How camper conversions get it wrong | Classic Sprinter build 

Last year, without much mechanic experience, I began a restoration of my 1977 W123 280E. I had to put it on hold for a bit, but this year I completed a camper van build ("completed" in as much as it's taken me on 6000kms of adventures this summer, but there's always something I want to improve). Anyway, I just wanted to say that I wouldn't have started the Mercedes project - which gave me the confidence to build the van - without the inspiration I got from your videos. I love your style of video presentation and the effort and artistry you put into them. You've been a huge influence on me and I appreciate the work you do. Thank you from Vancouver, Canada!

14'51" - and all the screw slots line up! Sweet work, my Friend! You're an artist. Thank you.

Van conversions will never be the same now, absolutely amazing

nobody does video and editing like you Mate..just stellar..your eye to detail is incredible..a joy to watch and relax..

this "stop motion. "adds so much time to your video production! hats off to you!

The stop motion in your videos is so refreshing (and time consuming I can only imagine)! Thanks for sharing!

The only problem with this video is it wasn't 30 minutes longer. Great job on the door!!!

It just snowed in Warsaw. I got up, took a huge mug of coffee to my fav armchair, checked YT and what?? Oh it's like a neat Xmass gift to see you back at it! Well done mate! :)

Holy moly, the next time I see a RU-vidr saying how much longer everything takes when they’re filming it I’ll refer them here!! Much respect for the effort you put in &/or for finding that invisible team of fairies who did all the work for you!

You can cut straighter lines with the round side of the router than you can with the straight bit. Always enjoy the videos.

I came for the Esprit but I stay for the other awesome restorations! Thanks for the inspiration: I’ve bought an 93 Esprit S4 from a breaker, it’s missing a lot but will get it back on the road. Keep up the good work, it’s appreciated.

Dude, Your videos are so very well done and even though you are not a "woodworker" you do such a wonderful job. Cheers from one apprentice to another!

George all your Stop Motion is so professional. The Piano-Hinge installation with the screws 3:42 that took some time for less than a second plus all the bolts and screws around the door! You have endless patience after all these years!

Ive watched a million how to vids on this never ending platform ... this is by far the best !!

A fantastic bit of editing. Crafstmanship is A++++.Well done you chap. An absolute joy to watch. From me here in Scotland to you where ever. Pure magic.

The most elaborate bulkhead I've seen yet but it looks great, well done. I agree with your vanlife views, Id say many never see the usage they are built for. Filming as always is beautiful. Looking forward to more!

You are easily the best channel on RU-vid! Such longevity in your production work, this will be watched for decades to come. Van is looking fantastic

I love watching real artists work. It's so inspiring!

I'm building an oak and cedar chest/cabinet for my home foyer. Now I want a piece of piano panel for an inlay! That door MAKES the interior. A work of art, sir. Well done.

Many really good points here. Even here in Southern Finland where we live camping in the winter is temporary if the wife kicks you out of home you will freeze your bollocks off. We had a transit Connect and to gain some space to move stuff removed the bulkhead thingy. Man was it cold in that van in the Finnish winter the poor heater was working overtime. Nice video by the way. Love what you have done with the bulkhead thingy. Give yourself a pat on the back :)

What an amazing van conversion with real-world thinking, loved it.

Soup always brings the chill tunes to the visual spectacle! 😆

I watch a load of van conversion videos just for fun, this is the first one that even mentions all the weight in a typical conversion. Often wondered how it affects speed and fuel costs

You never fail to brighten up any day - always a pleasure, thank you.

love this.... i have bein ummin and ahhhmin about getting a camper for the last couple of years, have minimal diy skills, so been patiently waiting for the right one to come up for sale.... but i think with every video i have watched over the last few years has added to "my van needs to have" list.... but the first 4 mins of this video was a wake up moment for me ... the van i want really does not need to to do everything, go anywhere on the planet, for any length of time from a day to 2 years ! just want to get away for a couple of days when things feel like they are getting to much.... so just changed my ebay saved search to look for a decent van 👍👍 thanks for the awakening 😅😅😂😂

As always, a work of art George! Thank you!

I am not a builder, but to my eyes, that bulkhead looks like the best solution to that issue I have ever seen. Well thought out, well built!

Well done on how this is turning out it's a fantastic job! Gonna make my girlfriend watch this instead of all the foe outdoorsman camperbuilds she normally watches. Really really looking forward to the Lotus build (it's what I tuned in for all thoes years ago) but alas I'm 54 on the 24th!!! Since you asked the RX8 is coming along nicely thank you. Catch you next time. Oh and happy Christmas if I don't see you before then.

Beautiful, and the strength and versatility you've built into the bulkhead is impressive. The only suggestion I can give for the sake of longevity is that the wood be sealed or treated (if it hasn't already) since it will be exposed to moisture. That moisture can cause the wood to warp, separate and rot. There are various polyurethanes that can give you a satin, flat, or glossy finish, sealing the wood while also providing a surface that's easy to clean and durable.

Much awaited, much appreciated looking forward to excellent work as always from you.

The bulk head is great and the old piano front is a splash of genius.

I haven't "Souped" in like 3 months! So, did the big catch up the past few days and I was all "When did George turn into Norm Frickin' Abram??!!" Not surprised that you just effortlessly step into carpentry. Shout out to the David Hockney collage homage with the Sprinter in the garage. Excellent cinematic work as usual.

Love the Hockney homage at the beginning - as always your videos are brilliant productions, thanks!

i'm getting strong Frank Howarth vibes from this production value. well done and a very talented wood worker as well.

I find vibration sticky mats greatly reduce outside noise, and with your excellent diy skills, using lightweight morlands furniture boards will give you a professional finish that everyone will be jealous about.

Really enjoyed this video and your unusual takes on the interior design!! I love the floor tracks and seating! And the Land Rover windows? Magnificent!!

As usual your videos are time well spent. Beautiful, thoughtful, work.

Looking forward to seeing your take on a van conversion! As you mentioned weight is a killer (not to mention the safety aspects) so I cringe every time I see IKEA kitchen units, porcelain tiles, sinks and MDF. Sorry not a fan of pine cladding either😏 I did my best to keep our 4x4 Sprinter as light as possible and it still gets far too close to 3.5T when fully loaded.

You're a hell of a lot better woodworker than most of us who is not in that trade, that's for damn sure, the door turned out great.

A "Parliment hinge"... nice to know. Thank you. Allbthe best on the build! 👍

That door is an effing thing of beauty! I like butchering old Pianos also, the workmanship in them is sublime!

I've always thought my birthday was wrong, thanks for pointing that out! You'll still fit in the Esprit no worries, I'm 67 and fit in a series 1 Elise. Thanks for the update, the montage shot at the start was a work of art 👍🇦🇺

Beautiful job matey. "Not a woodworker." my ass! Keep up the great work. My fave channel by a mile. Where's our Lotus Big boy??

I’m loving your work George, absolutely stunning. I’ve just subbed off my new channel but been following you for years since the RRC resto. Remember you bought the sunroof off me 😉

Thank you for episodes!

I was first thinking, wow, that takes up a lot of space until I saw the functionality, brilliant!!

Thanks Mr. Soup. Your videos always cheer me up and inspire me. I wouldn't take on half the projects I do, nor face things the way I do now if it weren't for you. :)

No small feat there Georgie. Well done old sock. Cheers from Eastern Canada! 🇨🇦

Man i love seeing this channel finally grow!! I've been here for years and it seems it's finally taking of...Congrats man and all the best from the Netherlands!

Good video, thanks for keeping it real, there are too many expensive and professional builds on the web, I like seeing people like myself build useful things like this,,,good job.

AMAZING...Refreshing editing ..quirky and unique 👌

Love the stop motion animation, amazing videography! simply enjoyable to watch. Not to mention your great workmanship. You are a multi talented person. Bravo!

I love that bulkhead. It's a brilliant idea to have it fold down in pieces like that.

I regret not insulating my floor Love the animated touches fella, nice.

Excellent work as always, with real thought behind not only the practicality but also the beauty of the thing you're building. The modularity of the bulkhead is an excellent use of what would otherwise be totally dead space and looks really easy to set up and use even at this early stage. I'd be cautious of using satin as a backing for the fretwork, it's quite susceptible to UV damage leading it to fade and even break apart. Upholstery grade fabrics tend to be more UV stable and of course there's always paint, foils, decorative metal sheets, and a whole plethora of other materials you could use which I'm sure you've already thought about.

Wonderful Video, as always. So calming and still so vivid and passion-inducing ...

Soup-George attaboy-ing the bulkhead with piano-hinges and the bulkhead-door with something unhinged coming also from a piano ... priceless. After getting rid of my swb T1N for ride-quality reasons, I am actually getting a T4 VW done for sleep-overs beside the -road- sea right now. It's absolutely too tiny inside for a decommissioned piano-door, but I got hold of quite some old 1910s Art Nouveau furniture pieces for fillings, fronts and details to recombine with aramide-carbon-composite framing and brushed aluminium profiles - Nothing better than custom interiors. Oh, perhaps a Lotus might come close, though. 😁 Thanks for sharing!

Love the filming techniques!

It's gorgeous! You are definitely a woodworker. And a great storyteller!

This is absolutely incredible! I cannot wait to see it done!

Fantastic idea to use that panel, looks great. 👍

Sweet bulkhead George! that door is very cool. I hope you aren't planning a door on the vehicle you are restoring that also has a wooden bulkhead 😉😁 18:34

Love the divider and door to the cabin. Fabulous

What amazing work that door is brilliant well done love your channel

Spray insulation is the most effective according to many, cover all metal so you wont have thermal bridges. But a man as thorough and handy as you would know that already I guess. 👍

New to your channel. So you build cars? I love this camper van video and your style, more CV videos please! Really dig your edits, comments, parts with no talking, etc. great stuff.

Fantastic 😍 Can't wait for the progress 👍

Coming on nicely now. Good luck & hope to see the Espirit work soon.

Great production value!!! You could do videos on replacing the toilet paper roll and make them riveting to watch!!!

The stopmotion and your general visual style needs some kind of education award. I follow many kinds of build/repair/restore channels and NONE of them manages to convey exactly how the process was done the way you can. That we get a healthy dash of George Philosophy(TM) on the side is just a welcome bonus, but really, lots and lots of videographic education material could benefit wildly from stealing, with hands and toes, from the way you present things.

Love this! I can only imagine how long it took to produce this amazing 18:34 video. Absolutely amazing! great great job!

excellent as always George, I admire what you do, and you do it very well, even if its not perfection... and that doesnt matter so much eh!, and we are ALL looking forward to the Esprit!!!! and good luck to you too.

In the interest of giving the Lotus the best chance, I have just started the paperwork to formally change my birthday to November 18th.

Well you sure seem like a wood worker!! The editing is especially impressive. That's a lot of masking - well done! Keep up the good work!

really cool stop-motion filming, loved it

The editing is incredible!

Some thoughtful work there George, that'll be a right nice rolling lounge on the beach. Cheers buddy!

Good job George 👍👍👍

I'm not a great fan of the "off the shelf" campers & home made were all have a very similar outlay so i chose to go a different direction with mine. I do love the edge landy windows they are such a brilliant idea 👍✌

I really enjoyed watching this while at work haha. SUBBED!

I think you did a great job and that piano piece is wonderful. Hopefully you can find other such bits to add throughout the build !

Clocked those hinge screws.😍😍😍😍

Excellent partition!

looking really great. keep up the good work.

i'm taking my restoration of my LT 35E MK1 in baby steps.. dont have the money to do so. But ive kept it on the road since I bought it. Now hoping the gov won't still charge me double the taxes in 2026 or its over. Love your videos!

I don't know why everyone has to make a comment on how someone is making a build. If I don't think someone is doing it efficiently or correctly, I'll say it under my breath and watch the video or find another to watch. I don't care how you convert your van to a camper. It's yours. Do what makes you happy and works for how you'll use it.

Thank you, Sir, for your great video. JDS

Absolutely beautiful what a door 👍

Coffee, headphones & Soup Classic = perfect start to the day

As always, very nice video, thanks!

Nice work!

Marvelous. I wanted to buy a van like this when I retired and do something similar to go hunting but life gets in the way sometimes.

Lovely job

I spot inch beach :0, great video as always!

Good to see and hear that weight reduction is more important than instagram. Nice going George!

Thanks for the update 🙂

Good job! Keep it up!

Slotted screws to the parliament hinges makes the perfect finishing touch, very nice.

Taking it to the next level...

A work of art and a small engineering marvel, that bulkhead. Nice job. Don't sell yourself short on your woodworking skills. I can't tell you how many times I see a skilled metal worker bust out their angle grinders, zip disks, flap disks, DA sanders and die grinders when they switch to the wood part of their project. At least you own and know how to use proper woodworking tools.