Every VW van has a story. From full restorations to camper conversions and daily drivers, we want to see your project and share it with the VW Van Hub community.
Craig’s VW Van Journey
How It All Started
Sometimes the best projects begin when you least expect them.
Following the loss of my brother, life felt very different. Like many people dealing with grief, I found myself reassessing things and wanting to make the most of every opportunity. What followed was a bit of a spending spree, starting with the purchase of a new car.
At the time, we owned a folding camper and enjoyed getting away whenever we could. However, I wasn’t keen on fitting a towbar to the new car, so my wife and I started discussing alternatives.
During one of those conversations, she casually suggested something that would change everything:
“Why don’t we get a campervan?”
That single suggestion set the wheels in motion.
The Decision
The conversation took place on a Tuesday. We looked at a few options, discussed what we wanted from a campervan and convinced ourselves it was a good idea.
By Friday, a van was sitting on the driveway.
Just three days after making the decision, the project had officially begun.
The van came from Solihull, around 50 miles away, and although I was excited when it arrived, my wife’s first reaction wasn’t quite the same.
To put it politely, the bodywork had seen better days.
The Van
The van was a VW T4 fitted with the legendary 2.5-litre engine. It had been remapped to produce around 127 bhp and ran exceptionally well.
Mechanically, it was strong. Cosmetically, it needed plenty of work.
The bodywork wasn’t in the best condition and it was obvious that there would be a lot of welding required. Fortunately, that didn’t worry me. Before all of this, I worked as a welder, so I could see beyond the rust and focus on the potential.
While others may have seen an old van needing work, I saw the foundations of a great camper.
The Bodywork
The first major task was tackling the rust.
New rear wheel arches were fitted, along with repairs to the steelwork around the lower door runner. Of all the welding jobs on the van, the rear arches proved to be the biggest challenge.
Countless hours were spent cutting out old metal, fabricating repairs and bringing the bodywork back to life.
It wasn’t glamorous work, but it was the stage that transformed the van from something tired and neglected into something worth investing in.
The Paintwork
Once the welding and body repairs were complete, attention turned to the paintwork.
The van was resprayed, and initially everything looked fantastic. Unfortunately, a previous paint job hidden beneath the surface soon caused problems.
Within around twelve months, issues started appearing and it became clear that the old paint beneath needed to be removed properly.
So the van was stripped back and sanded down again to eliminate the earlier work.
After that, a fresh standard paint finish was applied before the van received its final transformation with a Candy Apple wrap.
The result was exactly the look we had been aiming for.
The Interior Transformation
The camper conversion itself had originally been completed professionally by Cheshire Motor Caravans and was built to a high standard.
However, tastes change and over time the interior began to feel dated.
Rather than simply living with it, we decided to completely modernise the inside of the van.
Everything was removed and stripped back. Any areas needing repair were dealt with before the interior panels were wrapped in a fresh, modern vinyl finish.
One thing my wife was particularly concerned about was having gas appliances in the van while travelling with a young child.
Because of that, every gas system was removed.
A new fridge was installed, along with a new sink, creating a cleaner and safer setup that suited how we use the van as a family.
A television was mounted behind the driver’s seat headrest, providing entertainment when parked up, and a brand-new floor was installed throughout the camper.
One of the most practical additions was a large storage drawer built into the rear of the van. Accessed through the rear doors, it provides a huge amount of storage space and has become one of the most useful upgrades on the entire build.
Looking Back
What started as a conversation around the kitchen table became much more than a vehicle project.
The van has taught me new skills, allowed me to use old ones, provided challenges, created memories and given our family countless adventures.
From welding in new arches to redesigning the entire interior, every stage of the build has added another chapter to the story.
The van may be close to finished, but as every VW owner knows, they’re never truly finished.
There’s always another idea waiting around the corner.