My Self Build Camper Van 1 Year Later
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
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Mitsubishi Delica 4X4 self build camper van tour. A 1 year review.
The Van Build: • Small Off-Road Camper ...
The Van Tour: • Full Tour & Total Cost...
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You did a great job. I'd still like to see you add a roof vent. This might solve the door open when the heater is on problem. See ya next week. It's interesting to me that your channel is a great photography channel but your most popular video is the van build. You never know I guess.
Just crack a window and keep the door shut, not too good for security either leaving your door open!
Could you place a portable USB mini fan down by the heating vent to help push the warmth?
Roof fans and shrouds, along with accompanying closable and screened floor inlet are a must on all van builds. I run mine on a temp relay to kick on whenever the van get hot...which is often...Australia.
Given you're not a professional at retrofitting vehicles, I thought at the time you did an amazing job on the Delica and I'm still of that opinion. The mileage? Well, you added hundreds of pounds of weight to the thing so something had to give, I guess. My only concern is its balance. As you said, its wheelbase is narrow. That might make it a bit top-heavy and I wonder how steady it feels when you drive off-road. Fascinating video overall though. I'm not mechanical at all and I can't imagine undertaking this job myself.
These vans handle amazingly, even with a roof load. Can go anywhere most standard use 4x4s can. It's a Pajero/Triton with a van body. Very capable vehicles on sand, mud and literally designed for snow and ice (most common use is ski resort transfers, hence the 8 original adult sized seating.
Thomas, as for the heater outlet, just fix a 90 degree elbow to it that you can angle towards the back of the van or ceiling so the air isn’t pumping straight out the door.
I was thinking the same thing. I also noticed the vents in the head of the cabin, if could flip the heater 180 degrees, you could pipe in to the pre-existing vents.
@@Lindenism they say don't tap into you vehicles ducting due to the fact that these diesel heaters get much hotter than the vans heater. it can melt them. I would also worry about a 90 degree elbow right at the outlet of the heater the way this is set up. That may restrict airflow and over heat the unit.
@@bobbyswampfox Ok, make a small aluminium deflector.
Or roll down you front windows a crack rather than the side door
@@bobbyswampfox Yeh, all ducting should have the path of least resistance, so the use of 90 deg elbows should be restricted, so maybe a 45 deg bend and then another 45 deg bend, further down a bit. Difficult in a vehicle this small.
Your negatives are minimal and mostly unavoidable. Both your design and construction are enviable. As for size, bigger means lower mileage and right now that could make the difference between the choice to go or not go. And if there is one thing I continually learn when watching your stories is that it is better to go than not go!
So one question I have after watching this video is, how does it compare to your old custom Transit?
Second this^
3rd this
Also curious
Hi there, I’ve run Delicas as off-road camper vans for 12 years now and have found them the absolute dogs when it comes to getting further than other vans, I ran a swb for the first 6 years and then got the lwb which I still use, mine are both 2.8 turbo diesels, I’ve tweaked the boost pressure and upped the fuel flow and they have plenty of power, also i run one used cooking oil and bio diesel so very cheap to run. Would never sell mine there the best, I can send pics if your interested, keep up the fantastic work 👍
The tyre marks and footprints in the snow give the game away as to how much effort you're putting into filming your videos, great work.
Hey Thomas. Since the van is a one person van, why don’t you remove the passenger seat. Wouldn’t that give you more space?
I remember being knocked out by your build videos. I had no idea building on custom aluminum frames at home was even a thing, and you did it so well. Great to see you're still going in what is still a fantastic build!
I think the van is brilliant, absolutely love Delicas and think you’ve done a great job with the conversion👍
It reminds me of the space I had in my old 24ft yacht - good sitting room, easy to manouevre single handed, cosy when cold out, camping stove taken out from a locker, using a bucket for the loo etc. Last year I upgraded to a 28ft yacht and it's made a world of difference having standing headroom, an inbuilt engine, bigger cabin, its own heads. The small increase in length gave a lot more interior volume and the boat isn't too big to handle. It'd be good to see you get out on the water and take some seascapes, or views of the land from the water rather than vice versa.
My recommendation is that you get a van sponsor and petrol sponsor. 500,000 targeted customers (and growing) at a nominal cost. I predict this will be one of your most watched videos. In terms of the learning curve, yes experience brings wisdom. Thanks
Lol, imagine: A petrol sponsor 🤔 That would be better than a Bank sponsoring me. 😂
@@ThomasHeatonPhoto Yeah. It happens. Look at race drivers. But your followers are very targeted. Have to be a more internationally recognized name. I would recommend a Winnebago Revel, or something comparable. I can recommend a good lithium battery pack of at least 500 amp hours and the ventilation will be built in. 4 x 4 is essential, at least in my opinion. My van is some thing that I had to do a lot of modifications to as well, but after nearly 4 years, I would certainly go the route I’m recommending.
What a great van! I'm a bit surprised that you use regular plastic boxes for the food, clothes, etc. It looks to me like there is a lot of space lost in using "non-fully squared" (not a native English speaker as you might notice, but you get it I think 😁) boxes.
Ive got the same Delica and get better fuel economy - I’d suggest getting rid of your roof rack and everything on it if you want to improve yours. Drag from even an empty roof rack will cause your fuel economy to go down noticeably. Also the weight of you build would be nothing compared to having stock seats and 5 passengers, stock springs would cope fine, if they were sagging it was just because they had gone weak . Returning it to stock height would also improve fuel economy.
I have a Mazda Bongo 4x4 2.5 diesel.
Regular 32 mpg
Added knobbly off road tyres 25 mpg 😱
They came straight off 🤣
Thomas, thanks for an outstanding van build series. I’m in the planning stage for a part time camper van build, not a van lifer sort of guy. I’ve watched more videos than I can count and can say I’ll be using/stealing many of your ideas!!
Would love to know how this stacks up a year later to your older van
Watching the build of this camper was,without doubt,the best build story I’ve seen.
There's a fairly serious community of Delica lovers - we love these videos! Great fitout, great ideas, great videos. Thank you so much, Thomas!
Hey Thomas. The sucky cups and mounting arms, and the light what are they called and where do I get them?
Great job. I really enjoy your videos and love what you have done with the van.
I have fitted out a Delica D:5 4WD for the purpose of getting away overnight for hiking and astrophotography etc. I definitely took some inspiration from what you have done (although you've done a much better job of it)
Great video Thomas, if you are looking into the diesel Sprinter van there is a large class action law suite against Mercedes with the diesels...do some homework
Still looks good mate. My diesel Deli only manages 18mpg so I wish I had the petrol engine as it must be so much nicer to drive. Good to see you lifted it. You should really fit upper ball joint spacers when you do that. I had 2 sets machined when I lifted mine so have a spare set if you need them. They come with proper angled top plates as well to stop the stress on the bolts being at the incorrect angle. Your suspension will be topped out with little or no room for rebound and also your camber will probably be way off as well.
Yes, 2.8 litre seems a bit of overkill and it will absolutely drink fuel. Methinks these were designed for towing which maybe explains why so many have towbars. I'd get one of thee because I love the 4x4 overland style but after a few months and the novelty wears off I'd be asking myself why i need a 2.8 litre?
There are collapsible pipes to direct the hot air from the exhaust. (similar to those from portable air-con units) I've seen them in camping shops (in Germany) but also in videos of camping bus upgrades.
P. s. I just watch to get inspired if I some day get my own camping bus
Hey Thomas! Love the van. It's very inspiring and looks great!
I was just wondering if you could tell me what camera mounts you're using on the windows? I've had a scout on Amazon and can't seem to find anything similar.
I'm in the same searching of suction cups, anyone knows which one to buy?
Thanks for this! A lot of my Delica build was inspired by yours and this video reminded me that I'm also almost at a year of ownership.
It is an ingenious built for sure? Too bad for the gas mileage though? By the way, I cannot find a link of the suction cup and arms that is strong enough to hold the Fujifilm XT3 I see that you show it on this video connected to the passenger side window suction cups with a quick release with long arms. Would you mind to post the brand name? Thank you.
Happy van birthday! :-)
This thing looks AMAZING.
Jealous
Being able to be comfortable, warm and dry is a huge thing when out and about in the wilds- that’s a huge huge plus! You did a fantastic job with the build.
I just bought an X Trail...no changes....job done...
I was amazed at how well that van performed alongside built 4 Runners and the like on that off-road outing. Crazy... Question: Those camera mounts are interesting. What brand are they? I didn't see them in the build list.
I never open a window when running the heater. My carbon detector has always read zero. All exhaust goes out the exhaust pipe. If you still want fresh air, just crack a window.
Loved the initial build and now the one year review. Excellent thought process and craftsmanship.
Nice followup video, entertaining!
And created one of the best landscape photography RUclips channel.
I have to say I do love what you’ve done with the delica, it looks great and I can say first hand it’s very capable after our trip round Northumberland. Only draw back I can see is the fuel prices especially with the way things are at the mo. Another great vid tom 👍
Hi Thomas, could you tell me which camera suction cups are you using? been searching for something sturdy but not massive for a while, and the ones you use seem like what I would need too. Thanks and keep it up!
I totally understand the little amount of space. I use a Nissan x trail for the same purpose and sometimes when all the gear is in, lights, the water housing, wetsuits, and everything else is in..the 4 wheeler transforms itself into a mini car 😂
I'm in the same searching of suction cups, anyone knows which one to buy?
So much goes into your stellar production, and yet it is so seamlessly put together that one tends to forget that behind your beautiful talent there's also a lot of work for us! Cheers, Thom
It was thanks to your van build series that I started watching your channel, and I've been watching ever since. I now have a DSLR camera and I'm slowly learning how to use. Thank you, keep up the great work 👍
Cool 👍. Right on
Thomas! I’m glad you made a video like this letting us know the real deal of the good and bad. I actually was very inspired by your design layout building out my Delica L400. Probably watched it about 15 different times as I built mine out to mimic certain things. You were one of the only videos I saw with a practical layout that made sense for longer term stay. Changed some stuff and implemented my own ideas into my build. I’ve got a video on my channel giving a full tour of my setup and would love it checked it out. Feel like you’d think it’s cool. Hope you see this comment cuz you really impacted me a lot from the beginning of my van journey and I just want to say thanks for uploading your build and process. It helped me astronomically with figuring out what to do in my van.
Great can build I did my own one too mine is renault trafic ex AA breakdown van I now call it custard cos its yellow did 17 days away i it over xmas in scotland even watched some of your videos on the trip too
I love my Camper Van. I built it out myself. (On my channel).
What is the vendor for those suction cups?
A top of the range California is now about £85.000 new. I have a 10 year old California, excellent condition, but I still like to watch van builds etc. Thank you for posting.
You asked who was watching - me as a beginner to car camping who is interested in bird photography. I have a £4k Nissan X-trail and am about to kit it out for very little money just to enable me to get away for a few days at a time. Really enjoyed the video. Cheers!
This van was a big inspiration to my own camper car conversion.
I am sure I heard you on a Google Arts and Culture advert
EY. Did a bit of VO work for them 👍
Hello from Canada!
Great series on your van build, inspired me to do the same with my Land Rover Discovery.
I've been trying to figure out what size of alum profile you used though, was it 40mm?
If you have to open a door to run your diesel heater you have it installed wrong and need to move the exhaust or something. Use the pillow covers for your sleeping bag and some clothes to get extra space. Great build and don’t sweat the power supply you can get something close when it needs replaced. Have fun traveling and stay safe.
Great job with the van and the van video, Thomas. I might have missed it but I don't recall your mentioning one of the most positive attributes of your van: 4-wheel drive when you need it. This is what gives you the confidence to go out in winter conditions and on those off-road jaunts that you need so often. It's not something that you use all the time, but when you need it you really need it.
(yes, you did mention 4-wheel drive in your first sentence. I missed it the first time).
I converted my vw caddy to a small camper and took it all the way to the Noth Cape a few years ago. Excellent fast little stealth camper. Very cheap to buy and convert a tiny van.
20mpg on a run. Ouch. Think I would forego the 4x4 and stick with an NV200.
Good to see I am not the only Space Raider fan 😉. Enjoyed watching you build this van and think this year one review is great.
Regarding size, for years I drove an old VW Type 2 bus conversion. I used it for 2 to 3 week camping trips. It was probably about the same size as yours but what made it liveable was a pop up roof. Pop the roof when camped and you could stand up.
Maybe you could look into fitting a pop up roof? The one I had went up sideways and then pushed out the other side. Gave you some "bunks" up top aka, place to store stuff when parked up.
You can fit a echtree battery in there, you can add ducting to heater lol could have a lift up seat top.
I really like your Delica and the conversion you made. I also have a Delica :)
There are several options for cruise control for cars that use a mechanically operated throttle.
1. The best option, I think. Rostra 250-1223 universal cruise control and Rostra 250-3743 Universal Column Mount Cruise Control. No Vacuum Required
2. Waeco MS50 with Vacuum.
Absolutely taking the roof box and awning will improve your mileage! Tire choice also has a significant impact on mileage. Your non-functioning storage door beneath the bed, could the door hinge be swapped to the other side (back)?
thanks for this good energy
Regarding your battery situation, you should look into replacing it with an inverter and a deep cycle battery with a charge controller. Deep cycle batteries come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, which might let you replace them more easily down the road, plus as battery technology improves, upgrades will become more available and more affordable. And I’m off the opinion that you should be able to find one in the correct size to replace your current battery, although, I’m not certain of that.
Lithium battery then you can pull it down farther without worry of damage. The same rated battery lasts longer because you can take it down to 20%. Where a lead acid is only supposed to go down to 50%
I would love to see a RUclipsr that will do Overlanding and landscape photography. So far no one has done the combo.
Hi Thomas! Looking at your earlier videos, it appears you had a Ford stock camper van. It looked very nice! I'm curious what prompted you to get rid of it and later do this build on your own?
Excellent view..one of your best...compressed and on topic..thanks
I found your insights very valuable. My wife and I are making plans to start full time RV living. Whilst we will be pulling a trailer, your tips about camera mounts, gear storage, and more are invaluable. Internet connectivity will be a big issue for us as our trailer will be our home base and must have high speed Internet for video uploading.
Excellent pointers in this video. Thank you!
This is a timely video; I'm about to head out on a camping and photography trip in my model 3! Being all electric has its benefits, like no gas costs and days worth of heating and AC - very necessary in the American south. My setup is a bit more spartan than yours since I've not built out anything, but I can still run a fridge, use a real mattress, cook, etc, and I can charge anywhere with an electrical outlet. The only thing I'm missing is 4WD, which means no offroading, but it's a great tradeoff to be able to daily drive and use my car for camping trips. I think an all electric camper van might be the best of all worlds.
Yep. An electric camper van would be best and they already exist. Battery tech is getting better so a long range electric camper van will be possible.
Very timely Thomas - my wife and I are just in the process of building out our Nissan e-nv200 inspired by your build (aluminium profile features heavily!). Thanks so much for the inspiration, we're taking it skiing this weekend as we are based in Norway :)
Love the JDM van build. Dream setup right here for photography adventures.
Hi Thomas, I used to own a long wheelbase version of your van. 1992 2.8 diesel version. I also did a similar camper van layout as you did. I used it for mountain biking trips. I could just about fit 2 people in (expanding width type bed) and due to the extra length could fit 2 mountain bikes in the tailgate area with the wheels off.
A note about front brakes: due to the fact that these vans have usually sat for months or years in japan, the front brakes can partially seize. I would always recommend replacing both calipers with new factor ones. Cost is quite low and if you're mechanically minded and have a friend to help push the brake pedal to bleed them, will only take a day to do both. Don't bother trying to repair old brake caliper pistons!
I've nearly finished my latest motorhome build based on an ex-Tesco Iveco delivery van. Keep an eye out, I'll be touring about the UK!
Henry’s is smaller……
the fact that this vehicle is over 20 years old, turns me right on. a little re planning and I bet it goes another 20.
Just added Faff to my dictionary.
Thanks for the long term review
You've helped inspire me to van and camera travel. Love the channel. Thanks
It's the sliding side door is what I don't like about your van. The build looks good. Size don't matter. As you say awning not a necessity. Regards Alan = Iveco 4.6 ton 7.6 m long vanman :o)
Battery box can easily be repaired if the cells fail in a few years. Any good electronics workshop should be able to do that for you very quickly. If it ever happens and you cannot find someone to do the job, feel free to get in touch and I am sure I can help.
Amazing buildout
Great job Thomas.
Indeed, you did a good job on the van. As you said, there are compromises due size, but I think you have the good end of the stick there Mr H. Happy camping!!
Hi Tom, not sure if you’ve already considered this for your ‘troublesome’ door that won’t open but have you thought about removing the hinges and make the dot fit the frame magnetically?
I've been travelling and exploring 24/7 while living in my BMW X5 for the past 2-years. Love ❤️ it. 🙂
That was and is still one of the best small camper builds I've seen.
One word of advice, if thats petrol which is the 3.0 I believe, please make sure to have the timing belt replace if you haven't done so!! It would be a shame if that snaos at some point on a long drive. If you have the 2.8 diesel then keep driving as those are timing chains.
Be safe 🙏
Don't second guess yourself too much. That's an awesome van.
Great video. Just one thing: the RUclips description " Hasselblad 501cm film camera..." doesn't agree with the video content!
You should be happy with what you've created there. I know my wife would be (if there were enough room in there for two. Oh, and "a bathroom would be nice." Obviously, a bigger vehicle needed). You did a great job at just the right time.
Great job on the build, very nice and cozy Tom! Also you should be able to pick up an after market cruise control kit! Rock Auto has a great supply of automotive equipment! Love the videos and camera work! Awesome!
MPG... My 3.0L Delica, same as yours does between 18~20MPG and I have nothing on the roof
Your AT Tyres don't help... I have Falken Wildpeak, they are less aggressive all rounders, better MPG
🇨🇦/🇺🇸... Thomas...did you install a Carbon Monoxide Detector? They just use a battery and they often can be stuck anywhere with 3M Command Strips. Note: I believe that they are mounted down low, so careful about that. Cheers!
If this is supposed to be a one man van, why didn't you remove the second seat? there's some space more to win there ...
The interior upholstery looks new! And 20 years old. WOW!
Size. Fuel economy. Diesel is good. 4 wheel drive very good. I saw the “off-road” video, not bad. I used a long wheel base Chevrolet one ton, v8 engine (terrible mileage), “Moby Van”, great white van! No bed! No insulation. Cold! Van was cheap, a work in progress. Oh, I’m retired. No income to speak of. I do like your van.
i watched that video! ME! HERE! *waves*
got to say, nice review! thanks for that :) there are some things i need to recap for myself while building my own offroad camper. maybe i'll pass by when i go to UK again :)
Great video thanks. I’m looking to buy a van to have converted for some retirement van life in Australia. Was looking at VW but as a happy Pajero owner have been looking at Delica and the fact that it is 4WD. They are not sold in Australia but many have been imported. Looking at the next model along. They are 10 years old with about 100k km on them. Your videos have help with my decision. Thank you
Love it Thomas!…. I have a Delica myself!….. where did you find your equipment for building out the rear?? I NEED it!!!
Love it Thomas!…. I have a Delica myself!….. where did you find your equipment for building out the rear?? I NEED it!!!
Good job! I'm using 1000w Jackery to power my van. Same idea, run Iceco VL45 Fridge and charge batt while driving! I don't have solar yet?
well 20 miles per gallon counts up to 11,7 l per 100 km, this is not to much for a 2,8 liter engine and a van with AWD. I owned a Chryler voyager with 3 Liter engine frontweel drive that came up to 13.8 miles a gallon. Much bigger of course, plus the engine was developed ages ago. You should consider bying a diesel. This will be the only way to reduce fuil expendatures or install LPG. But I have no clue where to put the tank under this one.
That's a small tank! My small Ford car with a 4L engine takes ~66L. Japanese do make their cars with smaller tanks. Don't know why. My old corolla had a 4L engine with ~45L tank.
I cook a LOT... the single burner and collapsible washing bowl are a no go for us! This life is great because people can individualise their homes to their lifestyle, vs. a traditional apartment you are stuck with what you rent.
Since filming this video fuel has gone up another 20p per litre 😢😢😢😢😢
Who’s watching this, you ask? Well, someone who likes photography and owns a campervan and has never combined the two…🙈…😂😂😂 Now I shall!
You built a very neat camper. 👏 excellent job 👏 👍 👌
Do they sell flexible pipe like on portable datacenter AC units in the UK. Extends, supports it own weight, and you can aim it. When you're done you collapse or unclip it. Nice van. But I think you want a Unimog for your adventures!
In all your years of landscape photography, world travels, workshops, expeditions, collaborations etc etc, did you ever answer that most important of questions? .. Why are pickled onion flavoured Space Raiders so damn tasty? So wrong, but so right 😄