BUILD- Finishing

The countdown was on, we only had 7 more days to be ready to depart for our first adventure, 1 week bush camping at Sheepyard Flats on the Howqua River near Mansfield with a group of friends.

The bed frame was completed and the double mattress put in its place.

The kitchen benchtop was readied for the oven to be installed when the gas plumber came to do the gas install.

His work consisted of the gas regulator and hoses for 2 x 9kg bottles, a bayonette fitting for the outside BBQ and plumbing in the oven. We were then issued with the much needed Gas Certificate for the engineer.

We bought Fusion-Loc towel rail and caddies from Bunnings and built the mirror cabinet to finish off the bathroom.

We finally covered the internal steps with some leftover vinyl. We used double side tape to and then an aluminium angle to secure it all in place.

Mark machined up some old timber we had at home to make the table top, which I stained and put 3 coats of polyurethane.

 The table works great on the Lagun swivel leg.

We asked our friend Ray and our son Tom, to help to install the Dometic awning. Mark screwed and siliconed on the track before they slid the awning onto it. Then the legs were secured onto the body.

The final outstanding items for compliance were the clearance lights. 

The last item that the engineer required was to get the trucks Tare Weight. So we drove down to a public weigh bridge in Dandenong. We paid $40 at the automatic machine and got a certificate specifying the total Tare weight of 5.44T (front axle 2.46t, rear axle 2.98t) with 70l diesel and 85l water.

 

Mark lined the floor in the storage area under the bed with a rubber mat for now (will fit it out properly when we get back home) and began packing for our trip.

We bought some containers from Kmart for the overhead cupboards inside which fitted well and managed to pack all we needed and some with plenty of space to spare.

Finally, after 2 months of working on the truck nearly 7 days a week we now had a functioning motorhome. Yoo Hoo!

We will review how everything went in the next blog....

BUILD- Plumbing and electric fitoffs

We push on with the build, concentrating on the plumbing. Mark fitted inlet pipes to 2 of the 3 water tanks. The tank 1 (front) is 170L and tank 2 (middle) is 85L. 

The 3rd tank (back) is 40L and will not be plumbed into the water system and will be used as an outdoor tap. It was also originally going to be our waste/grey water tank but we couldn't get the fall required to it. This is why we built a waste water tank into the bottom of a tool box. Mark finished fitting the waste pipe to this box.

Next Mark had to cut the bench tops to fit the sinks and the oven. The waste pipes were finished off to the sinks.

Then Mark installed the water pump bringing the water separately from Tank 1 and 2. There is a filter connected only to the cold water hose going into the kitchen tap. We also have a inline filter for when we are filling up from dubious water sources. 

Then the hot water heater, bathroom tap and shower heads (bathroom and external), were all connected.

Now we installed the bathroom door from The Showerscreen Factory in Epping. We were very happy with the features of the door including the opaque glass, travel lock and water channel.

We also fixed a rod up for a shower curtain to mainly protect the heater fan head fitted in the vanity.

Finally Mark put silicone on all the internal edges and around the vanity and toilet.

In between the plumbing being done, Justin and Mia from Lumitec came for the final fitoff. 

A solenoid was fitted to connect the cab fuse box only after the truck has started. We also installed Victron trickle charger for the truck batteries.

Mark brought through the wires for Safety Dave's reversing camera and the UHF radio which connected to the fuse box installed in the cab behind the dash.

Another project we accomplished was the curtain for the crawl through. We managed to find an anchoring point that we could drill into just above the opening. The upholsterers that made our seat cushions, kindly gave us some extra material which was used to make the curtains. The material was quite thick and has good blockout as well as matching the dinette.

Other tasks this week included, cutting down the mud guards, putting the rubber seal around the door and finishing off the cabinetry of the dinette cupboards.