VF Caravans, Majestic Leisuretime D294

[Zippo]

Settled on the annex - not the one I had been thinking about, but very similar. The one I bought was a demo, so in stock, 35% off RRP and immediate delivery from onroadrv.com.au.  The Motoair Annex and a Youtube clip of setting it up.  They are very lightweight tent material, with a floor and screens on the windows. I've tested setting it up and can do the whole job on my own. There are 3 models - low, medium and high. Demo was a medium, but I could have done with the high. The difference is the height against the van - ground to sail track. For the price, I'll make do    Whole thing is 17KG's and fits in to a duffle bag. First time we get rained on I'll see how good it is - that could be Sunday morning, just when I'm packing to come home.

We leave about 3PM this afternoon. Have to pick up passenger 2 from school and then hit the road. Should be to Chinchilla by 6PM - just in time for dinner put on by the caravan park. Tonight we have a buffet of Roast beef, pork, lamb and chicken, or seafood - prawns, fish .... and salad or veggies.


A little test of flickr hosted photos:

[Mustang]

Keep us informed "Who's on the road" also the name of the park with that amazing menu??

[Zippo]

OK - step 1 for putting the rebuild pictures back into the thread - Flickr Album - VF Caravans, Majestic Leisuretime.

[snoops]

Wow, that's brilliant! What is the toilet and shower base you've used - looks similar to what I want to do on the Viscount when I get it.

[Zippo]

Oct 15, 2017 17:14:46 GMT 10 snoops said:

Wow, that's brilliant! What is the toilet and shower base you've used - looks similar to what I want to do on the Viscount when I get it.

Off ebay for both - that shower base is 1200 x 800 - but a right pain to use. There aren't any edges on it to set up the water seal to the walls and I had to put a frame underneath (or cut a bloody big hole in the floor) to support the shower setdown. Having said all that, I got it cheap and made everything work round it. There are a few for motorhomes (not as big as the one I used) and the odd one that is a full cubical unit but they are very expensive. I took the Wallart wall sheets to the floor and used silicone to form a gasket between the frame underneath the tray (and close to the wall) and the wall. If you do something like this, don't forget to make the roof waterproof and add a vent as well - I worked that out well after I started building the room and had to do a little retrofitting and cut a big hole in the roof. You also need 12 volts in that area for the fan and a light    (assuming you use the fan version of the vent). Another tip - I got a domestic shower screen / door etc cheap and swapped out the glass panel in the door for a wallart sheet - less likely to break and a lot lighter than the glass (but you do then need the light - nice LED strip light near the fan will do).

Toilet is just a Thetford unit - some have a water tank but this one flushes straight off mains or the water pump. Switch turns on a water valve for mains or you can also turn on the pump with the same switch (pump with a pressure switch works the same as on mains).  This is the model I used - Thetford C200 Caravan toilet NOW - you have to watch for one as I didn't pay near $800 this one is advertised for. They're not cheap but just smile and remember just how much easier life will be for the other half.  

[Zippo]

Now I've somewhat figured Flickr out, here are a few updates

Bed and vanity


A little wall art


32" TV - got the Foxtel / satellite working


Rear bar and spare wheel mount


Might be over engineered, but it won't break


Whatever.....


Testing out the annex before we head off to Chinchilla

[Zippo]

Chinchilla trip.
Arrived on site right on 6:00pm. Quick setup before dark and off to dinner. Park is interesting - built new in 2014 to service the Gas Industry (which is now long gone). There are 12 van sites, set at an angle to the road (so very easy to back in) - rest of the park is cabins. The cabins are used by FIFO workers who want a bit of comfort (rather than staying at the work camp down the road).

Anyhow - shower was forecast for Sunday but I figured I would be packed and away before that happened. Weather doesn't know which day is what - had a storm on Saturday afternoon - 43mm in about 15 minutes. That's the water test out of the way. With all that rain, had 2 small leaks in the trim round the windows. Easy enough to fix ==== BUT ==== forgot to close the vent in the bathroom. Talk about a water leak  . Lucky that's the wet room so no harm done. Will have to waterproof the stitching on the annex though. Few small leaks to fix.

Ebay had a 10% off the purchase price deal for 3 days (Spend more than $75 to get 10% off and discount capped @ $500) so I snapped up a brand new Truma Saphir Comfort Reverse Cycle Underbunk Air Conditioner. When it's installed under the bed, most people won't even know it's there and the weight is down low. We will be away for 2 weeks at Christmas so this little gem will get a workout. As soon as this crappy weather clears, I'll get it installed.

Still more plumbing work needed - grey water tank to go in but that's the last of the big jobs.
Looking at the checker plate along the lower sides to fix the badly knocked about panels. As things were falling apart, people had been tacking brackets on and trying to fix the sagging walls - generally just damage beyond repair instead of taking an extra few minutes to fix it properly. To tidy things up (I tried to get the original type cladding delivered out here but no go) the checker plate will make all that nasty stuff go away. Still thinking about it.  

[Zippo]

Still doing updates and making changes -

• Air conditioner is in and working well. Under bunk model with 3 ducts to pipe the air round.Not much to see unless you know what and where to look.
• Aluminum plate along the bottom to fix up the damaged panels
  
• Rear bar and spare mounted
• Tested the gas setup - 2 external fittings for the BBQ and water heater, and internally, the cooktop.
  

See the rest of the album from the start

Test fitting the wheel arch piece




Sides are 3 pieces to get the 5.4M length - split as front, wheel arch and rear


Rear bar and spare - will have to move the number plate up to the max of 1300mm from ground level

[Mustang]

Sensational, Looks very clean, love the decal.

[Zippo]

Nov 22, 2017 7:56:18 GMT 10 Mustang said:

Sensational, Looks very clean, love the decal.

Thanks Mustang. Decal gets a few laughs.

Anyway, we're away this weekend - beachfront site at Scarness Beachfront Caravan Park, Hervey Bay. For $8 extra to be on the beachfront - why wouldn't you? Post a picture later in Out and About.  

[Zippo]

We've been to Scarness Beachfront Caravan Park, finished a few more tasks, and then had Christmas at Ballina and Lennox Heads.

Masking up for the 'new' side flashes - metalic green over a silver base (and 1 gray stripe that will get redone in black)




Packed and ready to head out for Ballina. I only finished the stripes the afternoon before we left for Ballina.


and setup on beachfront site (Ballina)



And setup again at Lennox Heads for week 2. Got the satellite / Foxtel working but forgot to pack the remote - very difficult to manually change channels.

[Mustang]

Glad some one else has "old timers" I took my Port a Boat to a lake 2.5 hours away & forgot the seats!!!!!
Your van looks so neat, I bet people are asking if its a "new Retro"

[Zippo]

Haven't had the retro question yet but there were quite a few visitors checking it out and I had a couple to visit to check out as well. I was a little surprised at the level of interest in all the older models present. At both parks I was at, there were more than the couple I photographed but the other had a lot of gear round them (awning, annexes, shade ports, screens etc) so you couldn't see much of the van. There was a really nice Olympic that you couldn't see much of and too little to see in a photo. Think Millards were the most popular in number. Some interesting older model vans came in late afternoon / evening but they took off next morning before I was organised. A couple I saw heading for the open road before I finished breakfast and got over to look at them. People are still enjoying their caravan holidays just like the old days. We enjoyed our first long break but now it will be weekends again for a while. Toowoomba next for the swap and then Easter at Tin Can Bay. Once I've got the Solar and water tanks sorted, we will try a National Park camp or one of the big dams for a weekend to test it all out. Still more jobs on the list to complete but I'm getting there.

[Zippo]

Finally got the solar panels on the roof and wired up. 2 x 200 watt panels wired in parallel. Mounted with 50 x25 mm aluminum brackets pop riveted and bonded to the roof with high strength adhesive sealer. Ran a pair of wires from each panel all the way to the solar regulator via individual fuses for each panel. Supplies power to charge 250 amp hours of AGM batteries. 

Little bit of testing to see what's possible - important as the van site I have at the Toowoomba swap doesn't have power or water. Water I can get round but 3 days of no power would be a bit much (no TV or Foxtel - that would be end of the world as we know it ) so I just have to make my own. All this is in my plan anyway but wasn't going to finish the solar system till later in the year. Plans are made to change.

So the load will be -
12volt compressor fridge (lots of drinks because it will be very hot, and some food)
TV and Foxtel (off the inverter)
12volt lights
Fan - 12volts to charge and batteries to run - does about 8 hours on low before a recharge. I do have a small 240volt fan as a backup.

Not much load really.
Day 1 test - turned the panels off to run the batteries down. Left the inverter and TV going all day and the fridge was left to do its thing. After 10 hours down to 75% left. Plugged in the panels and went to bed.

Day 2 - 10:30 I checked to see what was happening and the batteries are at 99% recharged. Stayed at 99% till I started load testing about 11 o'clock so don't know when it got to 99%.

This test was 'if I'm desperate, can I run the air conditioner and the fridge as well?' - Yes, air conditioner for about 2 hours from 11 to 1 runs the batteries down to 50%, but, 3 hours of afternoon sun wasn't enough time to recharge (only picked up 32% before the shed blocks the sun). Still have enough power to run the fridge, lights and TV for the evening without going too low (the test 50% is way lower than I want to normally discharge).  

Day 3 - Get out there early and see what was used over night and see how fast it recovers (to 99%).

Anyhow - as long as I don't use the air conditioner, I have plenty of power for the swap weekend -  only 2 weeks from today.

[snoops]

That’s a good setup. You’ll do a long weekend in that easy. In the Franklin I ran 200Ah of batteries with 120 watt solar on the roof and another portable 150 watt panel I plug in. I’ve been away for 2 weeks straight in it - camping in one spot for 7 nights and not run out of power with similar loads to what you have.

The Viscount will be 400 watt fixed plus the portable into 400Ah of batteries which will be overkill but I’m adding some extra loads to that.

Most people undercook the solar - it’s cheap enough now that you can load up on solar to ensure a full charge each day. Rule of thumb is 200 watts of solar to every 100Ah if batteries - which tou’ve Nailed. 👍😊

I’m still a bit underdone in the solar but will see how I go - I think 400Ah if batteries may be too much but easy to adjust that.

[Zippo]

Day 3 of the testing and it's overcast. Only ticking over on 5 to 7 amps but still topping the batteries up (after I gave them such a big fright yesterday)
I also have a 120watt portable panel for when I park to close to the trees or a shed. Might break it out this afternoon if it's too slow getting back to full charge. On a day like today, might only give another couple of amps, but it all helps. All this is getting the test for my biggest worry out of the way - what happens when you have a few overcast day straight. So far, all's going well. My solar use calculations suggested 2 nights would be OK but this looks like 3 nights without stress (3 days of low to no sun and minimal battery recovery). Car recharges the van battery as we move so pick up some charge if we are forced to move by bad weather.

Only thing in my solar setup I'm not happy with is the regulator. I bought it off ebay very early in the rebuild to trickle charge a couple of gel batteries I was using. Bought MPPT 30 amp regulator - seems the MPPT bit is just marketing hype (it's actually part of the branding - not the technology:( ) See how it goes but think I'll be replacing it with one I know has the technology. If you use a real MPPT regulator you do get more power out of the panels to the batteries (less losses). All I'm getting is 15 amps from both panels - not even as good as a decent PWM regulator. Buy cheap and spend twice. 

Day 3
I'll just monitor available power and later this afternoon turn on the TV and lights etc like I would if I was camping, but I will run on to about 10PM to see where we end up - Lights, TV and fridge shouldn't make much of a dent in what's available but it'll be good to know what to expect. 

Have to finish the reinstalling the fresh water tank and its pump and then rig up a grey water tank as well.  That will be pretty muck all the big jobs done and just tweaking stuff after that - and enjoying time away (Toowoomba in 2 weeks and Tin Can Bay for Easter - no planed days after Easter)

Think this is pretty much the end of this thread. I'll keep the pictures up to date as I change things but I thinking from here on it will be holiday happy snaps rather than renovation happy snaps -- Renovation photo collection

[snoops]

Yes, good point on the regulator - good, proper MPPT regs are expensive but cab yield plenty of extra charge - up tp 30% depending on conditions and work well on overcast days. I'll be lashing out on a Victron 100/50 for the Viscount - around $370.

If you encounter multiple overcast days theres a few things you can do. Living in Victoria and free camping in Winter makes you use power more wisely... 😁

Lighting loads are generally pretty low - I have 4 x 4 watt LED globe in the Franklin and don't seem to run more than 2 at any given time. Biggest load is the Engel but during Winter it runs bugger all anyway but you'll be different there. You'll either have to sacrifice the TV And Foxtel when power is short or run your vehicle for a couple of hours. You can get a decent bulk charge into a set of batteries quite quickly like this when they are quite low (unless you have a DCDC device in the system) so you can get 50 odd% into them like this during the day when no one is that bothered about your car idling away.

[78466noM]

I have the parts that is electric start stationary engine weighted pulley and 100amp alternator to put together as a small portable 12volt generator this will use less fuel but more importantly save the car engine a petrol car engine won't like being idled for a hour or so but a diesel engine will glaze up causing loss of power and compression to leak into crank case. You can also buy small generators very cheap with the 12volt I have a 2 stroke one but my way of thinking was it has the 240volt that is no good in a sudden down pour. I wouldn't use the 240volt on these for anything other than lights fans and power tools. Then you have the inverter generators that have a size that is light to carry and will happily run the air-con lights fridge etc and charge batteries  was thinking you could make a plastic box to go over with vents to keep it dry in wet weather.

[Husky]

eyes gone fuzzy, headache started and starting to worry about electrics on my van.

Doing my best to follow along with this electrical talk as it's something I'm about to tackle but my brain does not compute.

Said it before and I'll say it again dad was the electrician 

[Mustang]

Jan 23, 2018 14:15:21 GMT 10 Husky said:

eyes gone fuzzy, headache started and starting to worry about electrics on my van.

Doing my best to follow along with this electrical talk as it's something I'm about to tackle but my brain does not compute.

Said it before and I'll say it again dad was the electrician 

See this link by Collyn Rivers link

This book helped me  lot, there are others just on solar.
Cheers

[snoops]

Jan 23, 2018 14:15:21 GMT 10 Husky said:

eyes gone fuzzy, headache started and starting to worry about electrics on my van.

Doing my best to follow along with this electrical talk as it's something I'm about to tackle but my brain does not compute.

Said it before and I'll say it again dad was the electrician 

Sing out when you're ready to start planning this - I'll come up for a drive to meet the fury crew and go through what you'll need. 👍

[Husky]

Thanks snoops much appreciated.

I'm working on the dog trailer at the moment waiting for the new 16 footer I scored so I can complete the skin after moving all the windows in the 22 ft that I wanted too.

Frame works done,as is the trailer wiring. hunting down a few window and door bits and pieces and can't wait to put the new floor down this leap frogging frame really has hairs on it

[Zippo]

It's been a while since I got the van registered and posted an update.

I went out a few times in 2018, but only once this year. There are some new pictures in the Flicka Album of places I've been. 

Work on the van has continued at a much slower pace. If I think of any other mods I've done, I'll edit this post to include them. So, here are a couple of updates of bits and pieces I've added or changed:

October 2018:

Put the van through full Engineering Compliance check and got a blue mod plate for all the mechanical changes I've done. Passed all the mechanical work - suspension, axle, wheels, brakes, chassis upgrades, draw bar, all the welding, all the weights - except it bombed because the tow hitch didn't comply with the Australian Standards. For the hitch to comply, it must have the manufacturers name, the weight limit and the Australian Standard it complies with clearly marked on the hitch. I had to cut off the hitch, installed McHitch that complies, and got passed on the second inspection. All done now and plate attached. Much happier that I know all the work is up to Australian Standards and I won't have any problems if I'm roadside tested. With the weights, I got the ATM set 300KG's over it's loaded weight just in case I do anything later that increases its weight. Much better to have the ATM higher than you will ever need than being so close to the limit, you're always worrying about it.   

 

Other upgrades:

New door. It's a 'second' off ebay which means it's been fitted to a new van but something has happened (a mark or scratch...). New doors are more modern looking but do fit straight in and come with a security screen door. The one I got had a ding smaller than a $2 coin but was just over $400 off RRP. My original door has more holes in the frame than Swiss Cheese so a full replacement looks a lot better and the security screen door is a bonus. I've also tinted the van windows to match the tinted panel of the new door. (Left hand hinge but they are available in right hand hing as well) Vintage Caravan Spares if you happen to be looking for a new door.

 

Tele Shocks:

Adding shocks is one of the things that some people say helps stabilise the van, and other say is a complete waste of money. The original suspension had friction dampers that I couldn't salvage so I replaced them with tele shocks. Good or bad - don't know yet as I haven't towed the van any distance since I fitted the shocks.

Rollout Awning:

I finally relented and fitted a rollout awning. 5 minute setup instead of half an hour using a tarp in the sail track with lots of tent poles and guy ropes. It was a bit tricky positioning the awning on the wall to pick up internal wall studs and getting it high enough to clear the door as it opens. The van is just under maximum permissible width (just under 2500mm max width). I've now got the tent that attaches to the sail trak and the tarp cover as spares. Lucky that the privacy screens can be reused. 

For the new door, I added a wheelie ball to the top corner of the door to make sure the corner didn't cut the awning fabric.

Illuminated Door Handle:

To finish off the door, I added a grab handle near the main door handle so people don't use the door frame to haul themselves into the van. Handle is tied into the internal wall and door frames so it's pretty solid.

One thing I don't have a picture of is the rear view camera on the back. The van is so wide that some cars get in too close and disappear from the mirrors. Mirrors are good for what I can see down the sides, and the camera fills indirectly behind me.

Whole rebuild album on Flicka

[Mustang]

Looking Good,
I would be interested in how the shocks perform.
We have older style stabiliser bars for the Sunliner, but it can get the "bouncers" up on some surfaces.
Cheers

[Zippo]

Off to Lightning Ridge in early October. That will be the first test. The trip home is across B grade roads from Surat, Glenmorgan, Condamine, Miles and then heading North from Chinchilla. Had some problems up near Durong last time I was through there. Hopefully the shocks will settle it down this time (or maybe they've fixed the road). Let you know how it goes.