26th January 2023 - Disco Transit Green Long Wheel base and Hi Roof Conversion

And still way to much to do.

I will phone up ken today to see if he has made the roof rack brackets and arrange to go and have it all installed..

I will be in the back doing something, whilst Ken is doing his thing.

The water tanks will be here early next week, but I do not have any funds to have them fitted, so I am gonna have to find somewhere to store them until the funds are in place.

The water heater kit has arrived, but The kitchen carcass has not yet been altered, so is stored in Lynne's kitchen for now.

I decided on having 2 of these style heaters, both will be connected to the hot water system, so I will have some backup if one heater stops working.

early start today, as I want to get the bulk head spraying finished.
So I use the last 2 rattle cans i can find

I am just hoping I have enough paint to finish spraying the bulk head...

So far it is looking good, I am about to start the final rattle can

Yep it is bloody cold this morning, but I need to have the door open, so I can get good paint coverage of the bulkhead.

Plus it will get rid of the paint dusty air inside the van.

Am well happy so far, ok the spray is a bit patchy lower down, but you will not see a lot of that.

That's all the rattle cans empty!.

The coverage looks to be pretty good, considering the time of year, I am doing this.

I will now leave it alone, until I am in Scotland and I will then T-cut it back and see if it needs a final coat or not.

plumb this lot in.

Not sure where the gauge will go yet, I need to get other things done, so the back is as clear as possible, and then hopefully I can decide where it will go, Ideally it needs to either be seen all the time, or maybe hidden behind some smoked glass door. 

I am back in the van, and have decided to get on with the bulk head battery frame.

I am gonna take my time over this, as I would like to get it right the first time.

The only issues are:-

1. need to be able to get to the terminals quickly and easily.
2. need to be able to remove the batteries, without having to dismantle everything.
  

Just some old bits of Halford's matting we used to have laid on the floor.

They will get some trimming later on, as still waiting on the battery acid protection mats to arrive.

Besides building the frame, I have to figure a way of securing the batteries as well..

Damm, I broke this shipping air plug !!

Not sure how I will remove it now, I will have a go at the plug at the other end later on, in case I have to drill it out.

Courier turned up and knocked on the van, 
He has 3 large boxes for me, That will be the water tanks and installation kit.

No room in the transit, so all that hard work, starting to clear out Lynne's Kitchen has just been undone !

  Another job to be done as soon as funds permit me to ken it to Ken and get him to install it.

But I am not ready inside yet, as the kitchen still is not in it's final location and bolted into place.

So I need to get the bathroom, The Bulk head battery compartment and the 1st part of the passenger side all done, I hope by then to have enough room to get to the kitchen cabinet and get the carcus rebuilt and altered to fit properly.

After yet another accident, I am straight back into the back of the transit, As I cannot find teh smaller set square, I am having to alter what I do very slightly as the only set square I can find is way to big, to use in many places.

After some measuring up several times, I get the bathroom door hinge upright screwed into place. 
At this point only one screw at the bottom, so I can tweak the upright around if I need too.

Altho the large set square is a bit cumbersome for me to use, it is all soon lined up, with teh other side door upright.

I keep checking and rechecking as it does not look square, until I see my notes, the van is sat at an angle on the road camber!.
So I line it up with the Bathroom/Kitchen wall and it is soon held in place by itself.

Before I measured and cut the longer of the 2 pieces of timber, I consistently check that both uprights are level with each other!

At the top I am 1mm out of true !!
But that will pull in when I get ready to glue n screw it all together.

The top timber, is an off cut and is purely there to help me get the correct height for the cross member.
with my hands and arms struggling to hold it all up, I get some clamps out and clamp it together

Once this lower cross member is screwed into place, it measure and cut another cross member, which will be screwed to the lower one.

I have some rivet nuts somewhere, and I will use to to the transits roof cross member to hold it all in place.

getting pissed off now, just had another big accident again, so I nip in doors and find a parcel at the door

After I have had a wash n change of clothes, I open the package.

and put it on my stool for later on, but for now it is back to the transit.

Screwing the lower of the 2 cross members in place.

This board will be covered when we are nearing completion.

I have cut a new cross member for the exact measurements, and it needs a gentle tap with rubber mallet, until it slides into place

It is still not very secure at the moment as I found out when my knees gave way on me and I grabbed it.

Luckily I have a pile of several foam mats on the floor, for just this sort of emergency and to sit on when I am down on my arse...

Now onto the rear battery frame timber, what I did not notice, was that the transits bulkhead curves a little at each end!
So I cut it down, so that is not an issue.

I have brawn a line where the batton will be attached to the bulk head.

I just need some uprights, so I can sit this frame timber in place.

That is it for the day, I have run out of towels again, So after a rest, I will have a hunt around the house for the rivet nuts.