protecting your van from the weather

[hwyman]

Hi all;

As i was reading the thread about quality paint job's and protecting your van from the elements, I recalled reading of a fella who wanted to protect his van from the weather he couldn't build a permenant fixture carport etc as it was not his home.

He also had limited tool's and building expeirence so he went to his local pluming and hardware store and purchased all the material to build his own carport and it looked great.

He used 50mm pvc pipe, T piece's joiner's etc and only needed a hacksaw, tape measure and a tin of that blue joining cement.
He then purchased some of those silver tarp's and had them stitched together to slip over the frame.

He then pegged the fixture to the ground this gave him access to his van while still bieng ventilated without tarps rubbing or condensating. How easy would it be to move if need be?
I think i may have to check out the cost involved !!! i know Supercheap have those gazebo's things but i dont think they're high enough and look very flimsy and would probably rust out in no time .


Hwyman.

[frankidownunder]

Hi hwyman, sure know what you mean by cost of protecting your van.
Have just had a carport erected for my Franklin van. The carport is 10m long by 4.5 m wide and 3.6m at the peak of the gable. So far has cost $2700 for the structure and $1400 for the erection (too big a job for myself.) plus council fees and site prep / finishing probably add up to over $5000.
Still it's probably worth it as can also fit in another car or small van. all protected from elements , besides Franki will have cost me nearly $12gs when she's finished refit this year.

Frankidownunder.

[hwyman]

Hi frankidownunder that all sound's costly enough with out council fee's.
I wonder how long that space for another small van will stay vacant? ;D ;D .

Hwyman.

[minicamper]

Hey Hwyman, another option is similar principal, but much easier and quicker.
Use 50mm black polypipe, you just cut the lengths (which will have a natural hoop bend in them) and slip each end over a star picket hammered into the ground. If you want a straight between the hoops to form a "backbone" you just cut another length, cut a chunk out of the ends (and middle places if necessary) and screw or teck screw to the tops of the hoops.

Looks a little like a covered wagon from the old Western movies.
This idea has been used to make chook runs, green houses etc and is a fair bit stronger than "pegging" down. You can also buy rolls of igloo plastic (greenhouses again) from commercial supplier at a reasonable cost. Being see through you're not protected from the sun, but I have a 6m x 6m green house that we continued along into 3 gables, so i have one greenhouse and 2 6m x 6m areas for my cars etc. if the sun worries you, you just put some 90% shadecloth over the top...

[cornishlass]

Hi Guys

Very good ideas on how to building a protective 'carport' or 'wagon' system for your van....... minicamper stated that if you need to add straight sections you could do a 'Blue Peter' job (ie cut and paste/screw). A simpler alternative might be to use connectors that you would use for fruit cages. See the following link and scroll down the page until you see the section on Build-a-Ball. This simple connector has six holes for connecting rods.

www.gardening-naturally.com/acatalog/Fruit_and_Vegetable_Cage_Components.html

Just a thought

Cornish Lass

[hwyman]

Hi all that's an economical way of building a shelter minicamper you just never know when you might pick up a barn find that need's some kind of cover to preserve it.
And cornishlass thats an interesting product i haven't seen before a building ball sort of like an adult Lego ;D ;D ;D.

Hwyman.

[willyn]

Hey Victoria and Mini
This is what I house my Teardrop (TIA) in I think it was mentioned on the forum before $199.00 Aussie dollars
basic frame it has a canvas cover for another $100 dollars
I put some top hat channel along it and screwed some zincalume sheets to it
Same configuration as the garden set up that you posted Cornishlass
been there for three years still looks o.k. was supposed to be temporary its now permanent /Temporary

Will

[fbmad]

To help keep the weather off my FB and EK Holdens that I can't get into my shed, I have made temporary shelters from sheets of steel concrete reinforcement ( or "REO" as the concreters call it)

Each sheet is 2.4 x 6 metres.Just bend the sheets ( length ways , need 2 people to do it ) and it forms itself into an arch, much like the covered wagons in the western TV shows mentioned earlier.

Use the smallest thickness sheet you can as its cheaper and easier to bend.

3 sheets will cover an FB sedan.

Wire the sheets together with tie wire ( after you bend them into shape individually,you can't bend them if they are all joined.

To hold the sheets on the ground, I cut steel star pickets in half, welded hooks onto them and just knocked them into the ground and the hooks hold the bottom of the sheet of reo to the ground.

Throw some builders plastic over the arch and tie it on to the arched reo with hay baling twine using a criss-cross pattern.

Black plastic will last about 2 years before the sun and wind wrecks it.Will last about 3 to 4 years if you cover the black plastic with shade cloth but shade cloth ain't cheap.

All up including 3 x sheets of concrete reo,used star pickets from the local dump,black builders plastic and baling twine, the temporary cover for each FB Holden I have cost approx $250.

You would probably have to lengthen each sheet by cutting and welding another 1/2 sheet to allow a bigger arch to cover a van but that would still bring the cost down to under $350 to cover a van.

Much cheaper than a carport ( yeah, I know, it don't look as good),temorary,and you can do some concreting with the reo for less $$$ if you decide you don't want the cover any more.


Just another idea to think of and it works for me.

Terry.

[minicamper]

Hey Will,

Where did you get it? It looks pretty good to me and a good price...

Cheers
Chris

[willyn]

Gidday minicamper
got the frame at super cheap auto spares
I think they are Australia wide
I put some heathers from bunnings over the roof and bamboo around the outside and it Matches the Bali patio at te back of the house

Will

[sportsman1]

Hey minicamper,

you can buy them on ebay complete with cover and sides/ends, starting price $129.00.
6m x 3m. Pick a quiet time and be patient and you should get one for 1 bid. I waited too long last year and had to buy one just before Easter when they were selling for around $300. I went to the distributor in Bayswater (Vic) and negotiated on one for $170.

Had to shorten the poles around 2" to fit it inside the Teardrop but I then carried the whole lot to Darwin and back and used it as a garage/living area. I guess when the cover falls apart I will erect it and fix some sheeting to the frame a la Will.

good luck, Leigh.

[cornishlass]

Hello guys from a very disgruntled vvanner

Put up a carport type erection for my van about a year ago, and all has been well...... up to now

Got up this morning to find that the carport in question did a Mary Poppins on me and flew away during the night

Actually the weather wasn 't too bad really considering the winds and rain we have had recently. Wind speeds were reckoned to be only about 75 miles per hour, had much stronger before in the past. It has obviously been weakened in the past and the winds we've had over the past couple of days were the final straw

So the moral of this tale is...... check (regularly) that it is pegged/cemented/or whatever down and is staying down. Luckily enough no major damage to the van, now have a small crack in one of the leaded lights, but that's all. Very lucky to have got away with it.

AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaggggghhh

Cornish Lass

[Roehm3108]

75mph?? That's only a zephyr where you are, isn't in c/lass??
Glad you saved the van anyway. Will you have to re-leadlight the whole window or can you repair it?
Cheers
Ray

[cornishlass]

Hi Ray

Hmmn Zephyr, must admit that I hadn't heard of that before with regard to the weather, Zephyr cars, well that's another story. Anyway looked it up in the dictionary, and yes, you are quite correct. Living where I do in Cornwall and being so high up, we do suffer more with winds than in other parts.

With regard to the window, at the moment I have just taped it up. Unfortunately it's a central pane so there will be quite a lot of work involved to repair it....... put on the back boiler for the time being. But as I said, it could have been much, much worse. Thanks for your concern.

Cornish Lass

[Roehm3108]

Why do you think they called the cars Zephyrs, C/lass,certainly NOT because they went fast!!!
Ray