My V-Dub Project

[Dave Omni]

First let me say that I absolutely love my California Beach, it is by far the best vehicle that I have ever had BUT…I wanted some luxuries, a shower,toilet, proper bed, more space etc. So last year I bought a 1985 Eriba Eribelle(quite rare) in need of refurbishment.
It was the perfect size as it fits in my single garage and tows like a dream. The Alko chassis is galvanised and the body is a mix of fibreglass, Aluminium and plywood with polystyrene in between. Only 10ft long and 5ft wide inside it was a real challenge to fit everything in!
First I stripped it all out including the windows and repaired some back end rot, luckily no rusty body cage to worry about.
I lined it with 2mm. Plastic cladding and Formica then bought a Router (never used one before) and a second hand table saw.
I started making the kitchen and bathroom
units and a friend ( who did wiring on Concorde) did all the new re -wiring for me.
I cannibalised a double ottoman bed and after fitting a new outer frame I bought a really comfortable memory foam mattress.
When the bed is up the amount of storage is
Huge. The outer body work took ages but when I had it resprayed it was well worth it.
All the lighting is LED and this runs off 110amp lesisure battery. I have a 120watt Solar suitcase to top it up but I am going to fit 150-180watt flexible solar panel on the roof. I have fitted a Truma Ultraflow water heater which runs off gas and hook-up.
The compressor fridge only uses 30watts which is a bonus. So far I have been away in it six times and I am really pleased with the result.
It took me over 1000 hours of Blood, Sweat and Tears but as I am posting this whilst isolating with Covid, I am really looking forward to 2022 and the new adventures ahead.
Happy New Year!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Luvely job, best of all worlds. Very well done!

 

[studioTUNGSTEN]

What a project! Looks great~Congrats!!

 

[kurienp]

That is a lovely thing and well done. Looks gorgeous and great work done on it.

 

[Chris Greaves]

What a nice set up you’ve created, a couple of questions; which one do you sleep in and which do you cook in?

 

[BeachyBird]

Brilliant job it looks a great set up and very well made. Happy adventures going forward.

 

[Dave Omni]

What a nice set up you’ve created, a couple of questions; which one do you sleep in and which do you cook in?

Hi Chris, I have got to say that the mattress and bed frame are more comfortable than my Hypnos bed at home and as for cooking most of the time I use a Cadac Safari Chef outside as my Beach doesn’t have any kitchen but the really good feature is the fact that if it is chucking it down with heavy rain, I can just drive off (leaving the caravan behind)in my Cali and explore the surroundings.
Regards Dave

 

[2haw]

Looks fantastic. Great job!