The Beast, our devoted previous VW meals van, has lastly moved on to a brand new residence. It was an emotional day (for Barny) and one full of the prospect of lastly having sufficient house on the drive for the autos we truly personal. A lot because the Beast has been very a lot a part of the household, I had already mentioned my farewells a while earlier than, and was relieved greater than unhappy. The second van conversion was extra disturbing than the primary, most likely principally because of the extra amount of toddler that needed to be managed whereas Barny was doing the work, but additionally as a result of we had been below extra stress to get this one completed.

The ambulance is a alternative for the Beast, moderately than a second unit. Betty, our pricey previous Bedford, is basically a backup automobile. She is what’s going to preserve us buying and selling if the primary automobile offers up. So there was by no means any actual rush to get her completed, as a result of we had survived with out her for a number of years, buying and selling from our gazebo setup within the darkish days of 2014 when the Beast was having a brand new engine constructed. This one has extra driving on it as a result of it must turn out to be our massive ole’ competition rig that may serve 1000 toasties a day and never panic.

Right here it’s, festivalling exhausting.

The low season concerned a good bit of stripping out ambulance inside and placing all the trimmings of a industrial kitchen in. By the point that was full the summer season was upon us, and we needed to squeeze a go to from our environmental well being officer in between two festivals. Additionally they wished to do a full inspection of each companies, which provides an additional stage of pleasure to solely being at residence for a number of days between occasions.

I’m more than happy to report that each Yumlaut and the Jabberwocky obtained a 5 star meals hygiene score, so please proceed to purchase together with your common ranges of enthusiasm, that might be nice.

Now that we’re formally signed off meals van conversion specialists, I feel it’s about time we shared a number of extra tips about getting that conversion accomplished your self. Individuals always lament the expense of meals vehicles, however after a number of years within the commerce you’re painfully sick of erecting gazebos and carrying grills and gasoline bottles. It took us two months to get sick of it, so I actually really feel for you.

So make that call now. Listed below are some issues you have to:

DIY Avenue Meals Truck Conversion Listing

• You have to be fairly helpful and assured with energy instruments
• Talking of energy instruments: The minimal might be an angle grinder, a jigsaw and an honest drill
• About 100 hours of spare time
• A transparent plan of the way you need the within laid out
• A neighborhood ironmongery shop (Barny managed 4 journeys in sooner or later)
• Metalworking expertise and welding gear OR a tame metalworker
• Your new automobile and potential meals van

Discovering the fitting truck generally is a little bit of a nightmare, and even after you have discovered it, you may nonetheless take pleasure in an thrilling recreation of Banger or Discount.

Conversion Jobs (after you have established your truck truly runs)

Van again on website you must work out what you’re preserving and what you’re throwing away. A lot of the insides might want to go. In an ambulance it is a main operation (oh sure, medical pun time), in a camper van it’s simply violence and an enormous hammer.

That yellow stretcher mount was, for instance, an hour of angle-griding to take away.

Round this time you decide concerning the hatch. How massive, how excessive and which aspect. From a gross sales standpoint you need it on the prettiest aspect, as massive as you presumably can and as low down as you may realistically work on, so a minimum of 60cms off the interior flooring, ideally extra. Any lower than that and you’ll find yourself bending down all day. Your again is not going to thanks.

Subsequent you clad the insides in one thing that cleans simply. We use dibond. I’d strongly advocate utilizing one thing white, each from a cleanliness standpoint and since it’s going to make the within of your meals van good and lightweight. You need to be seen and look open, and each little helps.

Now you must make the grand determination between gasoline and electrical. We’ve got coated this many instances earlier than, most notably right here, so learn that (and the feedback – I’ve added numerous additional data) and choose properly. Then work out the place every little thing must stay, test that you’ve got your workflow laid out appropriately, after which get your counters. These will likely be certainly one of three issues:

• Chrome steel: the EHO will love you, they’re nearly unbreakable and really straightforward to wash. They’re additionally the most costly.
• A kitchen counter: Your price range choice. Can stain, probably not reduce out for industrial use however nonetheless practical.
• Wooden: Environmental well being might get upset by this, so learn up on correct care of wood surfaces and add related data to your cleansing rota and danger evaluation. They give the impression of being cool, however they’re pretty heavy.

Meals Truck Weight

Keep in mind that when it comes to weight added this will likely be an enormous load, so marble and granite worktops are a foolish concept. Poor truck nonetheless wants to return in at properly below 3.5 tonnes. Except you may have an LGV license meaning you may drive bigger autos (pre 1997 or a £1000 check) and also you need to get them MOTed each 6 months to a a lot greater customary.

VOSA do check autos at sure (normally bigger) festivals and may cease you any time and take you to a weighbridge. In case you are obese they’ll slap you with a positive and (presumably extra importantly) cease you from going additional till you may have eliminated the surplus weight.

The Hatch

That is your massive building mission. It may be wooden, metallic or bolstered plastic. It might probably open outwards, upwards or be eliminated fully. It simply must be watertight. Outwards means they’ll double as menu boards. Upwards imply they double as a rain cover and sunshade. Eradicating it fully means you may have extra choices for fastening and, to be sincere, it could actually seem like something and be manufactured from something, as a result of your prospects won’t ever see it.

Preserve it as gentle as you presumably can, as with all issues within the van, however be sure that it isn’t going to get torn off or flap about in excessive winds. The hatch on the Beast weighed considerably greater than I did, and would have truly killed somebody if it had come down on high of them. Upwards opening hatches will want gasoline springs (the issues that maintain your automobile boot open) which have been correctly rated for the load of the load they’re bearing. We use Eckold if you’re within the West Midlands, however I’m positive different suppliers exist.

The Paint Job

Your choices listed below are as many and diverse as they arrive, and can rely very a lot in your price range. For those who can afford a full respray and customized paintings, you then most likely need that. It’s going to make you look just a little company, however that’s not essentially a nasty factor (though I’m critically biased in direction of DIY finishes right here).

So your DIY end might be paint or vinyl (or astroturf, clapboarding, faux fur – you may go a good distance off piste right here and make an in any other case humdrum van look cool). We use Tekaloid paint as you may simply slap it on with nothing greater than a fast scrub with some sand paper. Don’t do that in chilly climate, choose a pleasant heat day. Tekaloid doesn’t just like the chilly. The identical climate warning applies to vinyl truly. We purchased an excellent high quality vinyl and initially tried to make use of massive sheets to cowl massive areas. That’s all good enjoyable in case you do it for a residing, however a lot, a lot more durable than it seems to be. You will get an nearly equivalent impact through the use of plenty of smaller items. Betty is finished on this approach and other people solely discover whenever you level it out, and issues are far more simply fastened later.

The End

Our first conversion took us nearly two years. The second took round two months. Though each required across the similar quantity of precise work, we had a deadline for the second. Peddler Market was our first lengthy distance engagement ever, and would have been past our vary within the Beast or Betty. We made it there, simply in time and with not fairly the fitting menu boards, but it surely meant the ambulance was up and working in time for 2017. In case you are a bit dithery concerning the particulars, it could be value reserving one thing to maintain you centered on the prize.

The advantages of a deadline. The Ambulance made it to Peddlar market in Sheffield – a journey we’d not have tried with ether of our different vans (albeit with some boards cunningly cannibalised from the Beast).

All the perfect together with your superior conversion, and please submit an image under if we had been in any approach useful! Any associated questions please slap down there as properly, we are going to do our greatest to get again to you shortly.