A solid foundation for your camper in 5 steps
You’ve got your van and can’t wait to start the conversion. But before you begin insulating, sawing, and building, you first need to go back to the basics: the shell of your van. This is the foundation of your entire Camper van. And yes, that means tearing down, cleaning, and… tackling rust. Not the most enjoyable task, but one that’s essential for a durable, sturdy camper. In this blog, we’ll show you step by step how we tackled it and share tips to make it easier for you.
1. Emptying the van
After all preparations for buying your van, it’s time to empty it. Depending on your van’s history, you might start with an almost empty cargo space. But in some cases, there’s still a complete commercial setup inside: shelves, cabinets, wooden wall panels, and maybe even insulation or wiring.
In our case, we were lucky: just a floor panel and some wooden wall finishes. Still, every conversion starts with the same step: demolition. Remove everything you don’t need. Try to do this as neatly as possible, especially if you think certain parts can be resold or used later.
Tip: Does your van still have usable parts? Put them on Marktplaats or in Facebook groups. This makes others happy and saves you a trip to the dump.
2. Removing the floor, walls, and slats
Tijd voor het serieuze sloopwerk. Alles moet eruit: de vloer, wanden, latten… Dit lijkt eenvoudig, maar kan behoorlijk tegenvallen.
Removing the floor turned out to be the toughest part of this phase for us. Our floor was one large plywood panel, firmly secured with rusted screws that simply wouldn’t come loose. While the wooden slats and wall panels came off easily, taking out the floor cost us much more time than expected—and a lot of frustration.
Tip: Can you carefully remove the floor without damaging it? Keep it! You can reuse the panel later or use it as a template for cutting your new floor.
You might also want to remove the partition between the cargo area and the cab. You can do this to create a completely open space or to later reinstall a wooden partition. If you already have a flat partition that can be reused, carefully remove it so you can reinstall it later. In our case, there was a standard partition with a pronounced curve, which would have taken up too much space. That’s why we chose to install a wooden partition later.
3. Removing other material
Once the large components are out, the more precise work begins: removing fasteners. Any leftover screws, bolts, rivets—anything that sticks out or could get in the way of your insulation or frame—should be removed. Take out as many as possible, especially if they protrude or could rattle under your new floor or wall structure. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, but the tidier you work now, the less hassle you’ll have later when insulating and building the frame for your van.
Not everything comes out easily. Some screws you can drill out, others you may need to cut. And leaving a few in place isn’t a disaster, as long as they’re secure and won’t get in the way of your further build.
Tip: VAt the very least, remove everything that is already loose or could come loose. If you don’t, there’s a good chance you’ll hear constant rattling later under the floor or behind the walls.
4. Cleaning the van
Once everything is stripped, you really get to see what kind of van you’ve bought. And believe us: under that floor, there’s always more dust and dirt than you think. Sand, metal shards, leftover glue, or oil. It all has to go before you can move on.
Here’s the smartest way to tackle this:
- First, sweep out all the large debris and most of the dust.
- Make a cleaning solution using some vinegar or Dasty with a sponge and warm water. Then scrub the ceiling, walls, and floor several times.
- If needed, use a putty knife or thinner to remove any leftover glue.
A clean van is important for proper adhesion of your primer and insulation later. So don’t skip this step.
Do you want to visualize your camper interior right away? Try VanSpace 3D
5. Treating rust
And then: rust. Every camper builder’s nightmare. Fortunately, light rust is usually easy to tackle. Even stubborn rust can be treated yourself; it just takes a bit more time and effort. It’s especially important to deal with it properly at this stage of your van. You don’t want rust spreading under your floor or behind your insulation later.
Once our van was clean and stripped, we discovered a few rust spots, mainly on the floor and around the wheel arches. We were lucky that it was minimal, but even if you do have some significant rust spots, don’t panic!
Here’s how to treat rust step by step:
Step 1: Remove the rust
Use a wire brush, sandpaper, or a sander to remove all rust spots, even the small ones. Be thorough. Rust often hides just beneath the adjacent paint. You can usually spot this when the paint peels off easily as you work. Keep sanding or brushing until you see no rust at all.
Step 2: Degrease and clean
After sanding, thoroughly degrease the spots using a cleaner. We used Dasty for this. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Step 3: Fill any holes
You may have come across holes while treating the rust. These could be from fasteners or rust damage. Make sure to fill them first. You can weld them, but that takes a lot of time and requires the right equipment. Alternatively, you can seal or putty the holes, which is much easier. Afterward, it’s important to treat these spots with rust primer as well.
We chose to leave the holes made for fasteners open so the van can ventilate. You can never make a van completely airtight anyway. If moisture does form under the floor, it can escape through the air holes. Opinions on this approach vary, so make your own decision. Our tip is below.
Once our van was clean and stripped, we discovered a few rust spots, mainly on the floor and around the wheel arches. We were lucky that it was minimal, but even if you do have some significant rust spots, don’t panic!
Tip: Only treat the holes that appeared from removing parts. There are also holes in the van designed to prevent condensation. These actually reduce the risk of rust, so always leave them open!
Step 4: Apply rust primer
Apply an anti-rust primer, such as Hammerite or a similar product suitable for metal. This protects the area against new rust formation. You can easily buy it at a hardware store and apply it with a brush.
NB: Many of these spots will later be covered by insulation or a floor. But if they’re on doors or visible parts of the interior, consider repainting them in your vehicle’s color or finishing them neatly with, for example, felt.
Ready for the next step
And then, finally, your van stands empty, clean, and shining. You’ve stripped out all the clutter, prepared the floor, treated the rust, and are ready to start the real building: insulating, installing the electrical system… The foundation is now set!
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About us
Hi, we are Marlo and Tessa and have developed an enormous passion for traveling through our world trip in 2022. We like to share this with you through our adventures and tips, so that you too can make such an incredible trip.
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About us
Hi, we are Marlo and Tessa and have developed an enormous passion for traveling through our world trip in 2022. We like to share this with you through our adventures and tips, so that you too can make such an incredible trip.
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