Painting

I have never enjoyed painting, in fact I will do just about anything to avoid it. Luckily Ngai likes painting.

The cobweb is not meant to be symbolic of the speed of painting.

Rear Door/Canopy

Although it was Christmas, it was also one of the longest days of the year (at least in the southern hemisphere) so a chance to get lots done besides eating, drinking and socialising. Today's task was to 'dry' fit the rear door that is also the support for the rear canopy. It was 'all hands on deck' to get it into place and mark drill holes for the hinges. Although it is summer here it was a chilly afternoon so the workers were keen to finish and get inside.

My HighTech lifting device worked a treat.

The test fit highlighted a little problem in that the door was about 20mm too long. This meant cutting and re-welding the steel. Not a great problem as I have come to enjoy welding.

I had originally fabricated the door in 25mm square 3.2mm hollow steel but felt it was too heavy and went with the suggestion of the engineering supply company of  12mm x 25mm x 1.5mm hollow steel. My first thought was that it felt too light to hold up the awning that I plan to attach to it but with the aluminium sheet attached it may be better. We shall see.

Sometimes it's the little things...

I bought a new tape measure and wanted one with a magnetic end as I had seen someone else use one and thought it would be good. I am using quite a bit of steel so... extra useful there.

 The first model we found was around $40, a little more than I wanted to spend. After an extensive search of the tape measure display we found this one at just $8

The little magnet work well, and since I am now without Dad's extra pair of hands, it makes the job so much easier. It is a Stanley LeverLock and has a self-locking feature that is proving useful and easy to get used to.
Great little device.

Interior lining

Before the beds can be installed I need to line the walls. A helpful retailer suggested 3mm MDF board. It is light, easy to work with and not expensive especially compared to other options. Cutting the holes for the windows was a bit of a pain, the old adage 'measure twice and cut once' should have been more strictly adhered too, it would have saved quite a bit of time and materials.

I have bought two sheets of 4.75mm MDF for the ceiling as I feel the 3mm will sag eventually.

Another door

The next door is ready to go on. The internal door is a bit heavy and I could have used a less heavy steel but at least it's solid. I decided to use clear polycarbonate for the top section to allow more light.

Doors on

With Dad home in Australia, it fell to Molly to help with putting the doors on. She is now an expert in handling a drill.

On the chassis

The job of lifting the camper back onto the chassis is a little bigger than taking if off because of the added weight.
Thankfully, friends nearby were happy to help.

Ticket booth

With most of the skin on... looks like a ticket booth to me.

The insulation is installed as we go. I have used Goldfoam an extruded polystyrene product rather than plain white expanded polystyrene. Extruded polystyrene is a little more expensive but doesn't absorb moisture (ie condensation from breathing) as expanded does. It is also solid so easier to install.

The skin goes on

The big job of skinning the frame has begun. I chose to use an aluminium composite product called Aluwell or Ultrasign board from Ullrich Alumunium in Napier. The staff at this business have proven to be very helpful and a pleasure to deal with. They have dealt with my 'newbie' questions with enthusiasm.
The sheets are glued to the frame with a polyurethane based product with the occasional screw or rivet where needed. The sheets have a core of polyurethane covered with thin aluminium each side. Luckily one colour available is very close to fire engine red which means no painting is required.

My Dad agreed to come over from Australia to lead a hand and expertise. The task was proving to be a bit bigger than I first thought and his help is appreciated.

Doors

The frame was removed from the body and made its way into the shed so that the work on the rear doors could begin.

So Far...

Progress so far...

The chassis was changed and frame built by Onga Onga Motors.
The petrol tank was originally mounted high above the pump. A fair amount of engineering was required to move the tank.

Welding

Next task is to fabricate the rear access door and my fold out 'annex'. Since there is so little room inside the camper I decided it needed an easily erected, covered area at the rear for cooking, toilet, shower and the like.

I had done a little arc welding many years ago and now find the most common type of home welder is a MIG (metal inert gas) welder. Luckily these have reduced in cost and a suitable unit for a home workshop is not a big investment.

Thankfully people are generous enough to produce welding tutorial videos and put them on You Tube. I found this video particularly useful.

I used 25mm x 25mm hollow square 3.2mm mild steel for the frames and bracing. I did quite a few practice welds before beginning on the real stuff. MIG welding is a lot easier than ARC welding, especially on thinner materials, but it still takes practice. I am hooked on welding now.

My welding 'practice'

LED lights

I decided to change the old rear lights for brighter LED lights. Funny how the simplest thing can become a major issue.

Firstly, turn indicators in Australia must have a feature (to meet Australian standards) that lets the driver know when a 'bulb' has blown, usually this is a rapid flash speed. New Zealand doesn't have this requirement but most relays have this function anyway.

Because an LED draws so little power, the relay thinks the bulb is blown and flashes rapidly. One solution is to add a resistor to each light to increase current draw but this seems to defeat the purpose of LEDs which is to reduce power usage. The other option is to replace the flasher relay with one designed for LEDs. Before I knew it the LED light costs were mounting up. Of course there are a number of different types of relay units some have two pins, some three and there are three or four different layouts of the pins. In the end I made some short leads with a spade connector on each end and connected it this way. All in all, quite a few hours spent over this small issue.

The new relay also does not make a sound; not a big issue but does take a bit of getting used to.

First steps

Being a Fire appliance, it had some equipment that was not required. It was fitted with a mains electric (110v) heater to warm engine coolant and oil so the vehicle was ready for immediate full throttle use. All this had to come out.

I have removed the wiring and switches for the beacon and siren which was between the front seats. Eventually I will build a custom centre console.

 going...

 gone.

The gate switch disconnects all electrics so as to ensure the battery is not flat when the vehicle is required. I have replaced this with a new design battery isolator switch which is much safer.

Nest step is to replace rear lights so it can get a 'warrant of fitness' (wof) to be allowed to drive on the road.

Design

Think First Class rail sleeper rather than motorhome and you may imagine something closer to the end result.

The truck really decided the design. Although the 'crew cab' seems a negative at first, it does provide lots of storage space.

Most importantly, it had to be possible to sleep across the vehicle. This was the first measurement I made and it checked out... just. Bunks, with the top bunk folding up away, seemed the most space efficient and useful way of sleeping.

Second importantly, the beds must be comfortable. You can put up with many things after a good nights rest but lose sleep night after night and the smallest problem can become a big issue. Beds don't need to be large but they must be comfortable. Ridges or hollows where cushions meet or hard buttons can be sure to cause an uncomfortable nights tossing and turning.

Trying to explain an idea in your head to someone else isn't easy to get right. A solid model, to scale, is a great way to make sure all bits work together and 'she who must be obeyed' has the same concept in her head.

Background

We've had a few trips to the South Island of New Zealand in a variety of vehicles from 6 berth motorhome to motorbike. We have taken the motorhome on to unsealed/dirt/metaled roads but it is not a pleasant experience.

If you can get off the seal there is another whole island to explore and you'll probably have it to yourself.

Most 4WD campers are not 'off road' vehicles. They have no clearance and poor suspension and a myriad other limitations. We needed a real off road vehicle...cheap.

Toyota Land Cruiser model FJ62V. Low mileage, well looked after, perfect.

With the PTO pump and deck removed we have

The Adventure Machine

Why?  We want to explore the 90% of New Zealand that you can't get to with a motorhome.

What?  A converted 4WD Fire truck

this is the how...