My Ford Camper

[Witchdoctor Oz]

Hi Thomas the fridge was just worked out with the little grey matter that i can control. Luckie for me i have a 12Volt fridge that i love, mainly for the efficiantcy of it. So it was just a matter of asking loads of question of the pro's & jumping in.

The lastest images are of the almost finished product as the refrigeration guy has not as yet come to finish it of

Enjoy

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

I will post some images when the fridge is in the camper & working properly.

Cheers
David

 

[thecriscokid]

This is a great build. I really like the layout with the bed and storage!

 

[Riptide]

Man, I have seen alot of cool things built by the owner on this site, but I've never seen self-built refrigerator!!

And that bed set-up is also very innovative!

Are those speakers connected to the alarm clock??

Great job!

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

Thanks for the kind words.
Riptide the speakers are only connected to the dvd player. Why would one need an alarm clock when on holidays :wings:. Just purchased a 24" led panel TV to fit in the middle of the back wall of the bedroom which will be connected to the dvd, should all be working after the return from our next trip.

Cheers
David

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Wow, Wow, Wow

And a custom fridge...... unbelievable..... incredible build!!!!!:Wow1:

Would love more details of the door/hatch structures as I design my own custom build.

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

riveroceanandmountain,

More than happy to help out where i can, ask away.

The door latches are from Industrilas AB in Sweden, they are the swinghandle rod latch type. I had to machine them down to fit in the 25mm door frame. All the rod & mechanism is concealed in the cavity...unseen & a clean finish.

Cheers
David

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

So I am new to this kind of project out of aluminum.

Do the doors all have a welded perimeter frame of 25mm square tube? I see the inner skin is riveted.... is it glued as well? And outer skin is only glued?

I see a C channel finishing the doors openings... I think...... is that correct?

So the outer edge of the doors.... is it some special T shaped aluminum extrusion that provides the overhang for the door seal as well as sealing over the edge of the outer door skin?

How are these fastened on.... glue, rivets or both?

Also cannot see any hinge details..... what sort of hinge setup did you use?

Also wondering about the finish detail of the corners where you outer skin panels meet. It looks very professional but cannot quite make out what you did.

Thanks for any answers or photos you are able to provide.....

Very impressed with your result... I just started welding and am pondering mig welding a frame.... but still need to buy the aluminum gun.

Seeing what you and others create inspires me.... but it will be a long project. I may hire out the welding part.

David

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

So I am new to this kind of project out of aluminum.

Do the doors all have a welded perimeter frame of 25mm square tube? I see the inner skin is riveted.... is it glued as well? And outer skin is only glued? The door frames are made from 25mm RHS & the inner & outer skins are both bonded to the frame using Fixtek MPS-190
I see a C channel finishing the doors openings... I think...... is that correct? Incorrect, the doors are sealed using Durometer door seal from UES Int. The seal looks like a large rubber h, the bottom of the h fits over the door frame, and the top of the h makes the seal on the outer body of the camper
So the outer edge of the doors.... is it some special T shaped aluminum extrusion that provides the overhang for the door seal as well as sealing over the edge of the outer door skin?

How are these fastened on.... glue, rivets or both? The door seal is fastened using Fixtek MPS-190 with rivets to hold in place until polyurethane is set.Also cannot see any hinge details..... what sort of hinge setup did you use? The hinge is Centalaflex continuous hinge from Ues Int. This hinge is plastic with a polyester flex section rated to over 50000 cycles. It is also fastened using MPS-190 with the rivets.Also wondering about the finish detail of the corners where you outer skin panels meet. It looks very professional but cannot quite make out what you did. Both the end skins where folded around to meet the side door openings then bonded in place. A fill strip was then bonded along the bottom of both the side openings. The roof section was last piece to be bonded in place; the skin was folded down to meet the side door openings & is concealed by the plastic hinge. None of the skin is welded or riveted fixed to the main frameThanks for any answers or photos you are able to provide.....

Very impressed with your result... I just started welding and am pondering mig welding a frame.... but still need to buy the aluminum gun. I had a very good friend TIG weld the frame for me, the rest of the work I hired his equipment & shed with payment in beer & bundy rum. Seeing what you and others create inspires me.... but it will be a long project. I may hire out the welding part. Good luck with you project, the best tip I could give is invest loads of time to designing & laying out what you require from your project. My camper was on paper for nearly 10years before I cut any alloy RHS. The build to date has taken about 3years & still not finished, the hold up as always is the $$$$’s.
Cheers
David
David

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

This image shows the way the outer skin is positioned it also shows the hinge & seal a little better.
Hope this helps
Cheers
David

 

[riveroceanandmountain]

Thanks for all the answers and the photo.

I now understand all the details I asked about...... I certainly don't see anything like this in Canada!

Your tip on planning and design is a good one! I certainly don't have your 10 year patience though!

I have been designing and researching for a few months and hope to test ideas and do mock ups this summer and start the build in the fall as a winter project with completion for spring of 2012.

Congrats on your project well done!

David

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

:wings: The fridge is all finished & working :victory:.

The lowest temp we have is -11 deg C with a draw of 2.4amps but we have a fault with the Dixell controller it is not allowing the compressor to switch off so that piece of gear will be replaced tomorrow.
I feel so good to have it working how it should, when loads of people said you will not achieve what you think, just buy a fridge.

Cheers
David

 

[subytoy]

Great build! I work in refrigeration, but I never would have tried to make my own fridge. You've inspired me to try now.


Craig

 

[Tbars]

..I gotta say, this build is freakin' awsome..

...I tend to dabble into different areas of fabrication but, you my friend have skills..

 

[Witchdoctor Oz]

Thanks guys for your kind words.

Just an up date.

The progress on the camper has slowed after a trip to the USA & an adventure along the Rubicon Trail.

Before we left we had to change the design of the first attempt at camper legs for when it's not on the truck. The bracket design was a touch on the flimsy side but light, the camper was at risk of collapsing on to the ground if bumped, but it was light!
The original jacking part was retained as they worked well, i redesigned the section between the jacking leg & the camper. This was then welded to the jacking leg & now works great but heavy!
The whole thing is very stiff with no movement even when on uneven ground.

I will post some images of the legs as soon as i can.

Geez i love that fridge, works great now that the controller is working right. With the fridge set at 2 deg C its only drawing .8 of an amp as per my Blue Seas meter. Lovit.

Once i have some more cash i'm getting all the alloy parts in the bed area powder coated a soft grey colour. Now that i know the canvas works & does not leak.

Cheers
David