Drovers 14.44.3
- Thread starter Drover
- Start date
Well 4 big gum tree's dropped and chopped in the front yard, well nearly chopped the chainsaw decided to make strange sounds as I was starting to cut up the last one, so it's in the shed waiting for me to get some incentive to fix it.... Fella coming to collect all the big logs so he can chop the buggers up. Lotta damn timber in 4 x 60ft Ironbark's and about 10 trips down the back to dump all the branches.
Now I can get stuck into refurbishing the stone guard, had grand plans to make a hinge set up, for if I need to drop it but can't be bothered will just cut up the old one and stick some new steel together and whack on new shadecloth, job done..........cause @ Crusty181 has got me going to finish off sorting out the plumbing, would really like to put the mains inlet elsewhere may look at plumbing it on the drawbar like all the new rigs have.
Now I can get stuck into refurbishing the stone guard, had grand plans to make a hinge set up, for if I need to drop it but can't be bothered will just cut up the old one and stick some new steel together and whack on new shadecloth, job done..........cause @ Crusty181 has got me going to finish off sorting out the plumbing, would really like to put the mains inlet elsewhere may look at plumbing it on the drawbar like all the new rigs have.
:doh:........After having a near death experience dropping a tree this morning..:twitch:......I threw the chain saw in the shed and decided it was safer to move into Van Mod Mode..:nod:.....Finished off the rebuild of the Stone Guard, no pics as while I had grand plans for a fantastic rebuild I ended up just knocking up the same set up, it was just so much easier, so you'll have to scroll back a few pages to see the great construction.:noidea: Have found that the Colorado will go more than 90deg on a turn so will have to watch things closely or big time jack knife.
Next up was a NEW mod, well someone else on here did it ages ago and I finally did similar and that was to mount my Mobile Broadband aerial on my TV mast, before I would put it on the roof or on top of the TV aerial, magnetic base so I had stuck some S/Steel pads down. Screwed an alloy bracket onto mast where it wouldn't foul the TV bits when they unfolded, just zip tied the cable to the mast and silastic the cable to the roof, was too scared to drill thru the roof sect directly into van as I could see me going thru a light cable or something, I didn't trust Jayco to follow logic when running the wiring so I went thru the roof on the outside of the vinyl and then just came in thru a small sealed up hole I made in the vinyl curtain (melted with soldering iron) and the cable joined up with others and just finishes on top of a cupboard where I plug it in to the module.
I still have my Yagi aerial for those bad signal spots, needs some upgrades to make it easier to aim but this 7db gain whip is okay for general use.
Laying down on the job......
Locked and loaded...........
eace:
Next up was a NEW mod, well someone else on here did it ages ago and I finally did similar and that was to mount my Mobile Broadband aerial on my TV mast, before I would put it on the roof or on top of the TV aerial, magnetic base so I had stuck some S/Steel pads down. Screwed an alloy bracket onto mast where it wouldn't foul the TV bits when they unfolded, just zip tied the cable to the mast and silastic the cable to the roof, was too scared to drill thru the roof sect directly into van as I could see me going thru a light cable or something, I didn't trust Jayco to follow logic when running the wiring so I went thru the roof on the outside of the vinyl and then just came in thru a small sealed up hole I made in the vinyl curtain (melted with soldering iron) and the cable joined up with others and just finishes on top of a cupboard where I plug it in to the module.
I still have my Yagi aerial for those bad signal spots, needs some upgrades to make it easier to aim but this 7db gain whip is okay for general use.
Laying down on the job......
Locked and loaded...........
eace:
One of these 4G Optus WiFi Modems thats all we use at home the last few years, I just unplug it from the dish on my roof and put it in the van, if I leave it on we can use it in the Colorado as we go down the road. All the carriers have them but you need to have one that has an antennae connection. 4G internet at Molong and some other out of the way places is good.
I thought about it but imagined it would nave been a dogs breakfast trying to get it to follow the TV line, as it is it doesn't look too bad. When I eventually re-spray the roof with stone chip paint it will cover the short bit of cable I have glued to the roof, not that anyone can see it.
Wow mate!
You mentioned we had similar vans so I had a peak at your blog.
Gotta say I'm very impressed with all the mods you've done.
Great effort and great work mate.
I thought I was "modded right up" but seems like I'm only half way.
You mentioned we had similar vans so I had a peak at your blog.
Gotta say I'm very impressed with all the mods you've done.
Great effort and great work mate.
I thought I was "modded right up" but seems like I'm only half way.
It's a never ending story I think, there's always something you find.
So a new Awning is now on the list as well as a ensuite roof vent......................big hail storm swept thru the Park at Red Rock and a heap of places near Woolgoolga, our awning copped it, roof vent and a side vent...........even bent an arm on the TV aerial.........thankfully we were in Coffs Harbour and missed it all so the Colorado was safe, not so many other vehicles in the park, covered in dents and while the Fibreglass vans were okay the alloy sided ones were just pock marked.........hail the size of golf balls were bouncing around...............made my mind up to go glass for the next rig.
Talk about luck, we were going to head off today but decided to stay a few more days otherwise we would have copped the weather further down towards Sydney, think we may head inland on Sunday....
Only water got in and it was into the shower......
Good hit on the plastic vent......................
Of course Gaffa Tape to the rescue..........................and a trip to Watsons at Coffs in the morning.
Talk about luck, we were going to head off today but decided to stay a few more days otherwise we would have copped the weather further down towards Sydney, think we may head inland on Sunday....
Only water got in and it was into the shower......Good hit on the plastic vent......................
Of course Gaffa Tape to the rescue..........................and a trip to Watsons at Coffs in the morning.
Got a claim number but looking at the pricing for just the new vinyl awning and a vent cover it's hardly worth all the hassles of going thru the process as we have a $600 excess and I could fit it in half a day myself , Caravan Plus have them for $500.
Go to Coffs tomorrow and get a new vent from Watsons I hope and the awning well might have something sorted by the time we get to Adelaide. Have to get there early as I think there may be a rush on vents, heaps around here have had them knocked out.
The old Gaffer tape, never leave home without it.
One fella here his 12 mth old van has already been reskinned after hail and he's looking at getting it done again now, his new D Max is also knocked around....I came out of it lucky, I am amazed at how well this fibreglass body stood up to it.
We were probably looking thru a new Journey like yours @chartrock , when ours was getting hit, if it had got totalled would have been on the phone to Watsons to put the SOLD sign on it, we like them very much.
Go to Coffs tomorrow and get a new vent from Watsons I hope and the awning well might have something sorted by the time we get to Adelaide. Have to get there early as I think there may be a rush on vents, heaps around here have had them knocked out.
The old Gaffer tape, never leave home without it.
One fella here his 12 mth old van has already been reskinned after hail and he's looking at getting it done again now, his new D Max is also knocked around....I came out of it lucky, I am amazed at how well this fibreglass body stood up to it.
We were probably looking thru a new Journey like yours @chartrock , when ours was getting hit, if it had got totalled would have been on the phone to Watsons to put the SOLD sign on it, we like them very much.
Dam the memories for the same thing to our van Xmas '11.If you can have a look at the roof surface, Swiss cheese was our, dented though not holed through. Everyone safe main thing. Cheers Pace.