1978 16' Viscount Explorer Pop Top - Refurb!

[matt]

I haven’t been on the forum in a few weeks thanks to Christmas/Work/family.... Finally got the chance to take the old girl for a run last weekend. Spent the weekend in Noosa for the Noosa Rodeo. Stayed at Noosa Caravan Park. Nice place with very good facilities. The staff guide you into your site which is a bonus when your wife isn't good at guiding you into tight spaces. Even the slab sites have a TV points! Facilities are very clean and the grounds well kept. Although we got placed right next to the amenities block (only site available when we arrived.) the park definitely gets a thumbs up.

Back onto the suspension woes..... looks like I will have to replace both sides with a new size. Can't get a matching pair anywhere so its time to change to a more modern size. Spoke to a couple of suspension shops and got them to look at the state of the springs now and they'll do for a little while longer until the funds become available for the changeover. Towing at 110 kph on the new Gympie/Cooroy section of the Bruce Highway on the weekend was fine with only the slightest wobble from passing trucks. Although I'm not usually in a rush so most of the time I tow at around 90 kph if there is no traffic to hold up.

We now have Solar power too! It only runs the 12v side of things so far, but a pure sine wave inverter will be added to run the fridge as its a 240v one. In the mean time I still have the old 'trailblazer' fridge if we are freecamping.

125 watt panel, 110 Ah deep cycle, and MPPT type 20A controller. Should be enough to run a fridge and a few lights. If not I'll just throw more panels and batteries at it...lol

The last time I mounted a solar panel, which was on our old 1974 ACT Camper, I made my own brackets out of aluminium angle. This time I went for these plastic ones. Look a little better I think. Mounted to the roof using white automotive sikaflex polyurethane adhesive. Although I have been told that the sika is enough to securely hold the panel, I'll still add a few strategically placed screws.

Anyway... have a few little jobs to do after the Noosa trip. Lost the extractor fan shroud off the roof on the way down, and I'm adding a storage tray to the draw bar to store hoses/firewood/stuff. Will post more when I have more to post!

[matt]

Hey there Vanners! It's been a while again but I'm into some more work today on the old girl.... caravan too if I get the time  ..... Last week we had a mini weekend away at the Pialba Caravan Park here in Hervey Bay. We were going to catch cabs to and from the Pro Bull Riding event held here last weekend  but thought instead of that why don't we spend the money on a beach front site instead? The bull riding was at the Seafront Oval a short 100m walk from the park so it made alot of sense.

Nice clean park with easy to get into sites. The beach front ones are only $45 a night but the services are a little out of sorts.... make sure you have decent lengths to your power/water/sullage lines. The normal sites are more standardised though.

Work for today..... fit the new stabiliser legs. Will post photos later today!

[matt]

New stabiliser legs = Beer in hand faster after set up!

I was thinking I would have had to weld in some plates to make it strong enough, but with some careful surgery on the old legs, I was able to leave behind the original metal plates to have some meat to weld the new plates on to, bonus!

The old rears..... just a little tired.

The front ones generally needed 'persuasion' to get them to go down.




One of the new ones tacked in...

Next job is to get rid of the old step you can see in the last photo. Definitely had its day. Not going to replace the step as I prefer to have a small colapsible step which can be used for other things around the van (or home).


Overall it took me about 5 hours all up to four legs. I looked at the ALKO ones available on line and at local shops but at $80-$110 EACH (depending where I went) these seemed like they were worth a shot at only $140 for all four including delivery! Design wise they don't look much different to the ALKO units although time will tell.

We are going to do a trip to Innisfail in a couple of months to visit family and see some sights so there are a few jobs on the list to get done. But one that is lined up for next weekend is to fit a new TV antenna which should arrive this week with a bit of luck. I've also done a few other little bits and pieces around the van since I was on the forum last. As soon as I can find the pics I'll post them up. Some of the bits are a new food wrap/paper towel holder, and mods to the water filter so it doesn't leak.


'Till my next post!

[bobandjacqui]

G'day Matt, Great idea. I have done a few but not with a heat source. Laid the screen out like you have shown but then used a fine line of flexible silicon and pressed it into the new screen then left it to cure. Worked well and they are still in service to-day.

Cheers Bob.

[matt]

May 17, 2015 13:19:19 GMT 10 bobandjacqui said:

G'day Matt, Great idea. I have done a few but not with a heat source. Laid the screen out like you have shown but then used a fine line of flexible silicon and pressed it into the new screen then left it to cure. Worked well and they are still in service to-day.

Cheers Bob.

Hey Bob. Thanks for the feedback.

Matt

[matt]

If anyone is wondering where all the pics have gone... I'm changing my photo hosting. All will be back soon.

[matt]

I wish my lovely wife would stop finding handy ideas on the net!!!!! (I'd like to get out of the workshop for a while  )

My wife is great at finding little tips and tricks for the van all over the internet and a few select facebook pages. Trouble is I find them as good an idea as she does so I head to the shed to knock them up. Although I must add that 90% of the ideas do add an extra level of comfort and practicality to the van....

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Stove Top Cover = Extra Bench Space

This is one of my personal pet hates.... not enough bench space. This idea has been around since cavemen first dragged stone beds behind them, and new vans have them built in already. But a handy little idea. Used some scrap timber I had lying around and coated with 2-pac polyurethane.

To keep it simple, and to keep the cover secure, I made four feet from a scrap piece of pine that fitted into the burner centres. To mark the placement of the top I put the screws through and carefully placed the top back on. With a slight press it marked the centres for the feet. BTW, credit for putting the feet in the centre of the burners instead of the outside corners goes to my wife. made a lot of sense.

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Food Wrap / Paper Towel Holder

Only small items but they are used all the time by us. Plus it keeps the paper towel handy whe I make a mess cooking! made out of some scraps of ply, and a short length of stainless pipe i had lying around. Then glued and screwed to the ceiling. Took about 2 hours to build and a couple of days to coat due to drying time.

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Where's ya wheelie bin mate???

OK... not a wheelie bin, but a wheelie handy bin.... Lisa... the lovely missus, got sick of woolies bags hanging off the door and saw door mounted bins on a couple of sites. This one only cost a few dollars and 10 minutes to fit. I just drilled two holes in the cross bar on the inside of the door, and attached the bucket with a length of spring line (that stuff for curtains) and a couple of small hooks at either end. Now at least my empties have a proper bin! PLUS a plastic woolies bag fits nicely inside, saving on buying bin liners.

[matt]

How to get a good reception!

Without a big budget I couldn't get the latest in satellite TV. So good old digital will have to do (said tongue in cheek). I searched around the net, asked a few local antenna guys, and settled on this one...

I looked into unidirectional ones, electric ones, you name it. But my aim with this van is to use the KISS principle. So an omnidirectional one was the way to go (no finding local transmitter towers). The seller said it would do the job and would gladly refund me if it didn't perform. So off I send money into cyberspace and Mr Post returns a week later with this.


Now, Hervey Bay has absolutely crap television signals, so I hooked it up to a spare telly before installing to make sure it worked and sure it did. It actually got a better signal than our house one (which makes me think I should have the house antenna checked!)


A couple of points I found though....

• It lost about 30% of its signal when placed on the main roof and not the pop top section.
• The pop top roof was a little flimsy and the antenna wobbled a bit so I braced it with a couple of aluminium plates (from the old fish'n'chips spash back!) and glued it all together with automotive Sika
• This particular model came with a gazillion miles of antenna lead. You may want to shorten it a bit.
• Run through all your channels when you test place the antenna in various spots on your van. i was really surprised how different channels were effected differently (we have two transmitter towers her in the bay.)

Now all I have to do is wait for the new telly and mounting bracket to arrive! i was going to install out 26" Sharp LCD but it weighed a ton (well about 9kgs) and was a bit of overkill. So a new lightweight (3.5kg) 21" one is on the way.

[Deleted]

Well here is another tip, that I will be doing sometime soon, get some 6mm ply and cut it to the shape of your kitchen stink just inside the raised edge and and so it will go around the tap handles and presto more bench space.

[matt]

May 20, 2015 17:30:02 GMT 10 @lockyer said:

Well here is another tip, that I will be doing sometime soon, get some 6mm ply and cut it to the shape of your kitchen stink just inside the raised edge and and so it will go around the tap handles and presto more bench space.

Thanks Lockyer.

Damn,,,,, Now I have to get back in the shed! 

[matt]

To all you sparky's and electronics nuts.... can anyone tell me if these were an option or an aftermarket mod... It works, but now is getting relegated to the job of 'backup 12v system' as the new solar setup is working fine (although this little transformer only just runs the 12volt lights and water pump.)

It looks like it has a bridge rectifier (if I remember right) to change the AC to DC (LED lighting works off it) and weighs a ton! BTW... please ignore the old vinyl... it's going this afternoon! There are no specs on the old transformer but this is on the side if it helps anyone....

On another note.... after fitting a new pole holder on the drawbar (one less thing inside the van!) If you have an old security screen hanging around, these are great for carrying enough firewood for a half decent campfire and you can tie the timber quite securely....

[tasmillard]

good idea on screen. also i have the same legs

[matt]

May 25, 2015 20:25:37 GMT 10 tasmillard said:

good idea on screen. also i have the same legs

How are the legs working out for you? I've found that they are great so long as they're straight down or at a bit of an angle. Too far from 90 degrees from the chassis and they get a bit 'hows ya father'.

[matt]

'Gramping', test runs, and bloody batteries!

One of our grandkids, William, has been pestering us for months about taking him 'Camping' in the van. So we used the long weekend as an excuse to give the van a bit of a run and give master 4's mum a break for a couple of nights. Stayed at the East Bundaberg Van Park. Nice clean park although in the middle of the East Bundaberg Industrial area so the scenery isn't that hot. But with the town CBD, Alexandra Park and Zoo, and the Bundy Bowl and Leisure Centre close by, the location was great.

All loaded up and ready to go... New addition of the modified Toyota Troopy spare wheel carrier on the back, and our new tow car "Holly" the Holden.



Grandson William had a ball helping with the annexe (even with grandad getting nervous when he was swinging the mallet...lol)

The trip also had an ulterior motive.... testing my welding skills was the main one, as well as testing our cupboard latch selection and packing technique, so we took a few rougher roads to 'shake things up' a bit. RESULT: 90% Pass. My new spare wheel carrier was still on the back, as well as the rear bar (good sign). Water pump & tank may need some more bracing or a rethink of design. All the cupboard contents stayed where we put them, although accidentally leaving a small basket of kitchen stuff on the shiny and slippery 2 pack bench top proved too much but at least it ended i the sink!


One big fail was my solar power setup.... the battery called it quits, so off to Battery World next payday. Still the one that died had a fair innings. but at the end of the day it all boils down to this......

Enjoying your van, kickin' back in the annexe, with a nice bottle of wine and the missus (once the Grandson was asleep!) Cheers!

[Mustang]

Well Done Mate, I like the yellow.

I notice your door is the same as ours.

We have missing seals, did you reseal your door. I can't seem to find a supplier with these wider flange seals.

[matt]

Jun 10, 2015 19:05:03 GMT 10 Mustang said:

Well Done Mate, I like the yellow.

I notice your door is the same as ours.

We have missing seals, did you reseal your door. I can't seem to find a supplier with these wider flange seals.

Funny you should mention that about the door seals. i was only just looking at the door seals the other day and thought "I think I need to find supplier and replace those door seals.! Looks like we're in the same boat.

If I have any luck I'll let you know for sure.

[matt]

Just a quick post about the battery failure. It suffered from what is called "Runaway Charging" and ultimately failed. Big safety note though. Runaway Charging 'usually' happens from one of two things. A faulty battery or a faulty charger. Either way it can cause a massive increase of hydrogen gas to be produced and higher risk of explosion. Good thing I found out now!

Bloody lucky actually!

[tasmillard]

Jun 8, 2015 19:08:08 GMT 10 matt said:

May 25, 2015 20:25:37 GMT 10 tasmillard said:

good idea on screen. also i have the same legs

How are the legs working out for you? I've found that they are great so long as they're straight down or at a bit of an angle. Too far from 90 degrees from the chassis and they get a bit 'hows ya father'.

Mine are OK, and unfortunately they are too long to be positioned straight down.  They are up to about 45 degree angle at worst, but have not noticed any unusual movement yet.  Mind you, I have since jacked the van up off its tyres and placed he legs straight down, its rock solid like that lol

Good thing about the battery, I have the expensive GEL type so not sure if the issue relates to these batteries?

[matt]

Hi All! Been a while between posts so  I thought I'd do a bit of an update on some more creature comforts that have been added to the van. Only two weeks to go before the 'big' trip up north. Had her into the trailer shop to have a service and check over mechanically and passed.

TV/DVD is in...

The new telly is in. This is a factory refurbished unit which saves a few bucks. 19" with DVD player in the back.  I've mounted it on a swing arm mount so we can swing the telly around to the window and watch it from the annexe

The Rack!

The Jerry can has arrived which proved the old saying measure twice / cut once. It's only sitting on the rack at the moment and a bit of surgery to the tool box needs to happen, but it will sit there nicely in the end. Fuel capacity is now 105 litres which gives us a towing range of about 6-700 k's. I've added chains and a piece of plywood to the lid of the tool box for a handy work bench, the spare is about to get replaced with a brand new 14" sunraysia and LT tyre to match the other two.

The essentials to sustain life... fishing gear!

I'm one to have the right gear, ready to go, at my fingertips. After the last couple of trips, fishing rods proved to be a right royal pain in the posterior. Lisa (yet again, with the ideas) saw those broom holders during a trip to that big green store, and for less than $20 the rods are now mounted on the roof, up and out of the way, yet ready to go at a moments notice.

Where the hell do I put that?

Lisa thought it would be a great idea to have a microwave in the van. Actually I thought so to. But where am I going to put it? I was on one of my usual op-shop meanderings and came across one of those old television wall brackets and thought that would be a great idea to mount the microwave up an out of the way. Problem.... Microwaves are heavy on one side and the arm had too much play for the weight of the microwave (which I worked out AFTER mounting the bracket) so it sat on a funky angle.

So the 'microwave bracket' is now a breakfast bar sort of device. The toaster and kettle sit in a little box/tray tucked out of the way when not in use, and then when you want to use them you undo the little clip and pull them out away from the window and cupboard. Plugs reach just nicely too! But the microwave is still without a home....

Home sweet home for the microwave!

At the expense of a berth, the microwave has been put in this little cut out at the end.  I could have gone lower, and kept the berth, but the porta potti lives underneath. If I can find an alternate place for the loo then I'll just drop in down lower at a later date. At the moment its only Lisa and I that generally sleep in the van so the loss of a berth is no biggie.

Thats all for now. It may be a few weeks before I'm on again due to the upcoming trip. Will post pics of the trip when we get back!

[Deleted]

Hi Matt

The van is looking good, quick question- with your TV do you know what the viewing angles are ? And could do a little test for me.....pretty please..  

We are getting a 19" TV as well but it will have to sit either on the stove top/sinker or up on top of our cupboard as we will be at either end of the van, could you see if you can watch your telly at say 45deg and try and sit lower then eye height. Our cook top/stink is just above eye level but the cupboard is 40-50cm above and I have read that this is where LED LCD TV's have problems basically they have to be near enough to eye level.

[Rattles]

Lokyer - You will find you get what you pay for , I bought a budget price 19" "Celestial" LCD TV and the viewing angel was very low, however replaced it with a 26" LG and the viewing angle is excellent, I view from below (me on Lounge) and the wife level from bed, the "Celestial" only one could get a bright picture and the "LG" both have a bright picture.

When selecting a TV go for a TV that is both LCD Display and back lit LED as the have the best contrast compared to side lit displays, and the quality brands have better sound (speakers) than the budget brands.

Rattles

[atefooterz]

Just as important as the speakers is the sound card, most modern sets are based around a 5:1 separate system. Early Kogen sets learned the hard way with cheap components and gained a bad reputation. My $299 2014 model LG 32" (3.6KG) was a great boxing day sales period buy, i now wished i had spent the exrea $150 to have DVD inbuilt versiobut space aside have a player but more often just use the laptop via HDMI cable, my DVD player has never left storage so far.

[Mustang]

You have beautifully mounted the two most important iems in my diet, Kettle & Toaster

[matt]

Hey all! Back from the trip and will have some problems and pics to post soon.

In answer to some of the above questions ( @lockyer , Rattles , atefooterz , & Mustang ) Yes, TV viewing angles can be an issue in cheaper tvs, as well as sound quality, so the more you pay the more you get. We did have a 26" Sanyo but it was way to big for the space. The little pendo does allright despite the tinny sound. viewing angles aren't that good but the angle I have it set at (adjustable bracket) match both the bed and viewing through the window.The breakky bar proved a hit with people checking out our little van too.

I made a habit of walking around caravan parks when we did stop at them (we free camped a fair bit) to see if we had the oldest van in the park. Apart from a permanent van at Rockhampton (an earlier franklin) we always had the oldest in the park by at least 15 years! We caused a bit of a stir at a Charters Towers park when we set up in the unpowered section, with one fellow caravanner (in a near new 25+ foot off road job)  thinking we were lost. He was quite surprised when we were set up, chairs down, wine in hand, and he was still working out how to get his stabilisers down. 

Will post some pics soon!

[Deleted]

Thanks for that info Matt


Shame I didn't know you lived near MB or we could have gone out to dinner or something


What size is your TV now ? Plus we have been using my laptop to watch dvd's while away and it has shocking sound, so we bought a Bluetooth surround speaker from Dick Smith and it also has connections for audio plugs as well and that has great sound - fixed that issue. Plus it is rechargeable so no extra leads while in use.


Cheers L