21st January 2013.
The first thing I noted was a total lack of storage space up in the cab. Maps lying around on seats or on the dash, tooth picks on the seat, no where to put drink bottles, no cup holders for hot coffee, etc etc. And when you are on your own, you need to be able to easily reach the important things. There is only a (not very large) glove box - no door pockets, no seat back pockets, no central arm rest and storage. So the first thing I looked at was something that would fit around the fairly large transmission tunnel and provide me with storage. I looked on the internet and found just what I wanted - But it cost $300 !!! I am on a budget, so this seemed a bit steep. Then I looked at an above-the-windscreen shelf for maps, but they were $400 !!! And door pockets ? $375 !! So even with just these three I would be over $1000 - and I still needed a dashboard-top storage bag - on the internet anther $330 !
Professional ($300) storage console
Solution ? Build them myself, of course. I did something similar once - it was in my old VW Beetle, I think in about 1967, so why not do it again ? I had some plywood in the garage - All I needed was some vinyl and some foam. So off I went.
Took me the weekend (while watching the Australian Open Tennis) from start to finish, and here's a pic of my own finished example.
Total cost ? 3 tubes of glue, sheet of foam, and sheet of vinyl, and a plastic cup holder from the local boating store - Total cost $55.90/ All the other stuff was in my garage already, and I have enough vinyl and foam left over to also cover the above-windscreen map shelf I will build next !
More pics of the build can be found here https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0005WorkingOnTroopie?authkey=Gv1sRgCKuBkN-f2c6YJQ#
Next the map shelf. Here is a pic of a professional one costing $390
It just fits above the sun visors, across the top of the windscreen.
I already have the foam and vinyl, so no further costs there. I needed some plywood, and the set sizes at the hardware store were just too small, so went to a big commercial store and asked to look through their offcut bin, and hey presto, just what I wanted. "How much is this bit?" I asked. "Nothing. Just take it and get out of here", the guy said !! "Have a VERY nice day" I said, and left with a big grin on my face !
Did need more glue though, and one strip of wood, so spent $39.34. Have already started work on it, and will finish it and post pics in the next day or so !
So far, thats a saving of $594.76, plus the enjoyment of building them myself. :-) Now for the dash storage bag - Might need some professional help here as it involves stitching leather !!
This week have also fitted two extra grab handles to help me getting in and out (Don't say it !! Its a LOT taller than the Lotus !), plus perspex wind deflectors fitted to the drivers and passenger windows so I can drive with the windows open and rain doesn't come in nor do you get blown away (both official Toyota parts as the local 4 WD Wreckers yard didn't have any. Also fitted a vanity (yes, moi !) mirror on the back of the sun visor, small circular (anti blind spot) convex mirrors on rear view mirrors (important to be able to see everyone around you when in foreign countries), and low wattage LED bulbs in two of the internal lights, to enable the battery to last longer. More of these to be done later.
Lots more on the list, which continues to grow daily, and will update this post as I move ahead.
23.1.13
Worked on the "above-the-windscreen map shelf" today. All went really well until I was trying to glue the last sheet of vinyl on, and it all went a bit pear shaped - the glue sticks to everything and I felt like a spider trying to unstick my 8 fingers from someone elses sticky web !!! Bit of blue language (even Trooper looked up at me wondering what was going on !!), but luckily it all went together OK in the end, and I am really pleased with the outcome. Maps in place and now out of the way.
Went to TJM (4 WD store) and ordered a carrier for the rear spare wheels, and tow bar (integral unit). This is probably the single most expensive item I need to buy, but is a work of art, and carries 2 spare wheels. The normal place for the spare wheels is mounted on the back doors, but the weight of the wheels really puts a strain on the door hinges, then the door "drops", and then becomes difficult to open. So this will solve that problem as well as providing me with a tow bar.
Finally today, I found a little box that fits in the glove box and makes it much more usable - It's called "Doug's Tub" and has a good Aussie Flag on its fancy badge !! (Don't ask me who Doug was, but he was obviously pretty smart !!) The Toyota glove box has a lower bottom than its top, so as soon as you open it, all the stuff inside falls out. This tub of Doug's is made to fit in the glove box, and stops everything falling out. Magic !!!
Now starting work on the back of the van - working on inefficient cupboard door hinges starts tomorrow !!
Updated Pics are here https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0005WorkingOnTroopie?authkey=Gv1sRgCKuBkN-f2c6YJQ#
2.2.13
Been working on making the door pockets for the driver and passenger doors, and that will then complete the in-cab storage I require - Although, I may have to make an on-seat storage bin / arm rest I saw on the internet today (costing a mere $415 !).
The corners on the door pockets are proving to be a pain. Trying to get a bend in there, yet retain the strength, so I cut partially through the plywood, then soaked it in water, and hung various heavy clamps off it to induce the bend slowly.
Eventually got what I wanted, but it was a long job ! I was concerned about strength, but at the end of the day I decided to break a piece of the glued wood off and reset it differently - And I couldn't break it off !! That is good wood glue I am using !! Anyway, now working on a bracketing system to affix them to the door panels - Hopefully will get that completed tmorrow, and then I can start covering them with foam and the vinyl, to make them look a bit better (ie cover up my horrible woodworking skills !!)
In between waiting for glue to dry, I also replaced the fly screens in the frames covering the rear windows. The system may look pretty ugly, but if it means keeping either Australian flies or Alaska mosquitoes (aka B52's !!) out, then the looks are immaterial !! Also managed to clean out inside the internal lockers, replacing a number of brackets that were corroding. Also trying to find a suitable place for the jack - With the camping conversion it just doesn't have a natural home, so will continue working on options for that.
More later....
9th Feb 2013
SUCCESS......................and DISASTER !!!
Mixed week this week - most of the time spent making those door storage pockets, and they have been REALLY fiddly. Making the curved corners was hard enough, but then when I fitted one up for the first time, I realised they were 2 cms too long !! The door frame actually hides part of the door panel when it is closed, and I hadn't allowed for that !! So I had to cut 2 cms off the end - Which was the difficult curved bit !! So I had to do 2 new ends all over again !! Grrrrr.
Anyway, once done I went down to my radio/electrical guru who did the radio for Elsie for my last trip, and he showed me where the speakers should best be located - In the door pocket ! Fortunately for once I had done my research in the correct order (ie BEFORE I had covered the boxes in foam and vinyl !) and I was just able to cut the hole in the wood and make a small internal box to close in the speakers. (No hurry to fit the radio or speakers - They can be installed in the coming months.) Very fiddly covering them with the vinyl, with all the curves, but I am very happy with the result, and seeing I have now saved over $1000 on the central storage box, the map rack above the windscreen, and the door pockets, (and I now have plenty of storage space in the cab), it has been worthwhile. Total cost for plywood, vinyl and glue for all 3 items has been about $60.00 !! (Labour value about $5 million !!) But I have loved doing it.
The spare wheel is usually mounted on the right hand rear door, and as the wheel is quite heavy, it strains the hinges, the door sags after time, and, more importantly, I can only carry one spare wheel (no roof rack possible because I have the pop top). Damien and I had looked around for a while, and a company in Melbourne make an excellent spare wheel carrier that means the wheel is mounted on its own frame (ie not the door), and you can also fit 2 spare wheels. And they can be locked in place to prevent theft. So I ordered one of these - The single most expensive item I intend to add, but on a trip like this, vital to have the extra spare wheel. And I am also having a bike rack made up that will mount on this carrier, so you can open up the back and the bikes will swing out of the way on the wheel, making carrying bikes much easier, with no need to take them off every time you want to open the rear doors.
Got a call on Monday that the parts were in, so on Thursday I popped the bike in the back, and took Troopie over to the 4WD place to have it fitted. And then cycled 10 kms back home in the pouring rain !! Anyway, to cut a long story short, the new bar fouled the water tank that is mounted up underneath the rear of the vehicle, and had to be removed. It needs some fairly minor modifications so it will fit, which will reduce its volume from about 50 litres to about 45, but that will be OK. Just a bit of a disaster and unexpected expense and time consuming job because I had asked if the bars would fit OK, and had been told yes, but it seems my water tank is a slightly different shape from some of the other water tanks !! Grrrrrr number 2 for the week !! But, as you can see from the pics, the unit is beautifully built, with the brackets on bearings, and it really is a great addition to the vehicle that will make the trip so much better. I will buy the second wheel carrier later - Just saving money for now as I don't need it yet. By the end of Thursday I was exhausted - 22 kms on the bike (with a couple of major hills en route !!), plus about 2 hours walking Trooper morning and evening, and all the running around trying to find someone to fix the water tank ! I was in bed by 8.30 pm that night, and didn't surface till 6 am !!
Last thing for this week - Mud Flaps !! I had seen a caravan over here that was manufactured by a company called "LOTUS" ! No relation to the car, but I noticed they had rather nice mud flaps on their 'vans. So I got hold of a couple from the local dealer - And they fit perfectly !! Thought it was just a nice touch !!!
All the pics, including the new ones, are here https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0005WorkingOnTroopie?authkey=Gv1sRgCKuBkN-f2c6YJQ#
I won't update this thread any more as it is getting a bit long and cumbersome. I have done most of the work I want to do to Troopie for now, so I will start another post once I have done some more to it.
In the meantime I am going up to Bangkok, Thailand to see daughter Sarah and her husband Benn in 10 days time, so I will hopefully have some interesting pics to share with you from up there !!
Later.....................
No comments:
Post a Comment