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Old 03-20-2011, 05:28 PM   #131
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I worked on the van plumbing some more this weekend. I decided on 2 6 gallon tanks under the sofa bed, both for fresh water, piped together. I used reinforced tubing rated for potable water. This shot shows the whole works.



I set up a drain for the fresh water pretty much the same as the one I put on the grey water tank. I couldn't find all the fittings I needed in plastic variety on short order, so I used some brass to get it done.



On the pump end which comes out of this tank, I piped out and around the sofa bed leg system rather than pipe through it. This way, this sofa bed is easy to remove and replace without messing with plumbing.



The small orange plugs in each tank are where the air vent will be piped. I plan to connect the two with a tee fitting and some small airline tubing, then out through the van wall (the lockable water fill has a screened fitting in place)

In the first tank, you can see the upper black fitting that will be the water inlet. I have picked out 2 exterior inlets or gravity water fillers, but I need to mess around some more with fittings to make it work.



the one with the locking cover has an angled (downward!) filler neck inside which takes 1 3/8" tubing. The other one , is designed for being deck mounted on a boat, is not lockable which means I would not put it on the exterior of the van (I don't want anyone peeing in my fresh water tanks), but it takes 1 1/2" tubing which I can find fittings for locally. I briefly considered an interior mounting for this one, but it seems like asking for problems with a rv garden hose in the van to fill the tanks. At this moment I plan to find the needed fittings to make the lockable exterior version work.

After running out of fittings, I decided to try my hand at cabinet making. I have never made a cabinet before, and was paralyzed by the thought of scribing the end panels of a cabinet to fit the vans curvature. The sink cabinet is large enough that It didn't need to be scribed, but the cabinet behind the sink cabinet has to be more shallow to fit between the sofa bed and wall, so scribing the back seemed necessary. Luckily, I found a scribe tool on the floor of the shop near the chop saw.



most carpenters use a compass. I used this block of wood held horizontally with the pointy end against the van wall, and the pencil end against the plywood panel which was precut for height. the length of the scribe tool was determined by the largest gap from the van wall to the plywood panel. I used a couple clamps to hold the plywood perpendicular to the floor, and then freehand followed the curve with the tool trying to keep the scribe tool horizontal It worked pretty well. I can think of much more elaborate ways, but this was just fine for a paint-grade cabinet. here are a couple of shots of the cabinet carcass unfinished, no face frame yet, and possibly one more shelf to be added.



From the rear, notice the water pump partially hidden by the cabinet. The lowest shelf will be removeable to make easy access to the plumbing and electrical goodies that run through there. also a possible future location for an espar coolant heater and heat exchanger.



The plywood on the van wall behind the cabinet is 3/4" (not flexible) for mounting of electrical components which is why it is two pieces, not bent to fit the van wall. The inverter charger, fuse panel, lighting relays, battery monitor, future charge controller, etc will be back there in a separate cabinet.

This was a fun cabinet to build as each piece is custom cut to fit. Because the van tapers toward the rear, each end panel is different in depth in order to make the finished face of the cabinet run paralell to the sink cabinet. If I was just starting this build, I would certainly find the center of the van floor at the front and rear, then snap a line or tape a line down for reference. In this case, I ran a straight edge off of the sink cabinet and measured from it back to the van wall to figure out the depth of the end panels. Capish? This taper means the shelves get cut to the largest dimension which is the front part where the van is wider, then set in place flush with the front of the cabinet, and trace the overhang at the rear for trimming. the shelf heights in this cabinet coincide with the horizontal studs in the van wall, so the shelf support strip can be screwed into something solid.

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Old 03-21-2011, 01:07 AM   #132
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

It looks like we both found the same template tool by the chopsaw! I pretty much did the same thing after agonizing several evenings on how I was actually going to get the task done. It really does emphasize the less thinking and more doing approach.

Your cabinets look great and built thoughtfully. I can't wait to see it all come together. One question - is that a kickplate under your sink cabinet? is there a reason behind this? It seems to me that it is just lost space and you could drop the entire box to the floor and/or add another set of drawers. I've been trying to maximize every inch, so my drawers and fridge will be about an inch off of the subfloor allowing 1/4"ish of laminate floor plus 1/2"ish of throw rug and only leave 1/4" clearance. This approach may bite me in the a$$ - we'll see.
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Old 03-21-2011, 03:29 AM   #133
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Yes that's a kickspace under the sink cabinet. I did consider having it without a kickspace, but really didn't agonize over that decision like I have some others. It is lost storage space as you said.
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Old 03-27-2011, 06:30 PM   #134
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I put a face frame together and added it to the new cabinet. Pocket Screw Jig is key here. I picked up a Kreg brand pocket screw jig and I am no longer afraid of cabinet building. I used poplar (and some painted recycled pine) to make the face frame- The poplar is stable, paints well, inexpensive compared to other hard woods. This pic shows the cabinet sitting in place for another fitting before primer and paint. I used filler to fill in any screw holes and blemishes. Should work out pretty well.



I'm considering a pair of sliding doors on the lowest shelf because doors won't work there. For the other doors, I'm thinking maybe drop down but I haven't looked into hardware yet.

The sink top cabinet top is on, trimmed to fit the van wall, and sink cutout in. I dropped the sink in to check the opening. I cut the sink hole far to the back of the cabinet so I could have a shallow storage drawer in front of the sink. I am glad to have the kickspace under the cabinet. Without it, I would not have put the sink toward the rear due to the longer reach.



I put the laminate on the sink counter tonight but need to scare up a trim router to finish the job, so maybe tomorrow night?
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Old 03-27-2011, 10:05 PM   #135
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Your interior is looking great! It bears quite a resemblance to what I have been working on, although my construction method is a bit different. I must say that I'm envious of your Kreg Jig faces. I'm fairly certain that I need to invest in a pocket screw jig - it just seems like a fun thing to have if nothing else.

I love the big cupboards too - they should do a fantastic job of swallowing up gear. It amazes me how much storage you can gain without losing much cabin space with this type of design.
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Old 03-28-2011, 05:32 PM   #136
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I trimmed the sink cab laminate with a trim router. Now I need to go back with a small flat file and bevel the edge.

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Old 04-03-2011, 09:51 AM   #137
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I installed an 8' Fiamma F45ti awning last night on my high top. The fiberglass top has some ridges built in for structural reasons? or looks? There is a horizontal ridge a couple inches above the roof line of the van. Then there is a diagonal ridge that runs from the front down low to the rear up high. these ridges determined the lowest mounting point for the awning, because the simple mounting brackets need to be on a flat surface, and not spanning one of these ridges. The simple brackets use 2 carriage bolts to go through the wall, then the awning just hangs on them. A couple of bolts up through the bottom of the brackets retains the awning from sliding laterally or jumping up and out of the brackets. I used 3/4" plywood blocks as backing for the awning brackets because the fiberglass top is pretty thin. The guys at Fiamma approved that idea over the phone.



I used silicone between the plywood and fiberglass, silicone on the exterior between the brackets and fiberglass, the fiamma supplied flat bar/ washer thingy on the inside, then cranked it comfortably tight. I cut the plywood backers long enough to bear on the original van roof to help take strain off of the fiberglass.



I toyed with the idea of mounting the awning to the garage wall to determine clearances for the side doors, and length of the awning support legs. Over the phone, the service guy(nice guy, friendly, helpful) said the legs were 7' long (estimated) when fully extended. I should have measured them myself before I installed it, or mounted the awning to the wall, as they are actually a few inches shy of 7' which results in the door interfering with the overhead support arm. By about an 1/8"!



I plan to fab up a couple of wood blocks to set under the awning feet to gain the elevation I need to allow the door to clear the arm.





When I close the side doors of the van, the awning rattles which makes me wonder if it will rattle going over bumps on the road. The fiberglass top is pretty flexible at this time. I think I might re-do the awning mounting with taller blocks as backers to help take some of the strain off of the fiberglass when opening the awning. Right now, when I crank it open, before the support legs hit the ground, the fiberglass groans - I think it is straining the point where the fiberglass meets the old van roof- its a lot of weight to hang out there 3 feet or so before the legs reach the ground. I could use a set of brackets (like Eli's- if they are still available), but I want to make this elevation work so I have room for an exterior work light under the awning but over the doors.

oh and a 10 foot awning would be swell but requires the use of all three brackets instead of just the 2. because of the shape of the fiberglass top, a 3rd bracket in the middle would require some shimming of the other 2 brackets which i chose not to get involved with.

Anyone recommend installing the side wall brackets for mounting the awning feet back to the van instead of the ground? I'm thinking it might be a nice option, but I don't have any experience with a vehicle mounted awning. The rear leg can easily mount just above the wheel arch, and seems pretty strong in that position, despite the flat angle. The front leg would mount to the passengers door, which is less than ideal, but again may be a nice option to have?
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Old 04-03-2011, 10:17 AM   #138
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I purchased three maxxima mwl-04 led work lights for the exterior of the van. I want one directly over the 2 side doors, one over the rear doors, and one on the drivers side exterior somewhere, each on separate switches. I found this company on another thread somewhere else in this forum (posted by broncohauler maybe?- don't remember for sure)

http://www.maxxima.com/products/5/LED+Work+Lights.html#



I mounted the first one this a.m. over the side doors and under the awning.



These are rated at 400 lumens. They have some that look identical but use a different led (there are 6) that makes 650 lumens. They have others with slightly larger housings that go up to 1500 lumens! I decided on the 400 lumen version because I think its plenty of light and of course I want to watch consumption also.

I temped the light onto a 4d to illustrate the output in my shop (no windows in the shop, and turned off the flash on my camera.)



its a pretty wide projection, but notice the concentrated round pool in the center burning a hole into the concrete floor!

From a distance:


Impressive output


At floor level you can easily read this silicone tube, or look for your missing contact lens, or spot nightcrawlers for fishing.


The only negative comment is that I would prefer a 2 hole mount instead of a single point, for my application. I hadn't thought of it until I was starting the install. I cranked the bolt as tight as I dared, and put a couple of 1 1/4" fender washers on the inside with a locknut, so hopefully it doesn't wiggle loose.
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Old 04-06-2011, 06:06 PM   #139
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

I got my birthday gift to myself in the mail yesterday.



I won't get to it for a few days but it is nice to look at. Nice quality product for sure.

For giggles, I tried to put the spare that i have been carrying around for the last year on the tire carrier, and it didn't fit . HMMM... I wonder if it would fit on the van if I had a flat and needed it. I am assuming that the 2000 quigley conversion came with 8 x 170 because thats what aluminess said I needed, but I am not sure- seems I have read all sorts of reports on what size bolt pattern for what years. The best test for me will be to take a wheel off the van and see if it fits the carrier. It could be that the spare I've been carrying is an oddball (it came with the van when I bought it- never thought to check it).



tire carrier is clearly stamped with the bolt pattern.

Oh and I was wondering if you guys have poisonous spiders in Santee, California. When I unpacked the crate, a rather large brown spider came out of the package and is now hiding in my shop somewhere. I wouldn't say I was afraid of spiders, but I wouldn't want him walking on my face while I'm laying under the van.
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Old 04-06-2011, 11:13 PM   #140
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Re: ELVIS the BELUGA WHALE

Quote:
Originally Posted by teeots
I wouldn't say I was afraid of spiders, but I wouldn't want him walking on my face while I'm laying under the van.
Google "brown recluse spider bite". That'll freak you out.

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