The Camel Conversion Project

[PDBreske]

Progress has been slow for the past couple of months due to unforeseen medical issues. However, I have been thinking a lot about the floor plan I devised and never really liked the fact that I didn't have room for a passenger if I ever wanted to take someone out for a short trip or whatever. Yesterday morning I thought for a while and came up with a new plan and I think it will work. I rendered these in SketchUp today.

On the passenger side, the chest fridge is now where the dog beds used to be. The computer desk is moved to the fresh water platform and one of the dog beds will go under that desk with a door or gate that will be closed when driving. I've also fashioned a duct to route cool air from the new air conditioner location to the rest of the cabin. I can control the air circulation by opening or closing registers as necessary.


On the driver side, the wardrobe has been moved from the passenger side and houses another dog bed underneath. The shower (and portable toilet) is off the platform giving me a few more inches of headroom so I can raise the shower head location. The kitchen is now directly behind the driver seat. I think I can add a removable table top in between the two front seats for dining, but only if I can fix the swivel mechanism of the driver seat and find a new passenger seat with a swivel. It would be nice to eat while looking out the big front windshield. (The as-pictured passenger seat is only a placeholder model—there are mounting holes in the floor for the seat that was removed by the previous vehicle owner and I'll attach to those holes any seat I find.


By moving the shower forward, I might be able to route the drain directly through the floor. This wasn't possible with the shower any further to the rear as the fuel tank was under where the drain might exit. Even if I can't go through the floor with the drain, I can still raise the shower pan a few inches to allow for a p-trap and then route the plumbing to wherever it needs to go. The gray water tank will be directly under that part of the floor.

Since the shower enclosure is going to be about 3-feet square, I might use a corner cabinet in the kitchen with a narrow base cabinet to fill the remaining space behind the driver seat. The corner cabinet would allow more storage and I could mount an on-demand propane water heater in the back of the cabinet with a chimney vent up through the corner and to the roof. This solution is still in the planning stage (like a lot of things, hehe).

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

... Even if I can't go through the floor with the drain, I can still raise the shower pan a few inches to allow for a p-trap and then route the plumbing to wherever it needs to go.

The Camco 37262 Camper Drain Trap may work for you. It is far more compact than any standard P-trap that I have ever seen. And a much saner price than the "new" European Hepvo that is being sold. We had one of these on our Apache popup sink. Wonderful little thing. It seems to work like an air admittance valve (AAV) but with water. We liked the one in the popup so much that we will be putting them in the bus. We used the pop-up (heavily) for 20 years (1 1/2 years of that was living in it full time) and I never clogged up the trap. I'm not sure of the dimensions but ours was for a vanity sink sized drain. I've seen specs that said 6"x6"x2" and that doesn't sound right. I believe it fits a 1-1/2" or 2" strainer hole and is under 6" in height. (it's sitting upside down in the pic)

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

The Camco 37262 Camper Drain Trap may work for you.

That's an interesting contraption. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[PDBreske]

The conversion has been slow for the past few months. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer and had to take a bunch of tests and undergo a bunch of procedures at the Gainesville VA hospital. Thankfully, it was caught fairly early and the prognosis is excellent. The doctors removed four tumors from the bladder wall and the pathology was "low grade, barely stage 1." So, no chemotherapy and no radiation. I just have to get regular checkups every few months for the first year and then every year for the next five years. If, by then, I have no new tumors, I can call myself cancer-free. It's highly likely I will have more tumors, as bladder cancer has a 50-75% chance of returning. It's the most expensive cancer to treat because of the high rate of recurrence, but it's also one of the easiest to treat—they just scrape them out and keep checking for new ones.

So, I'm beginning to work on the interior again, starting with waterproofing the floor. I found a remnant of vinyl flooring at a local shop for $100. I cut it down from its twelve-foot width and it fits like a glove. There is a cut near the front where I had to wrap it around the base of the driver seat (I didn't feel like removing the seat), but it will be largely hidden by cabinetry and is in a traffic-free area behind the chair. I thought at first that the vinyl was horrifically ugly, but it's growing on me. However, its purpose is to protect the plywood floor from undetected water leaks from the onboard fresh water storage and the final floor covering will be carpet tiles in a slightly less obnoxious color pattern.



I also removed one of the roof air conditioners which I plan to sell on craigslist. The second AC is over the planned carport area and isn't a priority to remove just yet. I needed to clear out the front AC so I can make a final decision on the status of the roof hatch that I would love to install. After I pulled the AC unit, I looked out across the roof from the hole and was reminded what a great idea it would be to have an access hatch right there, so I really want to figure out a way to do this affordably. (Having the hatch surround built by a sheet metal shop was a $400 no-go.)

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

.... After I pulled the AC unit, I looked out across the roof from the hole and was reminded what a great idea it would be to have an access hatch right there, so I really want to figure out a way to do this affordably. (Having the hatch surround built by a sheet metal shop was a $400 no-go.)

Have you looked thru a marine catalog? They have lots of deck hatches. Some double as skylights or ventilation.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Have you looked thru a marine catalog? They have lots of deck hatches. Some double as skylights or ventilation.

Yep, and if you think RV prices are expensive, marine prices are outrageous. The only hatches that are within my budget are too small for a person to easily fit through. I'm a skinny guy, but I still need at least a 20" square opening to squeeze through. 24" is better. 24" x 36" is about perfect.

[bansil]

How about a used electrical cabinet?
Sink it into the roof, trace roof line around outside,cut it and weld it in?Arubber gasket seal might work...just an idea

[bansil]

come to think of it cajun pawn stars had that crazy guy bring in an old submarine hatch or something..that would be pimp

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by bansil

come to think of it cajun pawn stars had that crazy guy bring in an old submarine hatch or something..that would be pimp

Indeed.

[TygerCub]

Great news on kicking the cancer! If ya gotta get something nasty, may as well be a nastiness that's easy to fix.

That flooring doesn't look too terribly bad. I like your idea of using it as an underlay to protect against leakage. Should be easy to maintain, especially if you're putting carpet squares over it later.

Welcome back to the craziness!

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by TygerCub

Great news on kicking the cancer! If ya gotta get something nasty, may as well be a nastiness that's easy to fix.

That flooring doesn't look too terribly bad. I like your idea of using it as an underlay to protect against leakage. Should be easy to maintain, especially if you're putting carpet squares over it later.

Welcome back to the craziness!

This vinyl is already proving to be very cheaply made (hence the bargain price)—when I slid a 2x4 across the surface, the top finish scratched off. Not enough to compromise the water resistance (I hope), but enough to look bad. The carpet tiles will definitely protect the surface and should work well as a tough puncture barrier. I'll just have to be careful as I work on the interior until the final flooring is installed.

[Bullwhacker007]

Great news on the cancer.

I saw the front end pictures - mean lookin.
Any Idea of installing a "train" air horn on the roof above the driver?
When you let it rip you would be heard for miles.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Bullwhacker007

Great news on the cancer.

I saw the front end pictures - mean lookin.
Any Idea of installing a "train" air horn on the roof above the driver?
When you let it rip you would be heard for miles.

Have I thought about it? Of course! Will I do it? That depends on money. A loud horn isn't on the list of necessities.

[Kathy WI]

I actually love that vinyl flooring.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by Kathy WI

I actually love that vinyl flooring.

I actually would much prefer something with no color or pattern, but I couldn't pass up this bargain.

[PDBreske]

Working in no particular order now.

I bought a set of chairs on craigslist for $400 (too much, I think). The set included four chairs and a bench seat out of a van or something. The bench seat was in pretty bad shape, but the four chairs were good enough for me to work with and I put together two good front seats for the conversion. I think I can sell the remaining seats as well as the original driver's seat to offset the cost.

The set came with a bunch of pedestal parts that weren't exactly what I needed, but I was able to cobble together the parts for two really nice swivel pedestals. They even have a cool quick-disconnect feature so I can move the chairs out of the way while I work inside without having to get under the bus to unbolt the bases.

Eventually I'll have a tabletop that can be temporarily installed between the chairs for dining. There is more legroom between these chairs than it appears in this shot—they slide outboard a few more inches. Besides, it's mostly going to be me alone eating, so what do I care if it's a little tight under the table?


This is the pedestal details. The seat belts attach to the solid bar welded to the back edge of the swivel plate:


I added a three-inch steel channel to give me a little more height. I couldn't comfortably see the instruments in the original seat and these were far too low. The height is perfect now.


Picture of the locking arm on the pedestal base. There is a key underneath the pedestal that goes into the cammed hole on the base plate. A 90-degree turn (with help from a hammer, hence the worn rubber sleeve) locks it down.

[ol trunt]

Nice clean installation. The seats look real comfy.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Nice clean installation. The seats look real comfy.

Time will tell, but they are much better than what was there before.

[PDBreske]

Some new 3D renders created with Sketchup:

Right side: This side is essentially unchanged from previous versions of the design, although I have found that chest freezers are available that are only 23" wide, so I can fit two of them into the space that I was going to use for only one larger chest and convert one for use a refrigerator and maintain the other as a freezer.


Left side: The kitchen cabinet needs to be a more standard 24" depth instead of the corner cabinet I was thinking of using. I took a cue from someone else's conversion and added a door with storage to the shower stall. The door opens 90 degrees to block off the computer area from the rest of the interior.


View from driver's area: This is why I changed the kitchen cabinet design—I'm planning to add a removable counter top to the tops of the chest freezers and I wouldn't be able to work there if the kitchen cabinet extended so far across the galley hall. You can also see the beginnings of a table between the driver and passenger seats. This will be removable and stored either behind or next to the passenger seat.


Overhead plan view: Both seats will be able to swivel to face the table, although the table shape isn't finalized yet. I may have to make it triangular to avoid too much meshing of feet, or I may make it L-shaped to accommodate the passenger facing forward to eat. (I just thought of the L-shape thing and that's a pretty good idea!)

[crazycal]

Tagged.