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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2015 10:22:46 GMT 10
Three ACT campers on eBay at the moment, one has put checker plate around side of roof, great idea, adds a lot more strength. What do you all think?
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Post by bambang on May 24, 2015 18:40:25 GMT 10
Depends on how thick the checkerplate is, especially if it's only aluminium maybe not that strong ( but steel checkerplate would make the roof a lot heavier to lift (which is the most common complaint amongst ACT owners)...but in any case the covering may be just hiding cracking on the fibreglass roof skin....which is common too (especially near the mounting points of the lifting arms, an area which gets stressed because the bolts just go through the fibreglass skin and have only small nuts without broad washers on the inside of the roof). When I strengthened mine I made thick steel plates for the inside backing the bolts, which I also replaced with stainless bolts....and the backing plates inside the roof corners I also joined all together with angle iron bracing going around all 4 sides, making the whole roof quite a bit stiffer without adding too much extra weight. I think there are some pictures of the interior on an earlier page here. Cheers - Steve.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 8:49:47 GMT 10
Thanks, we are in the process of putting new arms and struts on so we're better off doing something like you did. Roof has surface cracks but looks solid. There seems to be like a surface rust, do they have some tin or something under the fiberglass? Carolyn.
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Post by bambang on May 25, 2015 18:59:06 GMT 10
Carolyn, I never came across any metal on the roof skin so not sure where the rust is coming from ( is it possibly the steel bolts rusting where they hold the top arm onto the roof ? like I said, I replaced mine with stainless bolts there )...cheers - Steve.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 23:18:22 GMT 10
Not sure will try get some photos but uploading seems to be a bit of a problem, thanks Steve.
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Post by atefooterz on May 27, 2015 8:52:18 GMT 10
A product to be aware of & save grief and importantly weight, is micro fibres (West System name) GRP or fibreglass areas that have sheer multi-directional forces, like those bolts to support the stays that get force from all angles that crack the gel cote. A simple lasting repair is to use a dremel like tool or even a large drill bit with a tape marker to dig down 1-2mm depends on skin thickness but 1/3 is a good guess then fill with a mircro fibre resin slurry (mix to peanut butter thickness) This will be much stronger than any glass matt layup and prettier than throwing on heavy metal. NOTE above i saw about rust stains... if metalwork is done near glass then any angle grinding/ drill swarf can cause stains down the track with hot metal digging into the surface of your glasswork.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 14:20:40 GMT 10
There you go - please continue with your chat and posts and thanks for understanding..
Enjoy
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Post by bambang on May 28, 2015 18:50:39 GMT 10
Thanks Lawrence....cheers - Steve
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Post by layback40 on May 30, 2015 23:27:10 GMT 10
Three ACT campers on eBay at the moment, one has put checker plate around side of roof, great idea, adds a lot more strength. What do you all think? I have restored the front & RH side of my roof. Its like a sandwich. Fiber glass- ply wood -fiber glass. I dug out the old plywood & replaced it with some marine ply that was coated with a layer of resin & woven glass matting. It was a hard enough job as I didnt take the roof off. Its as strong as now.
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Post by layback40 on May 30, 2015 23:32:28 GMT 10
There you go - please continue with your chat and posts and thanks for understanding..
Enjoy I just spent 20 minutes trying to find this thread!! NOT a happy camper !! Was there a reason for moving it? I only found it by searching my old posts. If I was new I probably would not have been able to find it. Why put it in the hall of fame? Its information about a type of classic caravan. Now you will see there are random threads starting about ACT vans popping up every where & some are being moved to various other places. This is not a photo thread for one camper. It is a thread for people wanting information about ACT campers. Hall Of Fame Here is the place to share you Classic Van Photos. Come on don't be shy I'll show you mine if you show me yours
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Post by layback40 on May 31, 2015 0:12:19 GMT 10
Thanks, we are in the process of putting new arms and struts on so we're better off doing something like you did. Roof has surface cracks but looks solid. There seems to be like a surface rust, do they have some tin or something under the fiberglass? Carolyn. From time to time I have noticed rust spots. Most likely caused by using an angle grinder near by & then the roof getting moist. When the fiber glass weathers it becomes a bit porous. Best give it a good coat of an outdoors good quality paint.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2015 20:26:28 GMT 10
Hey Everybody,
Great info here. Just picked up a cruiser in pretty good knock for $400. Planning on struts to aid the setup. One thing that concerns me is the plywood that the mattresses lay on. I think I will go straight through them. Has anybody reinforced the plywood bed bases. The support poles are strong enough looking at options. Any Thoughts?
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Post by layback40 on May 31, 2015 22:59:08 GMT 10
Hey Everybody, Great info here. Just picked up a cruiser in pretty good knock for $400. Planning on struts to aid the setup. One thing that concerns me is the plywood that the mattresses lay on. I think I will go straight through them. Has anybody reinforced the plywood bed bases. The support poles are strong enough looking at options. Any Thoughts? You could go for thicker ply. I had to re-glue the side & end boards. Back in the thread some others talk of some sort of reinforcement. Just thinking aloud, you could make up a T piece that would go between the support poles with another piece that went from there to the tub. It could be stored on the bed when packed up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2015 12:23:45 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 Hi,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I have picked up some great information from here, thanks everyone.
We bought an ACT Cruiser from our next door neighbours about 12-18 months ago, It had been their 'baby' for a lot of years and they were excited about seeing another family grow up enjoying it.
We have recovered the cushions, replaced mattresses, installed gas struts (thanks to the idea from here) and have replaced the sink/stove with a stained timber benchtop/seat. I will post some pictures at some stage.
Wendy, I was wondering how you got on with the pot drawer runner installation for the bed ends, did you have any luck? or has anyone else tried this?
Thanks
Revvin
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2015 8:27:18 GMT 10
Hi Wendy, I thought about draw runners for ours, I would also like to know how they go. Also there's been so much talk about struts, what size are you going with and do you have the measurements you are using, or are you going with what you have read in other posts. I would love to see some photos, cheers Carolyn.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2015 17:07:40 GMT 10
Hi Carolyn, I bought the struts from the eBay seller in the link layback 40 posted on page 6 but got the 300nf rated ones and they work well. Next time I have the cover off I will measure the placement. We took one of the recommendations from one of the forum posts and clamped them on and tested them before bolting the brackets on. Cheers Kev
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2015 13:39:49 GMT 10
Hi guys, been observing from a distance for a while now and thought I'd share a link to a rebuild over in WA. I'm currently doing the same rebuild and thought it was pretty cool that someone else has done pretty much the same mods as me and are at the same stage. I have no affiliation with these guys, just stumbled on the blog and thought it interesting... intentsoffroad.com/retro-trailer-rebuild-part-1/
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2015 22:41:27 GMT 10
Hi, Here is some pictures of our Gas Strut attachments. The screw on the bottom of the gas strut (middle of bracket) is 720mm from the bottom of the arm. The screw on the top of the strut is 315mm from the top of the arm. I hope this helps.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2015 16:50:37 GMT 10
Thanks for that, very helpful, our struts arrived Friday, just got to get time to get them on, Carolyn.
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Post by layback40 on Jun 28, 2015 20:04:12 GMT 10
Hi, Here is some pictures of our Gas Strut attachments. The screw on the bottom of the gas strut (middle of bracket) is 720mm from the bottom of the arm. The screw on the top of the strut is 315mm from the top of the arm. I hope this helps. Hey revvin, One small issue. You need to have your struts with the rod at the bottom end. This is so the oil in the strut keeps the seal moist, If you have the rod up, it will loose gas in time.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 20:46:57 GMT 10
Hi, thanks layback, I had to go out and have another look myself, the rod is annodised black or something simillar and has the same steel fittings on each end of the strut, its hard to see in the photos because of the rod color but they are on the lower end. cheers.
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Post by layback40 on Jul 23, 2015 13:14:48 GMT 10
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Post by atefooterz on Aug 4, 2015 22:34:17 GMT 10
Hi there fellow ACT owners! I've just spent hours reading through this thread gathering ideas for our ACT Cruiser we are building up at the moment. We picked it up for $300 and are building it to be a little more off road friendly. We are building an entire new chassis from the ground up, bigger wheels and much more clearance than original. I was bought up camping in a Consort and we also had a little cruiser for a while. Have a look at our project on my blog: intentsoffroad.com/retro-trailer-rebuild-part-1/ This guest ran away but his blog and progress ongoing... intentsoffroad.com/retro-trailer-rebuild-part-1/
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Post by layback40 on Aug 6, 2015 9:41:11 GMT 10
Hi there fellow ACT owners! I've just spent hours reading through this thread gathering ideas for our ACT Cruiser we are building up at the moment. We picked it up for $300 and are building it to be a little more off road friendly. We are building an entire new chassis from the ground up, bigger wheels and much more clearance than original. I was bought up camping in a Consort and we also had a little cruiser for a while. Have a look at our project on my blog: intentsoffroad.com/retro-trailer-rebuild-part-1/ This guest ran away but his blog and progress ongoing... intentsoffroad.com/retro-trailer-rebuild-part-1/This guy has a few ideas that he has got from other places. very self promoting, you would think he is the first to ever restore an ACT. he has strong connections to a car parts seller & promotes things in a way that you just go there & get this & that & thats what you need to do. he blatantly doesnt wish to acknowledge this group or any information he has obtained from here. it looks like a case of "Look at me! Look at me!".
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2015 21:40:26 GMT 10
Hi guys , I've been quiet .. Where does time go- anyway I'm looking for recommendations for a product to paint the roof / all of my consort with- it isn't leaking as such but it's porous I think- what Can I use to seal and freshen up . The canvas on the bed end is wearing thin so I'm thinking of getting the flys, as I have the sail tracks ,what's a good material for this? Has anyone made up their own? And how are curtains attached? - I don't have any tracks in place so wondering what others have done - thanks a million x
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