Duncan Grimmond

In our previous camper, a Regius, I found it difficult to get up into the "roof-bed space", then put the boards back and lie down in comfort. I even considered a short ladder to make it easier. This convinced me that it was only suitable for small children, leaving one board out. Ease of ingress/egress is critical when using a space like this for sleeping, in an emergency it can be literally vital. Having to remove the boards on which you are lying/sitting to get out of a confined space in a hurry is difficult. I probably sound like an old git, I am an old git but I also have experience to draw on having had several VW campers and even a J4 Morris van... As an aside, the forward most board in our ceiling has a cut-away to allow access to the pop-top mechanism for ease of opening.

The slatted floor/ceiling sounds interesting, do you have a pic available?

Unless the pop top goes up from a side hinge or horizontally you will be tight on space. My pop top goes up from the front, hinged at rear, and I wouldn't try to get up there to sleep unless I was very young (perhaps the grandchildren?) and short. Being old (and a bit short) I tried but without a safe step I decided against it. Further, if you need to go for a pee in the night... The edge frame for the pop top is returned horizontally inwards to support the ceiling boards. (still working on the finishing off) I have seen a canvas sling bed which had two aluminium tubes sitting in "U" shaped supports forehand aft and could be rolled up to sit in a "spare" U support but again, only for short and skinny bods. We tend to use the gap between the closed top and the roof as a flat clothes store and somewhere for the black-out/insulating blinds to live.There are three "floor or roof" boards which can be piled on each other to allow you to stand at the cooker/sink/worktop and in the past we've tended to sleep with these in place to keep the heat in.

I had an exterior blackout on my last camper( a Regius) and they are a pain in the mornings, worse if it’s been raining. You have a soggy wad of fabric to fold and store and IMHO, while they are effective, they are a real pain when wet. I’ve just got a set of sucker-fitting interior blinds for my Alphard and they seem a bit bulky to store but at least they’ll be dry. I plan to stow them under the forward part of the poptop and report on their useability when I’ve finished the converse and had a test run…

I know it can be done... I helped a pal fit one he had bought. There was a minor hitch during installation, mainly due to lack of easy access and there was a fair amount of effing and blinding but it went on. I plan to go to a local supply/fit company locally, either Harrogate Tow Centre or I've been recommended Horsforth Towbars.

I ordered a turntable for the front seat(£250 inc. postage) from Autocraft, they were out of stock but it arrived last Thursday, with no fitting instructions. On Friday I spent a good while staring it into submission and trying to work out how to fit it and eventually called a pal who did his a couple of years ago. He confirmed my conclusion that I had to remove the downturned mounting on the forward end of the sliding mechanism. Saturday I took the seat out having removed the plastic filler panels and the wiring under the seat. There seems to be only a pair of wires actually in use on the seat and I removed them as far back as I could from the connectors. Cut the downturn off and reduced the height of the location pins from 30mm to 8mm to allow rotational clearance on the turntable, 4 short M8 Allen countersunk screws and locknuts fitted to hold it on. Two 8mm holes are needed in the slider track to replace the holes lost on the downturn. I then replaced the whole assembly on the seat bearing frame using the original mounting hex head screws. 3 1/2 hours (which could have been 2 1/2 had I not been interrupted) and job done.The wrap-around rear plastic trim needed to be cut down and its two locating pins pop into the rear off the frame and give a tidy finish. Easier, cheaper and much quicker than driving to the Isle of Wight!

Yes rails and carpet still available

It seems to have corrected itself...radio and CD screen has returned together with the reversing camera...

For no apparent reason the screen on my Alph has reverted to show the image below and the reversing camera no longer works. They are obviously related but what might cause this malfunction. Can't play discs or listen to radio as the only function available is to insert or eject discs

I have a full set offer seats available...X7817826796

I gave up and booked an inspection at the local Toyota dealer. Very helpful despite not really having any information on grey imports but they went over the vehicle and found a fuse in a panel I didn't even know existed, under the glove box. Sorted but £100.00 lighter!

I have tried the multi-step routine above several times and unless I'm being really dim, I cannot say it has worked. Usually I own up to operator malfunction but I really think I followed the instructions to the letter with no result or reaction from the vehicle. The instruction says turn the key, does this mean until the ignition lights come on(but no start) or is it just turn the key to the first stop, before the dash lights up??

The seats are two tone grey two rears and three mid row reversible. I'm using ordinary ply but will be laying vinyl flooring over it (sand and spilled wine doncha know!) with a proggy mat I now have the floor laid in and have the vinyl partially cut to fit. I've removed the central cubby box and find that the rear floor level heater duct sits 100mm or so above floor level. I am making a floor panel to sit on this with a tread mat. Does anyone have a pic of the revolving seat installed in the half-way round position? Will the seat clear this once installed? I don't want to start dismantling if it turns out I can't do this...

I seem to have a slightly different problem.... While the pop-top was being installed they left the doors open and the battery went flat. It was recharged but now the tailgate can only be opened with the key in the ignition and turned on. This is the metal key in the metal ignition keyhole, I don't recognise any of the photos in the above posts. Am I being dim or unobservant?

The seats are two tone grey two rears and three mid row reversible. I'm using ordinary ply but will be laying vinyl flooring over it (sand and spilled wine doncha know!) with a proggy mat However, I'll look up medical flooring...

I now have all the seats and tracks removed. The carpet , underlay and sound insulation must be removed and this exposes the mounting bolts. These are set with a very high torque and I needed to deploy the impact driver with the largest hammerI have ! The disadvantage of all this is that it left 18 or so holes in the floor so I've greased all the bolts with copper-slip and refitted them. I am assuming the R&R bed will need to be fitted into some of the holes but in the meantime I've re-fitted the foam and loose-laid the underlay. I'm hoping to get a plywood floor into place (but unfixed ) ready for the pop top fitting on Friday. Has anyone any hints on popping off the lower rear wheel arch cover panels? I'm sure they must detach relatively easily but am resisting the urge to just writhe them off for fear of damage. I need access to take out the sliding seat tracks... Does anyone out there need a set of seats? All in good condition and ready to fit, £250.00 the lot, collection only

Thanks for that. I. had looked at them for a full conversion but as they are so far away from N.Yorks I'd dismissed them. I'll look into Funky Ram. Fortunately neither of Ius is particularly tall. I didn't notice the change of seat height in the Regius camper we use to have... Sorry to keep pestering for information but I have no other source of experience and inside knowledge. I now have the rear seats on the workshop floor but cannot see how to extract the sliding bearers from the tracks. I have removed one of the front "stop ends" held by a single M5 hex screw but that doesn't help and so I suppose I'll have to refit it. I cannot see how to dismantle the seat carrier/fore-aft sliding base mounts. Any help or tips gratefully received...

IoW is a long (and expensive trip) for a seat...2 days, 280miles each way, ferry plus seat and fitting?. I'd call that exploitative!

I'm slowly making progress and am now looking for a revolving base for the front passenger seat. There seems to be a wide range in "universal" and specific with a wide range of prices. Anyone have any personal experience or a particular favourite? Any opinions/experiences gratefully received

Thanks all. I have found the cover panels for each of the four bolts on the seats but it was so cold this afternoon I'm going to leave it till tomorrow. The car is booked in for pop-top fitting at the end of the week so I hope to clear the space and prepare for the next stage...

It is to be a side conversion, with rock&roll bed, a permanent installation. Yes a leisure battery charged by solar panel on roof, not wired in with mains option , more "off grid" what is an EHU? I've seen that video and it doesn't really help much as I have different non-powered seats. I suppose th principle might be the same, I'll have to find out...

Oops, it should be 2007. I'm planning to make a camper. I've booked it in for a pop-top fitting and I want the seats out(and the carpet, seat tracks etc) to make it easier for the installation

I've removed the rear seats but cannot work out how to do the mid-row seats. Any handy hints welcome, thanks