What did you do to your SMB today? - Page 318

BrianW · 05-23-2021, 07:14 PM

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Finally got to camp in my new van after buying it over a year ago! Nothing too radical: a plug-in site at Raystown Lake Recreation Area in central PA (Army Corps area). Absolutely amazing mountain biking trail network there with the Allegripis Trail Network. A great father-son MTB trip with my son and our NICA youth MTB team.

YoTerryh · 05-23-2021, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianW

Absolutely amazing mountain biking trail network there with the Allegripis Trail Network. A great father-son MTB trip with my son and our NICA youth MTB team.

Any trail adjacent spot is automatically better than the same camp site not on trails. Sounds like fun

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 04:34 PM

Well I've been busy on my van. I finished up installation of my Quick Pitch Quick-en_Suite shower enclosure on the side of my van. I needed to fabricate brackets to attach it in a vertical orientation on the passenger side of the van. I used 5 stainless steel 1/4-20 rivet nuts with stainless steel bolts per bracket to hold them on the side of the van for a total of 15. The box is held on the to brackets with 3 stainless steel 1/4-20 bolts each. It takes about 10 seconds to set it up and about 20 seconds to put it away.

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 04:36 PM

Here are a couple of more pictures of the installation. The first is a closeup of one of the brackets and the second of the enclosure dropped down from the box.

marret · 06-12-2021, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertSMB

Here are a couple of more pictures of the installation. The first is a closeup of one of the brackets and the second of the enclosure dropped down from the box.

Nice. Do you install and remove the brackets each time, or do they stay installed?

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marret

Nice. Do you install and remove the brackets each time, or do they stay installed?

It is a permanent installation. There was much trial fitting of the brackets. The scariest thing was drilling holes in the side of the van. I had made the lower brackets and decided to add the strap going up because it seemed that there was a bit too much flexing for my taste, especially on the bracket near the window. With just the 3 attachment points below the rivet nuts were very much in tension. By adding the straps going up higher I then had two rivet nuts which are primarily in shear. Now it feels very solid and should do well on rough roads.

marret · 06-12-2021, 05:38 PM

Looks well done. Thanks. Yep, agree, drilling or cutting into the side or roof is scary.

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 06:15 PM

Like I said in my most recent post I've been busy on the van. Just before the beginning of the Pandemic I managed to score a set of pop out windows for the back barn doors on the van. Installation was east but one thing was lacking. That would be bug screens. While someone on the forum had a way to install bug screens they were in place all the time. I did not like that because I like to have an unobstructed view out the back windows. So I made some roll up bug screens. While I was making screens for the back windows I also made one for the pop out window in the front side barn door. The attached pictures show one while in the sewing machine, the side one mostly done, the left rear rolled up and the left rear in place. I used Velcro around the side and bottom edges of the screens and self adhesive Velcro on the window frames. I got all the materials I needed to make them from Seattle Fabric which is a good source for fabrics used in outdoor gear.

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 06:28 PM

As I said I've been busy on the van. I've noticed that my Aluminess box gets very hot. So hot that 1 lb propane cylinders start to swell a bit. Not good. So I decided to add a bit of forced air ventilation. I used a couple of 12 V computer fans and put them in an enclosure with them arranged to suck air out of the box. I then added another enclosure with filtration. The first photo shows the fans in the open enclosure. The second photo shows the final installation. The upper box has the fans and the bottom the input filter. I have two selves in the box with one of them between the two boxes. Inside the middle area where the filter box is located I have a duct which forces the incoming air to go the the bottom of that region of the box. Below the lower shelf is where I have tools and don't really care if they get hot. In the middle and upper area is where I have the propane cylinders. I mounted a switch on the fan box and powered it from the house battery.

DesertSMB · 06-12-2021, 06:35 PM

More projects on the van. Some time ago I posted about adding an extra water outlet on the back of the van next to the existing shower connection which came from SMB. This is to support my new external propane powered on demand shower unit. Well, I decided it was kind of pain to have to climb up into the van to turn on the water pump so added switch to turn on the pump from the back. This can be seen in the first photo above the two water outlets. Both my wife and I are big readers and have found the existing light above the area where our heads are when in bed to be rather pathetic. So I added two LED flexible stalk lights. There is Velcro to hold them up out of the way when not in use.