How to build an "eyes chest"

[Deleted]

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

[Deleted]

Ok kiddies..
Todays lesson is bought to you by a vegetable...

Yes siree Bob.. A vegetable.

The lowly Broccoli gets a mention in todays construction efforts...


Ok i am not actually using Broccoli in the construction of the ice chest ... Just the foam boxes for insulation..... .... or what i now term as "Brocollation",
Swung past the local Coles supermarket on the way home and ratted through the dumpster bin out the back... came up with 2 boxes with 30mm thick walls and lid..... Bloody Bewdy mate.
A big cheerio goes to the brocolli growers in "Wirrabri" Victoria... you grow a very health foam box down there

These foam boxes are great to work with after carving away at wood for ages. Just measure up the dimensions. Mark it out on the box with texta and then attack it with a fine panel saw..... too easy ( hmmmm i see a market for Reddotel foam caravans in the future).
Before i done that i had to build a false wall frame out of 30 X19mm meranti on the right side to give some support to that side of the ice chest and at the same time clear the bulb of the water filler.


I cut and dry fitted most of the panels before i started glueing tem in place with Max bond liquid nails.
.

One layer 30mm thick was enough to pack the roof and the left side. The front wall will need a double layer of foam to sit up against the back of the fridge. The right side had to be done in four bits on the first layer to build it out to the depth of the water filler bulb shape. It will need a second layer of foam to seal between the side of the van and the ice chest.
So... the two sides of the ice box that face the outer surfaces will have 60mm of foam insulation.
The top took a single layer and i am working on the theory that heat rises. So hopefully the tin floor of the stove, plus the tin floor of the stove alcove, plus a 10mm ply base on top of 30mm of foam then the ice box liner should be enough to keep the heat from the stove away from the ice in the top of the chest.
If it doesnt work then i will cut a bit of 12mm thick hardiplank/ fibro to slot in under the stove...

So.... in the little time i spent on it today things are starting to come together.

I am going to pump a heap of Selleys gap filler in around where the sheets of foam dont touch. Then apply the second layer of foam to the rear wall and right side of the box to bring it all in contact with the inner walls of the chest. Gunna try and stick 2 layers of foam under the floor of the chest to insulate it from the road heat. might even slap a bit of foam up under the van with a layer of aluminium plate over it to provide added heat shielding from the road temp in summer...... Oh and the door . gotta Broccolate that yet and then nail sheet iron or alloy over it. I picked up a vegemite jar at a garage sale the other day. Chockers full of 5/8" brass dome head tacks. should look the goods when i nail em around the edge of the chest near the door /entry

Now... just gotta wait for the next supply of broccoli boxes to hit the Coles dumpster and another drunk knocks over a few more aluminium road signs

;D
Its all good bruddders.

Its good bye for now from Polly Styrene

[tinnie]

Just call me Schultz - I no nuthink!

hmmm 60mm of poystyrene, thats as thick as a coolromm wall....I have some at home (actually I havea tandem trailer load at home) 50mm thick......have some ideas for it and an icebox...

Good work Reddo, are you sure you didn't spray some sort of 'beer-attractant' into rosie's iceboxcavity? And did any of those poor unsuspecting dry's survive the afternoon?
I think not ;D

Cheers,
Mexico'snumber1vintagecaravanfridgedealer
8-)Gristy

[Roehm3108]

Well Reddo, I gotta say, it's good that the icebox college has taught you to use a tape measure these days, or was it added into the pic as a prop!!

Can ya tell me please how an extra dry beer can quench a thirst??

Glad ya gave a photografix pics to go with the description - makes it all more interesting. In all, it's gonna be KOOOOLLLLL

Did I ever tell ya I managed to pick up an icebox innards for my Superb, for the princly sum of $1 ;D ;D wasn't as much fun as you're havin' though.

Cheers

Ray

[minicamper]

Reddo, how could you after posting this when i asked the question..

"ummmm ... you are using a tin esky ARENT YOU... please dont tell me you are using a plastic esky... how in the hell do ya make plastic cold.... Tin .. yes certainly... but plastic... never. Ever grabbed a plastic bottle of fizzy drink out of a fridge at the same time as a can ...... whats the coldest..... THE CAN... .
Hmmmmmm makes me wander why they went to new fangle plastic lined fridges in the first place....... and dont come that better insulator crap with me....
Of course there is a better insulator than plastic or tin and that is.... yep you guessed it .. WOOD.
no bullshit. Wood is the best insulator there is. Ok wanna argue due ya... remember when dad use to go to the iceworks and buy block ice ( shit Reddo your showing your age now) the coolroom had 6" thick walls full of sawdust... no word of a lie... there is no better insulator than wood . So... go get some old cypress pine floor boards... nail up a box.. build another one 2 inches bigger and poor saw dust between them.... its the best ice chest you will ever own.......
Just my totally unbiased opinion on the subject of ice and how to keep it longer... bugger the gas /240v and 12volt ozone depleting rubbish"

And now you're doing both plastic (well foam) AND the Gristy fridge

Cheers
Chris (owner of a wood insulated, yet to be tested ice chest)

[rfw]

Ironic that with all this ice box talk Google should have a chiller ad at top of page!!

[rfw]

Noticed there were some "fobbergross" chillers in the ad - just what reddo loves! (not) haha

[Deleted]

Hi Chris

After spending 2 weeks scraping the husk of the outside of the coconuts i realised i was not going to collect insulation.. or "cocolation " to pack around my new/ replica ice chest.
So ... i investigated sawdust... again no way of containing it in the old ice chest spot while sliding in the tin inner chest.
Therefore foam ( Broccolilation) became the insulation of choice.

The front and right side insulation is now 60mm thick. These two walls are the ones that actually butt up to the outside of the van.... hence subject to the most heat.

I slaved on last night and finished lining the foam and managed to install top and bottom halves of the chest. Nailed it in place with brass nails about 20mm apart. sould get sides in this arvo then start on a shelf with a 3" cool air hole in it. I have an original corrigated iron tray / shelf that the ice sits on ... idea is cold air drops down through the 3" hole to cool the contents of the fridge. I usually pack as much frozen stuff as i can around the ice in the top section and just keep jam, butter, fruit etc on the shelf below.

I had a look at Matildas ice chest . it is exactly the same depth as the one i am building but 50mm narrower. Because of the curve in the front of the van it will be shallow at the bottom and deeper at the top. so overall about the same capacity as a rigdey didge ice chest.

Not too sure when the murphy fridges became available or if any where ever fitted to vans back in circa 1952 . Sort of hoping it will fit where i want to stash it. If it dont i will use it as an annexe fridge or bar fridge at home. Its gunna be a close fit.

Yeah i know i praised the values of an ice chest but... I claim immunity in this case....the topic was "how to keep ice cold longer' back then.

Hi Ray

Cant complain about the price of the ice chest for the superb. Ooooh to have a side galley kitchen.. square ice chest would be a lot simpler to construct and install.
an to think i had one and gave it to one of our members a while back... or did i sell it to em?? Cant remember.. too many "extra drys" ago.

Tape measure... the coil up stick of inches??

yep have used it on the odd occassion. Funny how it is usually where i am not .
I can be laying on the floor of the van wanting to measure something and the tape is out on the floor. I can be out on the floor wanting to measure something and the tape is in the van

I call it "Shedrobics" i must climb in and outta the van about a hundred times a day chasing tools etc... need a second tape so i can leave em both out on the floor or both in the van

One of these days i will do a seriuos post on " how to" but i guess for now people will just have to put up with my dribble. Just thought a bit of a speil on how to make one wouldnt hurt to break the forum silence at the moment .

Are you and Jack 8-)coming to Coledale this year ??
All the other "Russells " will be there.

Reddo

[Deleted]

Ok ... progress is always good.
I just wish it would happen a bit quicker.

door lined with old fine diamond patterned aluminium off the van i wrecked to make the replica TD.


Ice shelf folded and hole cut for cool air down draught


$6.00 gets ya a storm water downpipe spout.


Ya need to cut it down to about 20mm. as it has to fit under the rippley ice tary shelf. drill about 8 holes before slapping plenty of silicone around it..


and pop rivet it in place. I used a brass fitting and nut that i ground down for the ice water drain spout . with both these fitted its ready to go in the ice chest

whacked 2 alloy angle rails in to support the shelf.


pre drilled a heap of holes for p[op rivets. cleaned everything up and gave it a thick bead of silastic . then popped it all into place.


Even managed to dig up a ridgey didge ice shelf to sit over the cold air hole.


Gave the 35KPH sign a lick of silverfrost . used a bit of J mould to pop over the folded front edge of the ice shelf.. and thats it .. dang near finshed. Just got to run the drain pipe and fix it in place. by some medium density strip sponge to use as a seal around the door ., and find a good door latching mech.
If i get time i will make a wire rack for halving up the bottom space into two shelves..... more shelves = more beer storage... sweeeeeeeeettttttt !!!


As soon as i get that finished off i will turm my eggspertise to this area... It is has been ear marked to house this...


Better turn ya head on its side to see what it is.
Its an old 3 way electrolux fridge wot i bought off one of our mexican memebers last week.

More about that little project later... ya can never have enough beer storage space. And having an ice3 chest and a 3 way fridge means there will be no excuses for not having a coldie available 24/7 no matter where i camp...... ;D

reddo - the official ice box mangler

[Don Ricardo]

Nice going, Reddo.

Great to watch a man with a bit of creativity while he's at work. You and JBJ - I can watch you guys for hours on end!

I've been up in your direction over the last couple of weeks, and could have saved you the trouble of building the eyes chest though. Just leave your beverage bottles out on the back lawn over night and they'd be cool for the next day. 1 and 2 degrees C in the late afternoon. Who needs a frig? ;D ;D ;D

Don Ricardo