Question on the legalities, of wooden doors on camper van.

[adidat]

Sorry for the obscure title but not really sure how to phrase it!

A quirky friend of mine with an 80's vw t25 camper van has asked me to replace the sliding door with a pair of ash doors.

I'm fairly settled on the design, but not overly sure of the legalities, I'm aware the insurance company would need to be notified but as it costs £60 A year hes not to worried about that.

Would it cause any issues with MOT or other road worthy problems.

As far as I'm concerned it will be the strongest part of the van when complete as the body work is made up 10 layers of hammerite! :lol: :lol:

Adidat

 

[adidat]

There she is in all her beauty!!

:lol: :lol:

I always forget and wonder why people stare at you when your in it!

Adidat

 

[sunnybob]

An MoT test is concerned with all mechanical parts that affect the roadholding and stopping of the vehicle including major rust on the chassis. Plus of course all working lights.
Well made and secure wooden doors would not be examined as part of the test unless you cut into the steel body in such a way as to weaken the overall strength of it (because that doesnt really have a chassis, it relies on the whole body to keep rigid).

 

[novocaine]

assuming no sharp edges are left exposed which could cause injury in a crash and all the stuff Bob has said then from an MOT point of view you will be fine.

doesn't mean it's legal though. all an MOT is for is to prove the vehicle is road worthy on the day it's tested. I'm am not saying it wouldn't be legal but I'd want to dig in a bit further as there are some interesting loop holes you might have to jump through that make it completely pointless. there maybe something about crash resilience.

It'll also be a puppy to make and will look pretty weird, there isn't a straight line on that door, how are you going to latch them, how are you going to seal the gap around it so it doesn't scream a gale at 30mph, but that isn't the question so ignore that.

 

[mininozzle]

Might be worth checking out the regulations of the IVA test. That is to say IF the van were to be presented for an IVA test, (as a kit car) - then would it pass?

A worthy litmus test to satisfy your conscience.

Nozzle

 

[Lons]

Love the van Adidat though not sure I'd want to drive it. :lol:

What Nozzlwe says would be my view but I'd want to run it past my insurance company as well before doing it as ok thinking the cost might go up a little but just as likely they would refuse insurance altogether without a compliance test and the test might be costly.

Bob

 

[Droogs]

There are plenty of wooden bodied cars on the road. The IVA with regard to bodywork is mostly concerned with 3rd party injury. Provided no part has a projection outside the normal body dimensions that is less than 25mm in radius then it will usually be fine. The main concern for the MOT tester will be doors, do the door fixings compromise the structure's rigidity and that it is secure to the main body at the fixing points .

hth

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'd think the practicalities and the cost would rule it out anyway?

 

[Lons]

There are plenty of wooden bodied cars on the road. The IVA with regard to bodywork is mostly concerned with 3rd party injury.

I'm not aware of any that aren't either old classics or kit cars droogs and kit cars have been tested and approved or have to be before they can be used on the roads. A DIY job would I suspect be viewed as non complying until tested.
I stand to be corrected though as I'm certainly no expert. Bet the doors would look great!

Al insurance policies ask if the vehicle had been modified and a change of material for doors if not declared will void the policy in the event of an accident.

 

[AndyT]

No idea about the legalities but do I have a 1951 Woodworker article on how to convert your car to a "shooting brake" by replacing the old bodywork with a mixture of hardwood frame and plywood panels, if that would be any help...

 

[Distinterior]

Many years ago, back in the 1980's, I used to do Coach Conversion work. Part of which entailed making and installing on-board Toilet cubicles from scratch in brand new coaches.
The coaches had to be properly inspected by an Inspector from the Ministry of Transport before being allowed to be put into use on the public highway (not just an "MOT" as we know it). We used to have to take the coaches down to Bordon in Hampshire to have them inspected there.
There were a set of "guidelines" that the Ministry had issued that stated what materials were and were not allowed to be used in the construction process. No Chipboard or MDF was allowed as, according to their guidelines, in the event of an accident, the particle boards could/would shatter. We had to use Plywood or Blockboard and cover the internal surfaces with a Melamine Laminate.

This was for Commercial Vehicles, but I dont know if the same guidelines apply for vehicles used for pleasure purposes, such as a camper van.

 

[yetloh]

My question would be whether or not the new doors comply with the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. I assume these are still in force although it is possible that they may have been superseded by EC regulations. As the name suggests, these are about the suitability of a vehicle for use on the road. One obvious possibility is that they cover things like the security and robustness of door latches and hinges so that the door does not fly open in the event of an accident, to the detriment of passengers and the public. I would check this out before embarking on the project.

Jim

 

[Lons]

As an aside it makes you wonder how they got away with boats on wheels, sheet aluminium death traps and loads more which they drove along the main roads generally causing nuisance and huge tailbacks. :lol:

Not slating the original programs, they were idiots but generally good entertainment. You could argue Marmite yes / no on that subject of course.

 

[Droogs]

I often go past a van thats been converted to a camper and has wooden doors to the rear and that seems to have no probs. will see if i can get a pic tomorrow

 

[Lons]

That would be interesting to see if you can get a pic Droogs.

There's an old arm lorry in the North East that's had a shed built on top and houses an aga cooker, basically a wooden kitchen and run as a business collecting fungi and greens in Kielder Forest but I don't think it's allowed on the main highway.

 

[mikefab]

Yes Lons there is! Have you tried their pizza? They have a towable wood fired pizza oven too and make some cracking pizzas. I first met Linus who owns the truck a few years ago when he helped us move house with it (in Hexham) as he is a friend of a friend.
They featured on Countryfile just before Christmas which was a good watch.

 

[Simon89]

Make sure you post up some pics of this

 

[mikefab]

I've just had a look at their website here is a picture of the truck!

www.northernwilds.co.uk/book-wild-food-wagon/

 

[Lons]

Yes Lons there is! Have you tried their pizza? They have a towable wood fired pizza oven too and make some cracking pizzas. I first met Linus who owns the truck a few years ago when he helped us move house with it (in Hexham) as he is a friend of a friend.
They featured on Countryfile just before Christmas which was a good watch.

Haven't seen it in person Mike although I had heard about them I watched on Countryfile. They were making tea from a hard brow fungus and cookies from pine needles if I remember correctly - or was it the other way around?
If he helped you move house then it must be road legal!

 

[Tris]

If you can drive one of these legally then I think you should be able to change the doors on a camper!