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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 16:21:20 GMT 10
Hi all I'm a newbie to this site but finding it so useful. I am restoring an ACT Cruiser Hard Top for my daughter, when I say restoring I mean rebuilding. It is totally stripped, the last owner removed the roof and started to replace with a steel frame and aluminium checker plate, so there is plenty to finish and rebuild. My question is does any one have pictures of the kitchen unit, I have the top piece but not the base so looking for how it folds/lifts off and water/gas connections. Any help gratefully accepted.
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Post by bambang on May 6, 2014 18:23:04 GMT 10
Hi andynkaye, haven't got mine anymore so sorry can't help much with internal pics of the kitchen base...but on mine it was built onto the floor and wall (only the top piece lifted off). If you look back at some of my old posts you can see the basic look of it. There should be at least one hole in the floor there for the flexible hoses ( sink outlet and also tap supply from underfloor-tank )...the sink outlet hose exits the sink and goes down thru a hole in the base of the top unit, then down again thru a hole in the floor. Mine didn't use a pump-up sink tap connected to the water tank (disconnected) but a garden hose with click-on fitting which could be pushed thru the floor and connected to mains water supply. Gas fittings were disconnected so can't help there. So the base should be exactly equal to length & width of the top (lift-off) unit, and could be as high as you want ( as long as it's lower than the bed-end base when it slides in at pack-up time ). Mine also had a double 240v power point and single 12v outlet attached to the end wall of the kitchen base unit adjacent to the seat cushion....one of the 240v power points was for plugging in the cable for the light fitting on the roof-edge above the kitchen ( although would probably be better to simply hardwire the light separately so it doesn't tie up a powerpoint ). Hope this is some help. Cheers - Steve.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 19:25:20 GMT 10
Thanks for that Bambang I guess I'm lucky in way that the inside is gutted, I can pretty much do anything but didn't want to move to far from the simplicity of these vans. Like the idea of the garden fitting for the water so I'll probably pinch that. While the lining is of I want to make sure I run a few 12 volt lines to run lights ect as the whole family like free camping. Once I work out how to post pics I'll put up the progress so far.
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Post by bambang on May 6, 2014 20:33:50 GMT 10
Do you have the water tank fitted under the floor ?.....guess you'll need that for free-camping (rather than the garden hose setup) as well as a hand-pump tap (or electric). Where are you located ? because if you don't have the water tank I've still got the original plastic 60L tank & attaching brackets from mine before I removed it....sitting around doing nothing so it's your's if you want it ( I'm in Sydney west ). I also like the free-camping so have set up my current Cub-hardfloor camper with 12V Leds, sockets and deep-cycle batteries. You have the advantage with a hard-lid roof....you could easily rig up a solar panel on the top ( harder for the cleptos to pinch it up there once you've set up camp! ). Something to consider with the inside, good idea to make cupboard doors on the frontal face of the seat bases ( rather than the normal lift-up seat bases ) so you can access under the seats without having to move the seat-pad &/or occupants. Anyway have fun with it. Cheers - Steve.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 22:35:33 GMT 10
Thanks Steve for the offer but it does have the tank you spoke about and being in Adelaide a bit to far. As this is my daughters she has the benefit of being able to hook into my and my sons battery banks for the time being. I just want to make sure I put in enough 12 volt points for their needs down the track. I like the idea of front opening storage on the seats as in my van its a pain sometimes to get stuff from under them. Once again thanks for your help. Andy
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2014 16:57:21 GMT 10
Hi all i have just been givin one of these campers as part payment of a job i done, i got no need for it as i go camping with out the family(daughter is only 6months old), so i don't need this i have rubbed the old yellow paint back and going to give her a paint this weekend then i have 4 gas struts that are mentioned in another post to put on the arms to make it easier to lift after all is don't i will be putting her up forsale, does any1 know what they are worth and how common are these, this is the only website that has information on them. any help would be appreciated i will put some photos up later on today. oh and there is 3 tears in the canvas but i have a sheet of canvas just have to work out how to sow it on and make it water proof. For what they are they often sell for very cheap amounts ~ $1,000 to $1,500 If you get some strong thread like is used to stitch canvas & a "u" shaped bag needle, you can stitch the tears up. thats what I did. I have some canvas to patch it but after sealing the tears with glue it wasnt necessary. The iron on patches you can get are just canvas with hot melt glue on them. I was going to stitch patches on with hot melt applied to the canvas & then use an iron from both sides to sandwich the patch & canvas with some of that heat proof teflon coated paper to stop the hot melt coming through & sticking to the iron.
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matt
True Blue
A wise man once said..... "the journey of 1000 miles is easier when stabiliser legs are up!"
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Post by matt on Jun 17, 2014 16:53:34 GMT 10
Hi All. Just signed up after reading a heap of your posts. I didn't realise how many of these were around! We bought our ACT about six months ago and have modernised it a bit from its original 1974 design. Its a work in progress but it sees the road as much as possible. We keep it packed and ready to go at a moments notice, just have to add fuel to the car and beer to the esky and we're off! The Maiden Voyage to Burrum Heads last December. Needs a bit of work. The "annexe" is one of those RV shades with an extender.
The original kitchen was relocated outside to avoid the need for gas certificates. (Note the faux-checkerplate covering the faux-timber paneling of the kitchen? )Can be a pain in the wet until we get a proper annex, but works well enough. The En-suite tent is only used if there is more than the missus and me on a trip. (We are fitting this out with a hot shower and toilet/port-a-potti) There are a few posts I'll be looking more into soon, especially the struts for the arms, and hopefully I can answer any questions that come my may too. Only happy to help. Just be patient as I only tend to be around computers once or twice a week, but I'll be back.
Cheers!
Matt
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Post by ForumMod on Jun 18, 2014 14:15:57 GMT 10
G'day Matt, and welcome to the forum! That's a pretty neat camper trailer you've got there, and some pretty neat changes made to it as well! (By the way, thanks for inviting us over to share some of your delicious pork chops! ) Great to have you with us. Camper trailers are not my forte when it comes to talking about them, so it's good to have people on the forum who actually own them, and who can help others out with any questions. cheers, Al.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 0:51:35 GMT 10
Hi act campers. I have been following these post since we bought our own act camper in January 2014. We paid $500 for it and took it on its first camping trip last month. We have made a few modifications as it wasn't very loved when we got it. Had partial canvas replaced (bed ends), plastic windows removed and replaced with fly mesh, all fly meshed replaced and fly each bed end to run off a track on roof. I managed to find a second hand sign place and got a pvc tarp for the front track. Inside has been gutted and re lined. We removed kitchen opting for the extra floor space. New covers for foam cushions. We are using self inflatable mattresses on the beds. Outside we made removable steel arms for the bed as they were very flimsy. We also replaced bed bases with much thicker ply. Still have small finishing touches to do but we're stocked with out changes. Will post some pics when I work out how to! A big thankyou to every one on this post as we gained some great ideas. Cheers michelle
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Post by layback40 on Jul 8, 2014 14:24:49 GMT 10
The last trip up to near Hotham was great. I'm getting a bit old for washing in the cold Kiewa river water though. I have a 20ltr plastic bucket with about 40 1mm holes in the base. Boil 10ltrs of water in the camp oven & add it to 10ltrs already in the bucket. Pull it up over a fork in a tree & get a 5 minute warm shower. Been using it for years. Not too good with a cold wind or when no fire going. My camper has a recess for a shower, the previous owner installed, just need a shower curtain, no big deal. Have a 5ltr/min 12v pump. Have been looking around for an on demand LPG water heater for some time. Spoke to some horsey girls up at Diamantina camping ground. They had one set up in their float for washing down horses they said. When asked about using for a shower, they told me it was great. They have had it about 5 years. Its a Eccotemp L5. After searching around looking at what was about, most on demand units are around $300 on ebay. Found an L5 on Amazon for ~ $135 + $50 postage. Am now waiting so I can fit it. Will be great in the spring in the high country when its still a bit cold.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 19:34:31 GMT 10
Hey everyone,I'm new here and want to join an ACT camper group .I'm in Northern NSW and about to buy an old ACT camper. I am interested in strengthening the beds with extra brackets as they seem to be missing. ALSO, we have no fridge in our ACT cruiser . Any Recommendations?
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Post by layback40 on Aug 3, 2014 0:49:57 GMT 10
Hey everyone,I'm new here and want to join an ACT camper group .I'm in Northern NSW and about to buy an old ACT camper. I am interested in strengthening the beds with extra brackets as they seem to be missing. ALSO, we have no fridge in our ACT cruiser . Any Recommendations? There should be a pair of tubes at each end when its up. They are often stored under the mattresses. They fit over the rods that you should see just under the tub at the front & back. They go in the holes in the ply base near the back of the beds. They are a diagonal brace. The standard fridge is a chest type 3 way ( LPG/12v/240v). I doubt you will find one. They are low enough to have the bed slide over the top when packing up. There is enough room around it to allow you to have it running on 12v when the camper is down & you are traveling. Hope that helps
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 21:03:38 GMT 10
Hi we have purchased this Little Red Camper last year and was wondering if anyone has info on it. We think it is either a ACt camper, or Williams camper or a Bullet from previous posts. like everyone else the biggest problem is lifting the roof without killing ourselves !! We recently took our Little Red Camper from Port Lincoln in SA to Queensland AND Back for a total of 6,000km. Any info would be greatly appreciate. We have contact Trevor Eastman to ask how to make a new lift system. I have ordered new canvas to have a go at making new canvas bed ends. We love this Little Red Camper and are looking forward to many camping trips and adventures in it. We love reading about these campers. Cheers Wendy
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Post by bambang on Sept 6, 2014 0:26:28 GMT 10
Hi Wendy, so you must have bought this from "muttonduck"/ Bruce ( a member here too )....good to see the old campers are going to people who really use them ! So - as far as I know all the ACT campers have the "ACT" logo boldly embossed / moulded onto the back fibreglass skin between the tail-lights ( the letters are around 150mm tall )....sticks out like the proverbial. So if you can't see the ACT logo then it is probably a "Bullet".... there is definitely a big resemblance to the ACT when looking side-on, but the roof is totally different, as is the frontal profile. Gotta love that roof-lifting chore eh !!!! but seems a big job to set up a winding system tho, so most people learn to live with it (some can't manage because of health etc and move on to other vans). But hard to beat these type of campers for the room/capacity inside compared to the folded-down dimensions and weight ( and fibreglass construction definitely reduces the likelihood of leaks ). Enjoy . Cheers - Steve.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 10:42:15 GMT 10
Hi Steve,
Yes I think we did buy it from "Muttonduck". we have done a quick costing of a external wind up system and think it might end up being a bit much. the next thing we will look at is either building new arms that are stronger and adding beefed up springs or go down the gas strut way. That one does my head in just trying to work out all the things that need to be considered. I think there was someone else on this site that did it. Would be good to find that post and have another look. Or I might go to the car recycle place and get a couple of used ones and play with them. The new canvas will rock up next week and I have th emeasurments of the bed ends and an industrial sewing machine to have a go at renewing them. they are quite fragile!! I think Muttonduck had the side walls renewed in a vinyl but it is quite heavy and dosent help with lifting the roof. These will do for the time being and can be replaced in lighter canvas later. Hubby and I are having a good time working on the camper and love the spacious interior and huge beds! Thanks for you help.
Cheers Wendy
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Post by bambang on Sept 6, 2014 11:59:04 GMT 10
Wendy, not that I can experiment now (as I sold my ACT a while back)...but I always toyed with the idea of temporarily separating the canvas from the roof fibreglass somehow at setup (as you say - the walls actually are what makes it heavy to lift the roof). If there was some way of making the walls removeable ( like the studs that attach the walls to the lower body ) and then re-attach the walls to roof after the roof was lifted...this could make raising the roof quite easy (just a little more time-consuming to connect roof to walls after the roof is up). Anyway just a thought, and probably not that hard or expensive to modify. Cheers - Steve.
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Post by layback40 on Sept 6, 2014 20:38:36 GMT 10
Wendy, Installing gas struts on mine has taken care of the lifting issues. I now pull the roof down when packing it up. Very happy with the result. I find the key is to make sure you secure the back arms to the brackets that stop them going back too far before you raise the front end. The struts need to be at least 830mm long extended & go for around 500n strength. They are on ebay & cheap enough. Ones from a wrecker will probably be too short & weak.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2014 8:33:12 GMT 10
Hi Layback40, Thanks for that, we have been toying with the idea but are unsure of the positioning of the struts and if the arm material ( 30x 30 x 1mm) would be heavy enough to connect the strut too. Would we have to beef up the arm material and how to connect them. Would love your expert advise and photos if you have them. Does it matter the length of the main body of the strut and the rod? Or are they all made the same. It took us a few times to work out how to put the roof up by lifting the back and securing that before undoing the front and lifting that.
Steve, We find that the walls minimise the roof wobbling when we put it up, but velcro would work to detach the walls before lifting and easy to re attach.
Thanks for you help
Cheers Wendy
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Post by layback40 on Sept 7, 2014 13:15:15 GMT 10
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 18:32:34 GMT 10
Hi Layback,
We have ordered the struts and Michael has drawn it up, so once we get them we will have a go.. The canvas arrived yesterday so will take that outside to wet it to get the shrinkage out of it then start cutting the pieces out.
Michael also has purchased a pair of pot draw runners and is working out how to attach them to the beds so they roll out smoothly. So far looks like it might work but its still in the drawing stage.
We are heading out to theLincoln national park this weekend so are still using it while we upgrade it.
Cheers Wendy
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 13:45:46 GMT 10
Hi All We are the proud new owners of Matts ACT cruiser. We have done a little work on her already (will post pics when I learn how) but we have just had the gas struts installed and they work fantastically well with minimum effort. They help when lifting and lowering the roof. We got the 813 mm with 10 mm shaft but only needed 300nm in each one. The measurement was 225 mm down from the bottom of the top big bolt on the arm and then the lower end simply goes into the lowest nut hole of the brace (after a quick rebore). Will keep you posted By the way has anyone got any ideas on how the bed slides are supposed to work? I just cannot get them in so they fit properly? Any advice would be greatly appreciated Cheers Mark
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Post by Jodie&Shaun on Sept 24, 2014 23:02:29 GMT 10
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Post by little red camper on Oct 26, 2014 16:29:54 GMT 10
Hi Layback, The struts are a real treat. Finely got them on by trial and error, and it is a pleasure to "PULL" the top down instead of pushing it up. We have left the springs. in. Im 2/3 thro making new canvas and hubby is sorting out solar power to cover lighting and running a fridge. So, Thanks for your help Cheers Wendy
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Post by layback40 on Nov 11, 2014 11:48:23 GMT 10
Hi Layback, The struts are a real treat. Finely got them on by trial and error, and it is a pleasure to "PULL" the top down instead of pushing it up. We have left the springs. in. Im 2/3 thro making new canvas and hubby is sorting out solar power to cover lighting and running a fridge. So, Thanks for your help Cheers Wendy Great to hear it worked. Make sure you put back up first using front mounts as hinges. Then tie the back poles to the brackets before putting the front up. Learned the hard way that the roof can just slide forward otherwise. I have got some new lock downs for the back as the original ones will not suit when it has struts. Do a search on ebay of 330921127317 The plan is to put one on each side 1/2 way along as well. If you mount them upside down the holes line up with the ones on the existing rear lock-downs. If you dont put new lock-downs on its best to have a tie wire between the top & bottom of the poles so the roof doesnt shake up & down on the road. I have 2 solar panels, a 130w I had last year & a 200w I purchased about a month ago. They are both 12v panels & so I have found I dont need a regulator. The 200 w one was like 271658807860 on ebay. Have now 2 batteries, 100 ah & 80 ah. Its a bit of an over kill but the fridge used about 5 amps continuous. Over 24 hrs thats 120 ah & you are best not running the batteries too flat Over night ~ 8pm till 7am is 55ah & thats less than 1/3 of total battery capacity. Have been told thats a safe discharge. Hope the canvas works, did the cheap fix on mine & are happy. Looks a little rough but it doesnt leak.
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