Project Rhocaravan

[richyb66]

My plan to try and do weekly thread updates seems to fallen flat, cause by simply not having the free time to sit down on the computer and type things up. Tonight's post-England match wind-down has afforded me the ideal opportunity to provide a quick update.

 

 

The first crescent shaped panel was marked out using the cardboard template we’d previously made. A 20mm wide flange was added to each of the curved sides which was then cut at intervals to make tabs that could be bent over at 90 degree and would be used to attach the horizontal parts of the roof.

 

The side panel of the roof is just a long rectangle of aluminium that will be bent in to a S shape at the rear end to match the side panel and then curved down at the front down to above the front window. Like the other panels it was cut out with a jigsaw using the sheared edge of the sheet ( nice and straight) as the inboard edge where it has to meet the vertical roof window panel. We cut the width about 10mm oversize so we didn't need to be too accurate with the jigsaw and then we would make a more exact trim with tin snips .

The panel is held in place with a few self tapping screws and the the outer part of the roof was bent down around the flanged tabs and fixed along its front edge. the profile of the crescent panel isn't a smooth curve, more like a series of small flats but we can tweak the shape in to a smoother profile later when it's more rigidly fixed and will stand some hammering. The aluminium bends fairly easily but has quite a bit of spring back in it so on the bigger smooth bends, we actually bent the panel around the lamp post outside as it gave us something firm to work against.

The opposite side was then made in a similar way and in about a third of the time once we knew how the panels would need to go together. Crescent panel marking out:

Vertical roof window panel in position:

Bottom flange of crescent panel:

Shaping the side roof panel:

[richyb66]

At this stage we had some wet weather meaning we couldn't work with the caravan outside so I couldn't get many clear photos of the roof but we hadn't extended the flat part of the roof all the way to the back of the caravan. We stopped just rear of the S shaped roof kick up and the reason for this is the roof is 1500mm wide - wider that a sheet so the rear part of the roof would need to be cut down from the length of a 2500 x 1250 sheet.

 

The central part of the roof is just 1050mm wide so we cut this out next as we had an offcut available to do this.Again it's a big rectangle with the front edge curved downwards over the windows.

 

 

The front centre of the caravan is Vee shaped so we had of make a small cut down the centre of the panel to allow it to follow the contour of the frame above the windows. As usual we allowed some extra material on the front of the panel. It gave us something to grab when we were forming the folds that were needed to shape the panel and the excess material could then be trimmed back. Note this is not my hand!

 

 

Once we were happy with the general shape the excess material was trimmed off and the panel clamped in position.

 

 

The front window surrounds were just flat panels trimmed to the window aperture and once fitted an the caravan back outside, the finished shape is more obvious.

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by richyb66

[richyb66]

In the previous picture, the lower side panel is removed. This is because the lower 100mm or of of the panel will be in contact with the side of the galvanised chassis. In order to reduce the chance of the aluminium corroding, we decided to stonechip both the inside of the panel as well as the outside of the chassis. The chassis won't rust but a second layer of protection won't hurt.

 

This is the chassis stonechipped (we did all 4 sides)

 

 

and this is the panel

 

 

Next up we turned our attention the the rear of the caravan. Underneath we had some unfinished wiring for the vehicle electrics. Originally we'd run 7 core wire for basic trailer lighting but we decided to swap that out of 13 core wire so we could run battery charging, and a reverse light. Neither thing is essential but it made sense to future proof the wiring and just fit everything now while it's easier to do so.

 

The wiring was run under the floor and up in the right hand corner to supply the RH lights. The hatched out area on the lower part of the insulation is where the wiring will need to run and in the upper corner, another area has been marked out as well.

 

 

The upper area is to provide space for some additional reinforcement to the frame that will allow us to have rear grab handles. Again not essential as the caravan is light and easy to move but they should complete the look.

 

The wiring for the left hand lamp was routed in a similar manner. For now the wiring is just tucked out of the way and we will fish it out through a hole in the outer panel once we have finished the outside off.

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the grab handle mounting, 2 lengths of extra 25mm box section bolted and rivetted to the corner joint of the frame. The grab handle is cast aluminium held on here with a couple of self tappers but we'll use M4 screws in to Rivnuts for the final fixing.

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by richyb66

[brumster]

Really coming together now isn't it! The minute it starts to look like a caravan I bet you get excitied/enthused. I remember when the panels went on the Zero and it came back from the sprayshop, there was this lightbulb moment where just by it looking like a car was good inspiration to crack on...

[richyb66]

Yes, really making progress now and this week we've got a load of parts arriving to help finish things off. Trying to get finished for the Sausage and Cider in July but it's going to be a struggle.

[richyb66]

The rear panels were the next up to be made and fitted. The lower panel is full width and extends up to just below the window. As with the other lower panels we kept the original sheet edge at the top and worked down from that. A piece of aluminium was cut about 20mm over width to allow for trimming and then clamped in place. Leaving the excess material allows for the panel being slightly out of square to the main side frames.

 

 

The panel needs to have a convex curve to match the rear profile and at the bottom, we folded a slight bend to match the vertical part of the chassis and at the very bottom, we folded a 25mm return flange to go under the chassis. when we'd curved the panel around in to position, we could mark off the excess material down either side and trim it off. In the centre at the bottom, the spare wheel carrier is bolted on. For now, we just put a clearance hole in the panel. Once the final covering is on, we will add a stainless steel scuff plate to bolt the carrier against and protect the finish.

 

 

The lower panel also had holes drilled in it for the rear light wiring. We've left the wire behind the holes and will pull it through later. The upper panel were 2 C shaped pieces that butt together down the centre line. These were marked out nested together to minimise the wasted material.

 

[richyb66]

The only panel left to make now is the one above the window the curves upwards and extended forwards about 400mm on to the flat part of the roof. This will have a roof ilght vent in it and also have the wiring for the solar panel going through it. As we didn't have these things ad this stage, we carried on with fitting all of the vertical panels.

 

The panels were fixed to the framework with 3.2mm countersunk aluminium rivets. We marked out on the panels where the centre of the frame sections were and then carefully drilled the holes. Prior to rivetting the panels in place, we put a bead of automotive polyurethane sealer along the top to the main chassis where it meets the plywood floor and also around the edge of the side frame.

 

We removed the protective film from inside the panels and rivetted them in place before finally removing the film from the outside and this is the result. All the vertical panels fixed in place.

 

 

 

[richyb66]

With the panels fiitted we still needed to smooth them off ready for the final finish. This involved removing any high spots with a Dremel tool before giving the rivet heads a quick skim of filler. The aim isn't to get the panels absolutely flat, just to smooth them out so the final surface will be smooth and watertight,

 

 

 

One other job that we did was to try and tidy the wheels up a bit. Before they looked like this:

 

 

We had them blasted and powder coated silver and then had new load rated trailer tyres fitted. The wheels are a tight fit to the chassis (and were on the original trailer tent) but they can removed with a bit of jiggling.

 

 

The wheel hubs still need painting black and we'll put some black plastic caps on the bolts to finish things off.

Edited June 24, 2018 by richyb66

[richyb66]

Hard to believe it’s been nearly two months since I last updated the thread. We’ve been busy trying (and failing) to get the van finished for Sausage and Cider in July and Hoodstock in August. The sheer amount of work was too much, and we hit a few snags along the way which meant that even with a week off work and some 13 hour days in the garage, there’s still stuff left to do.

 

We left off with the vertical panels fitted and the rivets smoothed and filled with the roof still needing to be fixed and filled. At the front the central roof panel curves down over the front windows and in the vertical part of the roof on one side, we cut a rectangular hole. This will have a louvred panel fitted to it and will be the outlet for a cooker hood that we will be fitting.

 

 

The opposite side will just have the roof panel fitted to it as is.

 

 

At the back, we still needed to make the rear roof panel which is the full width of the caravan. A piece of aluminium was cut to width and clamped on to the roof, so we could form it around the curve.

 

 

In the central area of the rear roof panel, we are fitting a small caravan roof vent, the sort that normally goes in a caravan bathroom. After marking out the hole position, we drilled a hole in each corner and trimmed out the hole with a jigsaw.

 

 

The vent comes in 2 parts which are fitted either side of the roof panel and are held together with 4 screw. The vent is 5 way, meaning each of the 4 sides can be raised individually or the whole thing can be raised.

 

[richyb66]

In addition to the work we were doing in the garage on the caravan, we also had some stand along things to do that we could take to Wales at the weekend and continue work there.

 

We still needed to make some wheelarch boxes and these were a perfect job to take away. The side shape of the box was marked out on a piece of aluminium with a 20mm wide flange that would be folded over around 4 sides. 3 of the flanges would attach to the rest of the wheelarch box and the 4^th flange along the long edge would be to fix the box to the floor of the caravan.

 

 

 

The side pieces were cut out with tin snips (quicker than using a jigsaw)

 

 

And the flanges folded over but the usual method of clamping the main part of the sheet between a couple of pieces of wood and turning the flange over with a hammer.

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by richyb66

[richyb66]

The main part of the box is just a rectangle with a few folds in it

 

 

The separate parts were rivetted together and we ran a bead of PU sealer between the parts prior to riveting

 

 

Prior to fitting the boxes, we’ll seam seal the underside edges to ensure we have a 100% watertight seal.

[richyb66]

Another job we did was to re-skin the caravan door. The new, taller door we made had a mottled embossed finish on it that doesn’t match the smooth finish of the rest of the caravan. Here’s the door and a smooth, louvred panel we cut out of the original caravan door.

 

 

The aluminium skin is lightly bonded to a foam core and once the outer edge extrusion had been removed from the door, we could carefully peel the skin off the core.

The new skin panel was then marked out and glued to the core with contact adhesive.

 

 

The foam core of the upper half of the door was a bit of a patchwork because we wanted to change the original rectangular window for a round one. The main reason for this was a smaller rectangular window would have rounded corners that were a bit tight for the window seal. A round window was a bigger radius all round meaning the seal would be easier to form.

 

 

On the upper door the inside panel had a horizontal cut across it where we’d reduced the height of the door so we made a new inner panel for that side as well. Here it is with the inner handle on as well. We’ve got a choice of brown or black handles as we’ve got a couple of sets – not sure yet which we’ll use.

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by richyb66

[richyb66]

The wheelarch boxes and the benches they fit inside are going to be carpeted out. Local member Dan (Brumster) had a garage clear out and gave me a load of carpet which was ideal for what we needed.

 

The carpet was marked out so a single piece would cover each wheelarch

 

 

 

The wheelarch box was fitted from the underside of the floor and screwed in place with small screws. The carpet was then glued over the box and on the flat floor area. The carpet lining should stop anything we put under the benches from rattling around.

 

Edited August 31, 2019 by richyb66

[richyb66]

Dan also kindly made us some spacers for the rear lights and reflectors. These both need to be mounted vertically but the light cluster will be fitted on a curved part of the rear panel and the reflector will mount on a sloping part of the rear panel.

 

I created a CAD model of the parts on CATIA which I then converted to a stl file that I e-mailed to Dan. He then used the stl file to 3D print the parts in black plastic.

 

 

[richyb66]

On the front of the trailer tent there was a storage box which housed the gas bottle, water containers and a few other odds and ends.

 

 

We planned on reusing this but we hit a bit of a problem. Although we'd lengthened the chassis, and moved the A frame forwards by a equivalent amount, the forwards slope and pointed shape of the front of the caravan meant the box was now too big to use - when you tried to operate the jockey wheel, it hit the front of the box.

 

The best solution was to shorten the box by 50mm which would allow it to fit. There would be less room inside it but everything we need to fit inside would still go. The box is a plastic rotation molding and we figured out we could remove the back of the box, shorten it and make a new back in plywood.

 

We started by marking out the box so the required area could be cut off with a tenon saw.

 

 

Back cut off

 

 

and a new back panel was cut out of 12mm plywood and fixed in place with aluminium angle

 

 

Along the top edge of the back panel we reattached the flange from the original rear panel so we could maintain the raised edge that helps to keep water out.

 

 

here's the shortened box with the unmodified lid on it. The lid was shortened the same way. The box will be finished off by giving it a damn good clean and then we will stonechip it white.