Well, we are still here and moving forward with this rebuild. Managed to get some more done before Christmas and after, although during the Christmas/new year recess I was working on another restoration project, on this little baby ………………….
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Anyway onwards and upwards.
So, we’ve replaced our cardboard battery with a state of the art carbon fibre 100amp leisure battery. A securing needed to be fabricated for it, together with a mount for the 240volt breaker and the solid state charger connected into the hook up circuit and the stand alone 12v circuit.
Firstly the battery and breaker.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Then the charger.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
And finally all in position.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Just got to hook up all the wiring now!!
Managed to get a final coat of boat varnish on the table frame edges, just need to get the glass cut and tempered now.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
I think that the quote “no wood to rot and no metal to rust” describing the construction of these ‘vans is a little bit of an under statement. Our ‘van suffers from both, rot in the wood and rust in the metal strengthening plates.
Starting with the rear wall, the plates to strengthen the hinge mounts were rusted and had split the fibreglass laminates.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
This lead to a large distortion of the fibreglass along those lower edges. Another connected reason for the distortion could also be the seized hinges.
The laminates were clamped together using “G” clamps and a long straight piece of wood running under both sides of the hinge mounting panels.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
I’ll explain the drill holes later. A piece of plywood was cut to match the profile of the mount.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
After a layer of resin and cut strand mat was added.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
The ply was added and laminated in.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
These parts were then sanded and filled and resanded.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Now the reason for the holes, we need to put in a lighting system. This will be 12volts and we need to get those 12volts from the main body (where they end now) to the walls (where the wires will terminate in some 12volt halogen 2” house lights).
The easiest way to do this, without having loose wires with plug in connectors draped all over, is to use some of these little devices.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
These particular ones can be found on the tailgates of Fait Chinquichento’s, other makes are available.
They are spring loaded contacts and this will give you some idea of how they work.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
The brass plate side will be fixed to the main body, whilst the spring loaded pins will be fixed to the end bases. When the ends are raised into position, the contacts will make the circuit to the lights.
Holes were made, to take the plates, in three places, two at the rear and one at the front.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
And the plates inserted into them.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
The holes for the spring loaded portion are cut into the added ply strengthening in the ends.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
It was decided to just glass in the wires up the end pieces, so they were masking taped to the inner wall.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
And then glassed in.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
At this point we needed to get rid of the flaking inner surface. We did this using rotary wire brushes on a cordless drill.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
Then finally to coat the inside with some “Topcoat” fibreglass resin, this time in white.
Phunkie Project Portafold (caravan!!)
So next time we’ll be starting on the front wall ………………………….