A new addition to the Family

[bobt]

.............use it in the BBQ.....................

[kiwijim]

Would do Bobt but,

A local B.B.Q shop had a special on Gas last week $19.99 = 9kg refill,

I havn't got an empty Cyl any-where.

[drylander]

fill the petrol tank kj you might be surprised how far you may not get on gas ;D
Pete

[bobt]

looks like drylander has thrown out a challenge... ;D

I can get 320k around town outa 60l gas in my fowl can.

Best ya tell us what you can do..


19.99 for a 9kg now that is good. so did you pay by cash or use the card?

[kiwijim]

Howdy Guys,

Heres some news for all you W.A. C.Cers

The cheap L.P.gas refills I mentioned are still available at the B,B,Q shop in the Shopping Hub on the corner of Albany HWY and William St in Cannington.

When you refill your Cylinders ( $19.99 ea ) be sure to register your name with them, this will entitle you to a 5th refill... FREE

Well I raced out today and bought two new Sash type Seat-belts
from a local auto parts Mob.... $85.00 ea.

Now the fun starts fitting them, first I have to make two angle brackets to mount the recoil mechanism on to the floor,

I had no trouble making the first one but, trying to find a sharp drill to finish the second, was a lost cause,.....

Just picture....... late in the afternoon, freezing cold, raining, every drill I had ( Hundreds ) was blunt," Nup " gave it away as a bad job.
I may get back to it tomorrow IF its fine.

I'm still waiting for the H.W.S to arrive from Mexico, "Boy" some of those Victorians can sure take their time. ;D ;D ;D

[kiwijim]

Climbed out of the sack this morning,at the ridiculously early time of 8.30am,

set the wheels spinning on the Coaster to try and burn off the tank full of L.P. gas just so it can be removed and pressure tested,

well I'm now home again, after clocking up 358km and the darn tanks still half full = around 8.95 km / Lt

The Coaster cruised at around 95 K.P.H. on the freeways and was pretty good to handle, only one thing to look at, thats the flamin 6 in the tree column change, worn linkages are no joke when trying to turn in traffic and it won't go into gear

Another 3-400 clicks tomorrow should see the tank empty, then it's off to the testing Station.

Cheers kiwijim

[bobt]

Hey kiwi fella

Thats rather good consumption your suffering, bet ya half happy about it?

Dodgy linkages and column change would certainly make for a fun time. So now that it is home safe have you tackled the linkages?

How many more k's did you get out of the lpg tank. Is it dual fuel?

bobt

[kiwijim]

Howdy there Bobt,

Well I can't figure out that Gas gauge in the Bus,
I went out to do the second run the following day and when I turned on the key the gauge said empty.

Anyway, I started it and she ran o.k. as I also have a large petrol tank I half filled it before we went for the run, just in case.

I left it on gas and traveled to the inspection station with-out any worries,
telling the bloke there about the faulty gauge he said that some-times they stick and it had probably come free as I stopped at home after the first run,
any-way it proved to still have plenty of gas in the tank, but it has thrown out my calculations as to what she will do to the litre.

No I haven't done anything about the sticking gear change as yet, I have been commanded to remove all the stickers from the ceiling of the Thomson as Some-One wants them for her Scrap Book, Yer, all 120 of them.

I have orders that the Bus can wait....the Thomson has to go

By the way, the gas cylinder check was a success and now after another $350 down the drain she's good for a further 10 yrs.

I did rip that perfectally good Hot Water System out of the bus then had a fit when I was told a new Suburban auto ign unit was going to cost around $1000 here,

"Not Flamin Likely" said the Kiwi, jumped on E Bay and got one delivered to the door from Mexico for $640 ;D ;D

cheers kiwijim

[bobt]

Hey kiwijim

I have a similar problem with the gas guage in my fowlcan. It is a bit deceving. I know rougly how many k's I should get out if it so I drive to that, sometime I end up runing on petrol, other times I don'.

It is good to have dual fuel.

640 is a good price to pay for a hot water service. NOw is this a gas/electric thingie? How many litres does it hold and what is its recovery time?

How much fresh water can it hold?

bobt

[kiwijim]

Howdy Bobt,

Yep, that gas gauge sticking can be a problem,
I've decided, the same as you, I'll go by the distance that I know the bus will do easily, and judging by our little run down the coast the other day, the bus will easily do 400 km to the tank, with plenty left over.

As I have said, the bus also has a large Petrol tank fitted ( around 100lt cap ) so we should be able to do quiet a few hundred clicks with-out stopping,

especially as there is a loo on board, the "Dear One" is very happy about that. ;D ;D

This Suburban H.W.S. isn't the Gas/Elec type,
it's L.P.G. only but has the 12v D.C. auto ignition,
this means, no more lighting matches then try to light the burner, it's wired direct to the 12v battery and with the flick of a switch, will send a spark to the burner until the burner lights,

then if the burner goes out another light on the switch panel fitted to the interior wall, will light up until the burner switch is hit again.

The heater has a capacity of 22.6 lt ,
and the recovery time is 40lt / hr set at 45deg I reckon that's hot enough for any shower unit.

To install the unit in the Bus, I have to cut a 320 x 320mm hole in the side of her, there's only one place to fit the heater, that's under the bed, where the water tank inlet is at the moment so, that's another job, then relocate the tank filler to another rear position later.

Here I was thinking,....... no more rebuilding when I retired. "WRONG"

[atouchofglass]

Hey Jim
As soon as you buy anything that someone else has ...eeerrr
played with or may be just .... used.

You end out having to make modifications to suit your needs.
But you knew that anyway ;D ;D ;D

Keep at it mate she will be a fine rig.

Atog

[kiwijim]

"Yep" you're right there Atog,

In all the caravans I've owner ( 30+ ) I have never been satisfied with any of them as they were at purchase,
Always something not right or not working,
the "Dear One" reckons it keeps me out of trouble ;D

Not much getting done here at present, too flamin cold and wet,
I'm spending a lot of time fiddling in the shed, ( re-phrase that jimmy boy ) errrr...... I mean planning the next job.

[bobt]

hey Kiwijim

If ya weren't doing mods or renos ya would be bored in your retirement. We caint have that now. ;D

[kiwijim]

Hey there Bobt,

Can't say that I know what the word Bored means,

I've always had something on the go,

Funny though, I am getting up earlier now, than what I ever did when working for the man, maybe there's more interest in getting things done for my-self.

I did manage to get the new H.W.S. fitted into the bus yesterday,
we actually had two days of fine weather here in the West so,

Out with the new reciprocating saw from Bunnings and cut a hole 320 x 320 mm in the side of the Bus, only to find there was a steel wall frame under the skin, *#@*^^

Got it fitted in the end after using 4 cutting blades on the angle grinder and one blade in the saw,

tomorrow there is another Storm predicted for Perth but, it's all inside work from now on, wiring and plumbing up the System, plus another 50 - 100 other jobs.

Boredom "Na" don't know what it means

kiwijim

[kiwijim]

Howdy Guys & Gals,

Well, it's almost two months to the day since we got the Coaster,

I reckon it's about time I showed what has taken place in the way of changes to the Bus, ( regardless of the rain )

First off I have now finished the removal of the d/bed and replaced it with twin 6ft singles...........


anyone recognize the new oven out of the Thomson ?

next I fitted the new Suburban H.W.S, there wasn't much room between the mud guard and the rear tool box, just squeezed it in .....


I then re-located the water filler cap just below the H.W.S. ........


following that there was the plumbing, then installing a fridge vent and also a City water inlet restrictor.........






Back into the Bus and did the cupboards with new shelves and a cutlery tray.......



Looks like Photo bucket has gone on holiday again

I'll post some more progress pic's later ( with luck )

kiwijim

[millard1399]

Wow, lookin' good so far, kiwijim!

Lotsa fiddly bits done really well. ;D

Blokes like you should be in the caravan repair business...

...not bummin' around being retired!!

cheers,
Al.

[kiwijim]

G'day Al,

Yep, I was thinking about going back to work,
I need a rest. ;D ;D
Funny how, when working for yourself, you only have to stop for a bite to eat when the Dear One starts to bellow....... "Ya getting hungry, it's 2.30 pm"

Then you only stop long enough to swallow a sandwich, then back into it till dark.

Any-how, lets see if that Photobucked has got over the sulks......
"Yep" good

As I was saying, I filled a cutlery draw under the sink......


Converted the seat behind the Co-Pilots seat to hold the Porta Potti...........



Then fitted and plumbed up the Washing Machine behind the Drivers seat.........



A couple of other things fitted were, the aerial winder (from the Thomson) now sitting on the rear of the bus, ..........


And finally, the "OLE BLUE" Name, lives on.................


I've still got heaps of small jobs to do, gotta pull the finger, the Wild Flowers are just starting to come out, we gotta get on the road soon. ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim

[kiwijim]

Here's another "Wee" addition that will be handy to have in the Bus,..........



It's only taken a couple of months to get,
but well worth the discounts that go along with Membership.

Now they tell me I could have saved 10% on our Tassie trip, bit late now but, I'll be keeping it in mind next time.

kiwijim

[millard1399]

Congratulations on becoming a member of the CMCA, kiwijim! ;D

Now, for the rest of us ignorant people, what are the benefits of joining the CMCA?

How much does it cost per year?

Is it as good as the Senior's Card?

Spill the beans, kiwijim!

[bobt]

hmmm where was I on the 20th??? aah thats it.. sunny gold coast..
How come I missed the progress shots???
Glad to see your making some progress, despite the rain ;D. Its looking good.

Bet the boss cannot wait till she gets to go off in it..

Ok so how much water can you carry. Saw the washing machine. Do you have a grey water tank?

Glad to see your CMCA membership came thru. I am sure you will not regret joining.

Hey Al even us caravan owners can join.. ;D

[kiwijim]

Howdy Guys,

First off,,,, to answer your questions Al,
The joining fees are $60.50 for a couple, this includes $16.50 joining fee and a Annual subscription of $44.00.

For this the benefits are numerous, and with the additional Seniors Card, what more could a traveler want,

for starters, on joining, they send you a Hugh pack of literature which includes the Monthly Magazine called The Wanderer, then there is a smaller book ( of 400 pages) called The Wanderer's Mate,
Now, this second book is as good ,if not better than the Camps 6 book, it lists all the R.V.Friendly Towns, State by State and includes such thing as Dump Points, G.P.S. and Hemi locations,
also the very reasonable costs, plus where applicable, the time limit on staying in these Camp Sites.

Other benefits are a great list of places and Business that offer discounts up to 25% for Members.
Finally, there was one main reason why I joined the C.M.C.A. they have their own Insurance, which is only available to Members, this is a must before we go any-where in the Bus, plus no other Companies would insure our type of vehicle.

Yes Bobt, I know who has been absent with a smile on the Dial,
But,,,,,, The fact remains, You still have to return to "Ugly as sin" some time, ;D ;D ;D ;D

The Washing Machine was fitted with the idea of using it when we find an out-side water supply,with proper drainage, such as behind a change rooms at some foot-ball oval or Show grounds, plus in a Caravan Pk, where it can now cost around $15 per day using their machines,

Although it's only a small Machine, they use a heck of a lot of water, something like 150Lt on a full cycle, there's no way we could carry that much water.

At present the Coaster carries 100 Lt of drinking water, I have another couple of 65 Lt tanks, (yet to be fitted) which will be used for Grey water, I have to remember the total weight carried which will be, Water= 100Lt , L.P.Gas= 100Lt, Petrol= 90 Lt and Grey Water, when full of another 130 Lt, there is also the Porta Potti that holds another 50 Lt.

I ordered and received a 7" reversing Camera ( For Fathers Day ) the other day, got it off E Bay $199.00 with 20mt of cable,
spent all day yesterday under the Coaster, stringing wire from front to back,

finally finished, jumped inside switched on the Ign, only to find the Flamin Camera, situated some 8' up on the rear was fitted up-side-down. now corrected and I've a lovely view of the Neighbors front garden ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim

[atouchofglass]

Hey Jim
Been watching your progress but not posting comments.
Really coming along well matey.

You're doing a top job and me thinks you will be on the road again in the near future.
This retirement thing is a busy time for sure......
Don't know if I could handle the pace.... maybe I should just stay employed.. ;D ;D ;D

The CMCA sounds like a great deal.
Especially the insurance.

Cheers
Atog

[kiwijim]

Howdy Atog,

Yep, I've got my doubts about this retirement thing my-self,

I certainly seem to be putting in the hours since we got the Coaster, and it's 7 days per week as well.

I've been at it for a full two months now but, I think the major changes have been completed now, that is as far as the interior goes.

The next big thing is the full service of the brakes and a grease and oil change, hopefully after that, there will still be some Wild Flowers around worth photographing.

I've had over 900 hits on the advert for the Thomson on Gumtree up till now,
I've dropped the price to $7.500 but no takers as yet,
Had a few tire kickers around, and there has been the usual stupid offer.

I am certainly not giving it away after all the time I've spent on it, if it doesn't sell by the time the Bus is finished, I'll just push it to the back of the yard and use it again in the future.

Cheers kiwijim

[kiwijim]

Well, Here I go again,
I've now as good as finished the inside of the Coaster,

So, it was time to jack her up in the air and inspect the front brakes, "Oh Boy"


I think the following pic's will tell their own story,


There's quiet a few quid to be spent on the front end before we head off into the wide Blue.







One good thing, the Cylinders are available on E Bay...$136.00 for the four, I hate to guess what the cost of relining the shoes will cost.

Who said it's cheap doing up a Bus.
At least the Sun is shining here in Perth, with 25 deg forecast tomorrow. ;D ;D ;D

kiwijim

[millard1399]

G'day kiwijim,

When I had the brake shoes relined on the Millard a couple of years ago, it cost me approx $70, from memory, for the four shoes. Earlier this year when I had the set done for the vintage van project I'm working on, the cost had gone up to $90 for the set of four. But then you have the additional cost of machining out the brake drums as well. No point in getting new shoes if the drums aren't cleaned out as well. One of the drums on the vintage van was more "egg shaped" than round, so a fair bit of machining was required.

Your old bus will be "good as new" once you've got it sorted out.

cheers,
Al.