Poo Pipes Positioned . . .

I said I wasn't going to screw it all down but I was carried away with enthusiasm and the nice solid feel of walking on screwed down ply and not falling into the bin bays so it all got done.

I may well have to take some of it up again but that's another story and that's why it was done that way I guess.
Bed elevated and seats in position.
There are a couple of areas under the near end part of the seat which are not accessed by the bin door from the outside.
In another vehicle I saw being done recently one of them was made into a shoe storage area so that shoes can be changed on the way in or out.
Seems like a pretty good idea actually . . . may do that.
The other one is for all the switches, dials and circuit breakers which will be recessed into the end of the seat (not to be kicked on the way past).























For reasons that now escape me I decided to start fitting the toilet system.
Until the shower floor is in position which lets me position the dividing wall I can't even cut the floor segments to length under the toilet so it will have to be removed and the floor cut later . . .
in the mean time the toilet has been positioned on its elevated floor area (which gives a more comfortable height for the seat and allows apace for the disposal system underneath) and the holes drilled etc. for mounting.



















The mounting for this system must be one of the more obtuse engineering efforts I have seen for something which is going to be mounted in a confined and often awkward space. . . caravans and motor homes not being noted for excess spare space.
As can be seen in the following picture of the back of the unit some of the screws are tucked in behind the corner and are impossible to get at for final installation.
My solution is to screw it to a "transfer" board and then arrange for a more convenient method of screwing that down.
At the same time the capacity gauge and 12Vdc power MUST be connected . . . there is no way to get to it once screwed down.























The unit is then turned around and put into position.















The "poo pipes" can then be connected.
In this case I have arranged them so they form a "U-bend" up behind the vacuum generation system and also a hinge to allow the entire unit to be moved and turned around, should maintenance be required, without disconnecting the pipes.
A task to be avoided where at all possible !!
A pipe clip can also just be seen which holds the weight of all the pipes in position when they get full . . .


















There is a small vent pipe from the toilet which must preferably be directed overboard and the gas bottle bin must also be vented which was causing a little consternation until in my wanders through the local hardware store I discovered this little gem designed for connecting pipes to tanks.























All of about $10 so one of them was procured,
a hole of the appropriate size drilled with a hole saw






















the fitting screwed in place (and looking very neat)

















and a small piece of pipe connected underneath as a test
















This also came out right alongside where the toilet vent pipe is to run (the end currently being tucked into the side of the base station) so a simple "T" joint will allow both areas to be evacuated through only one "hull penetration".
The fewer of those the better . . .























I also visited "Sich" to see what he was doing about filling tanks and water pipe sizes etc.
The standard input cover fits quite well into his bus where there is plenty of room in the sides but it seems to be a bit of overkill.















So my next mission is to find a nicer input connector . . .

Four on the Floor . . .

Purchased four sheets of plywood during the week and had it delivered to "Sich's" place as he has the requisite equipment for wood working.

The flooring support frames have been screwed in and all the tank packing placed in position and leads connected to the gauge sending units.

Windows have been temporarily screwed into position to make everything watertight.
The duct tape is only to hold the outer frame in position while I go inside and screw the inner frame to it (sandwiching he wall in between).
I'll leave it there for the time being as I will have to remove the inner section again when I start to put up the wall lining.
You have to do things that way when you are working by yourself.
So this is the truck ready for the first excursion out into the rain to see what the weather sealing is like before it's all lined and any leaks likely hidden in the walls until it's too late and everything rots !!















If you look very carefully you will note the mistake I made of leaving in the cross tube covers without fixing them properly.
As a consequence I now have to make two more to replace the ones which fell out on the way . . .
Not really very happy about that (it feels like the intimations of "old timers' disease").

Never the less the journey went well although the wind resistance and weight can now start to be felt.
As it was Sunday no weighbridges were open so I still don't know about the weight distribution but it still feels a little rear heavy.
There are also a few strange noises every now and again??
It sounds like the whole mounting arrangement has come loose and is rattling about but several checks along the way determined it was all still firmly attached.
Nothing moves or rattles when you push, shove and swing on everything so it's a bit of a mystery at the moment.
Never the less arrived safely and began cutting plywood for the floors etc..
18mm thick external grade ply is being used.
The manufacturers say it uses the same glues but the timber is not selected as carefully as marine grade.
They assure me it will be adequate.
First section right across the middle (so I don't keep falling off the frames and nearly breaking my neck).
I wont actually screw it down until I have all the underfloor systems in place as it will just be easier if parts of it can be pulled up from time to time.























Next parts are seat bases and fronts (stacked on top in this picture) and the rest of the floor panels.
They're not in place here as various notches need to be cut out to fit around the frames.
I can do that part at my place.























So in any few spare moments this next week there are lots of little pieces to cut out and fit. . .

Weighty Matters . . .

The air conditioning drain was a little awkward as it came from right in the middle of the unit and out the front.
When you read all the installation instructions it becomes obvious that this unit is intended to be mounted under the floor or a bench etc. so the problem of dripping onto something outside is greatly reduced.
It seemed the easiest way deal with that was to add an extension to the plastic drain tube and bring it out the side of the unit inside the compartment and then arrange for this to be tube to be taken out through the floor at some other point.
For the moment it is coiled alongside ready for final disposition.


















Next step seemed to be to start installing the permanent under floor items.
Largest and most central of these is the fresh water tanks.
I didn't like the idea of just letting the hard plastic sit and rub on the hard floor underneath so some high density foam about 15mm thick was obtained and layed in underneath.
This also had the effect of making the fittings a little easier to get at.























The foam is also layed in all around the edges of the tank to prevent it moving around and between the floor support frames.
These frames are screwed in place and in an "emergency" may be removed to provide access to the tank (as long as I remember to also cut the floor panels to match).























Next I will need to connect and run wires to where ever the gauge will be mounted.
I have a feeling the weight is all being added toward the rear at the moment so as soon as the final windows are mounted and the door seals completed I will take a trip to the nearest weighbridge and check out the balance and total weights.
I may end up moving the batteries from their current intended position to something more forward to help this matter a little.

Good News . . . Bad News

The good news is that there is more paying work coming in the door . . .
The bad news is that there is more paying work coming in the door . . .
(not enough time for the truck !!!)

However one of the jobs allowed me to do some small amounts in between setups so I decided to put the reversing vision system in as it didn't require the use of any of the machines to make anything.

I had bought this at one of the 4WD drive shows and wrote a comment on it some time earlier.

I have since bought a second camera as I had all the other bits like cables and connectors etc.

First the screen needed mounting in the cab . . .
(this was obviously taken later as you can see the view straight down from the back of the house:)


















Then the bit that I hate - drilling holes in the fibreglass walls through which cables have to be fed and screw fixings made, which I never like as they are potential leaks, but an external cable would just look silly.
(It was tempting as the cables merely go in one end and out the other to get into the cab where the screen is mounted.)




















It occurred to me that I needed to make provision for something going wrong at some time and needing to remove the mounting bracket (you just never know . . .) so I couldn't just bolt through with bolts and nuts (normally used) as they would be hidden behind the insulation and walls.

If it became necessary to remove the bolts to replace some part then the nuts would fall down behind the wall and be useless but only if I could get them undone in the first place!
So I decided to drill and tap a piece of stainless steel which could be fixed to the inside of the wall and would remain in place to allow me to undo and do up the necessary bolts.












Next some Very High Bond double sided tape was attached to the back of the piece.











and the piece was pushed into position using the bolts to line up with the holes so that the plate ended up in the correct position.



















The bolts could then be removed from the back and reinserted from outside to hold the camera brackets in place.
The left hand side camera was pointed so that it was looking down close to the back end of the house.
They're fairly wide angle any way so it still covers a lot of ground while allowing to see the very back of the truck while backing.























The right hand side was aimed to give a longer view.





















While working both in and outside of the house it was a nuisance to keep dragging extension cables inside and out and I needed to get the camera cables into the cab as well so I decided it was time to decide where the cables would enter the house and make at least a temporary power access point.
A location near the front edge was chosen and some temporary holes made (which will be tidied into a proper junction box later when I have worked out just what needs to go through there).
The proper waterproof receptacle was just screwed into the floor for the time being but at least I now have convenient power inside wherever I need it.
In this view the underside has been sealed around all the joints but will not be proof coated until all the work has been completed.


















While inside I decided to also fit the gas bottle box which is required to be both gas tight and waterproof among other things!
I had a local sheet metal worker make up the basic pressings as I don't have the required equipment for that little job.
It fits in right next to the hot water system leaving just enough room for the water fittings at the back of the heater (to be fitted later).


















In order to reduce the number of small doors on the outside a single door was made to allow access to the gas compartment and the hot water system (if required).
As they needed to be quite separate a dividing frame and central seal was also incorporated.























Being "on a roll" I decided it was also time to put in the air conditioner which is mounted in a recess just above this door.
As was mentioned some time ago rivnuts had been fitted in the correct spots to allow for mounting with stainless steel bolts rather than the zinc plated screws provided.


















Then a trial run was undertaken.
It is quite interesting that the unit merely idles when the temperature is below 20 deg. C. and is almost silent from outside.
As the temperature rises the compressor cuts in and it gets a bit louder.
I could see how in a quiet campground this could be a little annoying . . . but then I don't plan to be in too many campgrounds.
Last thing to do is fix the cover on the out side.


















Well second last really.
There is this stupid little drain tube for condensation which is going to drip all down the side so I will have to find a way to route it somewhere else.

Closure is Good . . .

A (now not quite so welcome) break in real work has allowed me to fit all the bin doors.

It's marvellous what a little hindsight can teach you.
Now that all the doors are made and fitted I know what sort of problems to look out for.
Pity I didn't know beforehand.

Just a millimetre doesn't sound like a lot but if the opening is one millimetre different from another and the door is just one millimetre out of square and the hinge is just one millimetre out of alignment the whole thing can be a disaster!!!

Fortunately only one bin door was bad enough to require dismantling and remaking and even now I think that if I ever get a really slow day I may do that one again. . .

So now it looks like this . . .


















After all the trouble with the bin doors I was really worried about the main doors and they are far more difficult to manoeuvre into position and then take down again for trial fitting.
Never the less they fitted better than most of the bin doors and the slight twisting mentioned in earlier posts is only noticeable in strong side light and knowing what to look for . . . wwwheww!
Left hand side . . .























Right hand side . . .























Never having worked with this type of construction and door lock (different from bin doors) before I have got it about as wrong as you can get !!

I wanted the seals to be on the doors and not on the sills as I think they get less accidental wear and tear that way.
That was OK but the sealing area has to be completely separated from and around the outside of the lock area.
Surprisingly these locks are not particularly waterproof and need to be kept away from the wet.
Not realising this mine are of course way out in the weather . . . and the edge of the door and lock area looks like this . . .























Of course water can get in everywhere and while this is not always a problem the construction here is ply (not necessarily marine grade) glued to fibreglass . . . water is it's worst enemy!
So a plate had to be made and fitted and then all the gaps securely primed and sealed with "roof and gutter silicone".
This is the plate before silicone was applied.























At least now the doors shut with a satisfying "thud".

Now I just need a way to get the seal to miss the striker plate but still seal on the frame . . .
Wishful thinking . . . I feel more mod's coming on . . .

Love That Acetal . . .

The "real world" still intrudes making demands for money and therefor time . . .

Some repetition machining with a fast cycle time per piece meant that there was little time to leave the machines to "do their thing" while I attended to the truck and only one other machine was available for this work.

At least I was able to work with one of my favourite materials - Acetal.
Nice and clean - machines beautifully at high speed and without messy coolant
I needed to make a "catch" or "striker" plate for all the bin door locks to work with as there was no "standard" item I could find to do this job.
So the result looked like this . . . (about 50mm x 25mm x 25mm)





















Of course you may remember there are 9 bin doors (the two main access doors use a different system) so you need a few more of them . . . (with two spares)























As I had to order in this material I also got enough for the covers of the tubes across the chassis where the lifting legs fit.
These were somewhat larger at about (100mm x 100mm x 40mm) and there were left hand, right hand and central versions (of course you would know by now that I never seem to do things the easy way . . . only 'cos I can't figure out the easy way !!)
A r.h. version looks like this . . .





















and fits like this . . .



















A centre one looks like this . . .




















The recessed centre is for a bolt to go through (into the leg and hold the leg and the caps in place
simultaneously when stored for transport) and not stick out too far.

And as there were a few minutes left over (in the week) one more bin door was hung . . .












Only seven more to go . . . .

Very Small Light . . . Very Big Tunnel . . .

A (pleasurable) family commitment on the weekend cuts into time available and with the commercial wolf still at the door progress seems at a standstill!

With the machines dedicated to earning a few shekels I really didn't want to disturb them over this weekend so I needed a separate task to make something happen . . .

I have had the top clearance lights sitting in a box for some time so I decided now is the time.

I was concerned at just where to mount them as it meant breaking through the fibreglass integrity at some point and sealing was going to be important but the exact position was going to be dictated by the steel structure behind the fibreglass and at first glance seemed that the only likely place was going to be too far from the corner.

The "regulations" allow up to 200mm (but this seems a bit too far for my liking).

Eventually it turned out that the best place was almost right at the corners.

Surprise. Surprise. Not often that happens !!

So a few screws (stainless steel of course) and a big dollop of silicone (hope they never have to come out again) and a small mix up with the initial wiring there they are.

It is amazing how bright a few diodes appear to be.

I am still not convinced they are an economical substitute for fluorescents for internal use however, but they sure seem to be the popular choice for clearance and indicators etc..

Rear























Front























It's weird . . .

I have measured and tested and squinted and everything else I can think of and although the tools say they are on square and when they are turned off they look OK . . . they still look crooked when they are turned on.

I Said "Don't Mention That!"

Pressing on with the fixing I decided that I may as well finish the doors and see what they turn out like and if I really am not happy I will replace them at a later date.

First thing is to cover them with the fibreglass skin and then start the trimming etc.

The door handle and locking mechanism need fitting at the same time.

This requires a hole cut into the skin at the appropriate point
and the trim removed to go around the fascia plate





















and the front edge to clear all the actual striker and anti-burst pins etc.



















The handle is then inserted in the hole





















and the trim fixed in the appropriate place




















Of course this is required on the back as well to clear the inside handle

















Then of course all the standard things need to be done "a la" the bin doors
such as cutting out the corners, riveting on the trim, siliconing all the gaps
etc. etc. etc.

At the same time I decided to give myself a fighting chance and modified the hinges (again) to allow them to be positioned with a little more freedom by slotting out the screw holes and using different fixing screws.


















This all seemed to have a positive effect and the end result has turned out quite successfully.























Of course there are still a number of minute finishing details to be done to make it all water and dust proof but for the moment "quite happy".
Of course I still have the left hand one to do now . . .
but for a bit of light relief I decided to fix a bin door in place to see what that would look like as well . . .



































The bin door still needs to pull in slightly against the seal when I fix the retaining plate for the lock arm












but if they all fit like that I will really be happy . . .

DON"T MENTION DOORS !!

I don't know where this last week has gone !!!

Some commercial work to keep the wolves from the door . . .

It's that time of the year when all the big bills come in . . .
and of course the "tax man" needs to know where it all went
and he'd like his bit first "thank you very much"!!

I decided also that I really didn't want to make mistakes on this bit so a cautious approach was adopted.
Bit unusual for me - however "softly, softly . . ."

I was concerned about getting the hinges in the right place.
As they were all to be held in with "rivnuts" -
the rivnuts had to be in the right place!
I decided to put in all the rivnuts in the door while I was constructing it as they could be placed exactly before the door was covered and hung - and if it all went wrong the other three screws per hinge (9 in all) would hold it adequately after adjustment.
So the system went like this:
. fit the centre hinge to the door EXACTLY in the centre of the door,
. fit the centre hinge on the frame EXACTLY in the centre of the frame,
(this should give an even gap top and bottom)
. fit the outside hinges on the door exactly 800 mm from the centre,
. mark the outside hinges on the frame exactly 800 mm from the centre,
. hang the door on the centre hinge only and check the position of the markings against the hinges on the door,























. if the markings are all in alignment -
fit the top and bottom hinges to the frame.























Also the handle/locking mechanism can be fitted and the striker plate positioned from the lock.
"et voila"























Of course nothing is that simple . . . .
First you make it then you spend the rest of the week getting it right !!
Somehow the door got twisted and now the hinges are out of line and the edges don't close evenly and, ... and ...