AmboVan Restarted

[hobietony]

Work Proceeds...
.
Ac duct welded up, had to grind the outside corners, but I like it

.
Fun short job, install the Hannibal awning

.
They are made to clamp on to a rack, but I through-bolted it to the side of the rig, at a height where I can reach it

.
Added some solid backing, 1/2" plate welded to the framing

.
Folded up

.
Super easy to set up, no support legs, sturdy. I like it
.
BTW, anyone know what is up with the forum software? I always try to add spaces between paragraphs and pictures, etc, but they are automatically deleted unless something is actually in that space. Seems to have happened in the last week or two.




Five 'enter' clicks before this sentence, all of them removed.
.
Put in a period, it is kept open. Weird, and annoying.

 

[Kole]

Seems to have happened in the last week or two.




Five 'enter' clicks before this sentence, all of them removed.
.
Put in a period, it is kept open. Weird, and annoying.

Not sure. Looks fine to me. I see all of the page breaks or whatever they are called.

I love that awning! How was it in regards to pricing compared to some other offerings on the market? Got a link to a vendor? Also aprox weight?

 

[Abitibi]

Rugged awning, perfect match for your rig! And almost strong enough to hang a hammock from it!

Cheers
Mr. D

 

[hobietony]

How was it in regards to pricing compared to some other offerings on the market? Got a link to a vendor? Also aprox weight?

AFAIK, there is not a reliable US distributor for Hannibal. I lucked out after posting a 'WTB' thread in the for sale section, someone from the 'camping equipment' part of the forum set up a group buy from a dealer in South Africa. Just under $600, which is cheaper than I have seen the rare used one, plus shipping from CA to AZ. I dont know on weight, maybe 40-ish pounds? Just a WAG based on carrying it around

 

[Kole]

Well that sucks. I like the design. I guess I could make one. I can fab up the brackets and such pretty easy but it's the canvas that I can't do. Does it slant at all to shed water?

I absolutely love your build by the way. I always enjoy your updates.

 

[Sponge]

That awning is pretty deadly!

 

[hobietony]

Getting pretty tired of messing with this AC duct... A couple years back when I was assembling the parts for the build, I looked for a way to get one of those component-based Starcool AC units like SMB uses, but I couldn't find anyone to sell me one, and the prices seemed crazy anyway - I seem to recall something over $3k, maybe $4k, when a rooftop unit was around $600-700. I knew I didn't want it on the tippy-top of the truck, how hard could it be to support it over the cab and duct it into the box? Turns out, pretty hard, or at least a time consuming PITA...
-
Started framing out the interior soffit, need to figure out the space that the duct will dump into

-
Got some blue insulation in behind the spaces that I wont be able to get to with the spray foam, and feeling a little better about those aluminum welds

-
Daylight

-
Duct test fit

-
That outer duct is really just the return air, and it needs a supply air duct inside of it

-
Gooping up the inside seams with silicone sealant

-
Insulated, went down to the local Big 5 sporting goods store and bought an exercise/equipment mat of the right thickness. didn't want to block up too much of the airspace, but this will exposed to the AZ heat and I didn't want my cool air just radiating out through a thin sheet of aluminum

-
I think I can get everything final installed in the next couple of days, but I need to crawl around in my house attic today, blowing in loose-fill insulation. Good times.

 

[Kole]

Impressive...

 

[pratty85]

Impressive...

I second above statement. good work!

 

[hobietony]

Well, duct is in. Seems like it should jump up and down and shoot fire out of its a** or something, but it just sits there. Probably wont even see when the lights go in. (sigh)

 

[Sponge]

Hate to be a critic but I think it would look better black.

 

[bobDog]

I like it alumini!!!!

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I like it bare aluminum too...and BTW, fantastic fab work as always. This rig is so completely awesome, it is definitely something I would LOVE to own. I am stoked on the look of the rack and the duct makes it extra functional looking.

I applaud your efforts.

:bowdown:

 

[hobietony]

Finally...
.
Forgot to take pictures of the rube Goldberg apparatus I welded to the bucket of my dad's lawn tractor (to the great disappointment of the interweb world, I'm sure), to get the AC unit suspended high enough to drive under it, but trust me it was beautiful. This thing has been kicking my a** for weeks, good to finally have it up, in place, and secure.

.
Yes, that is a strap across the top of the unit. The plastic shroud has a bit of a loose fit at the front, maybe OK when mounted on a roof, but seemed like it could catch air where it is. Strap stabilizes the plastic shroud while I figure a more elegant solution, or at least a black strap instead of a day-glo orange one. Also still need to get the AC actually hooked up, but there is a lot of coach electrical work to be done first. I'm giving myself the weekend off to celebrate, a little sailing in Puerto Penasco, back at it next week

 

[tribeof5]

Looking great man. Glad to see it all came together for you so nicely. I'm actually heading to Chris' shop after lunch to start doing some work on our Ambo. Checking your build on a daily basis continues to motivate me. Keep it up.