SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

[wonkywheel]

Still working around replacing screws with rivets. Zildjian's lazy tong rivet gun is so much easier although using it in difficult to reach places (Across the roof) you have to watch your fingers It can have quite a nip.
So far all the roof corner are sorted and sealed along with the 20 running lights (7 white to the front, 5 red at the rear and 4 ambers on each side)
The small roof light in the toilet has been sealed in place. A battery box/step up made and the table fitted in position with a slider rail. An adjustable leg for the table is high on the agenda.

I will take and post more photo's soon but at the minute the inside is a right tip and I need to use my wide angle lens on the camera for that.

When the weather or fatigue have beaten me I have been playing with the drawing package on the computer. I still am fighting against having just a white box.
I have noted though that an all-white camper skin stays incredibly cool in the summer, even in the hottest sun. But, also, the winter sun does not melt the ice off the sides or roof. You can't have it both ways or can you.
Hoping to do a bit of wild camping, this might just fit the bill



I will be talking to my local wrapper ( not a musician ) to see if he can match the white, grey and black and give me a few tips.
Probably "DON'T DO IT"

But I like the idea of it being a bit individual but would prefer to do it myself rather than pay him to do it. I've done everything else myself and feel it would dent my personal pride, and pocket, to have him do it for me.
It won't be so bad then if I decide to strip it off or change it.

[zildjian]

For what it's worth I've always fancied one in some sort of animal pattern, Giraffe or Zebra (fave) so I'm inclined to say do it definitely.
Ours is the older 'pebble dash' aluminium finish and won't wrap otherwise I would have Zebra'd it years ago, yours is smooth sided and will take wrap without issue, and yes


mind your fingers....

[mjb666]

Well, for what it's worth. I reckon that wrap would look Superb. I would go for similar but using olive drab shades but that's just the stalking angler in me.

Keep it up Mark, i'm finding this project a fascinating on going read & i would love to see it for real if you are able to get to this year's Social. Shameless plug.

Mike

[wonkywheel]

Thanks, Mike, I haven't booked yet but it is my intention to bring it to the meet in all its unfinished glory
I thought about the colours and they are the grey of the truck, white of the camper and black of the windows. That way I can put black and white on the truck and grey and black in the camper

[mjb666]

Wrapped or naked, either way i reckon people will be all over it giving you a weekend of non stop questions/suggestions etc.

If you do decide to book for this years Social, all the information is given in the seperate thread. Either PM me or mention it in the build thread and i will add you to the list. It appears to be the usual slow uptake after christmas & getting into winter but hopefully Folks will start to get a bit more enthusiastic in the Spring about booking .

[wonkywheel]

The Camper work shop

My phone camera's lens isnt wide enough for a decent shot inside so I got my SLR camera out.





Wit the cold and wet I have found it easier to keep everything handy inside the camper . It does cause problems because I tend to work with what might be called a butterfly brain
I bit here, a bit there It is mainly due to the considerations of weather, time and energy. It may not seem very logical but it works for me most of the time. It does mean quite a bit of moving stuff around trying to find whatever it is I'm looking for. Most times I find it before I've forgotten what I'm looking for.

You can see in the top picture that the bed area has the inner PVC sheets fixed in place. These are not permanent at the minute as there are no holes for the light wiring. Also, the roll of foil insulation needs to be glued to the walls first. When that is fixed the van carpet will be glued onto that.




The box contains 10 square meters of van carpet and resides in the shed workshop, which is even less tidy than the camper workshop



You can get in the shed if you really need to as long as you back out.

The sink/stove combo is too high and needs to go down about 60mm

That is because I want that and the table to be the same height for when the table is over to use as a worktop



The picture looks deceiving as the temporary leg is not the correct length for the table to sit level. The under-table box has the battery in it and will also contain the cutout switch, charger, and a fuse box. The table leg might be a short one resting on the box, but I need to test to see if it will stand up to the weight as the slider rail is quite a thin walled tube and flexes rather a lot. Also a shorter leg might just act as a support when the table is in the bed position



It will need a leg right under the end when I sit on it

With the table in transport mode the back legs will be fixed to the top of the battery box as well



If I can source a stronger slider tube for the table I might make it longer to enable more movement from side to side.




This outside view shows the top running lights that have all been sealed with the wires going inside. The number plate lights are quite trick in as much as they are bolt heads containing LEDs. The doors (those bloody doors) are still work in progress. From pictures in previous threads the doors did close not anymore:evil: The picture shows the bottom no longer fits the hole You can just make out the 2 x 1 spar under the bottom edge. That is to be bolted to the bottom spar, which I believe is slightly bowed. You can see the gap
I am going to bite the bullet and cut the doors down in size . Small enough to allow a rubber sealing bead to be fitted too. I have ordered and received another 10kg of Argon pure (bottle 3 ) so I am ready, when I have time



The front view shows the tempory legs in the lower position. The black line about window level is the up position to enable the truck to get under the camper. Quite a lot of movement
I am wondering whether it would be possible to have a 3 piece leg with the bottom section adjustable. I'll give that more thought later. It is not too much trouble lifting the camper with my farm jack as initially when its bolted on its staying on, for a while anyway.

The adjustable leg idea came about using a pin while jacking it all up



Just an idea,

[wonkywheel]

With the weather being not conducive to working outside for very long I have been messing about most of the time inside the camper with the greenhouse fan heater on.
I did manage to cut up a sheet of ply that I was going to use to build the gas box, but, when I built the mockup I didn't like how high it was. I had intended to make the box big enough for 1x11kg Gaslow or Gasit cylinder but that meant a restricted height between the gas box and the top cupboards. So at the minute, I'm going for 2x3.9kg bottles. This makes it a little wider but not as tall. I already have a Calor butane and propane bottle, so it could be a summer /winter option. The problem with that is I now need another sheet of ply

With either gas option, I need to look at pressure regulators and fittings. I hope I can find a regulator that can be used for both and pigtails for male and female with either a non-return valve or a pair of valves.

I have cut down the height of the cooker/sink unit to the same height as the table. Also cut up my last sheet of Celotex to complete the inner insulation. Not quite enough so I need another
A builder neighbor said when he saw me cutting up the Celotex, to make sure I taped the joints to make it virtually vapor proof to stop any condensation



So I started sealing all the joints with aluminized builders tape. It also worked well at holding to place the insulation in the dividing walls between the kitchen/clothes cupboard and shower/toilet



When the joints are all covered the inside walls will have the aluminized bubble wrap insulation applied to cut down cold bridge effect.
All the walls of the shower /toilet will be covered with the PVC wipe clean sheet (it still has its protective blue foil over it)



That's the last of my 4 PVC sheets so I need more of those as well
Come to that, I am just about out of Aluminium box and angle too.


I intended to clamber about in the bed area, taping, bubble wrap, refixing the PVC wall boards for the van carpet ( which I have cut up into the bedroom ceiling and front wall then a piece for each end of the bed) but it will take me a couple of hours to move everything about to get to it. So I worked in the clear area just inside the door
It's surprising how little 10 square meters of carpet does

NOTE for Admin
When I write a post in the text box, when it posts it is only 3/4 across the page. Have I messed up word wrap or is it YOU?
Also, are we on summertime?

[wonkywheel]

Slow progress.
The cold weather and chest infection all but stopped work on the build.
Apart from having even less energy than usual, the antibiotics that the doc gave me meant I had to keep out the sun to avoid skin blisters . So with it either being too cold, too sunny or just feeling plain knackered I've lost about 2 weeks build time.
I did manage to stock up on some of the items I was short or out of. I needed another sheet of plywood for the gas bottle box/cupboard having cut up the existing only to change my mind on sizes
I looked at part sheets but a full 8 x 4 was by far the most economical so I set about fitting my aluminium box section frame to my roof bars to carry said sheet. I had built the frame to fit the roof bars tightly with stops on 2 sides to support a full sheet. It didn't fit
Closer inspection revealed that one of the Thule roof bar end supports had moved about 150mm. I needed the key to be able to reposition it.(I did remember getting hooked up with the gate top bar before I removed it to get the camper out for a run) Couldn't find it so a trip to Halfords to order a new one. A 2 day wait for it to arrive then back off to Halfords to collect. Frame fitted and off to Wicks for the ply I was half was there before I noticed the tie down straps on the passenger seat. A steady diversion into Lidle's car park to fit them, then Wicks
On the way back I called into Screwfix for another roll of aluminium tape. They were out of it so pick up next day

Today I managed to cut up the ply and position it for the modified gas locker/cupboard. Mainly so that I could keep it in the camper out of the rain. Taped a few more joints. Put more bubble wrap in position. Bits and bobs really, but now it's a concerted effort to finish the bedroom so that I can line the walls with the van carpet, if its inside weather. If its outside weather I will try to cut the gas locker doorway and another at the Mains in/gas out box to allow easier access to run the copper gas main.

Pictures when done

[zildjian]

Chest infections (lot of that around at the moment) camper needs finishing but you need to be well enough to enjoy it when done after all mate!


Those gas pipes though, where do you plan on running them, I have couple running on underside of camper which surprised me actually, I thought they might have run them inboard somewhere, they are too far back to be vulnerable by truck mind but still seemed a bit odd

[wonkywheel]

Zildjian,
with my design/build I have extra box storage below the truck bed at the rear. One bottom left which has the mains "in" socket and the gas out for my Cadac. In this, I plan to put a 3 way connector/valve to feed Cadac connector, hob unit ( which is almost directly above) and a spare for a hot water heater (possibly later)
I hope to thread the one piece copper from this, through the rear left box, stairwell, right rear box then up through the shower/toilet into the bottle cabinet. A sort of "U" shape
I hadn't thought about running it outside
I might investigate as it would be a lot simpler. with a straight run across the camper and an outside elbow

I have done most of the riveting so at some stage I will drop off your very useful rivet gun. Thanks very much. It made riveting far easier.