My MK5 2.5Di 1997

[littleredvan]

Hinge the lids with friction window hinges - the 400mm variety hold each lid upright with ease. Making the front of each compartment out of 12mm plywood hinged to open a full 180 degrees to save having to lift heavy things in and out through the top. Fit the sink in to the last compartment.

[AlanN]

Nice progress report, keep it coming

[littleredvan]

Start fitting a shelf next to the bulkhead. Chose the height so that the bulkhead hatch can swing up fully allowing long lengths of timber to fit down the length of the van and so that 8x4' sheets can still fit under.



You can swing of this...



Most difficult fixing is above the sliding door as there's not enough space for a bolt head or nut to fit without getting in the way of the runner. Ended up using a rivet nut instead. Shelf itself is chipboard.

[littleredvan]

Going to put most of my electrics on the shelf on the side furthest from the sliding door to try and keep any rain from getting on them when the doors open.

1.5kw modified sine inverter runs most of my power tools (except the nailgun ) and is soon to be joined by a consumer unit on the left (lights, ceiling fan and sockets) and a halogen torch on the right charged via a cigarette lighter socket.

[littleredvan]

12mm plywood to cover the back windows when I'm transporting equipment, but hinged so that I can let daylight in if I'm parked up somewhere to save on the battery. No fixings visible from outside the van. Hopefully the panels contribute to the insulation.



Offside door panel is hinged to raise up and hook on to the roof and the nearside folds down to become a table (or folds flat against the bottom of the door). Two sturdy bolts hold them closed against the door when required.

[Luke]

neat idea

[littleredvan]

Obligatory shrouded shackle padlock attached via M8 coach bolts. Very nervous drilling the back door right next to the lock mechanism. Anti-drill plate requires either a good cobalt drill or a lot of patience to get through .

[littleredvan]

Replace blower motor resistor next to radiator (although I believe varies according to year). Much thanks for advice found on the forum.

[littleredvan]

Starting work on the plumbing.

Two jerry cans with food safe linings from Wavian, http://www.wavianassociates.com, carry a total of 9 gallons of water (that hopefully wont turn brown if left for a while). Cans are exactly the same size as a diesel jerry can, allowing me to swap one of the water cans for fuel if I need to.



Cans are held in place by a timber section attached to the back door which stops them moving when the door is closed. 12mm ID plastic hosing takes water out of the can to a foot pump I found in an old camper van at the scrappy. Pump positioned so that I can lift the lid on the sink and pump from outside the van.



Pump (marked Galley Gusher MK3) is self priming which is very helpful when swapping cans. 90 degree hose fittings prevent kinking of the hose as it makes a sharp turn. Plan is to drain the sink in to the plastic petrol can next to the pump with a shelf on top of the pump and waste can.

No idea what to use as a faucet yet. The sink and the MDF lid are flush when closed so I think I might have to route in to the lid somewhat to get a pipe to fit through. Very open to any suggestions

[fordboynick]

looking good mate, i like the racking idea, and the back window covers that looks the tits

[bluecraig0776]

Good work mate.

[littleredvan]

Bent some 8mm gas pipe to make a faucet. Took a while with a blowtorch and a damp rag to get all of the shape bent without kinking.



Routed into the MDF lid as the sink is flush with it when closed. Ended up changing my mind a few times about the angle but it's all hidden later so no problem. Fibreglassed the faucet in place and then used some filler followed by a quick sand. Need so seal the gap between the sink and the lid somehow.



The faucet now folds down inside the sink when the lid goes down. The 1/4" BSP connector is close enough in size to push 12mm ID plastic hose over with a little PTFE tape and a jubilee. Although I was initially worried about changing from 12mm to 8mm piping the water comes out at a decent rate and pressure.

[littleredvan]

Measuring up to fit a 4kW gas ring and a 4.5kg butane bottle in the compartment next to the sink. The ring will boil a litre of water in just under 5 minutes and the bottle should last just over 15 hours at this output. Not bothering with anything more fancy than a single ring so as not to waste space.



Ring is fixed with M8 bolts and threaded bar. Going to extend the 1" 16 gauge square section down to form a holder for the gas bottle. Starting to box in the pump and waste water container. Still need to hide the plastic tubing coming from the pump.



Little bit nervous about the plywood being so close to the ring but it doesn't appear to get too warm when its running. Probably make a housing out of sheet steel to surround the ring and catch any spills and hopefully act as a heatshield.

[littleredvan]

Welded up a drip pan out of some 16 gauge steel



Riveted it on underneath and sealed with high temp silicone



Hob has it's own little sump now

[littleredvan]

Starting work on the cab

Want to fit overhead storage as well as fix the ciggy socket, aerial, indicator cam, steering lock, wire two voltmeters and retrieve a pack of matches lost in the dash a few weeks ago