Photo's of the finished build then with descriptions and photos of how and why I built it that should interest those diy inclined:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HCokKn67D98CGJsC7
-- Edited by jedics on Friday 29th of July 2022 02:13:18 PM
Bobdown said
03:59 PM Jul 30, 2022
Not bad Jedics, well made........a couple of windows would be nice to sit and enjoy the view occasionally.
Enjoy getting out there.
Cheers Bob
jedics said
01:54 AM Jul 31, 2022
Go outside then
Whenarewethere said
07:25 AM Jul 31, 2022
Brilliant.
I was in the aluminium industry for a couple of decades. It is good that you riveted it together. Seen a lot of broken welds. If you bolt use Nyloc nuts.
On one hand windows on the side would be nice but if it looks like a working truck it grabs less attention.
If you need to quieten the inside acoustic insulation helps.
Silicone & acrylic bonds are 1 day to dry per 1mm thickness of bonding material. So for instance flush windows in high rise buildings require a month to cure due to the thickness.
jedics said
11:06 AM Jul 31, 2022
Why are you suggesting acoustic insulation?
Dick0 said
11:45 AM Jul 31, 2022
A great and interesting read of your remarkable project.
Whenarewethere said
02:33 PM Jul 31, 2022
jedics wrote:
Why are you suggesting acoustic insulation?
I read your article: 'nearly every street I parked on had at least one rev head thrashing the daylights out of his car past the truck'
Acoustic insulation won't get rid of it but it will take the edge of it.
Parallel walls are the worst. So stick a patch on the walls which are square to your head at night & a piece on the ceiling.
You could even cover the foam in some printed cloth of favourite photos.
Whenarewethere said
02:48 PM Jul 31, 2022
Is there enough depth for a 2.5kW split system air conditioner behind the roller shutter. As you pointed out they are very efficient, also as you have so much insulation it won't need to run at full capacity. You can also collect the water from it.
Whenarewethere said
04:15 PM Jul 31, 2022
Agree with drawing up in 3d. I do (retired) 3d architectural models. Just for basic dimensional purposes it won't take too long to learn. You can then check for clearances & how everything fits together. Put different parts in different layers to see how everything fits together. Work out volume of things or mass. Every minute spent on your set of plans will save ten fold avoiding costly & time consuming stuffups. If you don't want to do 3d at least do a proper set of plans, including elevations & sections.
Whenarewethere said
04:42 PM Jul 31, 2022
I'm glad you swapped out the zinc plated screws for stainless on the evaporator cooler. If nuts don't stay tight use Nyloc nuts both sides.
But!
Seperate the brass from the aluminium with some nylon washers & sleeve for the sump float or the corrosion will become a painful mess.
jedics said
05:42 PM Jul 31, 2022
There is about 360mm of depth so I could probably fit one there but my preference would be to put it under the truck where the current Evap is. My philosophy is to put such utilities out of sight in the least accessible spots, also I will probably upgrade my water heater to something that won't fit under the truck like my current one and the only spot for it is behind the roller door. I may also put a bike there at some stage.
Whenarewethere said
03:42 PM Aug 1, 2022
Your comment about quality of products. I have found that on the whole if you need something done properly you need to build it yourself. Pretty much everything on the market is rubbish.
Most products out there should simply driven over. Sadly most people put up with it. You either have to build the entire product or adapt (vastly improve) an existing product.
Even down to the basic product. You should be ok with the aluminium extrusions you have used in your design, but when I was in the industry increasing amounts were imported which never met Australian standards or for that matter ISO standards. It's more than likely worse today.
Do you have a ladder of some description to get through the skylight to clean the solar panels. Also fire extinguishers (plural), give then a bash once a month to free up powder settling, & smoke & CO2 detector.
The roller shutter is interesting. In Germany they use these type of vented roller shutters on windows & are quite handy to partially lift various percentages depending how much ventilation you require.
To save weight did you use aircraft honeycomb flooring which is light but expensive or just use plywood.
Craig1 said
07:46 PM Aug 1, 2022
Jedics, you are pretty clever, not every ones cuppa tea, but a well done soultion for your own issues. All the best to you.
jedics said
01:22 AM Aug 2, 2022
Yes ladder below skylight.
floor is the same 50mm cool room panels used in rest of build.
DIdn't use ply because of weight.
jedics said
01:24 AM Aug 2, 2022
Are you referring to the lack of windows?
Whenarewethere said
07:29 AM Aug 2, 2022
No. Earlier I made a comment about windows.
The roller shutter was an observation as I have quite a few relatives & friends in Germany, everyone has roller shutters on all windows as another barrier with their triple glassed thermal break windows, unlike Australia.
Due to their very long summer daylight (I've been there many times), they use them to totally block out sunlight in summer to get sleep, or maybe just 1 or 2 rows open for a touch of ventilation.
oxleigh said
11:35 PM Jun 17, 2023
Gday mate, this is one of the best construction stories I have seen anywhere. Very good work, and very impressive. I wonder if you have been to a caravan park near Melbourne recently, I was at the Crystal Brooke caravan resort near Warrandyte about the 24th May 2023. there was a truck very much like yours with a aluminium step at the rear with no w\side windows and solar etc, when I read this article it reminded me of this, at the time I thought it was a perfect way to travel and unobtrusive vehicle to use stealthily. Have you thought of using shopping centre car parks like they do in the USA. Have fun and maybe we will see you on the road with our caravan sometime, stay safe and safe.
jedics said
12:42 AM Jun 18, 2023
Ive parked around the city in car parks and streets around Adelaide for about 4 months and found Industrial areas were by far the best spots, after 5 quiet and no one using the 4g towers :) Now I am on a property in an industrial estate of 5 acres, the scenery isn't great but its quiet and close to everything I might need and very cheap. Iv'e been doing a bunch of upgrades like electric stairs that open with my shutter via my phone and a 360 birdview camera set up which will help me avoid hitting things I can't see which is why I found my self here in the fist place for repairs. Installed a split system ac with the head unit above my back door and the outdoor unit under the truck, pity it was broken out of the box, another example of garbage products and you should see the list of requirements to get it fixed under warranty, they will do anything to get out of actually standing behind their products. So Im still using the evap I made 3 years ago that of course is working perfectly.
Bigger than a van, smaller than a tiny house!
Photo's of the finished build then with descriptions and photos of how and why I built it that should interest those diy inclined:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HCokKn67D98CGJsC7
-- Edited by jedics on Friday 29th of July 2022 02:13:18 PM
Not bad Jedics, well made........a couple of windows would be nice to sit and enjoy the view occasionally.
Enjoy getting out there.
Cheers Bob
Go outside then
Brilliant.
I was in the aluminium industry for a couple of decades. It is good that you riveted it together. Seen a lot of broken welds. If you bolt use Nyloc nuts.
On one hand windows on the side would be nice but if it looks like a working truck it grabs less attention.
If you need to quieten the inside acoustic insulation helps.
https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t65443581/car-acoustic-insulation/
Silicone & acrylic bonds are 1 day to dry per 1mm thickness of bonding material. So for instance flush windows in high rise buildings require a month to cure due to the thickness.
Why are you suggesting acoustic insulation?
A great and interesting read of your remarkable project.
I read your article: 'nearly every street I parked on had at least one rev head thrashing the daylights out of his car past the truck'
Acoustic insulation won't get rid of it but it will take the edge of it.
Parallel walls are the worst. So stick a patch on the walls which are square to your head at night & a piece on the ceiling.
You could even cover the foam in some printed cloth of favourite photos.
Is there enough depth for a 2.5kW split system air conditioner behind the roller shutter. As you pointed out they are very efficient, also as you have so much insulation it won't need to run at full capacity. You can also collect the water from it.
Agree with drawing up in 3d. I do (retired) 3d architectural models. Just for basic dimensional purposes it won't take too long to learn. You can then check for clearances & how everything fits together. Put different parts in different layers to see how everything fits together. Work out volume of things or mass. Every minute spent on your set of plans will save ten fold avoiding costly & time consuming stuffups. If you don't want to do 3d at least do a proper set of plans, including elevations & sections.
I'm glad you swapped out the zinc plated screws for stainless on the evaporator cooler. If nuts don't stay tight use Nyloc nuts both sides.
But!
Seperate the brass from the aluminium with some nylon washers & sleeve for the sump float or the corrosion will become a painful mess.
There is about 360mm of depth so I could probably fit one there but my preference would be to put it under the truck where the current Evap is. My philosophy is to put such utilities out of sight in the least accessible spots, also I will probably upgrade my water heater to something that won't fit under the truck like my current one and the only spot for it is behind the roller door. I may also put a bike there at some stage.
Your comment about quality of products. I have found that on the whole if you need something done properly you need to build it yourself. Pretty much everything on the market is rubbish.
Most products out there should simply driven over. Sadly most people put up with it. You either have to build the entire product or adapt (vastly improve) an existing product.
Even down to the basic product. You should be ok with the aluminium extrusions you have used in your design, but when I was in the industry increasing amounts were imported which never met Australian standards or for that matter ISO standards. It's more than likely worse today.
Do you have a ladder of some description to get through the skylight to clean the solar panels. Also fire extinguishers (plural), give then a bash once a month to free up powder settling, & smoke & CO2 detector.
The roller shutter is interesting. In Germany they use these type of vented roller shutters on windows & are quite handy to partially lift various percentages depending how much ventilation you require.
To save weight did you use aircraft honeycomb flooring which is light but expensive or just use plywood.
Yes ladder below skylight.
floor is the same 50mm cool room panels used in rest of build.
DIdn't use ply because of weight.
Are you referring to the lack of windows?
No. Earlier I made a comment about windows.
The roller shutter was an observation as I have quite a few relatives & friends in Germany, everyone has roller shutters on all windows as another barrier with their triple glassed thermal break windows, unlike Australia.
Due to their very long summer daylight (I've been there many times), they use them to totally block out sunlight in summer to get sleep, or maybe just 1 or 2 rows open for a touch of ventilation.
Gday mate, this is one of the best construction stories I have seen anywhere. Very good work, and very impressive. I wonder if you have been to a caravan park near Melbourne recently, I was at the Crystal Brooke caravan resort near Warrandyte about the 24th May 2023. there was a truck very much like yours with a aluminium step at the rear with no w\side windows and solar etc, when I read this article it reminded me of this, at the time I thought it was a perfect way to travel and unobtrusive vehicle to use stealthily. Have you thought of using shopping centre car parks like they do in the USA. Have fun and maybe we will see you on the road with our caravan sometime, stay safe and safe.
Ive parked around the city in car parks and streets around Adelaide for about 4 months and found Industrial areas were by far the best spots, after 5 quiet and no one using the 4g towers :) Now I am on a property in an industrial estate of 5 acres, the scenery isn't great but its quiet and close to everything I might need and very cheap. Iv'e been doing a bunch of upgrades like electric stairs that open with my shutter via my phone and a 360 birdview camera set up which will help me avoid hitting things I can't see which is why I found my self here in the fist place for repairs. Installed a split system ac with the head unit above my back door and the outdoor unit under the truck, pity it was broken out of the box, another example of garbage products and you should see the list of requirements to get it fixed under warranty, they will do anything to get out of actually standing behind their products. So Im still using the evap I made 3 years ago that of course is working perfectly.