What Conversion is it?

Hi everyone,

Like a lot of UK vans, mine started off life as a panel van and got converted. I asked around years ago trying to find out what type of conversion it was, and I'm still clueless. Does anybody have any idea from the pics below? These are old pics btw, doesn't look anything like this now (lots of rust out, lots of new metal going in).

Also I forgot - if anybody wants the interior (or parts thereof) it won't be getting fitted back in after all the welding is done, so free to anybody who wants to save it from a bonfire. I might hang on to the 'lil retro cooker though for a bit longer...

Looks very D@nbury, and very similar to the one I had on my panel conversion when I first got it. It was a bit big for me and tended to block the gutters which caused the gutter problems I inherited. Also the pop up props look very similar but I never could quite trust them. Ended up fitting a whole new (To me) roof panel and restoring the can’t rails into the bargain, then fitting a later model newer Devon fibreglass roof. The interior looks like it’s possibly a home brew version but who knows, Holdsworth did a similar pop top but I don’t think it was as big as that one.

Ozziedog,,,,, love the look of that cooker bud :mrgreen:

The metal pop top machinery that pushes the top up? Can’t remember exactly, but I feel we’re actually the same as my original ones when I bought the bus. A Danbury Crossover 72, which I had converted to a Devon pop top. It was a weird experience pushing and ‘snapping’ each end into place. The shape of my fibre glass roof was very different though. Myself and Paul (Guru Renovator) we’re scratching our heads because we’d never seen one before. Then? I saw my whole old set up on a Holdsworth conversion. Think it was a Splitty. So Ozzie could very well be, actually......very likely to be....correct. I’m dragging my brain years ago down memory lane now, but I seem to remember the Splitty Holdsworth photo on a random Google search. Maybe there were people who mixed and matched. Those pop up props, as Ozzie calls them.... May have a bit of rarity value?

Edit: I’d always dreamed of getting my bus back to all things stock Danbury from top to toe. Furniture....the lot. But soon as the Devon pop top went on. That was that! Maybe someone out there is keen on a pure stock Danbury set up. I know the bits and bobs are really difficult to get hold of. EBay the furniture maybe? Although difficult with lockdown and it’s massive limitations.

I'd put my money on it being a Richard Holdsworth, judging by the cooker unit design and the rear seat/bed construction.

Thanks for the replies guys, I've now done some googling on the Holdsworth conversions and found the owners club website. I may send them some pictures and see what they say too as I'd love to get proper confirmation of the history of the van. Perhaps they will know someone searching for a potential Holdsworth VW interior too. I would love to see it be put back to use as it's all in great nick still, but I have different plans for my van and won't be able to store it all for too much longer.