A Custom Rolatop Camper Van, Rebuilt From Bare Metal

Some of the vans that come through the shop aren't restorations in the usual sense — they're conversions. This one came in as a stripped shell destined for a Rolatop elevating roof, and the bodywork had to be sorted before any of that could go on.

The panels came off, the rust got cut back to clean metal, and every crossmember and mounting point got checked before anything went back together. That part of the job doesn't photograph well — it's grinding, patching, and a lot of bare steel — but it's what everything after it depends on.

Once the shell was straight and solid, it went into the booth. We're not a fan of hiding a rebuild under a flashy paint job, but a van built for the road and a roof conversion needs a finish that will hold up outdoors for years, not just look good in the driveway.

The van is back together now, repainted, reassembled, and ready for the Rolatop roof to go on. No shortcuts on the metalwork means whoever's driving it in ten years won't be dealing with rust creeping back out from under fresh paint.