Category Archives: German Fire Truck Camper Van

Mercedes Benz 608D LF8 Fire Truck Camper Conversion | Van Tour 2020 | Van Life

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It’s 2020 and It’s time for a Van Tour, come and take a look inside…

The Mercedes Benz 608D LF8 Fire Truck Camper is ready for travelling again and this year there are a few changes.

This video is a fast paced van tour detailing all of the bits and pieces that are inside and out of this fantastic fire truck camper. I have done all of the work myself, everything in here is either made or repurposed to fit and function as I intended. I am not a carpenter, welder, electrician, plumber, or interior designer, things are completed to a standard I am happy with and it all is fully functional.

I hope you like the video and the camper, if you do please subscribe on YouTube for more content from me and my collection of things.

Instagram / Twitter : @TheGlennJobson

Mercedes Benz 608D LF8 Fire Engine Camper Van Conversion | Van Life

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Feuerwehr from Düsseldorf | Fire Engine Camper Van Conversion | Mercedes Benz 608D | Van Life UK

In 2017 I took a bike ride from Düsselfdorf along the Rhine, on the way I found a Mercedes Benz fire engine in a park up. At the end of the summer I travelled back to Germany to collect a Mercedes Benz Fire Engine to convert in to a camper.

The initial project took six months to complete, turning a working fire engine into a family camper, a basic conversion but a working one none the less.

During the conversion I made some rough videos that explained what what was going on, these videos form the basis of the film that I introduce here. This film takes me from a trip to Kempen, Germany, to collect the Mercedes Benz 608D Ziegler LF8, a drive across Holland to the ferry at Hoek van Holland and back to the UK to Hundon and the workshop, this is where the work took place.

Forget what you might have seen on the TV, this one works well.

If you see it come and say hello, take a look around and hop in.

The first MOT and registration was completed by the end or March 2018 and the Fire Engine Camper Van took to the road at the beginning of many adventures, and may more to come.

We have been to France and Holland many times, Belgium and Germany too as well as a few trips around the UK. When I collect the Düdo it had 19,000kms on the tacho, now it is reading 29,500 or so, over 10,000kms in two years, here comes year three.

Enjoy the video.

#FireEngineCamperVan #608D #VanLife

Mercedes Benz 608D Fire Truck Camper | Suffolk Drive

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Early April 2019, the Mercedes Benz 608D Fire Truck has been parked up for most of the winter months in Suffolk. We decided to take a drive around the Suffolk countryside to test everything.

A cloudy day but dry and ideal for a short shake down drive towards the fuel station to get a full tank of fresh fuel.

There have been a number of modifications over the winter, most significant is the new storage in the bedroom area, the main unit has been adapted from the original Fire Truck hose reel holders using the original 1980s hardwood marine ply with the addition of some other pieces of pine as trim. Here is a picture of the unit before it was adapted.

Fire Truck Camper | Campervan | DIY | Vanlife | 608D | Hose Reel Storage

There is quite a lot of this plywood left over, the truck had two of these hose reel boxes so I have disassembled them both and now need to find useful homes for it all, more to come on the bedroom area and additional storage and lighting.

Check out the video of the short drive, some good engine sounds too.

MOT Day for the Fire Truck Campervan

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It is only the second time I have done this, last year for the first MOT we had a very snowy day, no such luck this year.

Fire Truck Camper | Conversion | Fire Engine Campervan | Vanlife | MOT Day

We set of early so we could get to the MOT station as soon as it opened, we had an 8am appointment. I knew there was nothing to worry about but with all MOT visits I am always reminded of the past and the very poor vehicles I have take in the past.

The MOT tested required some assistance with the basic controls of the converted fire truck, ‘Where are the lights?’ and ‘How do I start it?’ shortly followed by ‘How do I stop it?’ This year though there didn’t seem to be any need to test the flashing lights and siren, shame.

The MOT tested had several comments such as ‘Its like new isn’t it.’ and ‘It is in fantastic condition.’ Then, after a swift exchange of the fee and I now have another years MOT. It will only require 4 more then it will qualify for exemption as it will be 40 years old. Still only showing 24,000kms on the speedo.

German Fire Truck Camper Conversion | DIY Camper | DIY Campervan

Collecting the German Fire Truck Camper

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The work to convert and refine the fittings on the German Fire Truck, regularly posting updates on my progress and then a couple of videos about the trips last summer has meant that I had yet to finish the first video, the film I made when I collected the Mercedes Benz 608D Fire Truck from Kempen in Germany.

The video takes me from Cambridge via EuroStar to Brussels and then on to Aachen and finally Kempen. Each day was an early start. Travelling back through The Netherlands loaded with enough German beer to see me through the conversion and a few clips of the first night camping in Alblasserdam.

I took the ferry from Hook of Holland and arrived in Harwich in the early morning sunshine in late September 2017.

There are many more videos in this story, all on my YouTube channel.

Converted German Fire Truck

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There have been quite a few small jobs to do on the converted German Fire Truck over the last few months, nothing very significant, mostly refinements and minor modifications to what has already turned out to be a great fire engine camper conversion and an amazing space to be in while travelling and camping.

The diesel heater arrived but was damaged so that has now been returned, this has caused some delay in fitting and perhaps a couple of missed opportunities but it will happen, the replacement is here and I will be able to fit it soon enough. Will make some video of that, not another ‘here is a diesel heater’ video but a video showing where I have installed it and why.

The first road trip of the year is almost here, 10 days in April to the south of France, lots of video to come from that including the now mandatory drone material.

Thanks for reading.