Mini pick-up from Belgium - Europe

[angib]

Bart, various replies:

The space in the roof may be needed to store the bed cushions when they are not in use.

I use the boating word 'galley' for the kitchen. In this version of the design the top of the galley sticks up 8"/20cm above the surface of the bed, so it must be removed at night. So this 8"/20cm makes a box (see it opposite the sitting person's knees in the drawing further up this page) and it is removeable. This has the extra benefit that you can take it out of the camper if you want to use the camper to transport big things.

Two people can sit in 49"/125cm, but it certainly isn't spacious. Go to McDonalds and measure the width of one of their four-seat tables and it won't be much more than this. The camper can be made a little bit longer, but it will always be a tight fit. Get used to it - it's a Mini!

The back will consist of the big hatch that opens upwards and then under this is a small door, hinged on one side, to make it easy to walk/climb in - it's drawn below. I don't think the pick-up tailgate can be left on - it won't be able to be closed (the camper is in the way) and it will take away half the standing area in the tent (it is shown dotted below).



There is not much point building the camper with double-skin insulated walls as you will be sleeping with your feet in the 'tent' - this will not be a winter camper unless you are tough. So I would use a single layer of thin plywood, either 1/4"/6mm or even 3/16"/4mm, with a framework of 1"x2"/20x44mm wood stiffening. You can either use exterior ply (contreplaqué extérieur en francais) if you want to paint it or marine ply (contreplaqué marine) if you want to varnish it so that the wood grain is visible. MDF is out - it's heavy, weak and falls apart if it gets wet.

There are several extra details I need to look at in this design - I am not happy at the moment that the rear end of the camper can be made strong enough. But the first step is to get some accurate measurements of your actual pick-up and its wood lining - I will send you this in an e-mail.

Andrew

[jay]

does this count?


http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/motorhome/transit.htm

[Greg M]

Close enough?
Andrew

Nah, how about more like a Curtis Aerocar. I'd import a mini pick up for something like that.

-Greg

[jyb-tr20]

Hi
I'd just like say that Andrew you have done a great job of designing the back, well done that man.
The truth is I just could not find it in myself to butcher one of these old mini pick-ups. They are as rare as hens teeth and rocking horse pooh. To [mis]quote Prince Charles... ' It would be like seeing a carbunckle on the nose of a dear friend'.
I love these old pick-ups but would prefer a Morris 1000.
There was a caravan by Thomson named the Thomson Mini Glen that I believe was designed with mini's in mind. http://www.thomson-caravans.co.uk/1970miniglen.htm

I would go for a Benroy [building it right now] but build it lightweight. The mini would pull it no bother. Or as suggested a Fifth Wheel.. Now that would be something!

Andrew - Bertorelli's Riviera Cafe [ in Newbiggin by the Sea] still have an old mini ice cream van, I'll try to get a photo of it. But I have n't seen it for a while.

Good Luck anyway u go
Cheers
jyb

ps How do u attach Photos to posts?

[jyb-tr20]

Ooops
Sorry I should learn to read!
jyb

[angib]

????



Andrew

[mikeschn]

Andrew,

This reminds me a little bit of the 5th wheel teardrop that Sumner was thinking about a couple years ago, before he got married and dissappeared.

I'm just trying to visualize the floor plan in that, and wondering if something like that would have any appeal for people with either an S-10 or a Ranger.




Mike...

[Wright]

HOLY COW!!!

that wildgoose is only about 10 miles from me..... I'll have to go check it out in the morning....

Mike,
If I remember correctly one of the big guy RY manufacturers (I think Fleetwood) built a prototype of a "Mid-sized" 5th wheel based on a S-10 as a tow..... I'll get in contact with my cousin and see if he still has Pic's of it, and let you know...

[racing green]

Thanks again for the info Andrew. I’m still not sure what the Dutch name for the wood is, but that won’t take that long anymore. I will try to get to my garage and do the exact measurements too asap, further arangements on that by email. Good point about the tailgate, it would just take away precious space.

About the tent, I was thinking of, in stead of having vertical walls, having these a bit more diagonally, still having the hatch as the complete roof, but having a much bigger ground surface. Making it a bit more spacious and comfortable for the rainy days.

I was also thinking ahead for the rear window, I’ld like the camper to have a similar sized window that comes together with that. In the first stadium of brainstorming about this conversion, the rear window would be removable, and I would just lay down with my fet sticking through the µrear window so the mini would’n be any longer or higher in sleeping position then it should be in driving position. What was I thinking ;-).


The black&white truck combination is the first mini with trailer I come across, where the mini only has got 2 axes. Al the others got 3.

The truth is I just could not find it in myself to butcher one of these old mini pick-ups.

I would go for a Benroy

Andrew - Bertorelli's Riviera Cafe [ in Newbiggin by the Sea] still have an old mini ice cream van, I'll try to get a photo of it.

I couldn't find myself to butcher one either, to be honnest, the 2 pick-ups I've imported from Scotland were butchered a lot more then would ever do to it, the first one I've brought back in more original condition, the second one is in very used condition and has many non-original parts bolted on allready. I'm not intending to make holes in the body or anything, just the non-original woodwork that covers the loading area, wil probably have some holes in it, but you won't see any of those once the camper is removed and the load cover is attached.

I don't want to tow a camper, so many people tow them with their mini's, I want something different and the mini pick-up is just about the most appropriate derrivate for that.

Thanks for the icecream van info, hope you manage to get some pictures of it !

that wildgoose is only about 10 miles from me..... I'll have to go check it out in the morning.

According to the ad, it was sold this summer.

[Greg M]

????



Andrew

Yeah, like that. Or maybe shrink GregB's Minibago and make it a fifth wheel.

-Greg

[angib]

This one has got the interior 130cm/51" long to provide a little more space and to allow a stronger back end - the side panel will go full-width behind the pick-up's existing lights. Also included are sloping sides to the 'tent'.

The opening rear window idea doesn't work too well as the bottom of the window would have to be higher than the bed, so your feet would be above your body. Also, it is the hatch that holds up the 'tent' - if the hatch isn't open, there is no tent and your feet are in the open air!



Andrew

[racing green]

I think we're not talking about the same rear window here, I meant the glass window right behind the back of the driver. Allow me to adapt a previous concept of yours:



But again, that was in a earlier stadium of thinking, and allready out of competition.

[angib]

Bart, what an excellent idea - that's good lateral thinking!



The width of the bed is limited in the cab to about 107cm/42" and there is about 32cm/12.5" height above the mattress to the top of the cab window opening, based on a mattress only 7.5cm/3" thick. That just about works.

Making an opening rear cab window that doesn't get in the way when sleeping would be very difficult. I think it would be better to completely remove the window glass and rubber seal. The camper would seal to the back of the cab and a separate clamp-in window would be made to put in the back of the cab when the camper was removed.

Rather than have a hatch in the back of the body, there is just a simple door. To make the stand-up area behind the camper, there is a separate (purple) roof panel that slides back over the camper roof and is held up by two poles. A custom tent can be fitted over this when it is wanted.

Andrew

[jay]

volkswagen has an ambulance version (bug) during WWII that placed the stretchered victim like this.

[racing green]

Another feature to look for on the internet then, way to go :-)

The width of the bed is limited in the cab to about 107cm/42" and there is about 32cm/12.5" height above the mattress to the top of the cab window opening, based on a mattress only 7.5cm/3" thick. That just about works.

Removing the rear window would be the option indeed, rather then hinging it into the inside. I'm just not sure yet about the work that involves, and if this wouldn't be out of place with the main idea of having a camper that could be put into place within the hour or so. Removing the rear window isn't a thing I'ld do 10x a year..hmmm..choices have to be made...

I've been measuring the extra space the missing rear window would offer, the sizes you're giving are pretty correct andrew. How do you keep doing that ?

There's a 8cm border at the bottem, window is 104cm wide at the bottem and 95cm on top. In depth there's 105 cm more space at the bottem and 85cm at the top (didn't right that one down). The only thing in the way is the steering wheel, so I'll be sleeping on the left side then . Must remind, if I would go for this design, not to fit bucketseats, but stick with the low back seats.

The sliding rooftop idea...yeah that would solve the lack of stiffness when doing a hatch, wouldn't it ?