My Vanmaster Build

[Vanmaster Man]

It's started and the bits are all coming together at last. I have been speaking to Phil (MD) and a couple of the guys at Vanmaster and they just handed over a 520 to a guy on his fourth Vanmaster! I intended to keep mine forever at this price. Anyway I thought I'd send in some snaps taken by Phil (not a photographer but a really nice guy) of the progress so far.

 

 

In the beginning.

 

 

Panel frames

 

Underfloor heating.

 

 

2500kg Chassis.

 

L/H wardrobe ready for Corian shelf.

 

 

Kitchen unit.

 

Alde boiler and pipework.

 

 

Underbed hatch not cut out yet but went for the No7 which is longer to allow for the outside table and chairs to slide in.

 

Bernard cutting out the drain for the shower.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Vanmaster Man

[Tourershine]

Amazing pictures! I bet most owners of other caravans would love to see the pictures of their actual caravans being built! I know I would of. I'd of asked for the main builders signature to be etched on a plaque like Aston Martin do under the bonnet. (then i'm a bit sad like that )

 

We've said it before, and I will say it again, we've been restoring Caravan exteriors for years now, and I'm always pleasantly surprised how well built the Vanmaster actually is. We restored a customers Vanmaster in Cornwall a year ago, and he's booked us to do his 3rd Vanmaster next month. This chap love's them and wouldn't buy anything else.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Tourershine

[IanV8]

We saw our second one being built and also our Eterniti.

 

Ian

[Griff]

Great pictures, very interesting, I went around the TVR factory some years back when my Griffith was being built and took photos.

 

. .....I bet most owners of other caravans would love to see the pictures of their actual caravans being built!.....

I for one would have loved to have seen my Buccaneer Schooner being built Tourershine, I would have cancelled the order forthwith and saved me all of the heartache which was to come.

[Vanmaster Man]

I've just seen the radiators in the last picture which will be in the wardrobes, nice warm aired clothes.

[JTQ]

I've just seen the radiators in the last picture which will be in the wardrobes, nice warm aired clothes.

But why put them vertical when they are designed to be horizontal?

Or are they just temporarily like that to later be folded down?

[Vanmaster Man]

Does it matter? The fins are effectively heat exchangers which allow the heat to dissipate. So the heat will still rise from the fins no matter which way up they are. The rising air will draw heat from the ends of the fins on it's way past and the heat will move to the fin ends as it gets taken by the air movement. It's cyclic and will have the same effect overall, if not as efficiently as a sideways fitted radiator but it only has to be gentle to warm the clothes in such a confined area. The radiator assemblies are huge compared to the wardrobes so maybe thats the get round.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Vanmaster Man

[TedNewman]

We have the header tank and pump in our wardrobe and it keeps the clothes warm and nicely aired !

[drummond]

Oh, I say - staples! M'Carlight has halved joints, doncha know - maybe that's why they went bust. ....

[Vanmaster Man]

I had the same setup in my Conqueror 645 but found the pump woke me when it started up. They now fit the pump next to the boiler. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was on the wifes side of the bed as she'd sleep through a rave! The header tank is on the back wall of the VM allowing the nose to be dropped to bleed the system but there are also bleed valves fitted all along the entire system. VM have also got the pump adjacent to the boiler so assume this is the new Alde design.

Whatever, it's nice to think our socks will be warm on cold mornings eh Ted.

Next thing will be the remote heat for the car.

[Vanmaster Man]

I had a go of the staple gun, terrifying machine with really nasty barbed staples. They ain't coming out, I can tell ya!

My 1988 Carlight 152 EK was the reason I went for a VM. I actually prefer the older looking style of the vans. I also like the fact I can fill it with tech and not compromise the payload.

[JTQ]

Does it matter?

No other than being very much less efficient so a small horizontal one would have done the task and probably helped with easing bleeding of the system by avoiding making high points; an engineers take on seeing the photo and questioning why it is done in such a way.

[Vanmaster Man]

The high points have bleed valves fitted, also the wardrobe is only narrow so maybe the short horizontal radiator doesn't do what they want so increased the length vertically. I'll ask when I pop up there in a couple of weeks to see what the reason is and let you know.

[Vanmaster Man]

I should have some more pictures during the week but will be there after next weekend to see for myself. I'm off to Dinan in Brittany the following week for a break and will visit again when I get back. Should be picking it up the following week about mid to end of June. Really looking forward to going to Croatia with it in the summer. Five and a half weeks of trying it out.

[mayblossom]

I see jealousy is rearing it's ugly head hehe. ..enjoy your beautiful van, roll on June! Need lots of pics of the finished van please!

[SwiftArchway]

A van built by Bailey using machines and jigs that any monkey could use vs a van built using traditional skills and techniques gained from years of experience. I know with one I would rather have. My Bailey built using "modern techniques" is about as watertight as an upside down sieve.

[Guest]

If you care not a fig about weight then the old fashioned coach works build is eminently suitable, it has no safety concerns as no one is travelling in it, there are no expensive jigs and moulds and the frame can be stiffened in various places to suit the customers requirement as to fittings and layout, at a price of course. If you want a lightweight rigidish box with limited options then the modern middle tech mass produced vans are your option, which one will be the longer lasting is all to do with the workmanship. Lots of old Bentleys and Rollers about, lot less Wolseleys and Rovers about, which leads to the question who buys what and is it worth looking after.

[Vanmaster Man]

It was partly longevity and partly payload which sent me VM bound tbh. I like the olde worlde looks and the fact that they still look like they always have. Having had a Swift which had the beginnings of the pothole crease starting from the lower fridge vent, I felt my original idea to keep it the ten years was unlikely to come to fruition. I looked around to see what was available and there really isn't anything else that does what I wanted. I knew I wanted a VM the moment I sat in one at the Caravan show last October. I felt like I'd come home, the seating is sprung and so much more comfortable than the foam in my Swift. It's immediately apparent when you sit down. The wife and I looked at each other and instantly knew what was what. We looked for a second hand model but they were made entirely differently to the new VM. The improvements to the new are now numbering at over 100. As a whole it makes a huge difference to both quality feel and livability. I am a keeper of things, choosing to hang on to stuff for many years rather than change stuff every chance I get. My Land Cruiser I had for 11 years and my Disco 3 was 8 years so I do like to get value from nice things, things made well do last longer. So with that in mind I expect to keep the VM until I can't do it any more!

[rslsys]

Great to see it under construction. I'm surprised by the single pipe loop on the under floor heating, whilst I'm sure its correct, I had assumed that vans with under floor heating had the pipes "wall to wall" like a domestic installation!

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[chrisn7]

I too was surprised that VM would be using those nasty staples and simple butt joints - not what I expected at all, but I am of the same mind as the OP in post#22

[Vanmaster Man]

I thought that about the staples until I saw exactly how they work in the hands of someone who knew what to do with it. The gun itself is extremely powerful and shoots the staples in very hard and fast. The staples themselves are ringed or barbed and really hang on. I couldn't open a gap between two pieces of wood which I stapled which were not also glued. I'm a big guy and can bear some weight and strength but couldn't get the joint to open at all. Now glued as well should be nigh on impossible. I was convinced. The warranty (I know it depends on VM still being there) is a lifetime water ingress if you have them service it every year (£350) they will reseal the van every 6 years for nothing and give the warranty for life. That'll do me. My Swift was £250 and gave a ten year warranty if I kept it, six if I didn't. Means a reseal is £600 which is £1900 cheaper than Carlight used to charge! Sounds like a good deal to me to keep my pride and joy healthy.

[drummond]

Carlight charged according to the customer, so I didn't know you had a Roller, VM!

[Vanmaster Man]

I bought a Carlight from the factory from old Percy. I was lucky (They weren't) insofar as if I hadn't bought it they wouldn't have been able to pay the staff so cut the price right down to get me to buy it. I paid £3k for an immaculate 152 EK from 1988. Everything worked including the movers. I asked at the time about a reseal and they said £400 for the front and rear windows or £2500 for the complete van. I drive a Disco 4 so can understand the mistake for a Roller. I certainly wasn't going to pay £2500 for a reseal when I'd just paid £3k for the whole van. I sold the Carlight almost 5 years later for £100 more than I paid for it. I looked back at Carlight before I bought my Swift and just didn't really feel the new 8' wide jobbies. like the 235. Very much a gypsy style van. The only one they had to show was without a toilet (Gypsy style) and devoid of any real tech. It was beautifully made woodwork but the design had no real flair to it. It just felt uninspired. This was the time where elddis were knocking up mass producing lightweight Carlights (Yuk!). Fake lantern roofs made with black plastic stick on windows looked really naff. It's then I gave up my Carlight dream.

[WispMan]

Standard number is

01942 212194

[Vanmaster Man]

I'm off up to Wigan today to visit the factory in the morning. I feel so excited I could burst! I can't even guess at where they are, because no one sent me any images all this week. Phil is away and returns tomorrow and the "boy's" didn't think of it. All going to be a big surprise. I'll post some images tomorrow afternoon.