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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 7, 2023 9:47:35 GMT 10
Step by step, you're getting there R3108.  Don Ricardo |
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Post by hilldweller2 on Feb 7, 2023 14:39:10 GMT 10
Wow Ray, this is awesome! Your ability to see the potential in the van and the chassis you started with, visualise how a completely different van could look in 3 dimensions, and then put it together so beautifully is a real talent! Lantern roof was definitely the right decision. I'm looking forward to what's coming next and especially your colour choices I hope all is well with you. I'm slightly worried you may not be eating enough, looking at the size of that gap! |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 8, 2023 13:11:50 GMT 10
Hi HD! Lovely to see a post from across the ditch again. Despite protestations to the contrary a couple of years ago, looks like I've ventured to another build. Maintaining one's motivation is probably the hardest part of the build, which is very much why I tend to overdo the posts. Of course we won't talk about poor knees, sciatica and arthritis, which is to be expected at this age.
I hope you are enjoying traipsing around your fair country in your van. After all, that's what it's all about!
Take care
Ray
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 9, 2023 7:10:23 GMT 10
Love it when you stumble across a bargain! I saw this caravan water pump on Marketplace a month ago and saved the ad, in case I might be interested in buying it. When the price dropped to $40, I couldn't resist. A bit of steel wool and it came up a treat and functions perfectly! I plan to instal it into the van.  |
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Post by Mustang on Feb 10, 2023 7:41:38 GMT 10
Amazing find, I paid $200 for mine.
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 10, 2023 18:28:21 GMT 10
Amazing find, I paid $200 for mine. Mustang, I was surprised too that this didn't sell earlier. The seller told me he had more than ten no-shows! A case of the photo didn't really sell it, because it looked quite marked. It came out of an early Viscount. |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 11, 2023 10:41:37 GMT 10
Have finally fitted the outer shell of the lower parts of the roof and sealed it against the vertical wall of the higher roof. This morning I applied one coat of waterproofing to the new sections and ran out of the compound, so need to make a trip to the BGS again. I have done the upper section with three coats of this compound and want to do the same with the lower part. As the forecast is for 35 degrees today, followed by 39 and 36 degrees after that, I think I'll take a break from using a brush for anything!! In hindsight, I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't venture into shaping the lines of the lower section of the roof the same as the upper section, (with the curves). Aesthetically I think it may have looked better, but going by the difficulties of bending this ply, it would have been much more difficult. I'll mark that down for when I come back in another life!! I have however made sure that the height of the section against the vertical part is 5mm higher that the outer wall, to lower the risk of ponding. As my foreman say, if it still does pond after that, wind the front up or down a bit!   |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 16, 2023 14:59:38 GMT 10
I must be slowing down! Finally got the front outer skin finished and the waterproofing compound fully done on the roof! I like numbers and when I checked to see how many sheets of plywood I originally bought - 20, it is nice to know that I only have two left to fit to the rear. So 90% of the inner and outer walls are done! It's so much slower when you only have one pair of hands. Won't get back to it again till next week, to do that final bit.  With joints sealed:  |
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Post by Surf Tragic on Feb 16, 2023 23:33:52 GMT 10
Roehm3108, it looks like you're enjoying yourself. Did the Park manager offer to give you a hand at any stage ? surely he would be enthused by now.
It's looking really good young man.
Cheers. ST
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Post by hilldweller2 on Feb 17, 2023 16:16:53 GMT 10
Yep it's looking lovely. Keep going! Good to know 20 sheets is the magic number for a smallish van too.
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Post by Roehm3108 on Feb 25, 2023 8:50:30 GMT 10
Sheet number 20 has finally been fitted and the cladding is complete. Still have some sealing work to do before adding a protective PSU and moving to the interior.  Hilldweller, that 20 number seems to be it, doesn't it. It did include 4 x 3000mm sheets for the sides, as they were longer than the 2400mm standard sheets. I needn't have done that for the door side, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. |
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Post by hilldweller2 on Feb 25, 2023 16:38:46 GMT 10
Twenty out of twenty, that's 100%. Go to the top of the class Ray That shape looks great with the cladding on. |
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 27, 2023 12:46:34 GMT 10
G'day Roehm,
Great to see the Mini-Ray-Go fully clad. It's looking good. Do you have a colour scheme in mind?
Having used 20 sheets of ply, I think I'd have to say that you SCORED with absolute precision!
Don Ricardo
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 2, 2023 13:32:53 GMT 10
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Post by hilldweller2 on Mar 5, 2023 10:27:03 GMT 10
Oooooh yes that is going to look awesome and I can just picture the finished van surrounded by fields of thistles in bloom! Can't wait to see the actual colours. Good to know what paint you're using too.
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 23, 2023 12:17:26 GMT 10
Hi All After a lot of time consuming prep work, the paints have been chosen and now applied. I've temporarily inserted one window to give an impression of what it would look like.    That numberplate block will be the same as the roof colour.  Not that the photos really give you the true colours, because even during photographing, you could see the changes depending on the sun's activity while it played hidey!! For those interested in such things, I created the colours using the previous thistle photos on a Taubman's colour app called Coloursmith. It was great fun! The reason for bringing the roof paint colour down the wall in the little loops, is to distract the viewer from focusing on the horizontal plane of the lower roof section. You may recall that I mentioned earlier that I wasn't totally happy with the way I built that. I couldn't help the feeling of shades of Rubik's Kube with a couple of the colours, despite coming to the choices from a very different direction.  |
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Mar 23, 2023 16:40:59 GMT 10
him ray well done, it looks very classy and as you said, it is reminiscent of "good old rubic'. what are you going to call it? maybe the "Bubblegum Bedouin". geoff 'n jude |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 24, 2023 7:28:03 GMT 10
Geoff, I'd feel a bit like Rohan Atkinson trying to say Bubblegum Bedouin!! No, I think I'll settle on Thistle-Doo because of the thistle colours I've used.
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Mar 24, 2023 17:44:22 GMT 10
hi ray
i forgot about "thistle do".
look forward to seeing it and you before too long.
geoff 'n jude
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Post by hilldweller2 on Mar 27, 2023 6:18:05 GMT 10
Love it!!!!!
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 27, 2023 7:49:41 GMT 10
Wow R3108!
I love the look of the new van and the colours you have chosen. I also admire the fact that you are willing to choose such bold colours.
As it happens the colours and the patterns you have chosen on the side are very 1930's and complement the lantern roof, which is also very 1930's. But then you knew that already didn't you?
Don Ricardo
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Post by Roehm3108 on Mar 28, 2023 7:26:32 GMT 10
Thanks for your kind words DonR. Of course I knew that the design and colour choices are in keeping with the 1930's era!!!! NOT! For some fun, I attempted painting a bit of pinstriping between the colours! Here's the result! Thistle-Doo!!   |
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Post by Roehm3108 on Apr 6, 2023 15:30:40 GMT 10
Unlike the exterior of the paintwork, I wasn't too worried about the internal colours - a case of get as close to the colour you would like without spending a fortune. So I have collected a few mistinted colours from the big green shed at half price, which were close to what I wanted. Now the bare interior is painted too. From now I put on my electrics hat! Tomorrow the solar panel!!! Which should be interesting, considering i have only got about a foot of space between van and carport rooves.   |
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Post by Mustang on Apr 7, 2023 7:04:12 GMT 10
This van has come a long way since the Jayco factory.
WOW what an imagination & skills can manage together.
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Post by Roehm3108 on Apr 7, 2023 13:42:06 GMT 10
When I started this build, it was always my intention to fit the semi-flexible solar panel lengthways, along the raised roof section. But I was never totally happy to be actually gluing the panel to the roof, in case I needed to remove it for any reason. Yesterday I glued the 5mm corflute to keep the underside of the panel cool and intended to glue the whole lot to the roof today. I must have had a good sleep, as this morning I realised that the length of the panel and the width of the roof were exactly the same!! So I was able to attach the panel to the roof crossways, with screws and washers directly into the side frame of the vertical part of the roof via the eyelets in the panel. I did have to find the sub-frame for attaching the centre front of the panel. But It's firmly attached and I'm confident it will not rip off. After all, as you can see from the pics, the whole thing has a very low profile. Solar panel? What solar panel?  Nice low profile  |
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