Converting an old Mercedes 307D into a motorhome
(and trying to stop the poor thing dissolving back into iron oxide).
 

Hello,

 
 For some years I had been trying to keep on the road an ancient diesel van,a Mercedes 307D.Originally the van was used to go to auctions and markets to buy imperial and metric  tools  and then as a delivery van for our shop and chandlers in Lowestoft  after many years (and over 250,000 miles) travelling to endless markets and auctions,the nature of the business was forced to change and we started selling by mail order and on Ebay auctions.,The van became redundant and was getting decidedly frilly round the edges,it was either throw it in the wheely bin or to use it for something else.We decided to turn it into a motorhome.This page shows what we did and also gives links to,or information about those we found who helped with the conversion,equipment,spares and services.Neither of us had any interest in motorcaravans,classic campers or caravettes before we started but as we used our home made camper we found we started to enjoy it,so much so that we ended up buying an old ford transit motorhome to re build (are we sad or what?) Links to other sites,spares for Mercedes and other motorhomes etc click here
 
Selling tools at markets and car boots.
Selling tools at markets and auctions.
For a while the mercedes was used for deliveries to fishing boats on the harbour or local businesses but the shop now specialises in mail order tools..
It was never going to be a Kontiki or a Hymer but something to get us away from our shop on the east coast which at the time still supplied what little was left of the British fishing fleet with foul weather clothing and equipment.The budget for the conversion was easy to work out (bugger all),and we decided all the work we would do ourselves .This is a sort of record of what we did,why,who helped and who didn't and other mumblings.If you have one of these old Mercedes or a similar van,or you are hoping to create a self built motorhome I hope you find something of interest here.
 
One of the first things to do was cut out rust and rot,and oh boy there was plenty of it,the tyres were about the only rust free parts left. The sills and rear wheel arches were replaced with panels from Hadrian and V-W parts auto panels who had a good stock of mercedes parts.Initially rivetted in place then welded the finished repairs were then treated with Waxoyl.As I was working outside,I didn't want the gas shield that a gassed welder needs blown away so I used a Draper gasless mig welder,which coped easily with the whole job.
The most time consuming part was cutting bits of steel to fill in where various sections were missing altogether.The inner wheel arches were basically half a ton of car body filler over newspapers and riveted aluminium sheet.Thankfully most of the chassis was sound and with the outer sills removed it was reasonably easy to make up and weld in new inners.
My  welding isn't to classic or collectors standards maybe,I don't have their patience or skill and I can hardly spell concours de elegance.
Tin worms have been well fed by this Mercedes
Near side sill was basically half a ton of filler and old copies of the Daily mail..
Old merc vans never die they simply rust away
Wheel arch literally came off in my hand."Oh Popeye you're so strong".
With the repairs still in primer I fitted windows in the sliding door,and in the opposite side panel.I used a hand nibbler which left a neat edge,the metal removed was nearly all welded back in around the sills and wheel arches! The windows came from a LDV in a rather unhelpful breakers yard near Beccles who charged for each window about what they probably paid for the whole van they came from.With hindsight I would have been better going to someone like Leisure Windows or even buying a whole scrap minibus.Windows in caravans and motorhomes must be laminated or toughened,ordinary household glass is both illegal and dangerous.
The roof was changed for a fibreglass one from a write off mercedes from a mercedes dealer in Norwich."Vorsprung durch technic" you know.It would have made more sense to get a roof from a mercedes with the same wheel base as mine,I blame my mistake in measuring on the introduction of the metric system and dodgy glasses!
As it was,I had to cut it and insert a section about a couple of foot long.Three steel hoops support the new roof.With another dose of hindsight I could have fixed the front section higher or re-shaped it to gain extra storage space further forward.
At least the fibreglass roof won't rust
It's obviously about two o'clock here or could be two foot or even two sugars.I'm starting to wonder here if I really have the faintest idea what I'm doing..
Body work just about ready for painting,we carried on using the van in the middle of most of the work even though it was winter.This was Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk on a November day,handy for a bit of "wild camping" and legendary fish and chips.Gt Yarmouth on the east coast of the U.K used to have places to stay overnight by the sea then it decided people in coaches,HGV's and motorhomes were to be discouraged, now if you're in a camper you're made as welcome as a fart in a space ship.
Note deranged woman at the window
The interior facing rearwards..We needed floor space as two large dogs would be keeping us company.A secondhand bed settee provided the basis of a bed,using a table top to infill.The hideous green was removed and replaced with brown draylon.( Actually long curtains Jane found in a Lowestoft charity shop).Forward would be the kitchen area,with a door through to the cab.With the interior stripped carpet was bonded to the original ply floor..
Interior looking forward..The van was at one time refrigerated,the plywood interior panels were retained but the foam insulation was removed to reduce the fire hazard.This picture was taken as the roof was being altered to fit.The wooden bulkhead was originally cut with a jig saw to allow a door through to the cab,but it was soon removed to increase space,only the part behind the drivers seat was retained.Three sheets of hardboard fitted to wooden battens lined the inside of the roof.
 
Pretty much the same view part way through conversion.The combined sink,grill and hob unit came from a car boot sale.We painted the wood lining the van interior white to brighten the thing up inside.The dark wood was a mistake,we decided to strip off the varnish and stain and re do it.
 
The finished interior looking forward.
A 12 volt television fixed in the full length cupboard on the left replaced the portable 240 volt one,as the mains inverter from Northern Tools which supplied it lasted about as long as a cough sweet before expiring in a cloud of smoke.Under is a sealed steel gas locker and storage for a portaloo.The space over the cab provides storage,I bought a second hand seat swivel for the passenger seat and curtains behind the windscreen and side windows screen off the interior.The original sliding side door has been left to provide access.
A table clips to the rear doors,it's bigger than the gap between the seats and is stored over the cab at night.A board stored under one of the seats and the back rests to them are used to make up the bed.An electric cool box and small battery powered tv/radio complete the rear compartment.
The total cost,ignoring a lot of hours and the cost of the van was only about £300,I'm not too proud to look in skips or buy clearance,second hand or damaged goods.
These mercedes or the similar sized ford transits and the bigger renaults etc either as vans ripe for home conversion or purpose built motorhomes can be picked up when tatty cheaply enough,a bit of graft a few quid and anyone can give motorised camping a go.
 
When the windscreen cracked,it seemed that only force of habit had been keeping it in!. Very little of this rot was visible with the screen in place.Before removing the screen I made card templates to help keep whatever shape this section was supposed to have.
Worrying too was the evidence that water had been getting round the windscreen and into the bulkhead.This caused the rot under the screen and the rot in the floors shown below.I think it's fair to say that these old mercedes vans are renowned for rusting,but we are talking about a vehicle thats over twenty five years old.
A strip of steel was cut and bent to shape and then tack welded in place.Another piece was let in below after more rot and filler was dug out.Remember when using a mig or arc welder to disconnect the alternator and battery and any fancy electronic gadjets.I found out the hard way that diodes tend not to work too well when they've been fried and also alternators on 307's are bloody near impossible to get at..
With the welding done filler smoothed the joins.With vans as old as this there are bound to be all sorts of things hidden under paint and underseal I think you have to be realistic,without stripping the thing completely and starting again it will be a fairly constant battle to keep rust from devouring the thing in the end.
Karl from Windscreens Direct in Lowestoft (01502 538313) fitted the new laminated screen and did a superb job.Try them for flat glass windows and older screens as well as the more modern ones.
  

A puka Mercedes workshop manual is mega money and Haynes seem not to realise Mercedes made thousands of these vans.I found it worthwhile to get at Mercedes 240D manual which gives some engine details.Most of the metal brake pipes I replaced using one of the cheap pipe flaring tools I sell on ebay.
 
A year after the conversion to a motorhome and another rust hole in the floor.I'm amazed how fast the salt air can rot out steel especially as when like here it's able to get under the factory applied underseal which has hardened with age.Having said that it's the idea of checking tyre condition from the comfort of the drivers seat might just catch on.
Hopefully the van will go a bit faster now.You've heard of "Press the pedal to the metal" I'd run out of metal to press to.
This just goes to prove neglecting to fix water leaks in any van or motorhome is a recipe for aggro later on.I ignored a slight leak from the door seals, lifting up the damp carpets revealed tin worm had got a good hold on the seat bases.Adjusting the door gaps or renewing the seal would have saved dragging the welder out of hibernation again.
Not many body repair panels are still available as pattern parts for the 307D or indeed other mercedes and none of them are cheap so you often end up making your own from hammered out sheet steel.
 
Both the rear bumpers were hanging on to rusted out brackets.Behind this tatty panel are a couple of short box sections going to the chassis.These had also rotted out,and were easier to gain access to with the old rotted section of the bodywork removed.
With the remains of the old panel cut off it was possible to weld a new section to the body.The base of the new section was turned over to form a fixing for the outer covering panel.When the fit of this was satisfactory the V cuts were filled with small wedge shaped sections.Notice how I try and make it sound like I know what I'm doing.
Whatever anyone else says,I found taking the starter motor off means removing the exhaust front pipe and offside engine mount.The alternator on an early 307D is the same as a Volvo 240 and is easier to remove complete with its mounting and adjuster which can the be freed off on the bench for reassembly,one of those ratchet ring spanners makes adjusting the fan belt much easier..The filter in the diesel tank,which when choked causes bad running and which most manuals don't even mention,is easy to get at by removing the tank sender unit..These vans use a pneumatic throttle assembly,sluggish when brand new,if the throttle doesn't open fully performance is pedestrian to say the least!.The bonus is a fuel consumption of around 35mpg and very long engine life.I plan to fit a five speed gearbox at a later date.A universal joint has failed and the bearings are staked in place however I found it possible to remove them by careful application of a miniature grinder.A new joint cost £40 it was pressed in,carefully balanced and the caps secured in place.I don't recommend this method of repair however..
At the beginning of June 2003 I bought a 1976 Mark 1 Ford Transit coach built motorhome at E-Bay.Its the ventilated model with extra holes in the inner wings,floor pan,step sections and various sundry chassis sections.It was though as described on the auction page and exactly what I wanted,the pages featuring the transit carry links to part suppliers and owners clubs etc access it by clicking here..If you are interested in old camper vans and motorhomes please look at the classic campers club,you can get to them here.
 
The Transit motorhome as bought.V4 2000cc engine,four speed box,twin rear wheels,drum brakes all round.The Ford V4 engine was fitted to the Ford Corsair some were also made with a 1700cc version.Transits were introduced in 1966,I think it's fair to say they had problems with rust,axle whine especially on the twin wheel versions and the V4 engine was maybe not the best in the world early ones especially had oil pump,timing gear and head gasket problems.However for the price they provided a huge carrying capacity and many clocked up massive mileages.Transits are still around after various face lifts and re-vamps although the newest have only the name to share with the oldest.
Don't be put off by the age of these vehicles.Parts can be obtained with a bit of patience and a friendly storeman.
A local motor factor (Motofacts of Lowestoft) sourced a Mk1 transit exhaust which cost less than a modern car for instance.Another Lowestoft firm Withams introduced me to their Supercote paint which they matched to the existing colour perfectly,also in Lowestoft T and J Commercials in Pinbrush Road dealt with my queries re axle weights,Class 4 and 7 requirements etc and were very helpfull.
The Mercedes was used trundling backwards and forwards to auctions and autojumbles as obsolete imperial  tools become a bigger part of my trade.It was rather pleasant to have a sit down and a fresh pot of tea in surroundings that are still familiar no matter where you are.
Sadly............after 350,000 miles the poor old thing finally became a liability.The engine got harder and harder to start and became addicted to 'Easystart' diesels won't tolerate this stuff for too long eventually it knocks out the big ends.The clutch started to judder and oil leaks got worse.Mercedes don't seem to think making the worlds most reliable vans AND supplying spares for them as they get old should go together.I took it to a vehicle end of life center (what we called scrapyards in the olden days).Faithfull to the end it got me there and is probably already on the way to making bicycles and cheap toys in China or India.No one recycles parts anymore it seems,the old van will cause more pollution dead than it ever did whilst trundling about.How does that make sense all you green campaigners?.
Links to spares,conversion parts,other sites of interest etc.
Creweengines sell reconditioned Mercedes engines,I've heard good reports of these people.

Orwell trucks .Parts storemen friendly,plenty of spares for older mercedes commercials.

Beever body panels. Supply pattern replacement panels for a selection of vans and cars.

Hadrian Car Panels. Panels for repairing or replacing rusted sections of various vehicles.

Truck Busters. Breaking for spares all mercedes and ford etc vans,quick mail order service.

UK campsite Lots of contacts on the forums for people who converted and repaired older vans.
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The old style breakers yards have all but vanished mainly due to EU regulations designed to ensure we all get to live forever surrounded by the smell of antiseptic.Some spares come up on ebay or other auction sites,keeping an old vehicle on the road must use less energy and cause less pollution than making a new one,but what do I know.
This page will be updated as and when I can,please come back and have another look.If anyone has any info etc relevant to these page that they wish to share, or any parts or spares  Mk 1,2 or 3 Transits they want to sell,please e-mail me from here
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Please have a look at my on line tool auctions by clicking here .Lots of whitworth/BSF,BA,af and metric tools,car and light commercil servicing and repair equipment etc.