SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 21845Post zildjian
May 12th, 2018, 4:29 pm

SKarosser (31).JPG
Here is Mark White's SKarosser, same model as mine but with extra height introduced roughly half height to boost overcab above a Landrover cabin roof

(see how high the step was)

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 21868Post wonkywheel
May 14th, 2018, 8:06 pm

Thanks for that Zildjian. I think I can live with that size step. Being vertically challenged it will be easier to get up to the cab over :)

Having done absolutely nothing to the build due to a returning bout of "Man Flu" :lol: over the weekend. :(
I thought I ought to take today off work to make sure I was fit enough to go tomorrow. The sun was shining so I tested my stamina by working on the build :o 8-) :lol: :lol:
Seems as if I'll be going work tomorrow as I got quite a lot done before the lure of the sun lounger dragged me away. All of the checker plate is now glued in position and all but a few pieces of angle are left to go on. Just need to seal around it all with an aluminium colored silicone ( It tends to hide some of the bevel miss matches :lol: )
While I was kicking my heels waiting for the sikaflex to go off enough I revisited the truck rear cover lifting problem again.
Image

The ends of the roof bars are held on with 2x 5mm cap head screws. There looks to be a small piece of plate over-moulded in the end piece to at least afford a little strength into to fix There was a good 20mm engagement of the end tongue into the rail. .
Image

Image

The most interesting thing was that the base was held down by 2x M8 bolts while the nuts seem fixed to the inside :)
A couple of pieces of scrap 1 inch box to replace a pair of diagonal bases. A crossbar with a lifting eye in the center and I think that will give me a safe lifting point. I will need to move it again when the base goes to its final build position (later in the week :?: :roll: )
Last edited by wonkywheel on May 8th, 2019, 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 21886Post wonkywheel
May 16th, 2018, 6:18 pm

A little bit closer to finishing the base :roll:

Roll of fiberglass arrived(Last one I hope

Image
Last edited by wonkywheel on May 8th, 2019, 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 21919Post wonkywheel
May 18th, 2018, 9:14 pm

Every Cloud has a silver lining :D :D

Coming home from work yesterday my brake light came on :shock:
Checked the handbrake was off, :?: tested the brakes worked, :?: all seemed fine. Parked up at home then decided to see how soft the brake pedal was with the engine off.(no servo) :roll: As I pressed hard, slowly my foot went to the floor. :shock: Just to check I did it again :roll: I climbed out, felt all around the front brakes looking for oil...clean and dry :) Popped the bonnet to check the fluid level :( Almost empty. When I lay on the floor to roll under I found where all the fluid had gone :cry: I had a damaged brake pipe leaking fluid. A quick call to the garage resulted in the earliest appointment Monday morning. No work today then 8-) ,but had a great time on the camper. Not too hot, early start, good progress.

Image

Finished riveting the angle on. Sealed the checker plate and angle with aluminium colored silicone (Intek AG 300)
While It was accessible I started to fit the floor panel in. (Its was easier with the base on its side)

Image

Finished up with it looking like this.
The outside edge sitting on the frame (Similar to the way the checker plate was fitted) You can see there is no support in a couple of the large areas :? . Although the Celotex insulation is fairly resistant to crushing I will add 2 or 3 ✖ braces just to make sure.
The next step will be to cut and fit the insulation sheets in all the sections. As yet, I am undecided as to whether to silicone seal them in.

Image

With the base back down on the floor, it struck me that the shower/toilet/washroom looked disproportionally large for the amount of time it will be used :lol: (its the area nearest the camera up to the box laying at an angle. The door area seemed too large compared to Richards camper and I was going to reduce it with a section of wall.
Now I might look at making it smaller altogether with a sort of slide out pantry thing along the lines of a thick sliding door :idea:
A mock-up shower cubicle might be needed for a test.

While sealants and adhesives were going off I had time to drag poor old "lightning" (my teardrop camper) out and open her up.
It's only a week before I will be camping at Santa pod again ( I was hoping the demountable would be nearer but.... :roll: ) so I need to patch and mend that ready to go This time last year when I went through the same procedure I was greeted by a furry interior that would be good for growing mushrooms. It was dry and clean so the tarp had kept the water out ;)
The leisure battery, which I had neglected over the winter, was down to 11.7 volts. I uncovered the 40-watt solar panel and reconnected it to the charge controller.
The output from the load terminals was less than 3 volts yet the controller was feeding the battery at 16 volts. I think the unit is shot so I put the battery on the mains charger instead.
I need to educate myself on the use of solar panels, charge controllers, and battery cutoffs.
I think I have learned so far that:-
If the battery is isolated with a double pole switch while the solar panel is connected the system voltage is the same as the panel output . 18 volt in my case. This blows the car radio that has a permanent live feed for the clock. ( On third radio)
It also appears that the battery should be connected before the solar panels are or else they blow the charge controller :cry: :cry: :cry:

They say you pay to learn......I'm paying :|
Last edited by wonkywheel on May 8th, 2019, 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 21965Post wonkywheel
May 21st, 2018, 10:16 pm

Good progress over the weekend. 8-)
Fitted a couple of extra floor braces
Cut and fitted the "Celotex" insulation board
Cut the dibond seat panels to fit. Then cut the two lids out of them. The front part under the seat will be storage while the small back section access to the turnbuckles.
I decided that access to the turnbuckles will be only from inside the camper. At least that way there is less chance of any Tom, Prick or Harry undoing them.

Image

Rough cut the vinyl floor covering.
Cut the under table side panels
Fitted the cabin end vertical framework in position to confirm the step from false floor to seat and into the cab over bed was not too big ;)

I needed to check the comfort heights of the under table false floor storage area with regard to knee position eating height. The table is designed to move over the seat to enhance worktop area when cooking. With this in mind, I had measured the worktop heights of Richards camper. Within 5mm.....result ;) The still only near finished cushion completed the mock-up


Image

With the crate acting as a section of false floor being 250mm it should be about the right height for the storage batteries.

Image

There is little more to be done with the base section at the moment. It's always easier to work without the walls getting in the way but I will only screw the internal fittings in place. At least to start with because I want to be able to change the layout after a bit of trial (and error) use.

Things will take a break now for a week as I need to get poor old "lightning" (teardrop trailer) ready for Santa Pod Main Event drag racing meeting. The phones are already buzzing with, "when are you going? save us a space.

Five days of good company, relaxing in the sun, with a beer, watching the racing 8-) 8-) 8-)
Last edited by wonkywheel on May 8th, 2019, 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 22131Post wonkywheel
June 2nd, 2018, 11:16 pm

After my last visit to Santapod with "Lightning", it became obvious that she had about had her day :cry:
Thursday nights downpour left my bed a little damp around the edges. While the drip that developed at about mid-chest was absorbed by a strategically placed tee shirt (well most of it). To cope with the Saturday night rain I screwed a tarpaulin over the top. ;) Dry :)

So One last look before I give her the coup de grâce
ImageImage

More like Hung, drawn and quartered really :cry:

ImageImage

All that was left. The base stripped off the chassis.
Image

The end of a 5-year love affair with a teardrop camping trailer. The warmest and most comfortable I have ever been whilst camping.


Ive got to finish the demountable now.


At least the trailer comes in handy
Image

After 5 trips down to the tip (recycling plant), the base section has made the big moves to its final build position now that space has been cleared.
The move did prove one thing. The base section appears to be waterproof. I had to empty it out as it a full of water with the insulation boards floating :o

While I am happy with the way my welding has improved, it was not good enough to stand the whole weight on one lone corner spar when it slipped off my skateboard which was being used as a trolley. I will reweld it later. Its the one partly obscured by the sack barrow handle.

The next job will be to unroll the fiberglass sheet and cut the roof section. A few fixing screws to position it will save a lot of problems later. I thought it will be easier on the ground rather than up a ladder.
Last edited by wonkywheel on May 8th, 2019, 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
Camper aedificavit domum
2016 Ford Ranger "Wildtrack" 4x4

mjb666
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 22143Post mjb666
June 3rd, 2018, 7:26 pm

Hi Mark

Probably a sad day finishing off the teardrop after five years but look how useful the base trailer is now.

Eight years of ownership of my De-mountable and i should have upgraded a long time ago but a few 'Mods' each year and i still can't get rid of it.

Mike
2005 Mitsubishi L200 Single Cab 4x2
Unknown Demountable

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wonkywheel
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 22145Post wonkywheel
June 3rd, 2018, 8:23 pm

Thanks,
Mike,
yes, it was a bittersweet moment but I could never improve on it the way I wanted because I was always repairing it. Having been out with a group of like-minded teardroppers camping and on their forums, I hope the demountable gives me the same amount of pleasure, if not more.

Mark
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" .......(Winston Churchill)

2007 Ford Ranger "Thunder" 4x4
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zildjian
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 22146Post zildjian
June 3rd, 2018, 8:37 pm

(It will) these are great fun and you'll fit in just fine




(did you save the teardrop LED light fittings BTW)

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Alexd
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Re: SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

Post: # 22161Post Alexd
June 4th, 2018, 7:14 pm

So no turning back now wonky' though this build is well on final few furlongs now though
been coming along pretty good in last couple of pages

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