drive find - question

[dagboyblue]

hi

a old friend of mine has offered me her dads 75 camper at a very very good price (its only been off the road 12 months). i'm planning to have a look at it tomorrow.

i only have the following pic - and it seems its a panel van conversion. does anyone know the history behind these, who done them, why did they do it this way??

my friend knows next to nothing about conversions and all that - so wondered if anyone had anymore info on them before i go and see it

i will probably take it off her hands and get it back on the road for and pass on to someone who want to do a resto

 

[frag]

Lots of conversions were panel van based,my Holdsworth is.
Had a Devon too on a panel conversion.....

Think it was easier (and probably cheaper) to locate panel vans to cut windows into than find microbusses,
Westfalia used nothing but T2`s with factory windows a.f.a.i.k.
Only other difference really is factory window vans also get factory rear seatbelt mounting points

You will need to post pics of interior cupboards & layout to let us guess who did conversion (if its not "homebrew" )

 

[Araon]

The load floor is heavier gauge steel as well so that may well have been a factor to support all the furniture and happy campers....but likely to have been a cost and availability thing....

 

[Clem]

I cant see the pic, but Viking, Devon, Danbury and Holdsworth all used panel vans. I beleive there was a tax benefit from buying a windowless van, hence the reason.
I had one that had been minibused by Devon, I then fitted a part Westy interior. The windows never leaked, but I have seem some on which the frames have rotted badly if they werent painted properly when the apertures were cut.
Most will have had a retro fitted rear headliner too, and the trim frame panels on the window internals can be a bit iffy on some.
They will have a lower resale value than kombi's, but as with everything its condition is the key factor.