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Post by Surf Tragic on Mar 24, 2009 10:57:07 GMT 10
Hi JBJ.
I have here with me my friend John who helped retieve the Don 120 & showed him your project, he was impressed. He wired his motorhome /bus with 12 & 240V, with inverter/charger, a top solar system as per your wish list. 2 x 200 amph deep cycle batteries, 6 x 80 watt solar panels, so charging by both panels & alternator & also 240. I know you don't need as many panels.
He suggests you contact Colin Rivers, a member of CMCA, who has written a book on powering Caravans & Motorhomes, it covers all aspects of solar installations.
The bloke who did the installation for John is Garry Davy of Davy Industries, Barnawartha North, Vic, Phone 0260 267711, he did a good job & everything worked very well, might be worthwhile picking his brains.
Hope this is some help.
Regards, Ron.
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Post by JBJ on Mar 31, 2009 19:30:22 GMT 10
Hi All, Got the hatch made recently. Its pretty big. The frame perimeter was jigsawed from 1900X190X19 pine side stringers. Whacked on a ply top, & a few coats of primer. Since these pix Daggsey's brought the rain here, & I can't get to finish paint & instal hatch, but I've finished all brackets & hinges. Tried lots of ways, but I cant get it to operate properly with both ends lifting together. So it'll be one end open at a time. Thats OK. referring to the posts about dropping fridges down thru hatches, this one will take a big chest freezer. JBJ
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2009 20:04:13 GMT 10
Hi Den.... Is wood is Good ... You wrote ... "referring to the posts about dropping fridges down thru hatches, this one will take a big chest freezer. JBJ" Onya mate... thinkin like an Aussie now.... can never have too much freezer space.. and ifn ya gunna install a fridge ... Y Knot install something that will chill the Pizz twice as quick... I know where ta head fa happy hour when Lucille is finished.... The rain is bothering you........ ... shoot Daggsey and things will brighten up in no time. ;D Reddo
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Post by JBJ on Apr 3, 2009 13:10:48 GMT 10
hi All, Got my custom coloured cupboard door handles back today from Dale at Classic Plastic. I sent him one sample,probably about a month or so back, & he produced 20 in Bright Red. There not perfect, but pretty good. In reality they are as good as what I gave him to copy. Total cost $68.00 including $8 postage. Good value from my point. Sure you could rub the originals back & paint your colour, but if you only had bits & pieces, & some broken ones, like I had, you dont have many options. JBJ
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Post by humpty2 on Apr 3, 2009 17:37:38 GMT 10
That is excellent value........(makes a mental note.) If I need some, I know where to go, does he have a minimum order on that sort of thing Dennis? I can see a market here just like Tonyh's rubber. Virtually all sunliners, and most vintage vans of the late 50's and early 60's used them. Love your work. Regards......Peter.
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dorian
Full Member
Sundown
Posts: 247
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Post by dorian on Apr 3, 2009 19:05:20 GMT 10
Agreed! Good score mate. Good value, too.
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Post by JBJ on Apr 7, 2009 8:27:15 GMT 10
hi All, Well its pretty wet up here since Daggsey broke the drought on his trip north. rained pretty well non stop the last week or two. Progress is continuing. Over the last couple of weeks I've finished the hatch & its support mechanism, got it painted, & fitted a rubber seal around the bottom. Also collected the leadlight for the porthole & fitted it. Fitted a J mould to the right hand side. Got the external lights all working & final fitted. Installed Right hand side hinged windows, & constructed strut rods/locking mechanisms, as well as buying lots of electrical components. Hopefully this week will see Bob the Builder come back & finish a couple of doors I need for rego, then I've just got to paint the left hand side, fit 2 window assemblies & persuade Daggsey to paint "Lucille" on her bum, as we cant allow ladies to go out in public undressed. Should be towing to weighbridge & to get brakes finalised in the next few weeks. Its all fun. JBJ
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Post by JBJ on Apr 12, 2009 20:46:53 GMT 10
Hi All, Love these long weekends. Bought a stack of ply sheets & decided to get into the area under the bed, to make the storage cupboards I've had in mind. Laid battens on the existing floor. Then put a sheet of 7mm ply down. Formed up a box to go across the full width to accept tent poles & other long bits. The idea was then to create a large storage box on the LHS to accept the annex & bits, with access thru the door I created. Lots of ply, nails & glue later, I put the lid on it. The bedding will be supported on timber slats to allow air flow under bedding. The mattresses will be full size double bed, probably in foam this time. Because I used car taillights, I had to provide access to the rear of the lights, so I ran a sheet of ply across & made a removeable recessed shelf. I closed up the last of the wheel well cutouts with more ply. I then fitted the original cupboard door using new Bunnings hinges, & relocated the catch using my new handles. Managed to get a few bits of the interior into final paint. While this was happenning, the Daggster got stuck into giving Lucille her name. Hand lettered & brush painted, & it looks great. He's going to finish it with highlites soon, just cant get away from the persistent rain. Still got a day left Its all fun JBJ
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 12, 2009 23:25:19 GMT 10
G'day JBJ,
Some more fine work on Lucille there and some more clever thinking as well. The finished caravan will be another show piece I'm sure.
I don't know who first thought up the idea of having an annexe compartment accessible from outside, but it's a jolly good idea. Heaving the annexe around in the van can cause a fair bit of wear and tear because the storage areas always seem to be tight once you put something bulky like an annexe in them. I seem to remember seeing pics of a few vans built in the '50's with an externally accessible annexe compartment, but it would be interesting to try an pinpoint when the concept first appeared.
Good to see Daggsey at work - nice to see him earning his camping fees at the JBJ ranch. ;D ;D ;D
Don Ricardo
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Post by JBJ on Apr 16, 2009 20:45:13 GMT 10
Hi All, More progress. I've got Bob the Builder(Butcher) working on Lucille. He's making progress on doors & cupboards, stuff that needs skills I dont have, He fitted the entry door & made an Insert door, plus internal pantry door. I made some overhead cupboard doors & fitted them. He started on the kitchen cupboards, & discovered how out of square Lucille is. We made the fitout suit the existing walls, but realised it needs to be adapted to being out of square, I show this to show you how you cannot rely on a tradesman to think. Bob screwed the internal cuboards to the exterior (finish painted) walls using 30mm screws, then asked me hours later how thick the external wall is. ( 7mm) Rule 1, dont expect that because you pay someone to do something that they will think. But overall I'm making real good progress. JBJ
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Post by Roehm3108 on Apr 16, 2009 21:36:55 GMT 10
Hi Dennis Had a spare hour to download your latest pics via my dialup. I hardly recognise Lucille from what she looked like originally, a credit to your perseverence and attention to detail, which restoration is all about.
A great job well done and I'm sure an inspiration to all the other restorers on this site.
Cheers
Ray
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 16, 2009 21:43:49 GMT 10
G'day JBJ, Externally visible cabinet fixings? Very edgy, very stylish. Not sure they'll take off though... ;D ;D ;D Good to see a bit more progress though, even if it involves a little step back as part of it. And Ray is right - your work inspires the rest of us. Don Ricardo
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Post by JBJ on Apr 19, 2009 20:24:41 GMT 10
Hi All, Another weekend down. Made heaps off progress since last report. Bob's done a fair bit on our kitchen, & made a couple of doors. I painted the yellow on the LHS, then I polished & fitted the J moulds. Daggsey got busy & started painting the red, I made a major boo boo with the red. I bought Epoxy metal paint on special, & it doesnt cover at all. Needs about 5 coats to cover background properly, compared to one coat for the Dulux yellow. img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/jailbarjuice/lucille16april09016.jpg[/IMG] Undercoated & painted doors, refitted a window after Daggsey re arranged it with his head, & generally got lots of little bits done, & I repaired Bobs external fixing Got lots of interior painting finished. Hopefully next weekekend should have everything ready for rego. Its all fun.( I think) JBJ
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Post by JBJ on Apr 27, 2009 9:19:20 GMT 10
hi All, well I got most of the stuff required to register Lucille. Just got to fish re assembling the entry door, but I'm getting Bob the builder to do a couple more days on the drawers & kitchen. img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/jailbarjuice/lucille27april003.jpg[/IMG] Fitted polished brass vents for fridge. This side is pretty well finished.When I fitted the home made windows, it was quite a job to get them to sit flat. So I made some external catches using aluminimum tube & flyscreen clips. Seem to hold the window in tighter, but I'm not sure if they will work long time. I guess I'll find out if they break. Daggsey's final effort looks great. The hand painted sign matches the rest of the van. Passenger side rear door to storage access, after fitting polished trim. Door centre section still not fitted. Just got weld on safety chains & away she goes in a couple of days. Its all good JBJ
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Post by Swellwillys on Apr 27, 2009 10:12:14 GMT 10
"Swell " job Jailbar!
No Great Job Jailbar!
Swellwillys
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Post by atouchofglass on Apr 27, 2009 10:37:02 GMT 10
Puff that chest out JBJ
She's looking A1
Just shows what lots of work and a passion for detail will get you
Keep at it we all enjoy seeing Lucille being brought back better than original
Cheers Atog
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Post by Surf Tragic on Apr 27, 2009 23:18:56 GMT 10
That van is amazing, that is what you call Unique, there's definitely nothing like it, , and it is a credit to you JBJ. I couldn't see it before, but you had the vision , the van will turn heads Great to see !! Cheers, Ron.
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Post by JBJ on Apr 28, 2009 6:42:00 GMT 10
Hi All,
Thanks for the replies.
Lucille certainly is a different van, as Sutcac & Earlee commented the other day when they visited, it looks a lot like a teardrop on steroids.
Still got a lot of time & money to go into finishing the interior, then I have do redo a lot of paintwork around the door. I ended up with problems caused by humidity, mould & my impatience with the painting in that area.
Still paints easy fixed after it goes real hard, especially when its brushed or rollered.
JBJ
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Post by JBJ on Apr 28, 2009 15:41:16 GMT 10
Hi All,
Well hooked Lucille up, & towed her to the nearest gravel Quarry to get weighed on registered weighbridge. Snuck in amongst all the tippers & trailers getting weighed, & found she'd put on weight since lasrt supposed weighing.
I thought I would have removed a considerable amount of weight, but no. Up from 760 Kg on last (2 years ago) rego to 780 Kg. Not much, but I had hoped to sneak under the 750 Kg. The price changes for rego at that in NSW.
So then I towed her down to Ballina where the brakes are getting a new master cylinder, & hard & soft lines, & adjusted. Then its Rego check in a couple of days.
My You beaut window clips didn't last long, so I guess I gotta redesign them stronger.
Still Lucille towed perfectly, & I drove over a few rough bits of pot holed road as well as highway.
So far all is good, & she certainly towed as well as I hoped.
JBJ
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elpea
Junior Member
sandrover
Posts: 87
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Post by elpea on Apr 28, 2009 19:55:50 GMT 10
I understand that the accuracy of weigh bridge's may only be accurate to plus or minus 20 to 30 kg. This information come from a TV show which was trying to weigh a man of massive proportions. he could not be weighed on regular scales. so they put him in a car on a weigh bridge then took away the weight of the car. The next time the weighed him he had put on 20 to 30kg after diet and exercise. they asked the operator of the weigh bridge how accurate it was. plus or minus 20 to 30 Kg.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2009 1:21:01 GMT 10
JBJ ......congratulations on a top effort with Lucille ......your tireless motivation, work and attention to detail is exemplary .....the caravan looks great, and will be a definate "head turner" when she hits the road ......very impressive won't hijack your thread, but on the subject of weighbridges, I got Hillbilly's caravan aptly named "Hillbilly" registered last week in Beverley. In the city, you have to go to the weighbridge, pay a fee, and get a 'certificate of weight' to present to the licencing inspection centre. Not so in Beverley Hills ......I guess their style is a little "hillbilly style" ......you take the caravan to the weighbridge at the wheat solo, but there is no one in attendance, so you peep through the peep hole in the door to see the digitally displayed weight of the caravan, then you tow the caravan down to the local mechanic, who is also the inspector for vehicle licencing, and you "tell" him the weight of the van .......needless to say, "Hillbilly" weighed less than the legally required weight for brakes in WA ;D ;D ;D ;D Mark
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Post by JBJ on Apr 29, 2009 21:43:15 GMT 10
hi All,
Another day gone, & closer to rego.
Got the call to go pick up Lucille from Northern Rivers Brake & Exhaust in Ballina ( who I've used exclusively since they opened in 1984) as she was ready to go. They supplied & fitted new master cylinder, all the hard line tubing, clips, etc, new hoses to both wheels, & and got everything working for $607. I'm very happy as they do brilliant work on everything they repair.
Towed it home, again towed as smooth as you would believe. Took it to the local steel fabricators & got the safety chains welded to the drawbar. $10 later I spoke to their adjoining factory owner, the canvas maker that did the awning for our Sunliner, who discussed where to fit & stop the sail track, & booked in to get awning top made.
These guys operate just over the fence of the farm I live on.
Went to the rego inspector. Really dissapointing trip. He was more concerned with what Lucilles colours were than looking at her. 2 minutes maximum I had an inspection as a re registration of an expired rego.
Didnt do anything but check tyre rating & lights, so all the work I put into the chassis and drawbar reworks wasn't even considered. Thats OK I suppose, but I would have appreciated a "Good Job under here" from him for his fee.
So now head down & bum up to earn more loot to pay the department of bad roads for my number plate.
Its all fun
JBJ
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Post by Don Ricardo on Apr 29, 2009 22:09:54 GMT 10
Went to the rego inspector. Really dissapointing trip. He was more concerned with what Lucilles colours were than looking at her. 2 minutes maximum I had an inspection as a re registration of an expired rego. Didnt do anything but check tyre rating & lights, so all the work I put into the chassis and drawbar reworks wasn't even considered. Thats OK I suppose, but I would have appreciated a "Good Job under here" from him for his fee. Hi JBJ, It's nice when excellent work is acknowledged. On the other hand a cursory look and no comment from the rego guy is probably better than having to go back to square one over some issue or another. You'll just have to leave the acknowledgment of excellent work to your V V colleagues who understand how much time and effort is needed to get Lucille from where she started to where she is now. ...Which reminds me to say that I reckon you've done a fantastic job on Lucille. She is looking as pretty as a picture, and far more well balanced than she did originally. Don Ricardo
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2009 7:39:58 GMT 10
Hi JBJ Thats good news. Doesnt it poop ya off when ya do all that work and it doesnt even get a second look at rego inspection time. Never mind..... its better than him telling you to go away and get the welds x-rayed and an engineers report for thye chassis modifications ;D She looks sweet and should cut the breeze / tow nicely . Ya gunna get a special plate for her "LUO-CLL" "LUC-3LE".. "JBJ-111" "BOO-TZZ" ;D Reddo
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Post by minicamper on Apr 30, 2009 8:39:36 GMT 10
Hey Dennis, Great progress so far. You're making me feel guilty for not working on Olive since before Easter.. Tell me, what skills exactly do you think you don't have that prevented you from doing your own kitchen cupboards? Everything I've seen so far displays a wide range of skills and great attention to detail.. Can you fill us in on how the door was made? I reused my original framing with new ply (thinner) but I'm finding that it wants to twist outwards at the top.. Cheers Chris
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