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Let’s stay in the Fraser Valley over the winter. There won’t be any snow 😆😬🤷♂️
Progress update… wiring is mostly finished, ceiling panels and lighting done, photos are of installation at first wheel well. Second wheel well is ready to go as well but I’m going to wait until I have a bit of plumbing completed so I don’t have to work around the wheel well too much. Also pictured is the shelf of bins above the sitting nook which will hold our clothing.
Progress has been ongoing but not very picturesque. I’m now deep into wiring. I really enjoy this part. And it has the added benefit that there will be working lights inside for doing the plumbing and other jobs.
My first attempt at kitchen cabinetry and building drawers. I have no aspirations to doing woodwork anymore than necessary but I think this worked out fairly well. Drawers were a challenge to get square but in the end success. To ensure strength and light weight I’m using planed down 2x2s to 1x1 and 1/4” plywood panels to keep things square and rigid. I have a couple more shelves and an overhead cabinet to complete and the shift gears back to metalwork, plumbing and electrical.
Fitzs camper interior is beginning to come together. Seating nook that folds down to Pamela’s bed, removable floor panel for battery storage, first time I build drawers and they came out not bad. Tomorrow I’ll be working on the kitchen cabinet but still waiting on several parts. Wood work is sure different than mechanical or metalwork! Once these structures are in place I’ll be installing water tank, battery pack, inverter and charge controllers, hot water heater and diesel heater — oh and the potty too!
Final two windows installed today. It’s always tedious cutting big holes in the body but it went well using the Dewalt oscillating saw and the Milwaukee 5 1/2” hole dozer. I’m gonna keep the saw, but if anyone else is installing #arcticternwindows let me know and I’ll give you a great deal on the odd size hole drill!
Getting the solar panels ready to mount on the camper roof. I’ve mounted them to glue on mounts that lift the panels off the surface about an inch to let airflow through. We will have 400 watts of solar. Not a massive array but should meet our requirements. I’m using a Blue Sea Systems fuse box, tucked away in a waterproof box to accept power from the panels, each with its own fuse. The power then goes through 8 gauge cable into the Redarc BCDC controller, but that’s for another day…
Wider rear body requires wider mirrors. I installed longer Defender mirror arms earlier in the summer but with the camper on the back it was still a little challenging to see properly out the back. So @rova_don suggested these cool rotating mirror brackets the allow the mirrors to see another 4-5” wider. These were developed by @designdevelopmenteng out of the UK. Easy to install but they fit over the swivel balls on the mirror arms extremely tight. I’m very happy with the result, but will likely have to fold the arms in on the ferry or some parking lots.
For the past 3-4 weeks it feels like there’s been little progress to show you. However a lot of things have been going on in the background. When we got home with the camper we removed it from the truck and put Fitz through weighing and inspection to change it from a “2 door station wagon” to a “flat deck”. Now that Fitz meets all the BC regulations we were able to concentrate again on the box. I reassembled cardboard cutouts of the interior to confirm where the kitchen, bathroom and nook will be in the final version.
We selected flooring and laid it, and I then proceeded to do the first big butcher job — cutting holes in the floor for wheel wells. Worth noting, the floor is TOUGH STUFF and took some serious work to do clean cuts. Second hole worked easier as I pulled out a big skil saw and the cutting went much quicker.
After seeing I didn’t permanently destroy the box by cutting the wheel wells I was ready to start on the windows. Measure 3 times and cut once! There was a lot of drilling and cutting but the Arctic Tern windows supplied by @totalcomposites fit easily and function perfectly, with built in screens and privacy curtains.
Next I will start on the final version of the interior modules and then it’s wiring and plumbing time…
I’ve proven it once again… all projects will expand to use up all available flat space.
I have the camper off to complete some wiring of marker lights and plumbing of auxiliary tank and I can’t believe how I’ve used up every surface of the shop again!
Wow!
It’s all coming together now. Finished the fuel tank install and now screwed down the plywood deck. I masked off 2.5” along each edge and 5” in the corners to account for the thickness of the composite extrusions and corner caps on the camper. Next test fit the 10 mm rubber. Now it’s all trimmed to size and will get glued (and maybe a few screws) in the morning. The 2.50 edge gets 5mm rubber and the corners get none.
Still waiting for filler hose for auxiliary tank, but gotta get ready to pick up our flatbed camper Friday Morning from @totalcomposites
A great variety of cool shiny cars at the Langley Good Times Cruise-In today in Aldergrove. From a steam-punk Triumph to rat-rods to hot rods and woodies — a great show but no Land Rovers 😱
A wander around the RoverLanders of BC Founders Day 2022. Great time meeting and greeting old pals and new!
Posted @withregram • @gg.faves That’s the galvanizing box now ticked.
It’s soooooo shiny! 😎
going.global.overland
@fitz.loves.big.stuff
@rover.pups
We had a chance for a close up look at the cabin for Fitz as it’s coming together at @totalcomposites in Esquimalt. I had to climb up in the bunk. Eat your heart out, Burt Reynolds! (Hopefully some of you get it)
While waiting for the galvanizing and the camper to come together, I have taken apart the cab and taking some time to do some mundane jobs like resealing the seat box and adding reflective insulation to the underside to reduce heat radiating from the exhaust and transmission.
The @totalcomposites cabin is coming together! Should be ready to load on Fitz in a week or so. We’re getting excited as it’s all coming together.
Our Land Rover Defender, Fitz has undergone a lot of changes over the past couple of months, culminating in the subframe for the camper fully test bolted together and ready to ship off to Ebco Metal Finishing in Langley for a dip in their galvanizing tank.the challenge when galvanizing is everything must be 100% ready as it all goes at once. So smaller projects usually end up just being painted, but galvanizing rust proofs it for virtually forever. Seems like I’ve been working on this stage forever too, but I’m going to shift gears next week and work on loose ends of the cab and preparations to mount the camper. Talking to @totalcomposites today, it’s going to be coming together soon. Can’t wait!
Up and over it goes. I’ve finished everything on the underside of the subframe, including more than 60 half inch holes drilled to let the hot zinc out. Now back down again right side up and drilling the holes on this side. I love Swiss Cheese!
I didn’t know I was going to get marked on this project! My old grade 9 metalwork teacher, Cal Brandt, dropped by to see my dad who he’s pals with. We were both surprised to see each other and catch up. Cal’s teaching and guidance back in middle school went a long ways towards my choices of career path and although I only do metalwork and mechanics as a hobby, I’m grateful for the time spent in his class!
Subframe is mostly done now. All the crossmembers and brackets are now tack welded in place. Measure 3 times, cut and weld once! That’s the motto anyway.
Now it’s out with Fitz and then a few hours of completing all the welds. I still have to add a central cross brace and do a little bit of prep on the body-side brackets. Once all is welded a cleanup grinding of the welds and then off to galvanizing.
From bent metal to frame beginning to take shape. Got a lot accomplished today and hopefully some real forward progress tomorrow.
Craft day in the shop today. I made cardboard templates of all the brackets I need to cut out of 1/8 steel plate. Pamela then glued the folds to maintain the shape. Griffin jumped in to help too!
What? A wooden frame?? Well no, today I used some 2x2s to mock up the subframe. A lot easier than steel and let’s me know how the camper is going to fit. I should have between 2.5-3” between my roof and the camper. That was a sigh of relief as the distance had only been estimated when we were in Central America and based on a full roof rather than a pickup cab. All should be fine.
Next on the list is to rough out the brackets where the subframe attaches to the Land Rover chassis, which will be mounted with rubber mounts to allow some flexibility.
Hopefully this will be the last Land Rover trauma posting for awhile. In 4.5 hours today Fitz’s rear tub and AluCab roof was moved to its new home on Andrew’s @candyforandy Defender where it will be redeveloped as their overland adventure truck. Next stage for us is the subframe for our camper which should be fairly straightforward 🤞
Posted @withregram • @gg.faves Fitz’s Extension ~ Part 2
See Part 1 for details of Fitz’s extension project.
Job a success due to the fantastic effort done by ‘Team Fitz’.
Thanks lads!
Next job up: the subframe & getting air out of the lengthened fuel line.
@going.global.overland
@fitz.loves.big.stuff
@rover.pups
Posted @withregram • @gg.faves Fitz’s Extension ~ Part 1
As most of you know we made a huge decision this last January to increase our living space in Fitz.
More space, more comfort & hard sides became the new reality for us to continue on our going global journey.
Our new @totalcomposites custom camper-box is 8’ long and to properly accommodate that length on Fitz it meant we had to extend (gulp!) 🫣 Fitz’s chassis as well.
‘Team Fitz’ was put together consisting of Dave @going.global.overland, Don @rova_don and Pieter rova_piet
The Team used up all of last Saturday & Sunday working into the night and then into Monday and they did an amazing job!
They extended Fitz’s wheelbase to 127”, which is the length of a Defender 130 - using precise measurements, the alignment rack, more measurements, and factory methodology.
The result would be proper axle and weight distribution for the new camper box.
Young Pieter was nothing short of a total workhorse chugging along hour after hour measuring, designing jigs, cutting, drilling, welding & painting. He was amazing!!
Excellent job well done by Team Fitz!!
Next job up: the subframe & getting air out of the lengthened fuel line.
@going.global.overland
@fitz.loves.big.stuff
@rover.pups
Can you spot the difference??
Cab conversion more or less complete. A few pieces of trim and the roll bar to reinstall. Doors hung, interior cleanest I’ve ever had it, long arm mirrors installed, temporary lighting on the back so I can drive it to @rovalution for frame adjustments Saturday. Tomorrow is shop cleanup day!