MB 1120 Coming to America! Purchase, Build and Now Travel!

[VerMonsterRV]

So we got the last of the upper cabinets bonded in today. I still need to build a small wall to the left of Heather the full height of the seat back about 4" out. This will give space for the water fill hose. There is a mirror image (well as close as I could get it) upper cabinet on the other side. There are 6x9 speaker holes cutouts in the bottom of the cabinets. I also just received the Bluetooth amplifier for the speakers, so no traditional stereo, just streaming from the phone. Once Heather is finished with the varnish/paint I will install the speakers. Beneath each upper cabinet in the very corners there will be vertical bit of wood that will create a wire chase and cover the corner extrusions. The screens/shades have been removed to make it easier varnish.


This project might be going on a bit of a hold. We are considering dropping the dock lines and heading to the Bahamas for a couple of months. Strange thing is we are on the fence about it as we really want to get this camper built. Sun/sand/crystal clear water/diving vs 7 days a week working on an RV, and we are both waffling on the decision. We must be nuts.

 

[northernav8tor]

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

MARK TWAIN

 

[LostInTheWorld]

That is a hard decision. Even though these projects are very rewarding, they are a ton of work spanning so many months. When we got to the point that you two are at now, I was pretty tired and felt like I needed a break. I pushed though it, but I think it would have also been good to take a break at that point. Recuperation or progress. It's good either way.

Michael

 

[Neil]

LostinTheWorld

Totally agreed. When we actually started our construction the plans and research had been in our lives for about 5 years before. We hit burn out on at least 2 occasions over the following 18 months.

Now we look back we know we should have had a couple of breaks in there.

Jon and Heather. It's looking really fantastic and thanks for the updates. We love them

Neil

 

[pairospam]

I really hope that you are at present enjoying the sun/sand/crystal clear water/diving. You would actually be nuts if not.

Keep the good work. Keep the good and healthy life.

Greetings.


Pairoa

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Well, not yet. Plan A was to leave early April, the weather gets a bit easier to get the 1,000 miles down the coast which is against the prevailing winds and currents. A bit of a drag but we have done it several times and it is doable, getting back is a piece of cake. Spent the last 3.5 days practicing my sewing making a new dodger (spray shield for the cockpit) for the boat in preparation for the possible trip. The previous one was a bit tattered and needed replacement and now was the time. It is now pretty much done except for a few snaps to be installed, which once the rain that started this afternoon stops I will complete. Also did a bit more cleaning and work on the motorbike, fuel tank is now "Red Kote" lined and the fuel shutoff working properly.

Did a bit of a drive around in the car today to a couple of places for metal fabrication. So tomorrow when we go back to work on the truck I will drive it back to the marina. Then on Wednesday bring it around to try and line up the A/C compressor "engine suspension mount" fabrication. Also try and get an idea about the rear tire/motorbike rack and under habitat storage boxes.



This is a room at the marina. Actually a nice place to work on sewing as the floor is clean and painted so can lay things out to mark. Think this will be a good space to make the RV cushions. As an added bonus the sewing machine behaved well this time , which is not always the case.

 

[LostInTheWorld]

I've always liked those Sailrite sewing machines. I don't know if it's just my general curiosity of mechanical things or the nice anodized blue, but I've always liked those. I'm glad that it was behaving for the dodger work. That looks like a good work area.

I was just looking through the start of this thread, and it's so cool to see how totally different your truck looks from when you got it. It's neat to see how it has totally transformed in the last year.

Glad to hear that the motorbike is cleaning up well. I'm curious to see how you decided to mount it.

Michael

 

[scottishpinz]

Just read this from the start. Fantastic!

 

[Arjan]

Whatever you guys do - have FUN & enjoy !!

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Got some news, we have made a decision to head to the Bahamas! Not really looking forward to the slog down the east coast but can't wait for the crystal clear water and white sand bottom. Weather permitting will leave sometime next week. Today was putting the mainsail back on, doing some exterior varnish in preparation to leave.

Now back to the truck build. I brought the truck around today to show it to a couple different metal fabricators. First thing when we get back will be the modification for the A/C mount. This brings up something I want to ask. This is my first heavy truck. I have messed with car engines before, jacking them from beneath to replace engine mounts. Is this possible with this engine, or is it too heavy to do that (not talking jack capacity, just a jacking point on the engine)? Also settled on a fabricator, this guy is an artist. He works for a custom boat builder doing mainly stainless but also aluminum. He loves the truck project and has a home shop and is willing to let me do as much as possible to save a bit of money. Nice guy and after seeing his work on boats it might be a bit over the top for this truck, but it sure is a thing of beauty.

 

[Arjan]

These engines are usu. lifted from the top - crane. Tilt cab forward - or with a crane through the door..

Obviously, they can be lifted with a jack but be very, very careful. Jacks are unstable, not meant to take dynamic loads and use spreaders (such as HD planks) under the engines.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Thanks Arjan, still not sure I will tackle this myself but it would make it easier for the fabricator to have the truck close by for the A/C mount fabrication.

Quick update, we measured about a dozen times and took the plunge and installed the rooftop A/C (Coleman Polar Cub). All that is left is the wiring which will wait for all the other wiring. Might install the MaxxFan the day after tomorrow.

 

[Grenadiers]

Like to see the rooftop pic of that. Been dreaming of a cabin A/C, and well, one for the warm cab as well, but we’re riding 12’ of the ground already. A rooftop unit adds a ‘bit’ more!

 

[luthj]

If I remember correctly, either dometic, or webasto offers an AC unit that is floor mount, and pulls evaporator cooling air through two ducts. It was designed for trailers with pop roofs. I can't seem to find the link, I will post up if I do.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

As we are now working on the boat getting it ready to head south might not get a chance to snap a picture of the A/C on the roof (the truck is about 20 miles away). It is a Coleman Polar Cub, I chose it for 2 reasons. First was it was the lowest profile rooftop A/C I could find at 8.25". It does stick above the Tern roof hatches and will be the highest point on the truck. The top of the habitat is at 11' so now our height will be around 11' 8.25" (give or take a .10" ). I did look at the floor units. They looked to take a bit more interior space, which I put at a premium. Plus this thing was very simple to install and inexpensive to buy. I did add some Sika 295 to the foam (also bought the optional "Roughneck Kit") though to give it a bit more help. Will make it harder to remove if I ever need to but thought it was worth it, I hate water leaks. Second was it was only 9,200 BTU which I think will be ok given how well the insulation in the cabin walls seems to work. Being this small means I could run it with our Honda 2000 watt gasoline generator if I get the "soft start" module (for the A/C), and maybe a little bit of time off the batteries through the inverter.