In April 2017, we bought our first Van which is a Toyota Liteace Premio 1.8 and began our conversion into a campervan. At the time, when we did our research on Google for locals who may have also done the same build, nothing came up. We found plenty of foreign campervan conversions to refer to but hardly anything Malaysian.
Photo – Left VANHALEN Middle Farid IDD Wallpaper Right ZUL Ford Maxi
This Ford Maxi conversion belongs to a man named Zul, he lives in Kedah and he began his campervan conversion six years ago. We met Zul through Farid (Idd Wallpaper) and how we met Farid was by joining the My Campervan Malaysia on Facebook. There is a video of his Van Build on our YouTube Channel if you want to see that but for today’s video we showcase Zul’s conversion.
I am Sam and my life partner is Rene, we created 24 Hour Travellers in 2017 to document and share stories of our alternative lifestyle. I was a film director/photographer, Rene was a music composer/musician and we both worked in advertising for over 20 years. We were living a consumerism lifestyle that was draining us mentally and physically but we didn't know it. One day, when I was at my lowest point, I asked Rene a question: "If I were to die tomorrow, what would you do for the rest of your life?" His reply was what changed our lives forever, he said "I would pack up my guitar, leave everything behind and travel."
That was when we decided to simplify our lives. We began downsizing our commitments in order to be free from debt. We also set ourselves an adventurous goal which was to drive to the UK by land in a camper van. We then searched the local market for a camper van and found out Malaysia didn't have any options. This started the ball rolling for us, we began a DIY camper van build and made videos of it for YouTube Channel.
Once our tiny camper van was ready, we drove it from KL to Chiang Mai and since then, we have built another which is suppose to be the camper van we drive to the UK. Sadly, the pandemic has altered our plans. With international borders closed and no end in sight, we want to explore life living on a sailboat (with our pets) and learn to sail around Malaysia. We are complete newbies in sailing and have a lot to learn. This will be the next exciting phase and we hope to share it with you.
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2 Comments
Hi there! I have a Ford econovan maxi as well,1998, I’m wanting to build up behind the seats but I am wondering how you access the engine if you have to flip the front seats backward to access it?
Hi there! I have a Ford econovan maxi as well,1998, I’m wanting to build up behind the seats but I am wondering how you access the engine if you have to flip the front seats backward to access it?
Thanks!
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Good question, building is limited with this sort of van. You would have to work around the flip up seats to still access the engine.
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