FridgeFreezer Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 A dangerous situation has arisen, my other half quite likes the idea of a camper van of some description. The only real criteria are that it's tall enough to stand up in and there is some sort of toilet in it. And that it has a bit of character. VW's are out as they're vastly overpriced and have all been bodged up by hippies using wattle & dawb at least once in their lives. Other variants on the van-plus-bed theme are out as being a bit dull and bit too much like owning a caravan. Volvo TGB's are out (boo!) as are 101's as they are a little bit too utilitarian and require too many mods to make driver friendly. Trucks (7.5t+) are out as neither of us has the requisite license and we've nowhere to park it. Tatra 813's are right out on grounds of utter insanity but I can't stop wanting one sooooooo much..... mmmmmm.... Other weird stuff is out on the grounds of being able to get parts ever. After a period of eBay browsing I've spotted a few 130 ambulances which seem like they could fit the bill as a base for conversion, however no-one advertising one seems to own a tape measure, and googling for pictures of camper conversions throws up millions of pictures of the outside of the vehicle with precious few showing any sort of detail on what can be achieved inside. If anyone has a 130 ambulance or box-bodied they could wave a tape measure over that would be really helpful, critical dimensions are the space inside the box and the overall height (because it might just fit into the shed... maybe!) A mate has a 130 ambulance and he thinks it's about 1.7m wide, 2.3m deep and 1.7m tall inside the back, which seems really quite small given the overall size of the vehicle (and not quite tall enough to stand up in!) Also any photos of camper conversions, experience, comments, etc. would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 HOG had a 130 ambulance converted to a camper, he sold it to a friend of mine The_Yak on here sometime ago, I think it's been moved on again since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Just buy it worry about details later. Having had a good poke in chips I reckon there's enough room for a small toilet/shower and kitchen but still leave enough room for a double bed. We had a converted iveco daily and I'm sure the 130 looks more spacious if a little shorter. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 A friend has a 130 with a box body on the back, there's no way you'd stand up in that. Can't get you an exact figure on the height but its only around 4'. Not to say you couldn't build a bigger one though. You could build a doorway and steps up to it in the space between the truckcab and the rear wheel. That saves dropping the rear body low to get a door in the rear, and also means you can back up tight to a wall and still be able to get in and out, or if you're towing something somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Not sure I have the dimensions for the Locomotors bodied 127 / 130 I had but unless you are limited in the height department there is no way you can stand upright in them. That said the double skinned box ally framework construction of the rear box make raising the internal height or fitting additional dorrs etc fairly straightforward. With careful planning it's possible to make a useful, if cosy, camper with toilet, shower, double bed blahblah blah. There's even a club for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete3000 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 DAF Bedford MJ or MK with a radio body/cabin? can be driven on a normal license if max plated for <7.5ton. You can park on things instead of looking for a space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Any help ? https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/127-130-ambulance-owners-enthusiasts/info Somebody on there might help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 A 130 pulse/wolf ambulance is pretty big inside and you should be able to stand up fine - plenty of room for a toilet/shower and everything else you need. My only criticism of them is they are possibly too big and you start to lose the point of it being a Land Rover as you're going to be limited where you can take it - might as well get a motor home. being able to stand up isn't actually that important so long as you've plenty of room to sit with your legs out so you can pull trousers on etc, so I wouldn't limit yourself purely based on that as you really won't be that bothered- can't stand up in my Rangie ambulance and we lived in that very happily for over a year. There are a few Rangie ambulances knocking about, and some good 110 and 130 ambulances from St Johns ambulance and mountain rescue etc. Dimension wise, I'd say width is more useful than height, and means you can get dressed in comfort etc, so look at something with a widened body rather than using a standard width Defender back body, or you really struggle trying to work a bed, cooker and sink in and not be cramped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Pete - anything heavier/taller than a Landy is out as it just makes life awkward - and AWD commercials are in the "rare" category. At least Land Rovers all the bits bar the rear prop are basically the same. Building a bigger/taller box is entirely possible, but it seems like a bit of a waste to buy a 130 with a big box on the back only to start cutting it up, I'd probably just start from scratch with a "regular" 130 or even bite the bullet and build from parts and SVA/IVA the result... but that would be a big project & take some of the historical charm away. The later pulse/wolfs are indeed big, but they're not within budget so it's the older (slightly narrower & shorter) ones we'd be looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Get the Tatra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Any help ? https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/127-130-ambulance-owners-enthusiasts/info Somebody on there might help Good group - well I would say that wouldn't I since I co-founded it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Fridge 5' nearly 7" is not a bad height and probably workable perhaps a strategicly placed hatch or dropped floor lets face it you only really need to stand in the shower or at the cooker/sink. Oh and your not exactly tall are you :-P Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Must it ben an ambulance. ? The enviroment agency had some 130's with a box on the back that they used as a mobile laboratory, You could walk in from the cab and stand upright in them. Do you actually need to live and cook and eat inside ? You could always add a lifting roof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The box on the back of the ex military Locomotors / Marshall bodied 127 are very well nailed together [double skinned & insulated] and positively cavernous compared to a standard hardtop. Direct from the military they came with twin batteries, split charge, 240v input & battery charger, Eberspacher heater, engine and oil heaters, flourescent lighting etc etc so much of what people like to play with when constructing a camper. Ex RAF ones were generally cleaner, mine generally spent it's life on standby so had low mileage, straight panels and gloss paint. I kept the V8 as it had such low mileage but removed the spartan military fixtures and fittings and constructed a new interior from lightweight faced ply as used by motorhome companies. We ended up with onboard fresh water tanks, chassis mounted LPG gas tank which fed an onboard cooker, seating which converted into a double bed plus a single bed over the cab. On occasions I added a rooftent to the rig. Of course the majority have now been demobbed for some time so will have passed into civvy hands with all the ups and downs that entails. IIRC there was not a great deal of difference in the internal space between the Locomotors, Marshall's bodied ambulances. The later Pulse are not that much bigger. People have mentioned the height but we never found it a problem, some have added a bit of extra height by raising a portion or all of the roof and IIRC there are some pop-top ones about too. I'm sure I did a build thread on here - and certainly still have photos on the Yahoo group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 A lifting roof would be my solution also, with linear actuators to do the hard work, and lift it squarely Being able to stand in the back of a LR will make it prohibitively tall for many situations, like ferry crossings/chunnel etc. I had a dream once that I could make all manner of expandingness on slide out rails to make the floor space bigger, pop up roof etc, nothing like Hammond's attempt on Top Gear, but that was what sparked the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 If it was just up to me there would be no requirement for cooking beyond a pot-noodle preparation area! Lifting the roof or dropping the floor is an option, albeit a fairly involved one, I'm more up for the "kitting out" project than "cutting up & remodelling". One issue is that a "standard" ambulance will juuuuust fit under the shed door (~2.4m) whereas adding anything to the roof will nix that and create a storage problem, so then you're into pop-up roofs and all that faff. elbekko - unfortunately the Tatra driving experience is a bit too far removed from the Seat Ibiza my other half is accustomed to, and it wouldn't so much fit in the shed as the shed would fit in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Agreed. My view was that permanently adding additional height would also do little to help with the already somewhat galleon like cornering. Apart from the rooftent I made sure that I kept the CoG as low as poss by keeping as much weight as low as poss. A quick search reveals that I stated The rear interior dimensions are:Length from bulkhead to backdoor 261cmWidth Wall to wall 177cmInterior height from floor to roof 160cm I only sold it as the vehicle was spending more and more time idle as "stuff" meant we had less and less time to use it - bit like my genuine Yank copcar that sits in my garage that did all of 50 miles between last MoT's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Brilliant, cheers Steve, not sure how I failed to find your build thread. A popping up section wouldn't be the worst project in the world but cutting holes & adding moving bits creates new and exciting possibilities for leaks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The most I did to the exterior roof of mine was remove the tin vent, cut a bigger hole and fit a motorhome type skylight / vent which in turn got replaced by a larger, cost an arm and a leg, one which included a big 12v fan. The roof frame structure is pretty strong and walk on-able. I still have all the pics I took on disc.... ....somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Hire a camper/RV before you spend money. I used to love the idea, but the practicalities of using one really put me off. The biggest thing I couldn't cope with is having to bring the van with you everytime you go touring. You forget some milk and you have to make everything road safe before you can go. Visiting a quiet part of Wales/Scotland/Ireland? Half the roads are too narrow! Also the damn thing has to be serviced, kept on trickle charge, kept de-humidified, MOTed. It gets to be hassle quite quick. I know that they are a pain, but even a caravan, maybe an airstream, makes more sense. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The trouble with a 130 of such dimensions as to accommodate your Mrs' desires Fridge, is that it becomes a bit of a one trick pony, in so much as it looses a lot of the abilities that make a Landrover useful. It ends up very tall with a high CofG, unable to get down greenlanes or under low structures. It becomes very uneconomical due to high wind resistance and weight too. I have been where you are now and ended up with a VW T5 and some conversion furniture. I did not have the lifting roof so standing up was not an option. An internal toilet was never attractive either. Were I to live again than I would probably look at a LWB high top van - Transit, Sprinter or even something French - and convert that with a small bathroom, bed/seat and cooking. It will be much better at being a camper, and will suffer only from lack of 4WD when compared against a 130. It will be cheaper too, though it will loose more value over time. It may sound ridiculous, and you may perceive yourselves as being too young, but actually a caravan is a good alternative if you plan to stay in one place for several nights at at time and want to be mobile during that time without having to pack everything away. Mrs FF will find it very well appointed. Add up what it will cost you on a per-annum basis to own a camper - insurance, tax, maintenance, depreciation etc.. Now look at what they cost to hire for a week/fortnight and wonder whether you might be better off just hiring. 110 with a lifting roof? May mate used to own this one, which I think would meet the little woman's brief. It would be an interesting project to make a lifting roof conversion from scratch. If you must have a 130, I was very taken with this idea: FlipPac camper. I think that, as with a 110 lifting roof, one could probably make ones own to suit a 130... Good luck, whatever you choose. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 How about having the living box part removable? That way you can get to site and put the legs down and drive the 130 out from under it so you don't have to take your home with you when you pop out to get some milk? Also means the 130 might have some other uses when not camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Gazzar - we have hired a camper before (we did Alaska in one that wasn't much more spacious) so it's not an unknown, and I've done a lot of caravanning with my folks as a kid. Chris - You're right, although a 130 would not be an off-road machine but rather something that can cope with rough/unmade roads, Glastonbury car park, that sort of thing. It's as much about something with a bit more character than a transit or a caravan than ultimate practicality. CW - A good idea, although that sort of entails building your own box which I was not planning for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 This was for sale recently Don't know if it sold but if nothing else I shows what's possible. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Fridge, what about a LWB transit or equivalent and do it out yourself using a set of caravan internals as some people do on the self build motor camper club site www.sbmcc.co.uk , you'll find allsorts on that and I intend once I've finished with my transit to do exactly that and have myself a cheap enough camper to my specs HTH John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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