saDgit's flat-faced pop-top

[zildjian]

bout' time we had an update isn't it, that burning sun must've gone down by now

[saDgit]

bout' time we had an update isn't it, that burning sun must've gone down by now

Oh dear, it's just come up again!

[zildjian]

Hmm tricky problem,
No point getting up tooooo early (still dark) but leave it much after sun-up (too Hot)

Typically, when is the 'window of opportunity' daily then,

Suppose the jokes on you my friend not choosing somewhere less temperate to live

[zildjian]

Haa ha haaaa-hmmmm
No wait a minute....

[lamp-it]

well it isnt actually raining her in uk today actually quite summer like but not france

[saDgit]

bout' time we had an update isn't it, that burning sun must've gone down by now

Update as requested demanded Zildjian: lots of things half way though ...

Drying in the sun, figs and epoxy sealant on the door.


'Persuading' the aluminium trim around the roof profile, front and back, with the usual combination of clamps and ratchet straps.




But now I've got to go and muck about with a dirty engine for the afternoon! Anybody do long distance diagnosis and repair of Autogas conversions while I sit in the sun?

[saDgit]

Well I've still got a big hole in the side of the camper shell where a Seitz window is supposed to go. To be fair I was told there would be a three week delay when I placed the order for the window but the end of that three weeks is getting very near! Hopefully sometime in the coming week? It's only the absence of the window (and the door, though that's very nearly ready) that's now preventing me from moving the camper out from under the protection of its gazebo. Once I can do that I'll finally get to see whether it fits the pickup!

So today I've been finishing the elevating roof - insulation and lining are in, vents are in and fixed, and rubber and brush seals are fitted around the edge.


I'm sure there'll be more before I've finished the camper but, so far, these vents are my only real regret in the choices I've made. They are basically just too big and in retrospect I wish I had gone for 28mm vents rather than these 40mm ones but I made the holes a long time ago and, once that was done, there was no going back really. The only option would be to remake the whole elevator!!

The door still needs two more coats of varnish in order to bring its finish to the same level as the rest of the bodywork but, apart from that and the window, the whole shell is now sealed, trimmed and watertight.

[Phoenixsp1]

Nice work Martin. I've just fitted a 280mm Fiamma turbo vent on my mates camper van, it's a nice size and we also painted it black for a more stealth look. The fan is a bit noisy so we plan to fit some sort of speed control to hopefully slow it down for night use.

What size window are you going for? I also wondered what type of seal you plan to use on the door and how is it going to fit?

[saDgit]

Nice work Martin.

Thanks Clive. And thanks for being nice enough not to point out that in that last post I didn't know my mms from my cms! The window is a 700 x 300 - mms that is (!) - top hinged not sliding.

OK, stuff about the door ...


I've made the door a bit thinner than the rest of the shell, using 20x20mm timber for the framework and 20mm insulation, so the finished thickness with skins of 3mm ply and varnish is around 27 / 28 mm. I was aiming for that thickness so that it would be a tight fit in this stuff ...


I can't show you it fitted to the edge of the door yet because I've just done another coat of varnish but it's a door seal I bought from WHB Horsebox Supplies, used fairly frequently on shipping containers I believe. It's basically a rigid PVC extrusion which grips the edge of the door tightly and seals against it with two small, flexible 'lips', while on the other side two larger flexible flanges seal against the door jamb. In my case I'm using the bigger, outer flange to close against the outside of the jamb while the smaller, inner flange seals against the reveal ...


Sadly it only comes in white PVC, which is a real bummer, but one that I'm going to have to live with it. I think if I tried painting it it would look good for about a week and then start to look really tatty as the paint got scratched and the white showed through.

On the inside edge of the door frame I've got another seal. This time a small side seal from the amazing range at Seals Direct ...
[

This simply clips onto the inside of the frame so that the door shuts against its soft 'bulb' ...


I'm pretty confident that, as long as I make a good enough job of the corners, that is going to be a weather- and draught-proof door.

[Phoenixsp1]

Sadly it only comes in white PVC, which is a real bummer, but one that I'm going to have to live with it. I think if I tried painting it it would look good for about a week and then start to look really tatty as the paint got scratched and the white showed through.

You could possible stick black signmakers vinyl onto the outside, probably a bit more robust than paint?