1972 10'7" York, chassis off restoration Y3845

[Mustang]

Very neat & nice.

[twocutekelpies]

It's starting to look like a caravan again inside. Most panels aren't in permanently yet, I have to wait for the electrician to come but at least it all fits  And I still have a few more things to trim too. 

[twocutekelpies]

She's fully lined now, I've had the electrician out and now I'm full steam ahead again, well as work etc allows



I really liked the way the original ceiling was rounded around the hatch and I believe the flyscreen and frame just sat in place on the lip so I've recreated that area and used white pinchweld around the edge of the ply to dress it.

[twocutekelpies]

I have to share a before and after of my ceiling, can you tell I'm just a bit happy with how this looks? 





Don't you love the little stars in the York lights? All wired up with 12v LED globes

[pisces51]

G'day Shelley, this is a super job you are doing, and a very good reference thread for other York owners.😎

Congratulations on a fantastic effort!

Cheers,
Al.

[twocutekelpies]

Thanks Al 

I managed to get most of an overhead cupboard done today, who would've thought such a little cupboard would take so long?    I made good use of my wall noggins for this shelf and you might be able to make out little bits of masking tape to locate my ceiling ribs to fasten the face into.  



Nothing is glued in place yet but it's almost ready for it.


Edit - just realised I hadn't posted a photo of my noggins on here This is them, they give me more fixing points than the aluminium frame alone and are my alternative to the 10,000 staples that originally held the overhead cupboards in place -

[snoops]

Very nice work thinking that far ahead when still fixing the frame up. 👍

[twocutekelpies]

Another overhead cupboard completed, sans cupboard doors because I don't know what I'm doing there yet. 

Before and after comparison of shelf. Diagonally opposite corner in the top half of pic but will do the same thing there -


Close up showing more of the shelf for those interested  Tassie Oak shelf lip, dowel and cover strip


And floor started so I can work on building the front seats. 

[twocutekelpies]

All of my lights are working now

I finished wiring everything up and brought it all together with a fuse block under the front seat. (The 240v is partitioned from the 12v behind there and will be done by my electrician)

(I ran out of black heat shrink here so went with white instead) Still need to do my labels

I came up with a few hacks while doing these lights -
Sometimes you have to think outside the box when working alone and don't have enough hands. I suspended the light from a rope clamped to the overhead cupboard and used a chux to protect the heatshrink from shrinking too soon while putting the solder joiners on

No one wants to see the wiring go into the led light strips so I used a bit of PVC angle to hide it from the side view and rounded off the edges to make it pretty (The below pic shows my textured poly ply, no it's not a bad spray paint job lol)

More details on this post over here

[Mustang]

Very neat finish to your cable ends , no chance of a short , well done

[twocutekelpies]

I made progress on my bed build this weekend 😁 I planned way ahead on this as well but didn't add noggins this time. I've used the horizontal frame on either side and made sure I measured where it was located before putting the wall panels up. There was no frame across the back so while I had the cladding off, I fixed a few pieces of 62x19 treated pine across there and fastened it to the frame (Woodhouse pink from Bunnings).

For anyone wondering if cabinetry has any play in structure - My walls were 20mm further apart in the middle than they were at the front and back of the van, the bed frame has pulled them back and squared them up with the floor. I fastened straight into the horizontal frame above using metal screws.

The hinges are away from the wall, in line with the uprights for support and also giving the mattress room when it's up.

I'm building a couple of drawers underneath as well for quick access to some storage and I'll eventually fit gas struts once I have the mattress on and know my weights. The bedhead is yet to be built in, still making it all up as I go.

[78466noM]

looking good and you are right about the cabinetry 100%

[twocutekelpies]

Thanks Bruce

So after spending several days trying to work out how to access the bedhead storage and keep the shelf as a shelf, I had a midnight epiphany, or so I thought, I'll come back to that

I liked the railing I did for the top shelves so did the same for this one. Each dowel cut and screwed in from below before attaching the top.

To make the access holes, I used a piece of 12mm ply left over from the bed slats and cut an oval out of it. (2 huge holesaw cutouts and a jigsaw to join them)

With the template made, I clamped it to the back of the 3mm ply and used a trim router to trace it. I forgot about the angle at the back of the van and had to shorten one of them but I'm ok with that.

If a future owner needs this removed to extend the mattress, it is only screwed in place, not glued to the wall or bed, accessing screws will be a bit tight but not impossible.

Now back to my epiphany After I finished this, I thought it looked somewhat familiar, then I posted it on Instagram and asked my Mum if this was something Dad did, she sent me back this photo of the aft cabin he built in the boat we grew up on. Those access holes were hidden at the end of the bed by the mattress and doona. The photo on the right is the bed end, the left is the bed head. I remember that white area being covered with t&g western red cedar.

My Dad passed away 16 yrs ago this month but it seems he's still right there with me. 💕 

[Mustang]

Crafty touch!!! Dad would be proud.

[twocutekelpies]

Aug 4, 2019 9:45:06 GMT 10 Mustang said:

Crafty touch!!! Dad would be proud.

Thanks Brent

I feel like I'm making progress in leaps and bounds at the moment, which probably isn't hard in a 10ft van

I made sliding doors to access wire-basket drawers and underbed storage for those things you don't want to lift the bed for, even with gas struts. The sliding tracks are from Bunnings and take up to 5mm thick panels, I've just used the same 3mm ply I've used everywhere else. The drawers are also from Bunnings. Not quite finished yet, still have to make holes/add handles and fasten the whole thing in place but I'm happy with how it's coming along.

I've also stepped it in so it can't be kicked as you walk up to the bed.

[twocutekelpies]

I caught up on a few little jobs like finishing off the trim around all of the window frames and putting tops on the seats (still not fixed in place but the hinges are on).

I went for a drive up to Hervey Bay and bought a double and single mattress from Fantastic Furniture last week

I cut up the single bed to use for the seats, have to love the old carving knife for this job

2 cushions done, 2 to go. I used this tutorial to make them with the addition of a full length zip across the back to make it easier to put them on. Wadding and material came from Spotlight, they had a big sale on and I managed to pick up upholstery and curtain fabric for $5 a metre! I'm fixing rubber matting to the top of the seat to protect the fabric from the ply and also help with preventing the cushions sliding off.

And I made another start on restoring the table leg, even though the molasses worked a treat, I neglected to do anything with it so the surface rust returned. I went over it with wet and dry sandpaper, cleaned it up then treated it with SCA prime, converter, sealer which doesn't need to be washed off, just painted over, it brushes on pretty clear and turns the rust black.

[twocutekelpies]

Last of the overhead cupboards in. I haven't glued the face on yet just in case the electrician needs a little more wiggle room when he comes to put the RCD in and wire up the power points.

Before shot for comparison

And now

My to-do list is still long but things are being crossed off which is very satisfying. I'm now ready for the electrician to come back and finish off!  

[twocutekelpies]

I don't think I've mentioned my power set up yet so here it is.

As I've only got very basic 12v in my little York, LED lights only, no solar etc., this set up allows me to use shore power without needing a battery, it also allows me to run the lights off a jump starter/power pack etc for temporary off grid use using the cigarette plug attached to the fuse block. Or I can put a battery in with charger at a later date.

Disclaimer - I'm not a professional, this is just what I've come up with after hours of surfing the 'net for an alternative to having a full time battery to maintain.
(There will be a double pole double power point in there, that's on the electrician's to do list)

[pisces51]

G'day Shelley,

It's certainly a super job you are doing on this van! Very impressed with the quality of the work, and the thought that you've put into the steps required to complete each part of the resto. Well done!!

Just out of interest, I did a similar wiring set-up in my front seat box to what you have done. I discovered these "double pole, double throw (DPDT) knife switches" on ebayy, and ended up using one of them in my set-up...

They are promoted as 240V switches, but when you receive the item you quickly realise they wouldn't pass any Aust 240V standard, and are only ok for low voltage end-uses.

Just a little helpful hint about the 240V to 12V transformers...

Some of the cheaper units can generate a fair bit of heat when switched on for longer periods of time. It is best to have them located where there is good airflow around them to dissipate the heat. Your transformer may be a high quality unit, but the way you've got it taped/velcroed to the underside of the framework is restricting the air able to flow around it. I leave my transformer sitting on the floor of the seat box, but I added a vent into the front of the seat box to allow air to get inside. You can see the vent at the bottom of this photo...

Keep up the great work!

cheers,

Al.

[twocutekelpies]

See, this is why I post stuff!  Thanks for the feedback Al. that's great, especially with the transformer.

I'd still like to mount it high so it isn't taking up space on the floor and getting accidentally covered with crap but if I mount it on the other side of the seat and put a vent on the side wall, then it would have access to ventilation from the big old fridge vent.

[bobt]

Its looking good 'twocutekelpies'

[twocutekelpies]

Thanks bobt

Today I started putting in my magnetic flyscreens. I bought these as I couldn't salvage the original ones due to so much corrosion. For the 5 windows, it was around $160 from Bunnings.

I don't trust self adhesive anything so I also riveted the backing magnets to the wall which was really easy.

I originally tried to make curtains out of this fabric but it wouldn't hang right so went this way instead. I love that none of the window is blocked when they're up but there's full coverage when down.

I'm an impatient person, I've only done the side windows with the insect screens and blinds but I was so keen to see how they looked up.  I still have the rest of the weekend to do the front and back windows.

The turn buttons and eyelets are from Vintage Caravan Spares. The material is stapled to the back of a strip of timber, then lift the material and screw the timber into the wall so the screws are hidden when the material is put down again. There is also a full length of dowel in a pocket at the bottom to add weight and to assist with rolling up.

[grandad]

Ok, two ideas to store away.
1) Magnetic flywires? Never heard of them. Now on the list to explore further.
2) DIY roll down blinds/curtains. Love it.

Thank you twocutekelpies

Jim

[twocutekelpies]

Cheers Jim.

I just worked out while doing the big double hopper end windows that I only needed to buy one XL pack, with the parts and screen left over from it, I can make another big one for the other double hopper window out of a small pack, saving $20 

Here are the links to what I got from Bunnings - Standard size and the XL size.  You can buy custom made magnetic insect screens online but I think these worked out cheaper.

Cheers

Shelley

[twocutekelpies]

I've put my little York on hold temporarily so I can fully reseal the Millard before time gets away and while the weather is still dry and not too hot. Some numpty before me must have had shares in the silicone factory, once I got all that off and took the screws out, the trims basically fell off. Considering how much silicone was up there, it's amazing how badly that van leaked.   

I did manage to get one cupboard almost complete though (pvc mouldings still need to be cut to length and faces glued on), bench top to follow after I've done the kitchen side. The enclosure down the side is for the fire extinguisher just inside the door.





Out of interest, I weighed this with the frame and its ply lining together and it was a little heavier than I thought it was going to be @ 6.5kg, but compared to a big brand flatpack cupboard of a similar size weighing 19.2kg, I'm ok with that weight.


Different timber to pine could probably be lighter again but I don't have a great deal of choice local to me and this is in my budget. I've used 30x18 and 18x18 FJ pine which I buy in 5.4m lengths. The frame is stapled together with wide crown staples, no glue and I added a few screws where I couldn't access both sides of the piece. I'll also staple the PVC moulding and slide/glue the ply faces in place when I get back in there. The frame is screwed into the aluminium frame behind in at least 4 places with other screws just going into the ply lining and into the floor. 

I posted the above on Facebook and copped a little flack from a keyboard warrior for not using meranti, he tried to tell me that every Bunnings store stocks it but the 3 nearest me do not and I'm not driving almost an hour in the other direction every time I need a stick of timber. I find the FJ pine nice and straight and easy to work with and I know a few members here also use it. If the caravan is properly sealed, it certainly isn't going to rot away. Some people just have to have a rant, don't they?   

And I still haven't put the blinds and insect screens on the big end windows but it will happen, I'm sure you all know about being in the right frame of mind before tackling some jobs