No  Boundaries  

Steves' Campervan Conversion

Steve and Kim continue their story

It's been a while since my last my last update.  The need to earn money seems to get in the way of things I really want to do.

The work has progressed with no further visits from “Murphy and his wayward Laws”
The bed frames were clamped in place to check the fit and align the hinges so that they would fold up and down as designed.
The old “double check everything” system is pretty reliable and is a good method to use if you are going to do something like this for yourself.
Any one with basic handyman skills could attempt a project like this and TAFE courses in arc welding would be the only “extra” skill that may be required.
Don’t be afraid to have a go, at worst it might cost you a few beers and a BBQ to get a mate who can weld to fix it if you stuff it!

Warning- welding machines make metal red hot, DON’T TOUCH THE HOT METAL.

By the way they can also start fires, DON’T SET THE PROJECT OR THE GARAGE ON FIRE.

The two halves fit with 1mm. clearance [ I should have put my glasses on, I wanted 3mm.]
The hinges are welded to the bed frames but are bolted to the side rails, all welding is done outside the vehicle for safety reasons- even though this vehicle is diesel and not as dangerous as welding with petrol fumes around it is still not worth the risk of fires inside it.

I know I seem to be concerned with setting things on fire, the reason is the company I work for used to employ a guy in the workshop who used to set things on fire with his welder [ including himself ] on a daily basis. It was not uncommon to walk into a cloud of smoke in the workshop and have to grab Jason by the ankles and drag him out from under the trailer he was working on and put out yet another fire

The plywood over the frame was the next step to be done.

This would have to be one of the most versatile products to use on a project like this one.
It has been used to get a level floor, to fabricate the cupboard for the stove and car fridge, to make the mattress bases for the bed and will be used for some over head storage areas as well.
It is better than chipboard or MDF because it is lighter, stronger than the equivalent thickness of chipboard or MDF and does not swell up like a WeetBix when it gets wet, but don’t let it get soaking wet for too long or it will de-laminate. A coat of paint will go a long way to extending the life of any wood products used in vehicles used for camping

The bed halves, one in travelling position and one in sleeping position.

Although we usually travel with the bed made up ready to jump straight in if we are doing any night driving. When you get tired you should stop straight away and who wants to stuff around making up a bed. This bed design takes only a few seconds to set up and just chuck on a couple of doonas and a couple of pillows and your ready for a good nights sleep.

The Project will continue...

Stay tuned for progress reports in the near future.

Regards, 
Steve

thetrailerman@bigpond.com

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