The Camel Conversion Project

[PDBreske]

Checked this morning: 6.1 degrees and working fine.

The next step is to try using the AKO controller to run the unit as a refrigerator. Since the controller has a range of -50 degrees F to 350 degrees F, I should think this will not be a problem.

[crazycal]

Awesome find. I would fill that badboy up with ice cream...no, beer.

[Das Mel]

WICKED awesome score!

Originally Posted by crazycal

Awesome find. I would fill that badboy up with ice cream...no, beer.

No, both. You know it's both.

[PDBreske]

I made a video of my plumbing. Come on! You know you've been wanting this!

"The Camel" RV conversion plumbing tour

[caleath]

Very nice job on the whole project.

[PDBreske]

That's good info, nat_ster, and the tight bend thing did come into play in my decision (in addition to cost). As you can see in the photos, the space between the tanks and the wall is fairly tight, and the turn from that space to the lateral run where the pump is mounted is also a pretty tight bend. When I handled some PEX at Lowes, I thought the material might kink if I forced it to that tight radius, so I decided to go with CPVC and 90 degree elbows. I do agree PEX is probably a superior system, but I knew this would work and I thought the PEX might not.

[PDBreske]

Worked some more on the shower enclosure. The rear wall is 3/4" plywood and the shower walls will attach directly to that and the studs on the other two sides. The plywood is secured to the water platform, but the shower riser and stud wall are still only dropped in place until I get everything shimmed and squared.

I nearly ran into a disastrous problem when I started installing the plywood wall. The shower instructions require a 35-1/4" wall depth for the 34" shower. The extra inch-and-a-quarter is to secure the shower walls to the studs with tabs that extend from the edges. I found that the wider walls would extend beyond the roof hatch opening by just over an inch. There was no way I was going to do all this work and then have to look at the shower door partially blocking my beautiful hatch. Even by only an inch.

So I went back to my original plan of a 34" deep shower and I'll trim the tabs from the edges of the shower walls and somehow make it all work. There is going to be a door and trim that will cover the entire surface of all these parts on the inboard edges and that trim will be perfectly flush with the edge of the hatch opening.

I also cut the water platform flooring to fit and secured it to the underlying structure. Very sturdy now.

All in all, I'm really pleased at how well my final plan is coming together with minimal changes. I credit careful measurements of the interior space before I started the virtual model in Google's SketchUp software.

[PDBreske]

I loosely placed the shower walls in the roughed-in stall and this revealed the slightly "unsquare" fit. Since nothing is yet secured, I can shim where necessary to make it all fit perfectly.





I'll need to remove these mounting tabs that run along the walls from top to bottom in order for the rest of the structure to fit without extending into the roof hatch opening:

[Gsragtop]

I will be honest, I just read the entire post.. At first I was very upset, and thought you were doing that rig wrong.. Your ideas were way off the norm.. However, I think in the end I owe you an apology. It's coming one fantastically. It gonna be unique and very much you. Keep it up !! Can't wait to see how it turns out !!

As for how to anchor the jeep, the answer is sitting on your bumper. Install a center anchor up front, winch the jeep in and when you get almost to the end use a tow chain on the rear. If you do it right the winch will pull your front down and lock down the rear at the same time., it's basically the same set up on any flat bed tow truck. If your winch is not up to the task you now have a good excuse to buy a new one

Let me know if you have any questions.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Gsragtop

I will be honest, I just read the entire post.. At first I was very upset, and thought you were doing that rig wrong.. Your ideas were way off the norm.. However, I think in the end I owe you an apology. It's coming one fantastically. It gonna be unique and very much you. Keep it up !! Can't wait to see how it turns out !!

As for how to anchor the jeep, the answer is sitting on your bumper. Install a center anchor up front, winch the jeep in and when you get almost to the end use a tow chain on the rear. If you do it right the winch will pull your front down and lock down the rear at the same time., it's basically the same set up on any flat bed tow truck. If your winch is not up to the task you now have a good excuse to buy a new one

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks very much! Unfortunately, work has been slow lately. I was forced to get a regular job and it takes much of my time. In fact, I haven’t done much of anything in the past couple of months. It’s a catch-22 in that I need the money to finish the project, but I can’t work on the project while I’m making the money to finish it. Very frustrating.

I have given thought to the idea of using the winch to secure the Jeep and I’m unsure whether it will be a good solution. I won’t have access to the nose of the Jeep when it’s parked in the “garage,” so I won’t be able to disconnect the winch control cable once the Jeep is parked—I’ll have to leave it draped across the hood and in through the driver’s window. That’s not a huge problem, but it’s also not exactly ideal. The winch is definitely able to do the job (9500-pound pull with 17000-pound synthetic line), but I worry how I would get it out if for some reason the Jeep’s battery died or something. Don’t get me wrong—I love the idea.

Anyway, I will keep this thread updated as work proceeds. I’m definitely not giving up on it.

[sdwarf36]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WIRELESS-REMOTE ... 5d&vxp=mtr

[Malkieri]

Emergency access hatch in front wall of garage would work well or an access panel in bottom of sleeping nook. You can make the measurements and it doesn't have to be large. With your artistic skills I bet you can even make it look good.

[sdwarf36]

I had a Superwinch with a wireless remote when I had my cube van. When I was racing dirt, it was a real pain to load the car up the ramps. Beside a couple inches of stagger, tire pressures were 9 right + 5 left. So it wanted to pull to the left all the time. With the winch in the front of the box (14ft) and the car at the bottom of the ramps. (12ft), the electric cable for my winch was only like 15ft, it was winch 3 ft-correct the steering wheel-winch 3 ft correct the wheel-etc.-a real pain. with the wireless, I could just stand next to the car + steer.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by sdwarf36

I had a Superwinch with a wireless remote when I had my cube van. When I was racing dirt, it was a real pain to load the car up the ramps. Beside a couple inches of stagger, tire pressures were 9 right + 5 left. So it wanted to pull to the left all the time. With the winch in the front of the box (14ft) and the car at the bottom of the ramps. (12ft), the electric cable for my winch was only like 15ft, it was winch 3 ft-correct the steering wheel-winch 3 ft correct the wheel-etc.-a real pain. with the wireless, I could just stand next to the car + steer.

I've wanted to get a wireless control for my winch, but the factory Ramsey part is a lot more expensive than the eBay item you linked to. Thanks for that. I'll have to make sure it will work with the Patriot 9500 winch and if it does, I'll probably get it.

[sdwarf36]

MY Superwinch was more too. But when you get right down to it, (thinking in bus building reverse engineering mode) how much do you really need to make it possible? Its only a 2 way toggle in the regular control. All you really need is a A 2 position relay and some simple wireless device (like a remote door locker) to signal it.

[PDBreske]

I have done some mental engineering on a system that I might end up using at the front bumper. Since I’ve replaced the original with a heavy-duty rock bumper, I might devise two drive-in slots fashioned into steel or plywood (several thicknesses) that are also tied into the risers that I will have to drive on to clear the wheel humps. Since these will all be bolted together and the wheels of the Jeep will be on top of the whole thing, the front end shouldn’t bounce up and down. I’d only need to use extra-strong wheel ratchet straps to hold the rear wheels in place and keep the Jeep from rolling fore and aft.

In truth, the only reason I need to keep the front end from bouncing is to prevent the hood of the Jeep from banging the underside of the bed platform. Otherwise I would only worry about securing the rear wheels.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Gsragtop

With that said a bumper winch is not a wrecker winch. So maybe the answer is a wrecker winch on the truck, that also solves the dead battery issue as they have freewheel capabilities. Although they are also hydraulic, which ads another level of complications.

Yeah, now we’re getting into problems that I don’t want to tackle. By the way, most Jeep winches also have freewheel capability, including my Ramsey. You just have to be able to access the winch directly to flip the switch to the freewheel position.

[Gsragtop]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

Yeah, now we’re getting into problems that I don’t want to tackle. By the way, most Jeep winches also have freewheel capability, including my Ramsey. You just have to be able to access the winch directly to flip the switch to the freewheel position.

Ahh now that seems like something you can engenier your way out of, where is the switch??

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Gsragtop

Ahh now that seems like something you can engenier your way out of, where is the switch??

Doubt it. The black knob is the lever handle that rotates fore and aft to go from “IN” (winching) to “OUT” (freewheeling). It’s hard enough to slide the handle when I’m standing in front of it, and if there is any tension on the winch line, forget it—it only slides when the winch is not under load. Which is good—this isn’t something you want to accidentally move while winching.

[sdwarf36]

Now that I'm carrying my car in a trailer, I put e-track on the floor + use 2 wheel harness tie downs. Those work awsome! You dont have to worry about suspension travel slacking any straps.