Checking the Interior when buying a Bay-window
(68-79) Volkswagen van! - Page 2
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Viking
Very spacious conversion being able to sleep between 4-6 people depending on model. Super Viking being the largest. The roof folds over to the side of the van
with canvas sides that overhang the side of the van. Interiors suffer from water damage easily as the interiors are made
from laminated chipboard. Usually had a Westy style louvred window.
Danbury
Danbury conversions are the least known of the UK volume camper convertors. Danbury made a number of different interiors which had the majority
of the appliances down the drivers side of the van. Also a number of different roof styles including the Martin Walker Dormobile roof
and a Devon style pop top but both had canvas bunks in the roof as opposed to the Westy style solid bed.
Dormobile
Second most popular conversion next to Devon. Dormobile conversions use a glass reinforced plastic roof that hinges over the
drivers side of the van. The bellows were normally red and white or blue and white stripped and the roof contained 2 air vents and 2 large windows. In fact this
is one of the problems with the conversions as the roofs tend to leak which is a pity as the interiors were trimmed in Vinyl, making them very hard wearing. A replacement roof costs £650. Also, the springs that help raise the roof tend to loose strength with age or snap, making raising the roof a bit of a struggle.
The cooker is situated under the front passenger seat which can be a bit of a pain and some owners have moved the cooker into the rear to improve the versatility of the conversion.
The majority of the parts are still available from Dormobile - we should know. The 2 partners from Dormobile travelled from Southampton, to North Wales to collect a Dormobile van we were selling as they
wish to start to re-manufacture the interiors and needed something to copy! It took 2 days of travelling, using a LandRover (with Dormobile conversion) to tow the old camper back!
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