van is equipped with a Dometic RM123 fridge that can be operated from gas, 12V d. c. or 240V a. c. The 12V refrigeration supply is fed from a 15A fuse in the fuse box via a control relay. The relay coil is fitted with a snubber network and connected to the 12V "cigar lighter" socket in the rear load space that is only live when the van ignition is switched on. A separate fuse feeds a supply to the electronic gas lighter, and this supply is permanently live.

Water pump

The van is fitted with a 12V water pump mounted in the water tank. This is currently contolled by a momentary action toggle switch next to the water outlet, but may be changed to a floor switch later.

Alarms

The CO and smoke alarms are battery powered and not connected to the vehicle electrical system. The inflammable gas detector requires a 12V feed and is connected via a 5A fuse in the fuse box.

The alarm to indicate a full water tank comprises a float switch in the tank and a piezo sounder mounted behind the extractor fan grille which is above the tank filler, and thus easily heard whilst filling the tank. A latching relay and push button are provided to disable the alarm when the tank is full. Once the level falls in the tank the latching relay drops out and re - enables the alarm. The ensemble is powered from the same supply as the gas detector. Operation is not as successful as hoped, as when the van is parked at certain angles there is sufficient air trapped between the tank vent and the top of the tank to stop the float operating and then the tank overflows out of the filler cap - usually all over your feet!

Sockets

There are various 12V sockets in the vehicle. I tend to use the 12mm 'marine' or ISO 4165 connectors for anything needing a reliable connection or a reasonable amount of power. The van has one 'cigar lighter' socket permanently connected to 12V via a 15A fuse in the fuse box to supply phone chargers and media players that have the power supply built into a 'cigar lighter' style plug. The other sockets are ISO 4165. A 12V supply is also available on the accessory or 12S socket on the towbar, and an adaptor has been made to plug into this socket to provide a further ISO 4165 outlet.

Gas Installation

The requirements for the gas system were:

Preregulator with twin bottle changeover
28mB safety regulator
Distribution manifold with valves
Gas fridge supply
Cooker hob supply

The main regulator system was bought as a kit to which was added the distribution manifold and pipework. Two adaptor taps were used to connect this system to the pair of 907 Camping Gaz cylinders. Gas pipes and fittings need to be soldered using a special silver solder and flux and a standard gas blow torch does not provide enough heat, so an oxy-acetylene welding set was used to perform this work. All pipework was polished and steam cleaned after fabrication, then assembled, pressurised to 1 bar and tested for leaks before installation. Despite this testing, after installation a slight smell of gas was noticed, although not enough to activate the gas leak alarm. This proved to be in the pre-assembled joint between the primary regulator / bottle switch and the pressure gauge, and cleaning and remaking this joint cured the problem.

Butane gas is heavier than air, so in the event of a leak the vehicle would tend to fill with gas from the floor up, leading to a risk of asphyxiation for the occupants. To alleviate this risk, it is necessary to provide an escape path out of the vehicle for any leaked gas. This was achieved by drilling a hole in the floor of the van, rustproofing the cut edges and then fitting a plastic plumbing elbow to prevent water splashed by the rear wheel from entering without obstructing the airflow. The elbow was secured against a T piece inside the vehicle using Sikaflex 512 caravan sealant which adheres reasonably well to PVC and the plastic rustproofing on the underside of the van floor. The two entries to the T piece were fitted with insect screens.

Further leak protection was provided by means of an inflammable gas detector - see the alarms section.

Water Installation

The requirements for the water system were:

External water filler cap
Water tank
Water pump
Sink
Waste pipe

External Water Filler Cap

The external water filler arrangement comprises a water filler with integral air vent and locking cap on the outside of the vehicle, connected to the tank coupler by 40mm flexible tube. The original intention was to use a companion tank fitting with integral air vent, but the screw ring on this component was a very tight fit and fitted inside the water tank proving impossible to tighten adequately. For this reason this coupler was not used, and a standard coupler with the ring on the ouside of the tank was used. A separate vent was made by cutting the spigot off a 10mm coupler.

Water Tank

A standard polythene tank is mounted in the base of the kitchen unit. More interior space could perhaps have been gained by strapping the tank under the van floor, but with the tank inside the tank benefits from the floor insulation and other insulation in the kitchen unit framing which helps prevent the water freezing in winter and perhaps more importantly keeps it cool and fresh in summer. The tank has a large central inspection bung that allows access for fitting components inside and cleaning.

Water Pump

The water pump is suspended inside the tank using a 10mm coupler and a short length of 10mm hose. This feeds the water spout above the sink via an anti return valve. Whilst this setup works well when the tank is full, once the tank is emptied and refilled an air lock forms that stops the pump from priming, so as a temporary measure a T piece has been added to the pipe between the pump and the anti-return valve and fitted with a central heating radiator bleed valve. Momentarily opening this allows the pump to prime and then it operates normally. kettle

Sink

The sink is part of one of the the smaller combination units from the SMEV catalogue. 927-960

Waste Pipe

The waste pipe is fabricated from a length of 19mm garden hose leading to the outside of the vehicle.

Safety Systems

Gas Drain

Gas Alarm

A gas alarm was fitted in the kitchen unit to detect any gas leaks. The unit requires a 12V supply and is connected to a 5A fuse in the fusebox. The device does not seem to be terribly sensitive, and gas levels high enough to smell do not trip the alarm. Using an aerosol can with butane propellant in the van usually does the trick, though!

Fire Alarm

A standard domestic smoke alarm was fitted to the cab roof.

CO Alarm

A standard domestic carbon monoxide alarm was fitted to the van wall opposite the kitchen unit.

Fire Extinguisher

A small dry powder fire extinguisher was fitted to the van wall opposite the kitchen unit.

Customising

A few customising goodies have been fitted to the van. As there is a fluorescent light available for serious reading in the cab, the bulb in the cab courtesy light has been replaced with a lurid purple one. The T10 sidelight bulbs have been replaced with LED light towers, that give better visibility and a pleasant cool white colour. The number plate lamp T10 bulbs have been replaced with LED equivalents, which again give better illumination and colour.

On the Road

Camping at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

On the road, I find the Scudo a nice van to drive. The only niggle I had was with some squeaks that occurred when driving along poor road surfaces. These turned out to be caused by the pins that locate the sliding doors when closed, and a touch of grease cured the problem. Performance is almost car - like, and with the common rail Diesel technology one is only aware it is a Diesel if the engine is loaded when cold. On a run, cruising at around 90 to 100 kph the van uses around 7 litres per 100 kilometres, and this rises to nearly 10 litres per 100 kilometres at 130 kph on the motorway. The van is comfortable cruising at the 130kph limit on French autoroutes, and the quoted top speed from the 2 litre turbocharged common rail diesel is 160kph. On the 20km trip to to the office, I can get the consumption down to 6 litres per 100 kilometres if I am careful. On a recent 1800 km trip involving motorway, back road and Alpine driving, the van averaged 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres. The driving position is comfortable, and there is no problem doing several hundred kilometres at a stretch. The manual air conditioning can keep the cab at a civilised temperature even in bright sunshine when the outside air temperature is in the thirties. One is aware of the size of the vehicle in the centres of small French towns, but with power steering most can be negotiated without too much drama.

Climbing the Nurfenen Pass

Our camping trips to date have mostly been very enjoyable experiences. The one exception was when we were on our way back to the ferry at Dover, after a trip to Scotland, and decided to break the journey at a camp site that we had used once before (with a tent) near to Henley on Thames. We arrived just before dusk after a day's driving to be greeted with "I can't let you camp here with that, Sah!" He didn't actually say "It's more than my job's worth, Sah!" but we were expecting it at any minute... This was, admittedly, before the side windows were fitted but similar vehicles appear to be commonplace on European campsites and accepted without problems. We continued on to Dover and passed the night in a 24 hour supermarket car park before catching our ferry. At least we were well placed to stock up with all the English products you can't get in France...

Yes, so far I am very happy with the vehicle!

Links

CamperVanLife Camper Van information and online community
SMEV Cooking equipment
O'Briens Camping Dometic (Electrolux) and Seitz
The custom gschem symbols used in the circuit diagrams
Narbonne Accessoires French supplier of Camper Van equipment
Marinestore Sikaflex, Grilles, small fittings, etc.
Selectronic French supplier of electronic components
Ultraleds Low energy lighting solutions