Unimog U1300L into Expedition Campervan.
Please note that this page dates back to 2000/2 and there are now many better methods to build the body of an expedition campervan. See the book "Build Your Own Overland Camper" (ISBN-10: 1785210769, ISBN-13: 978-1785210761) for some examples.
Material, that has been added to these pages as a result of experience gained in 2003/4/5, is given in orange.
The conversion of my Unimog into a campervan is presented chronologically below. There is also a simple index at the bottom of this page, as well as the CAD drawings used in the design of this conversion.
On the 8th of May 2000 I
purchased an ex-army Unimog U1300L from
Frank Atkinson and had it transported to
Willingham's near Hull who built a GRP/Plywood body on
it to my specification.
June and July 2000. I assembled much of the equipment needed for the conversion.
August 2000. Although I had not yet taken delivery of my Mog I started work on the water and heating systems.
On the 11th of November 2000 I collected my Mog from Willingham's and drove it back down the M1 to Milton Keynes. Apart from the very high noise level (with no sound insulation in the cab the NoiseBuster phones were appreciated) it was remarkable pleasant to drive with a top speed of about 90kph/55mph.
During November 2000 I have concentrated on fitting the external boxes and Jerry can racks that are mounted under the body and working on the under-bed storage area.
During
December 2000 I have been concentrating on improving the fit
of the doors and hatches, adding "guttering" and fitting additional deadlocks.
On the 17th of December 2000 I decided it was time to take my Mog for a test drive off-road! I have also started to add insulation to the body.
During January 2001 I have been lining the "bedroom" area with 1.5mm ply and installing a cupboard over the sink/hob.
During February 2001 I have worked on the kitchen area, starting with the ventilation hatch required by the refrigerator and microwave oven.
During the fist part of March 2001 I have installed the solar panels on the roof and tested the battery charging system. During the later part of March 2001 I started work on the electrics.
April 2001 has been devoted to installing more of the electrics, the heating system and the security system.
During the first half of May 2001 I have nearly completed the electrics and installed the water tank.
During June 2001 I have installed the microwave and fridge in the kitchen area and mounted the waste water tank under the vehicle.
During July 2001 I have started constructing the shower room.
During the first half of August 2001 I finished the shower room and improved the gas cupboard. During the second half of August 2001 I worked on the front wall and bookcase.
During September 2001and early October 2001 I worked on lots of minor items in preparation for the first "test drive" in the highlands of Scotland.
In November and December of 2001 I worked on the cab.
Then I took it to China and Tibet in 2002, Iceland in 2003 and Siberia and Mongolia in 2004 and everything worked!
In November 2003 I added
under-floor heating.
In
March 2004 I added a WorldSpace
Satellite Radio.
In July 2005 I added a small
air conditioner to the
sleeping area.
