Slide-in camper for the FM

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Two more upcoming projects:
Redesign the kitchen.
Narrow the bottom birth.

The kitchen has no usable counter space.  The rocket pump leaks, and cannot be adapted for city water as an option.  There is no grey water tank at all.
   
   


The lower birth is 38" wide (Full size) and takes up too much room when it is opened up.  Also, the "couch" is tall because of the depth of the camper box, which is something that most campers fix with a raised floor so you have a place to rest your feet instead of letting them dangle.

   

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

I always wanted a 2-burner stove in place of the 3-burner, but I originally went with what I already had in order to keep the build budget low.  I thought it might grow on me, but it hasn't.  I don't need three burners.  I need counter space.
The cutting board with stick-on feet works pretty well, but not when I also need to rinse what I am cutting. 

My plan is to install a nice, glass-covered 2-burner with 12v igniters (or match-light).  I plan to rotate the sink 90° to free up MORE space.
Here, you can see the cooktop on top of the existing one, where the existing one is.  The cutting board is rotated to represent where the sink will be.
   

I will go back to the Zebra faucet that the donor camper came with.  I never used it because the seals were dried out, so I went with the simple Rocket pump.  The Zebra can hand pump OR work with city water or a pump.
I will add an inlet and a regulator for the city water side.
   

I hope to fit a small jug under the sink and add a tee with a ball valve to drain the grey water into when I am at the fancy-scmancy campgrounds where I can't let it run on the ground. 
I was able to fit an Arizona Iced Tea gallon jug in here.  That alone will serve nicely.
   

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

My idea for the couch-bed is to narrow it from 38" to 30". That will make the backrest shorter and no longer cover the bottom several inches of the side window.

Currently, the full size mattress is in the way when accessing the loft bed, using the kitchen, or accessing the back room. Lopping 8" of width off of the swing up platform will open up the walkway tremendously.

Once the swing up platform is lopped off, there will be enough space below it to build a long 8" x 8" box to rest our feet on when we are sitting on the couch. That will make sitting sooo much better. The box could even be storage for canned goods and hot dog forks.

To quote Hedley Lamarr:
My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

I made some progress on the kitchen. So far I am happy with how well it is coming together.
The new counter is mostly fitted. Next step is to add supports along the walls plus a few stiffening ribs.
Then Formica, a new 12v circuit for the new cook top and some plumbing.

   

   

   

   

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[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

I've been battling kidney stones through the holiday shut- down. I planned to use that time for projects and repairs, but God had other plans.

I'm starting to improve, however, so I headed out to the camper to see what I could get done.

Wendy got me the stereo I wanted, for Christmas, so I decided to knock that out first. At least I'd have tunes from that point on.

Installation was fairly straight forward.
Break out the hole saw kit and get busy.

   

The cabinets in Camper have a false bottom for wiring. Ideal for the small speakers that came with the kit. It created a resonating chamber for each speaker while also hiding them.

   

It is a marine kit from ebay. Small, simple and unobtrusive.
The rubber ducky antenna is hidden in the false cabinet bottom as well.

Now I have a built- in Bluetooth player with FM radio and a USB port for mp3.

   

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[Brake Weight [Veteran Member]]

That’s a cool addition.

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Thanks. I enjoyed it today while I worked on the kitchen.
I fitted and pre-drilled underside braces before hauling it all outside again.

I added the bottom bracing and then slotted the edge for the T moulding.
The slotting bit was special ordered. I found out that that they are not very common. Not cheap, either.

   
   
   

I ordered a 4 x 8 sheet of Formica for the same cost as the 2 x 4 that I needed. I went with matte finish Sugar Glass. Similar to white marble but not as cliche'.

   
   




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[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Gluing was straightforward. Contact cement, perfect timing and an assistant.

   
   

Once adhered, the laminate is trimmed flush.

   

Screwed in place
   

With the fittings in place and the T moulding added.
Nothing is plumbed nor attached yet. I still have that to do, along with more trim.

   

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[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Got Camper all finished up.  Well, at least to a stopping point.  There will always be something more planned.

Here it is, all finished up.
   

Flame on!!!
   

Ready for action.
   

Instead of caulk, I found a nice product called InstaTrim.  It creates a watertight seal to both the wall and the counter using a white mastic on the back.  The flexible lips contour to the surface to form a seal. 
   

I had trouble priming the hand pump function of the new dual purpose faucet, but once I primed it in a bowl of water, it worked great.  Then, after it sat for a while, it lost its prime and wouldn't get going again.  It may work better when the city water side has water sitting in it. 
I ordered an inline check valve to help it stay primed.  I hope that solves it, because there aren't many choices out there for what I want to do.