As a result of my Transit conversion I was asked to convert a van for a local Go-kart racer.  After years of towing a trailer to transport his Go-karts to race meetings, he decided that he would convert a van to double up as a Go-kart transporter and a motorhome to be able to go to week-end race meetings further afield

The criteria was to accomodate 2 Go-karts in a garage section and living accomodation in the front part to accomodate 2 / 3 people. The decision was made to go for a Mercedes Sprinter LWB and the owner found  a nice 07reg example with only 70K miles at the van auctions.

The Sprinter at the start with the roll out awning already fitted.

I began with making a plan for the layout which would include a single raised bunk  across the width of the van over the garage area. We wanted a proper toilet area with a shower, blown air heating , fridge, 2x110Ahr battery bank, oven , hob, sink.

I chose a dinette seating arrangement whereby the table will drop down between the seat boxes to make a large single bed with the facility to fit extensions and filler cushions to make a double.

To carry the Go-karts I had to design a rack, so that the 2 karts could be carried one above the other with a shelving area above that to take all the spares and equipment.

There was also the requirement to fit in a 3KW generator. and to be able to store the trolleys on which the karts are moved around and worked on.

One of the first considerations was the fitting of a roll out awning as this had to be through bolted to the roof. The owner  drove the van to manchester to have a professional awning fitted by the Awning Company. This is a very large roof mounted awning that comes complete with a front panel and sides.

I made a list of all the equipment we were needing to order and we settled on

Smeg sink with tap and glass cover

Smeg 2 burner gas hob with glass top

Dometic 3 way fridge

Propex Malaga water heater

Propex Heatsource blown air heater

Thetford c4 Cassette toilet

Drop down Basin

2  water tanks for fresh and waste water.

Shurflo 20 psi water pump.

Whale shower mixer with retractable head and slider.

1 dometitic mini heiki rooflight + 2 MPK 280mm clear rooflights

combined 240v and 12v distribution panel

1000w inverter

2x 110 ah batteries + 200amp inteligent split charge relay.

The first task was to remove the factory steel bulkhead and all the load restraint anchors. I decided to leave the original floor ply in position an lay 12mm ply on top.

The empty van ready for conversion - before the steel bulkhead was removed.

Ply lining the floor with 12mm ply.

I then insulated the sides with 50mm rockwool cavity bats. and clad the walls in 6mm ply taking care to pass neccessary cables through before. I then insulated the roof with 40mm Celotex. Because the roof of the sprinter is curved, it was neccessary to score the inside face of the celotex so it would follow the curve otf the roof. I bonded the Celotex with expanding PU foam and head it in place with props until the following morning.

Insulating the sides with 50mm rockwool cavity slabs

Insulating the roof with 40mm Celotex bonded with expanding PU foam.

The next task was to mark out where everything was going to fit an then to build the rear bulkhead which will separate the Garage from the living quaters. this done, I proceeded to line the roof of the garage with 4mm ply.

Ply lining the sides in 6mm ply and building the rear bulkhead in12mm ply

I then marked out the position of the toilet and cut out the hole in the side of the van to take the Thetford toilet cassette door. This happened to fall where the decorative plastic trim runs along the side of the van. I had to scribe and make an infil piece to take the form of the body.

Interior view of the thetford cassette door

Exterior view of the cassette door- note the profiled infil

The next job was to loose fit the Fridge, oven, water heater to ensure everything would fit. I then cut the hole for the water heater flu and the vents for the Dometic fridge.

1st fix for the main appliances

This was followed by the water filler and the 240 v hook up inlet.

Fridge vents, Water heater flue & water filler in place.

It was planned to have 2 water tanks under the van. 70 ltrs for Fresh water and 60 ltrs for waste. The freshwater tank conveniently fits behind the driver under where the kitchen is going and the waste tank fits just behind the back axle and in front of the spare wheel carrier. These were measured up and ordered from Autocraft Motorcaravans.

The bulk of the equipment was ordered from Auto craft who in the end offered the best deal. The propex appliances were ordered direct from Propex heatsource. Some items were ordered from Leisureshop Direct.

I designed a kart rack to be built in 25mm square aluminium tube. This was made by a local engineering firm They also cut out a floor lining and made wheel arch covers in 5 bar aluminium  tread plate

The Aluminium Gokart rack

This was collected and fitted into the back of the van with great relief that it all went into place. I could now proceed with building the raised bed  and to varnish and finish the garage area.

The Gokart Garage . treadplate lined and rack in place

The next job was to level up the shower tray so that it would drain when the van was sitting on level ground. I did this by strengthening the vacuum formed shower tray with 12mm ply and placing ply wedges underneath to get the level right.

Water, Gas, and electrics, routed behind the shower tray

I was now able to run water and gas pipes and electric cables in the void around the edge of the shower tray and under the toilet. I then proceeded to build the frame work for the toilet enclosure. It was decided that the toilet would be lined with 2.5mm High impact polystyrene sheet and to thjis end 3 sheets were ordered on the internet From Bay Plastics.

High impact, gloss polystyrene sheet being cut for lining the toilet.

Cutting out and fitting the plastic sheeting was not an easy task and required skilful scribing and acurate cutting. the result is very satisfactory and will be a good water proof and easy clean shower room . I then fitted the drop down basin, having taken the precaution to run all the water and waste pipes through the hollow wall at the back of the toilet. I then finally fitted the toilet.

Toilet area lined in Plastic sheet- glued to the frame.

All the electric cables were run through corrugated plastic conduit and bought out where they were required. The batteries will live under the passenger seat box and the distribution panel will be housed in the forward bulkhead along with the power point and the Inverter isolator switch.

Electric wiring looms in conduit , routed to position of distribution panel.

I now tackled the making of a shelf over the cab area. this had to be done in two halves as it involved complex scribing and jigsaw cuts.

Over-cab shelf in position

I had ordered cherry veneered ply to clad all the visible furniture areas and decided to build the front bulkhead in veneered MDF , veneered both sides. I would have prefered to use veneered ply to save on weight but this was difficult to source and so I settled for MDF. Fitting the bulkhead involved complex scribing and the cutting away of some of the original plastic trim behind the seats. I have built a facia with a flush mounted door for the overcab locker

First fix for the front bulkhead, made from 16mm veneered MDF

Propex heater in position

I proceeded now to cut all the holes in the floor for the various water piupes , the gas drop vents and the inlet and exhaust of the propex heater. Care has to be taken that the position of the holes do not coincide with chassis members and pipes running under the van. The water tanks were then fitted. I used threaded rods secured to convenient holes already in the chassis to suspend an 18mm support board under each tank. when the bolts were tightened this effectively sandwiched the tanks between the underside of the van and the support boards. the tanks were given a dry fit and then removed. then all the fittings were fitted and the support boards were given a coat of protective Sadolin before being refitted and connected up to all the pipework.

Freshwater and waste water tanks ready for fitting.

Fresh water tank instalation on offside of van.

Waste water tank in position behind rear axle.

The plumbing was finally done in 12mm semirigid poly pipe with 12mm pushfits. Not the cheapest option but the most convenient.

Gas was run in 10mm copper reduced down to 8mm to the stopcocks and then on to the appliances. The 2 camping gaz  bottles are housed in a locker in the garage with a change over valve. the gas system was tested to 2 bar using the air compressor and was found to be sound after sorting out a couple of irritating leaks, which required the removal of the water heater to fix. A gas drop had to be channeled through a 40mm hose via the seat box in the living area and through the floor.

First fix for Gas bottle locker

Gas bottle locker in situ in the garage.

The gas bottle locker had to be shaped this way because there will be  a shelf directly above it to house the awning poles. The forward part of the gokart ramp has to be removed to change the bottles, hence the use of a change-over valve so that when a bottle is emply it is simple to switch over. The empty bottle can then replaced at a convenient time when the go-kart is not in the garage. Because the gas locker is not in the living area it was decided not to line it in aluminium or steel. the lower part of the box is sealed and drains off via a 40mm pipe directed through the seat box in the forward part of the van.

Plumbing , gas and electrics in the kitchen area.

We chose  to fit 3 roof lights. one in the toilet and a small one over the bunk bed with the 400mm heiki rooflight located centrally in the living area. Fitting these required infilling the spaces between the ribs in the roof. I used closed cell foam and cut this into a gasket for each rooflight.

Closed cell foam gasket in place to take up ribs in the roof

MPK , new style rooflight in position.

Location of the small rooflights

The owner has decided that he wants to have bonded windows fitted, but as the openings we want do not correspond with the openings of the factory bonded windows, we have arranged to have the windows blacked out except for the aperture we require. Frames were made to suround the windows and these were bonded to the bodywork using serious stuff flexible adhesive.

Template fot the cut out of the kitchen area window.

Window frame being fabricated

Window frame bonded in place with Serious Stuff adhesive.

I was now ready to build the seat boxes and did this with battens , glued and nailed and then clad in 4mm veneered ply. the seat lids were made in 12mm ply.

The van has now come back from having the windows fitted. Ace Windscreens in Hedge End did the job. They had the van there for 4 days, quite why I don't know but in the end they did a good job.

Bonded windows fitted.

I've now ply lined around the windows and while the van was away I build the facia with door for the over cab locker. I've also clad the exterior of the toilet and the rear bulkhead. Ive cut the opening in the front bulkhead and edged it. The bulkhead is now in place.

Front bulkhead being joined with biscuits prior to cutting the opening

Front bulkhead with the opening cut out , clamped with ratchet straps

Front bulkhead in position, ready for varnishing.

Leisure batteries , relays, and inverter , under passenger seat.

Nearside window, framed and paneled.

Toilet enclosure exterior clad with 3.6mm cherry veneered ply.

Kitchen area with window, panelled and oven and fridge fitted.

I've been busy making the overhead lockers, clading the the kitchen area, fitting the worktop. Making the toilet door. I've also connected all the electrics and fired up the water pump. All works Ok except that the water heater took a few atempts before if ignited. I think it takes a while to get gas to the burner when it's first commisioned.

The cushions have been ordered  and barring lining the ceiling and around the nearside window. I'm almost finished. There are still some shelves to fit in the garage. I am waiting for a solar panel to be delivered and we need to decide where the TV will live. I've fitted an outside TV point for connection to an outside satelite dish..

Worktop with cut outs ready for sink and hob.

Smev sink and hob with glass covers, fitted and functioning.

Ceiling panels being fitted. I used 4mm ply for this. It will be lined later.

Lockers doors fitted splashback is made in Brushed aluminium laminate.

The locker doors were made from Cherry veneered 16mm MDF. Cut to shape carefully with a jigsaw and then the edges finished with a routered bulnose. This was then sealed and fine sanded. because the cherry veneer closely matched the shade of sealed MDF the effect is pleasing and was less time consuming to do than iron on edging. I used the same treatment for the table which is fixed to the wall with a hook profile and supported by a fiamma pole and insert.

Bi-fold  toilet door.clad in veneer sheet one side and plastic sheet on the inside.

The toilet door had to bi-fold inwards because when the double bed infil board is fitted and the double bed is in use, access to the toilet is still possible. The door was secured with roller ball catches , top and bottom.

Toilet door fitted and varnished

All the woodwork was varnished with 3 coats of water based acrylic varnish. The final coat was Ronseal Diamond hard  satin varnish . The benfits of this are that it only takes 30 mins. to dry, there is no odour, and it does not darken the wood too much. When you first apply it you thinks it will be a complete mess because it is a milky sustance which does not flow very well. but once it is dry it leaves a very nice hardwearing finish.

Shower tap. housing clad in Polystyrene sheet.

Window surround clad in veneer. Table and cushions in place.

The nearside window was clad in veneered ply to match the reast of the furniture. This was a particularly difficult job as there were compound curves to deal with and the edges had to be beaded. Any way, looked good in the end.

Ceiling and bunk area trimmed in foam backed roof lining material.

The ceiling of the van and the cab were lined in special foam backed roof lining.This was fixed with spray adhesive. Not an easy task with lots of care needed not to get folds as you apply it. Otherwise its a very effective way to get a smart and cosy feel in the van.

The bunk area was lined in carpet type lining material. You need a very sharp stanley knife to work with this material. Again it was applied using spay adhesive.

Cab area trimmed in roof lining material.

Ceiling trimmed and door fitted to overhead locker

Garage area loaded with one gokart, ready to go off racing.

Job Done !  Just the Team Decals to fit.