Build Archive - October onwards
Awning Added
August 2022
After our trip to Europe this year and experiancing the heat we decided that an awning was a must.
We chose the Fiamma F80s the basic full length version.
Installing the roof brackets was straight forward if a little fiddly. You certainly need two people to lift the unit onto the brackets!
Upgraded Suspension
19th March 2021
I had been looking at the rear suspension for some time. I had always thought it was low with all the extra weight. The rear springs were very flat and the body was resting on the bump stops.
I had seen on Youtube and blogs that many people had added a heavy duty twin spring setup as the Citroen/Peugeot/Fiat van is not designed to carry the weight constantly.
Gadget John had made a good video about changing these springs on his old van. The only thing to note is that he does a Haynes style "..just remove..", "..re-assemble.." and you know this took 1/2 hour and lots of swearing.
The thing I wasn't happy with is that the HD version of the van doesn't just change the springs but it also has uprated shock absorbers and different bump stop. This adds a lot of cost to changing the setup.
I decided to just order the springs and see how it went before upgrading the shocks and bump stop. I order my kit from leafsprings.co.uk and it arrive a couple days later. I was extremely surprised to discover that they had included OEM HD shock absorbers and new bump stops!
I'm now much happier with the level of the rear and it no longer sits on the bump stops.
Van Complete!
3rd October 2020
Finally, we have completed the van!
Well for now anyway as there are things we decided we will live with it for a while and see what needs modifying. The hatch to the cab still doesn't have a curtain or doors. We also may want a cover over the Maxx Air fan due to the light and draughts.
We added clips for the table legs at the rear and a custom clock to remind us of our first trip in Dora.
I love having the oven & fridge high up as I can see everything inside without crawling on the floor.
We have loads of lights - 9 roof spots, 4 wall lamps and 5m of LEDs. I also re-used one of the OEM lamps above the sliding door with an extended wiring harness so that it comes on when the door is opened or can be switched off.