[Soundz]

No flannel either it's an LH9J paint code. So sticking me monicker, in front of the colour seemed apt for a thread about a pale blue busI:

I'll see myself out at any time just askRasp:

Ok lads I still aint got no piccies it will happen.

The irony is ,erm, that the blummin bus is based largely around me and me darlin being somewhere out of the way where a bird or beastie might be at dawn or dusk,the pics will follow.............. but I'd like to keep track somewhere so here seemed a goodish place to play show and tell. it's been a mad few weeks!1

She's a 2005 bought with waay to high a millage from a lovely lad that makes his living building campers. It has poptop split charge bench seats baseic spec, 2.5 130 6 speed model. she came with a RIB bed aswell and flooring insulation touch lights. Pioneer facy sort of mad stereo no disc does blue teeth and hands free and later possibly a reversing camera. Tech has gone mad of late I struggle to keep up.

We got her back her after a longish roundabout kinds journey stayed over night learnt some lessons......We need an heat source of some form and we can't sleep on that RIB as is. Thing is i'm 55 so getting old and soft.I: I graft sites I'm a mastic man,so the bus is about being out in the wild but a damn comfy place to sleep,all esle conversion wise is second to this I can already cook anywhere warmth and comfy bed are big facets of our bus.

I bought what we could afford in an ideal world I tend to buy very low miles and went way against the grain becuase of the way she was converted and the components fitted,but it's a risky move 200,000 miles doesn't ever leave a buggy it is only going to get higher. Bt I've not bought her for me to make money on just to use tool for a job cool one ,but yeah risky:

I'm ok with basic petrol I understand ok ,like many my age we had a car if we could keep it on the road so we leant with good old Mr hayne's at our backs but I know little of diesel or vans really. We got a £300 check done............ he sort of largey confirmed what I thought I knew. and made very clear the implications of high millage..........£300 notes isn't easy but it's done and that's that

What was seriously useful was the oil test leastways I thought so worth making you 'orrible lot aware the chemisty boffins can tell you alot from the oil The guy I bought off was no mechanic probably did what most folks top up the oil........

.........ya know "WTF, do you have to change oil...............really, OMG I've never done, that ya just top it up???

On a 2.5 AXD engine tis not great, we'll see what happens At the mo she runs sweet apparently all diesels sound like a bag of nails to me. Originally I'd planned on cam change but there seems no need. The oil test showed a huge concentration of iron compared with what they would like to see again the oil test guy saw lots of oil from transporters just like the guy from the motor "club" who checked her over for us he flagged drive shaft oil guy told me .

Anyway we got her back her......I wasn't happy not being able to ID the wheels so replaced them for fears of wrong load rating with some GP anthracite sportlines, and a new set of boots,black circle did us proud there

Then she went t' garage and had manifold changed which was cracked on no 1 cylinder This may well have gone on the way home : none of us picked it up,but damn the fumes in cab were bad,did neither of us anygood !! She's had brakes fully checked tracking, driveshaft and stubby new droplink Hand R antirolls , bushes filters oil changed???? Honestly i'm loosing track stone chip kit on order . There is probably other stuff I'm already missing
As luck would have it I got the bus back from the garage last week just as I clopped for a dental absess life's a bitch !! We got out in her yesterday afternoon tracking a memory foam topper and maybe have solved the nightmare seat debacle, as an aside... we'll see.

We are def having a topper done ,but the guy also does VW upholstrey. We came to a deal over a passenger seat, I 'erm helped find ,while damaging their shelving with my headLOL: I really wanted to stay with OEM seating. i'm a practical kinda guy I can probably make some other seat fit ,but worry on my ability to know what might happen in a shunt. i've spent hours trawling seats hours and hours. The trouble is folks like me are bloody being crucified because of the want for a single passenger seat. I guess most come as work vans from the factory as 3 front seaters being fundamentally a commercial vehicle

what really screws me is drivers seats here are passengers in EU but all prices seem extortionate

,my lady's back is very bad a single is a must have for her.

So I've also looked at recaro with subframes they seemed the only other type of seating that might have some form of approval but still hellish expensive. My concern is that even with a single passenger comfort captians " call it what ya like seat it" still won't be comfy for her..........I spotted the vision leisure site and noted their recaro upgrade, so that's what this guy is going to make up for us. We get our top next week and the seats a couple of weeks on god I'm going to be grafting hard:*

That's enough waffle with no picsLOL: it sort of brings me up to date Once seats are in the bag then air heating will be grafted out. That my friends will be our basic camper sorted

Plausibly I'll take me foot off the gas at that point and enjoy for a while. i'm not sure yet. The bus needs to work for us off grid almost exclusively, I'm sure more batteries and solar are in order along with units ......

We'll see

stu

 

[Soundz]

Seems stone blue is no longer available as a VW touch up kit bugger !! Any advice on the next best option?

 

[Soundz]

Two years on and slowly starting to actually build out the interior. of our camper................. I guess the time between the two posts has basically gone into pondering what We need in such a small space and how to make that work. Looking at pictures musing. etc.

I really didn't want gas on board but we need heat so after eons of deliberation we eventually settled on a wallas XC duo as heater and cooker I still find the price unfathomable. Our bus is about me and me lady making images of wildlife. Beasties and birdz are a huge passion of ours we adore them and togs need to be places at dawn and dusk when the magical light is about.......that's our reason for a T5.

I.................. We have trawled web land for ages searching out as many designs as possible essentially based around a RIB bed. I wanted to make us something that primarily works for us but is also slightly differnet .tis so easy to just go with a kit for the units but I sort of wanted to make sommit........not unique .it's all been done before but ours.

I love the lines and curves 3 bridge make ,but I'm not even a chippy ok I've messed with wood for a life time since really tiny but I'm no craftsman


We really started the interior build here.......... this bit of ply with a bit of card atop representing the wallas is that start point :
_S2I8211 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

 

[BitterandTwisted]

You tease , that stuff in the background looks veeeeery interesting ...watching with interest

 

[Soundz]

Corse it's just a flat thing but the base lines of the cabinet you can see behind it are in place. This thing is tight ,I can fold the bed out and turn the drivers seat but my god it's al tight. We walso wanted a 65L fridge not the more normal 50L ,which makes things even tighter !!

We have only two windows.................. in the slider and just behind the the drivers seat both fixed .this might bite me later but hey. So We adressed those first with a couple of vanshades......I really like the thermal liniing in the shades .easy to fit but again a bit pricey so they went in first:

_S2I8208 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

Then back to how in gods name does one make a curved door/ drawer? i'm using two base woods in our build baltic birch ply and some stuff called bendy ply

I'll detail this a little bit ,cause frankly I hadn't a clue. First I needed some form if jig, fink that's what wood workers call it to bend the bendy ply around. so nabbed some bloody thick bits of wood from me stock pile then cut a load of curves out of the baltic................ basically we make one then use that as a template and sommit called a trim bit on the router to make several exactly the same

end result looks something like this:

_S2I8197 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

_S2I8196 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

See that bit of 2be2 on the LHS................those screws allow 2 things first they are seriously in a line to I can pop loadsa glue between two sheets of bendy and line them up. it slides about with the glue ,all We then slip the bands of the straps ( clamps) around that and those scrwes tighten a bit to help keep thangs square

 

[Soundz]

Drew not teasing I felt I'd done enough of that to you already I'm just slower than a slow thang tis all

Guys there is no way to make images while doing , but the end result looks like this :

:_S2I8194 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

_S2I8195 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

Leave the whole shebang well along for a day to let the glue really cure and dry. By the way I'm using tight bond iii as me glue

and hopefully it comes out like this:

_S2I8199 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

 

[Soundz]

The great thiing about the jig is it allows us to make different lenths of curvey things, I simply have to move the spacers about.

So back to that first cabinet just behind the drivers seat .....which is still in progress... right behind the drivers seat my intention is to make this mad 3 hinged door it not done yet and if it works I'll be stunned with a bit of sheling withing the curves .sort of a spice rach kinda thang.... here's where I'm at not ,forgive the clamp..............the whole thing is made of strip joints.with the glue being stronger than wood the strip joint mean I can constantly take apart and rework as i go bit any way here's where I'm at:


_S2I8212 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

_S2I8213 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

further back same cabinet this door is a drawer, I'm fightiing like an idiot to make this fit , but the base concept is a curved door that pulls out and reavels a set of shelves

that bugger looks like this:

_S2I8206 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

and when I've.....hmm LMAO if I get those runners in it should sort of do this:

_S2I8207 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

Ha note silly bit of oak up top......well that's stu playing a get out of jail card ( there's a good bit of that in all this)............basically .'cause I haven't a friggin clue what I'm doing ,kinda pleased with it though:

_S2I8209 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

 

[Soundz]

I've also been messing about with the rear cupboard it sort of looks like this at the mo but it's all just pushed together with them luvverly strip joints

this is from the tailgat, this will be our coat rack, I wear camo thta allows me to get low and not get completely covered in **** when image making so coats and leggins and somewhere to put mucky gear ,are a serious consideration

_S2I8200 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

From the front unit looks like this :

_S2I8205 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

_S2I8205 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr


All that kinda brings us to where I am now....................... I'm hoping to smack some curvy lockers over the kitch unit and obviously have a middle cupboard missing , water might end up behind that curvy drawer tis a work in progress but hey I ain't done yet and am utterly prepared to fall flat on me face



But if ya don't go there how do you know what can't be done


bring it the hell on

stu

 

[BitterandTwisted]

👏 well done , seriously!! 😎

"3 bridges on the phone for Mr Phillpot " 🤳

I'm currently hunting for some new worktop and then i'm thinking of redesigning the whole lot .

 

[Soundz]

A few add ons............. passenger twin replaced with single seat for me lady ha a polish guy making dosh off brits by importing driver seats who asked for me to get there early even though he was a couple of hours away
I did but he went out cause he had stuff he wanted to do kept us waiting another couple of hours because he needed to go out ..insert expletive of choice what a complete XXXXX............... I just about bit me tongue off but held it together and my ladies back is all the better for it...........................if I had the XXX's name I'd splay it all ways


some time last summer we worked out our solar had failed, so that's also been replaced, and upgraded we will be utterly off grid, so solar is important, i'm hoping to add to all that but we'll cover this later on , I'd really like to knock up some lipo4 batts from cells, but am running on spending as little as possible at the mo as I can't work for shielding. But I sort of know where I'm heading. The EHU has been moved from below bumper to the under tail light dodge it was a bloody mare, consumer unit will be just in side rear cupboard, hoping to squeeze mains battery charger in that mad 3 hinged door solar charger will be up graded to a victron MPPT and probably one of vic's 712 battery monitor thingies. might start with 2 leisure batts AGM led acid. it seems madness to only have one leisure battery and spank the hell out of it ,two seems like half the spanking so will probably last alot more than twice one batt. as the rate of discharge is being halved



........but the dream is lithium I'm running a split charge at the mo one day that will be B2B,

The cool thing at the mo is the solar keeps both van batt and leisure battery up to charge when not being used


Just before chrimo after I'd spent a huge wad on wallas and fridge the bit I didn't get done but wanted to came back to haunt me, thank god I caught it early, maybe more by luck than judgement but I caught it........ the water pump went south and has been replaced. . oil and water flushed and changed WP was seriously knackered......don't be me guys nail what ya research tells you to get done ASAP yes I know dollar an all ,for a while I was blindly building a camper with a worst case senario hanging over me, that messes with you it really does .


B and T ahh thanks dude, I have a plan bro long time working that one up but nowt on paper
Oh god mate call me stu................. I care not for me last name.................... happy enough if i'm 'pid I tried to quote ya ,but i'm too useless with PC's.

We are going with an oak work top from B and............................ not you the other one ............. it's 138 notes 3M long but is only 26mm thick.......... that ties in to the oak edging. you have already seen My hope is the lockers up top are gonna be edged with that, bolted in with rivnuts it will sort of carry them. But . ha ha BUT, . I've got to somehow nail a stepped cut to really get everything I need from that oak worktop. and utterly nail it .....

I've been so incredibly slow about this because I want to do it once mate,,it's such a tiny tiny space. We'll see how it pans out. I'm very prepared to fail , that's why I stopped to show you where I'm at now bro......... showing folks a finished thing doesn't help them get there..................... you need sparks of ideas to run with like ya can make a jig from rubbish wood pulled out of a skip

You lads don't know it but you have been a huge help to us................ We have spent eons pouring over the nouce here, so maybe a curvy door is my way to give sommit back? I dunno, but that's why you have the pics mate before anything is finished .

I spent the day honing drawer slides, I needed to pack them slightly..The joy of never having done anything like this before, is I back myself into a hole and then have to find a way to dig myself out of it

I reckon I missed it by half a mm, it just fouls and there is no where else to go........................ so tomoz start over. and do it again a gnats bollock will suffice

I'm off to bed bloody cream crackered

stu

 

[Pduk]

👍
Cracking work there Stu, for someone who says he's not really a cracftman I'd say you're doing very well, more so as you're making it up as you go. Building a jig to create your curved doors is the right way in this instance, you could have made a ladder frame with curved formers and wrapped them front and back in bendy ply but that would have made the door quite thick, worth bearing in mind for any other curved sections that may be more of a panel, will add some strength also.
Making it up as you go will cause issues that's for sure, but overcoming them is a great feeling and also helps you think further ahead a little more.
Keep up the good work, looking forward to next update (s)

 

[Soundz]

Hey Pete thanks for the above, I've messed with wood since tiny mind done little for a good while now. It's funny mate I can feel what I once knew coming back The curve malarky is very new cheers for the tip.............. ladder frame I think I know what you mean . I think I'm done with the curves now bud , maybe not I'm stunned by how rigid the curvy bits are actually mate,expected to be working with spring back but nowt seems to have moved. Tis a bit bewildering. I'm a stubborn sod mate I know i'm going to mess up ,but that's part of the crack .

I have a plan Pete, I can see it,finished visualize it, but not the details of how to make it........... so you are spot on I mess up and have to dig meself out of it which is firstly exasperating and secondly .bloody funny when one looks back Ha I was up at five itching to go this morn made a monumental XXXX up early in the day but hey

The drawer on first cupboard behind drivers seat , RHS now functions drawer runners are in, a fight sure because I've not used this type of slide before, but it functions now as I wanted. Not happy yet but not quite finished either

I've been working on the door behind drivers seat today the mad folding thang. I'm not terribly confident in the hinges i've bought.............. again never fitted a continuous hinge before, let alone 3 in one setting ( no idea on how they will react to load)..............we'll see how it pans out I might need to go back and upgrade. those hinges, We'll see. I'm trying to cram alot in there have reservations about weight, I can't really figure it before hand ,.need to make it see how it functions then work out the failings.

I hate **** design Pete, it's everywhere in our lives the moronity of it drives me nuts .......... i want function over form sure I'll moan if it don't look purdy, ( hence curves) but if it all works I'll be a happy bunny .

I love craftsmanship bro , I adore those that go there learn it execute it day in day out god I love that................... that's not me Pete, I'll have a crack though especially on me lady's bus.

Ahh mate the little things, she found some little storage jars she loves, she wanted to buy a couple I nabbed everything they had......... they'll allow lot's of little bits spices, seasonings all manner of tiny things to be stored she thinks 3 to a shelf i'm after 4 . I had to put it in front of her for her to see it, hmm that's what today was about. really

apart from my EPIC failure early in the day cutting a bit of wood that was done.....................why?? I think i've gone forwards

belucky bro

 

[BitterandTwisted]

Tiz human to err Stu ....i make a habit of it 😁 .

 

[Soundz]

Ha don't we all. mate..... don't we all


Drew and Pete a bit of advice please if you can that is and have a mo. If so Ta muchly in advance

Can you recommend a supplier or brand of those round pull out locking catches. ( Hopefully you know what I mean center pulls out) I'm probably after some form of nickle plate as a colour ,but I need it to be a good quality that will last. They are for either side of the fridge those two cured doors I'm fighting with right now. The RHS one once fitted will be a pig to replace so I'm looking to fit once and forget, ie i'd rather spend a little more for quality.............

No pressure lads just worth asking.I'm off back to trying to work out how I can cram as many jars as poss into that ruddy door, without them rattling.........I think I've found a way we'll see

cheers

 

[JonR]

Liking the progress here!

 

[Pduk]

Hey Pete thanks for the above, I've messed with wood since tiny mind done little for a good while now. It's funny mate I can feel what I once knew coming back The curve malarky is very new cheers for the tip.............. ladder frame I think I know what you mean . I think I'm done with the curves now bud , maybe not I'm stunned by how rigid the curvy bits are actually mate,expected to be working with spring back but nowt seems to have moved. Tis a bit bewildering. I'm a stubborn sod mate I know i'm going to mess up ,but that's part of the crack .

I have a plan Pete, I can see it,finished visualize it, but not the details of how to make it........... so you are spot on I mess up and have to dig meself out of it which is firstly exasperating and secondly .bloody funny when one looks back Ha I was up at five itching to go this morn made a monumental XXXX up early in the day but hey

The drawer on first cupboard behind drivers seat , RHS now functions drawer runners are in, a fight sure because I've not used this type of slide before, but it functions now as I wanted. Not happy yet but not quite finished either

I've been working on the door behind drivers seat today the mad folding thang. I'm not terribly confident in the hinges i've bought.............. again never fitted a continuous hinge before, let alone 3 in one setting ( no idea on how they will react to load)..............we'll see how it pans out I might need to go back and upgrade. those hinges, We'll see. I'm trying to cram alot in there have reservations about weight, I can't really figure it before hand ,.need to make it see how it functions then work out the failings.

I hate **** design Pete, it's everywhere in our lives the moronity of it drives me nuts .......... i want function over form sure I'll moan if it don't look purdy, ( hence curves) but if it all works I'll be a happy bunny .

I love craftsmanship bro , I adore those that go there learn it execute it day in day out god I love that................... that's not me Pete, I'll have a crack though especially on me lady's bus.

Ahh mate the little things, she found some little storage jars she loves, she wanted to buy a couple I nabbed everything they had......... they'll allow lot's of little bits spices, seasonings all manner of tiny things to be stored she thinks 3 to a shelf i'm after 4 . I had to put it in front of her for her to see it, hmm that's what today was about. really

apart from my EPIC failure early in the day cutting a bit of wood that was done.....................why?? I think i've gone forwards

belucky bro

I'm quite lucky that I work for a shopfitting company and I've been a technical designer for over 20 years to know quite a lot about how to design and make things, none of the concept "it'll never fly" stuff, design to work and last. This has massively helped my with my build, although I have done it completely backwards but it's my first and it's been a fun journey none the less. I'm pretty good at working 3 steps ahead of where I currently am, but even I've had to work around some areas as they're already installed. There's no right or wrong way really, just different ways to achieve what YOU personally want

Your bi-folding cupboard door mounted on piano hinge is the best way to build it to be fair, they allow for multiple screw fixings spread across the height of the panels so should hold up well, just don't lean on it when going from a kneel to standing, we get it from our clients saying "your hinge has failed", yes it will if you use it as a make shift grab handle.
Don't forget beauty is in the eye of the beholder, at the end of the day, you've built the units, if you like them and they serve your purpose then happy days

I know what you mean, when I see the lads on the shop floor doing proper carpentry it's awesome, I'm a novice at best on the machines to very slowly and methodically cut panels etc but it's coming together nicely. I've seen where folk screw the jar lid to the underside of a shelf and the jar itself unscrews with the herbs etc inside for use, maybe food for thought (yep that's a pun) 😁

Ha don't we all. mate..... don't we all


Drew and Pete a bit of advice please if you can that is and have a mo. If so Ta muchly in advance

Can you recommend a supplier or brand of those round pull out locking catches. ( Hopefully you know what I mean center pulls out) I'm probably after some form of nickle plate as a colour ,but I need it to be a good quality that will last. They are for either side of the fridge those two cured doors I'm fighting with right now. The RHS one once fitted will be a pig to replace so I'm looking to fit once and forget, ie i'd rather spend a little more for quality.............

No pressure lads just worth asking.I'm off back to trying to work out how I can cram as many jars as poss into that ruddy door, without them rattling.........I think I've found a way we'll see

cheers

Are these the things you're looking for Stu?

 

[Soundz]

Yup it's those little sods I'm after Pete, I was hoping to tap into you lads experience really mate,some thing that had been used a few years and still performs and hasn't worn ,for lack of a better word, I don't want the nickle plating wearing !!

There are a few incarnates about mate some seem bigger on the back than the hexagons you have linked . My problem will be me bits of oak and having enough "throw", to make it latch. I'm going to have to do some serious measuring soon

Mate thanks so much for the come back it's genuinely appreciated

HA..................... I've gone at it like a complete idiot today I'm utterly shagged.............. funny me darlin's been ferrying and charging batteries all day trying to keep me running. I've got four shelves in that door with 16 of her little pop top sealed jars in place..................Tis a bit heavy bro ,massive concerns on those hinges. this might go pete tong as it were Each jar sits in it's own little oval a real snug fit ,if they rattle it will drive me bonkers. Two little shelves per set of 4 jars one a clean hole then a snuggy routered around 8mm deep into the base shel so they hold real firm. The jars are not all quite the same size so I may have to do a tiny bit of gentle honing,but it's all there or thereabouts

. So much work on such a tiny space,jeepers there is a madness about all this. . I'll try and find time for some pics once it's all really starting to come together mate. Next step s to hang all these shelf things on the actual door, then the glue then the hairy routering of edges.....................and breath...or maybe scream ....................We'll see

Cheers for the 'elp

 

[Soundz]

Jonny............. cheers blue

 

[Soundz]

There's no real dressing it up I'm insane.........days now............... trying to make a simple door, ok it's curvy and has a couple or 3 shelves, but at around 265mm long 65 width and 690 high it's not really big enough for all this effort.................. It really isn't. But me lady liked those jars ,so i've gone there

The worst is I'm not bloody done with it yet either The pics are a base dry fit the first stage of glue up is underway then there will be a really hairy bit of routering ,which may well send things pear shaped in a big way, then all the shelves integrate and get glued to the base curved frame.....................and breath . I'll back off for a couple of days to really let the glue cure out , but here's where I'm at now.

A sort of front view
_S2I8217 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

then laid down so you can see all the shelf malarky

_S2I8214 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

the inside view complete with her one of my darling's mini storage jars the fit is tight ,but will they rattle ?

_S2I8216 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

and all the ruddy bit's it's made of

_S2I8222 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr

I even had to go buy a tenon saw

This maybe the most taxing wood work I've ever done, maybe in a life time.................. the curves make measuring all but impossible there's a stage where it's just your eyes cut too much and the job is screwed...

so all that's left now is that hairy routering

and then swinging the sucker

what could possibly go wrong



Oh and Pete, ( PDUK ) if you see this don't feel like a dummy cause some LED#s messed with you for a day I have to look ten times more stupid and still might end up with nowt......


humbling all this init

My Tea brakes have been following your build thread it's soo cool what you have achieved, with that van bro ha .......I'll comment when I finish playing catch up but its such a good read I wanted to say Ta here in the interim

I've had two lads reply here, more than once which is cool I'm good with quiet..................... but you both said one thing to me that really resonated as I try to grind this thing out..........

stu................. " I wanna do me interior again"

Drew Pete.why what am I missing? you both have a huge nouce on living in the van waay more than I you are bright enough what didn't you do NOT do first time that you want to change now?

See it might just be I need to play with me bus which is cool but ,I'm sort of after what ya missed ?

 

[BitterandTwisted]

That looks pretty sexy to me Stu .
Loving the curve with integral storage.
Ive never owner a tenon saw 🙃.
You never know what you need to change in a build until youve lived in it for a while .