Whitey Ford

[webbmac]

The Fiamma mount looks awesome. I was always concerned about deploying the awning when the top was up. I had talked to Dave at Aluminess about wrapping the rain gutters with tubular aluminum (i.e. roof rack without a bottom) to create a hard-point below the penthouse to attach and awning to. Being the straight shooter he is, Dave tried and ultimately was successful in talking me out of it and the ~$1k cost.

Have you used the awning with the top up? If so, has it worked alright. I've bought and ultimately sold two awnings used because I just can't comfortable with the robustness of current mounting options. I go over some roads that have and will find any weak points in the rig.

I would love to hear more about how your mount is working.

[Nomadcat]

I don't have a top, so that changes things. I'm a Quadvan homebrew. I keep thinking about getting a Voyager top, but I have been using the roof rack so much and now have the solar panel mounted, etc., so I'll just be hunching over for a while.

[Nomadcat]

a few more shots. this from the side, shot into the sun. sorry about that. I'm amazed at the scale. what seemed so huge in my apartment - the awning - looks just right on the van. it either says something about the size of my apartment or about the size of the van. or both.


this one is from behind. I'm going to see if the plastic things from Fiamma fit on the exposed bolt ends, but I'll probably just leave them off. they are interior ornaments and will probably not last outside. what I should do is hack the ends of the bolts off, but let's see if I ever get around to that.


this shot shows the profile from the side. pretty thin, all things considered.


I cannot get this shot to go vertical when I preview it, so it's going up sideways. I guess the forum software doesn't allow for vertical orientation. I'll have to remember that in the future.

[webbmac]

Very nice. Looks like it could withstand a direct nuclear hit. Wish I had that option but I have the penthouse.

[daveb]

rotate it before you post.

[BroncoHauler]

After scraping your ankle on one of those exposed bolts just one time, I'll bet you get around to cutting off the excess thread.

Nice, clean install, that's for sure.


Herb

[Nomadcat]

Recently re-did much of the interior. I wanted to re-orient the bed so that it would face longitudinally, rather than barely making it cross-wise in the back. Since I have a platform bed with a storage system underneath, this took a little doing. I extended it and this also allowed me to re-do the areas around my wheel wells where, in my initial build, I had wasted much space. I installed a hinged door on one and now have a new storage area around the well, then I installed a small door in the other. I also strengthened the supports around the wells, as these help to hold up the bed.

I then made the shelving deeper and added a shelf in the rear, as I had to remove the current one. I also changed the position of the fridge again and, since it rides on an Engel extending gizmo, I was able to stash it under the dog's platform.

Here's a shot of the work in progress:



Here's a quick shot from the other direction after much of the work was completed. You'll notice the fan has big velcro strips around it. That's for an insulation panel I made for super cold weather. I just pop it up over the fan with the velcro. The bottom shelf on the left is now almost buried by the bedding, but it's 100% functional. The little angled thing next to it is a laptop desk with storage underneath. My solar panel controller is above it. The Fiamma brace and crank are on the ceiling. Fluorescent and L.E.D lighting is up and running at this point. My porthole withe the foil insulation cover is on the right. My wheel well hatch door is on the right if you fold the mattress up a bit and pull:



Here's a galley box I built. It's shortened because two of my house batteries go in a box directly under it when the door is closed. I may hang these under the van one day, but I'm going to save that for the future. I am burnt on van work for the moment. I have a small, hinged piece of wood that opens and turns the cover for the box into a table when the door is closed. It actually works pretty well. I use a little bit of velcro - not visible in this photo - to keep the hinted piece of wood in place while driving.

[Nomadcat]

Here's a shot of the front shelving. Please excuse the mess - it's right after I threw everything back in the van. When you work in the street and have no garage, you have to move fast. I have since re-arranged and neatened things up a bit. Visible here is the Engel on its sliding rails, the new shelving, my tiny electric ceramic heater for when I have shore power, the bed extension on the left, the dog platform behind my seat, the emergency pottie, also behind the seat, the dip of a console box I built. That may get rebuilt next, but it's doing the job for now. Also an L.E.D. lamp on a goosenect that I find invaluable. Last is the remote readout for the Engel fridge thermometer.



Finally, a shot of the Rotopax 1 gallon container mounted behind the Aluminess box. I have since raised it up so that I could use a locking Rotopax handle, which was just an eighth of an inch too much for that position, so I moved it up to where there was plenty of room from the license plate holder. You can see the vent I put in the Aluminess box for generator storage. I did not want any fumes to build up. In the distance you can the nearly completed new World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower, as it is also sometimes called.

[BIGVANS]

Nice!

[Ultrasport12]

Thanks for the update...Its looking really good...I like the old Econoline badges by the way, nice touch...