Are we nearly there yet?

The answer is a definite yes!

A rain affected weekend, coupled with being down in MK on Friday night, meant I haven't been able to get the sorting out done on the old folding camper. The plus point of that is I've been able to finish nearly all the jobs on Dai instead.

Electrics

The mains electrical wiring is now finished and tested. I'm happy with how it's all worked out. Since the main purpose is to run the small fan heater I doubt I'll need it for the next trip to Cambridge, and I haven't got hook-up for the one after that, but it will be useful sometime I'm sure.

I had assumed I'd got everything to do the job, but it turned out the mini-trunking I'd bought wasn't self-adhesive. That meant another trip to B&Q! I needed some other stuff so not too much of a hardship. I did manage to buy the wrong carpet tape though, so the mats still aren't fastened down. I must remedy that before I go away.

Cushions and Curtains

The first cushions I'd bought to go inside the custom covers were too small, I ended up giving them away (they were really cheap) so whilst out shopping today I bought two new, right sized, cushions at Dunelm Mill. Not quite as cheap (they were around £8 each) but they fit nicely and they're a shade of green that will match the curtains if required.

Having decided I wanted some new blackout curtains I'd searched the 'net and come up with a couple of possible suppliers. One was a real cottage industry the other a slightly larger business. The online estimates were comparable so I thought I'd try the smaller business first. Having picked out a fabric I thought would work I asked for a sample and a final quote, she did say in the email that she'd be going on holiday and that would push delivery out a bit but I wasn't too bothered. 3 weeks later however the sample still hasn't arrived which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

In the mean time the other supplier had followed up the enquiry so I arranged for some samples from them as well. They arrived promptly, I chose one and placed the order. They're in the book for production this week and she's promised they'll be with me in time for the next trip. That's good because I want to try them as they hang first before I decide if they need press-studs in the corners to fasten them back (I think they will but we'll see).

To Level or not to Level?

Having read various forums there seems to be some dispute over the need for level ramps and whether they actually get used if you carry them. Coming from a caravan background, and from the days when all fridges were gas and needed to be really level to work, my feeling is that being reasonably level is a "good thing". I'd already bought a smallish set of level ramps (the ones from the folding camper are huge) and had them stowed under one of the back seats.

I decided to rethink some of the packing though and took them out, adding them tot he "take away when you've got the awning" kit. Now they're back in again! A further packing rethink has got them back in a different place - there's  a narrow stow-space behind the front seats which now has the ramps, table leg, car defrosting kit and my walking stick in. It's full, but I consider that a positive.

A Chair, a Chair...

To continue the Shakespearean headings! I nearly got caught out during the week as I forgot to put a folding chair in when going to see some outdoor theatricals. I have a variety of outdoor furniture but none of it is really small enough to carry in Dai permanently or even when away without an awning. A trip to Go Outdoors in MK didn't help (it did provide various other things though) and neither did a local camping shop. I'll keep thinking on that one but I suspect what I want just isn't available (i.e. something that will fit where the level ramps are currently stored but unfold into a full size comfortable chair).

We got the power...

Well 12 volts of it anyway!

When I bought Little Dai I wasn't too happy about either the 12v power setup (which was close but not close enough) or the 240v (which was simply a camping power unit). I knew what I wanted to achieve and also that the cost wouldn't be prohibitive. Orders went in to both Screwfix (for the mains stuff primarily) and Towsure (for the caravan specific bits) and I also had to pay a visit to Maplin.

Saturday

The leisure battery and much of the 12v stuff was buried away behind a panel. I'd removed this previously and thought there might be room to get all the mains stuff in there as well, but it quickly became apparent that there isn't. So before I'd even started plans changed! There was plenty of space in the cupboard next to the coolbox though, I did have to remove the shelf someone had put in there but that's no great loss. A couple of hours of general sorting out, drilling holes and setting up wiring left me with the consumer unit, input and first single socket ready to install. They basically just needed screwing to the panel:

I'd decided to put a socket inside the cupboard as it may come in useful for charging stuff I don't want on show and also I can plug the mains adapter for the coolbox in. I also decided that there was little point in using an expensive fancy socket here!

One of the things I'd needed was something to make a new switch panel out of. The simplest thing turned out to be an aluminium door push plate from B&Q. I could have found something better with time, should have though of it sooner. I cut this down, cut out the holes for the two switches and made up a vinyl overlay (useful having a laser printer at home). It's not as tidy as I'd like but will do the job until it annoys me completely.

Doing all of that took most of Saturday afternoon so I decided to leave the next step until the Sunday.

Sunday

I got a decent early start on sorting the 12v side out. There were two primary aims here, firstly I wanted to be able to leave the coolbox permanently plugged in and have it run with the engine but be able to switch it on manually (previously it ran entirely off the leisure battery when you switched on the power from that) and secondly I wanted to be able to switch the supply for the lights, pump, etc. between the leisure battery and the vehicle battery. I wouldn't want to do the latter for very long, it's quite a  small battery, but useful to have the capability. The simple way to achieve this was a voltage sensing split charge relay from Towsure, I've used these before and they are simple to install.

I had to slightly bodge the existing wiring from the engine compartment (under the passenger seat) but with that done the relay works fine. It provides a permanent feed from the engine and two switched feeds for charging and for the coolbox that come on when the engine is running. The fun part was then making the relevant holes in the panel to take the existing 12v "lighter" socket, the new switch panel and the 240v mains socket. Some moving about, drilling, sawing and sanding achieved the required result. I'm fairly happy with it. It's all a bit cramped but that was a necessity as it all had to clear the battery behind.

It may not be entirely clear from the photo but the left hand switch controls the coolbox with choosing between Auto (with the engine running) and On (running off the leisure battery) whilst the right hand switch swaps the auxiliary power between the leisure battery and the car battery. Here I did use a fancy socket, the only nuisance being I'd forgotten to order longer screws to go through the panel so that was another quick shopping trip.

With that all in place I could complete the 12v wiring. It's a bit of a rats' nest but with the panel back on it's not an issue. It wasn't strictly necessary to trunk the mains cable but I decided to do so for tidiness.

It nearly all worked first time as well! I'd reused the existing fuse box but hadn't noticed one of the fuses was already blown so that was easily sorted. I also wondered why the coolbox didn't run when I started the engine until I realised I hadn't switched it to Auto (they're centre-off switches).

It then just remained to get the panel back on and tidy everything up. The remaining job is to run the cable for another socket by the back seats. I know where it's going but just ran out of time. That's also why on the last picture the cable under the worktop isn't trunked yet - it'll all get done together.

All in all a successful weekend. Shame I wasted time on a couple of shopping trips, without that I might have finished completely.

Dai Gets Alarmed

One of the things I wasn't too keen on was the fact that Dai has no immobiliser or alarm as standard. Whilst this shouldn't be a problem it does leave things a bit vulnerable. I had a hunt round and considered doing my own fitment, however I found a local auto electrician who quoted a very reasonable price for a full alarm and immobiliser install, including the additional door lock motor for the central locking interface.

I liked the fact that his website gives clear information and quotes all-in prices directly, none of this "call for best price". As he lives about a mile from where I work it seemed to make sense to get the install done there. It took about 2 hours (so would have taken me a lot more I suspect) but is now all sorted.

I might do a little bit of a change to the programming, as standard you have to start the engine within 45 seconds of unlocking or the immobiliser rearms itself. With it being a motorhome I think this may be a nuisance but it's easy enough to sort.

If anyone in the East Midlands area is looking for a similar job I can recommend Alan Smith, www.alansmith.co.uk

Dai's First Trip

As I'd got a bit of a do to go to in Lincolnshire, for which I'd already booked the Travelodge for the Saturday night, I decided to book a site for the Friday as a bit of a shakedown. This nearly didn't happen when I had a call on my way home from work on Thursday (which proved the hands free on the new radio works). The grass pitches at the Caravan Club Stamford site were extremely wet and the warden asked if I'd mind canceling my booking. Obviously I said yes, he doesn't want his pitches being damaged and I didn't want to get stuck!

A quick search on the website as soon as I got home turned up an affiliated site very near to where the party was, a quick phone call and I was booked in. Having pasted this on Facebook I discovered friends would also be on site.

After leaving work I was on site in just over an hour and, after some faffing about, I was sat with a cold beer 15 minutes later! With practice I'll get that down to under 10 minutes I reckon. I decided to investigate the local pubs for beer and dinner but got delayed when I met my friends, had a beer in their lovely caravan and then we all headed off to the pub. A lovely meal followed and the drinks flowed.

Once back I set up the bed, sorted myself out and tried to sleep. I did manage but as I expected the curtains don't keep any light out. The thermal blinds on the front worked fine though and I will stock to the planned arrangement, with new blackout curtains to be ordered.

Cooking breakfast, making coffee, etc. all worked as it should, it gets very warm with the burners going but there's a zip in the back panel of the elevating roof so getting ventilation in is easy enough. Packing up only took a few minutes and I headed off to Grantham for a while before picking another friend up at the station and going to the Travelodge to get checked in. The advantage of being car sized and under 2m high proved useful as I got parked easily on the edge of Grantham centre. I can recommend the museum there, if only for the large cup of fresh filter coffee for £1.

Sunday I drove down to the friends who'd hosted the party for breakfast and, inevitably, had to show a few people over Dai. After we'd spent the morning talking, eating croissant with bacon and drinking coffee I dropped Carol back of in Grantham and headed up to Brownhills Motorhomes near Newark. There were two aims there, look at awnings and perhaps buy some bits. Both were achieved! Awning wise I've all but decided on the Vango Airbeam. The quality looks very good and they're easy to erect for one person. I'll probably wait until early in the new year when the 2014 ones are in the sales.

I was just firing up to leave there when a couple in a Nissan people carrier flagged me down. They'd just bought the vehicle with a view to doing a DIY conversion and had noticed Dai in the car park. I was happy to give them a quick look over and hopefully it will give them some ideas - I think this may happen a lot!

Ultimate conclusions are that Dai will do what I want. I've got a few things to sort out but nothing major, curtains being the most urgent probably as they'll make sleeping so much better. Everybody who looks over her (all machines are female even if they have male names) is impressed by the quality of, and thought that's gone into, the conversion.