Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2008 20:24:49 GMT 10
AAAhhhh how a spellin mistook brings everyone to attention
Ok .... ahem...... "How to build an ICE Chest"
An easy to follow blow by bleed description of how to knock up an ice chest to fit that odd shaped cupboard.
When i bought "Rosie D Bondy"She was missing the ice chest... Now everyone knows just how prized these items are. But... know one knows why so many vans turn up with the old ice chest removed???
Never did get a logical reply to that one did we???
The problem is even further compounded when you have your kitchen across the front of the van. It means that the back wall of the ice chest is curved........ not flat like a side mounted kitchen ice chest.
So faced with this problem i set about to re-create a chest that was as near as possible to original( wellllllll perhaps a few short cuts) Bloody hard when you have nothing but an empty space and a bit of Canex/coconut insulation still hanging from a few pin nails to work from.
Problem is further compounded by this...
I have the filler neck and pipe for the water tank on the right. I have already modified the pipe coming off the filler inlet so that it faces straight down rather than jut out another 2" into ice chest space. The old ice box must have been really small ??The orange hose is the pipe from the galvanised iron water tank to the fynspray galley pump on the sink under the front window. The small hose is a flexible 2 metre long gas hose i had made up to go from a 5KG LPG bottle that is going to live on the ground outside the van under a sugar bag to the 3 burner stove which sits in an alcove above the ice chest. So all 3 are taking up valuable ice chest space ... less space = less beer storage= one dehydrated Reddo .
True i could move the water filler and hose to the front of the van but the van is painted now and i dont want to have to start plugging 6" holes in the van. So.. answer is to build a chest that allows all this spagetti plumbing to wind its way past the chest.
Firstly i shelled out big dollars for some aluminium sheeting
OOOOppppps... you arent suppose to see that
Ahhh ... thats better...
Marked it out to suit base and most of the back wall ( front wall of the van) dimensions
Then employed the "Reddotel Hunka Meranti MK1 Folding Device " to bend the metal to shape. I am really lucky i have a timber benchtop. Just drill 2 holes in the wood and then position over fold line and screw down 2 X 30mm woodscrews to hold the timber on the fold line. Then just heave on the tin until she folds up to a right angle. Coupla smacks with a hammer to persuade it ta stay in shape and Fannys ya Granny.. all done.
I drilled the drain hole in the base ready to take the drain pipe from the ice box up top later on . I did it now 'cause i wont be able to get a shot at it with the drill later on.
Check him for fit.. looks ok ta me.
Next up was ta bend up a "Top half' for the chest.. some people might argue that i should have folded it all in one go. But ya gotta remember that the actual sheet metalwork is bigger than the door opening and it wont fit in .. in one big chunk. so i had to make the surround in 4 bits Add to that i am a total sheetmetalworking loser , and the issue with a curved back of the fridge wall all becomes a bit too much for this kindergarten sheetmetalworking drop out.
Oh and then there is the logistics of finding a good aluminium road sign big enough to do the job in one hit .
Thank god for the "Orphan Sign bin" at work.
Next up is a penis eye view of the "Reddotel Size 9 steelcappers and jack stand Folda MK 11". a must for all serious ice chest knocker upperers. ;D Works a treat and guaranteed accurate to within 1'' of the scribed line.
Once "Number 9s" are in position just reach down, grab the tin and heave upwards. Just make sure that the applied upward effort doesn't throw you backward off the sheet. If ya grit ya teeth and stay determined to stand on the tin you will end up with a neat fold.... Bingo... too easy. Fold either side with about a 20mm (3/4" there Col ;D) lap so you have room to either sikaflex or rivet the side walls on.
OK . Enough of the roof and bottom. Chuck em out of the way for now... onwards we push.. no blood yet... I am doing well.
Sides are easy . I find the 35KPH signs have a better insulating quality than the 60 KPH signs. Rip, hack . tear the sides to shape. No folding required . They just overlap the folds ya have already made in the top-n-bottom bits.....
Here is a pix of the box sitting roughly in place....
Now here is the real surprise. I thought i would go and have a Sanger and report on my progress to the missus. She usually has the first aid box open by about 9.00am just waiting for the first scream of pain and the resultant blood loss..... but .....oooooooo... nooooo Not today... She was to be denied the opportunity to play Florence Nightingale... all was going smoothly .
1/2 hour later and the whistle on the shed of invention sounded that lunch was over. Time to get on with it.
Well folks i returned to the shed to check how the box was looking in the van.... Now i know ya's arent gunna believe this but....
While i was away a lone stubby had snuck into the half built ice chest... HOW GOOD IS THIS .. THE ICE CHEST WAS ACTUALLY ATTRACTING BEER.... ... BLOODY BEWDY MATE... ;D
I ran in side to tell the missus and.... by the time we came back out.........Ya not gunna believe this folks....
The little buggers where queing up in the van to get in the new ice chest.... Would i lie to you guys
Its dead set true folks... one after another they lined up and climbed into the van....
By about 4 o'clock they where lined up out to the front gate pushin and shoven each other ta get to the head of the line.....
Well... That'll do me i thought i put away the tools for today and just sat back grabbed a coldy out of the new"Reddotoocool for words" Ice chest and watched this amazing 4nominum .
Cant help but wander what is gunna happen when i line around the new chest with Broccoli box lids and then throw a bag of ice in there. Gunna have to make sure i lock the van door. The little buggers will force me out of house and "Eyes Chest".
Stay tuned Kiddies. During the coming weeks your old Uncle Reddo will post some more progress shots of "Rosies Magic Ice Chest".
Oh and a bonus edition .............
Ever heard of a 9'2" Bondy that has enough room for an ice chest AND a vintage 240v/12v/ lpg fridge
Tell em nothing Gristy
Reddoh doh doh