Drovers new Rig - "Big Mal"
- Thread starter Drover
- Start date
Big Mal is packed, wrapped and ready to roll............I wonder what weve forgot.......problem with a new van is I can't find anything. At least the GWT works, the water fill line mods don't leak (not now anyway) and TV aerial works so I can watch the Sunday night footy and will check when I get to Stand Down Park if my new box on the back is still there as well as the pole tube.
Since this is a van test run and house hunt combined, No Yak allowed but I have got my fishing rods just in case........you just never know.
Since this is a van test run and house hunt combined, No Yak allowed but I have got my fishing rods just in case........you just never know.
We cruised up to near Tin Can Bay, Big Mal ran well and did notice the better handling with the WDH, I worked out while the hitch dropped 15mm, the front rose 25mm without the hitch but towed pretty good, it had probably eaten up most of the suspension movement I had left after upgrading the springs and shocks, now with the WDH front end is not skittish at times , thankfully. If I had a heavier steel bar and winch it may not have needed it but the genuine steel Holden bar is a bit light..........Parked at the Vietnam Vets retreat, Stand Down Park, very serene and peaceful and while it caters for Vets old Nomads are welcome also.
......and it's nice and green..
......and it's nice and green..
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Not saying much yet but last week I spotted a mob of Corrella's and Cockies having a party on the roof of Big Mal, I think they found a strip of silastic they liked !!!!!!!!!!!!!............It's been raining a fair bit up here.......................I wonder how much Sikaflex is in the tube back home ????.............................could be a DIY "All Season Roof Hatch" Removal thread soon.......................Gggrrrrrr.
I love your DIY threads, they are quite informative
Four season roof hatch has been repaired, I know you all love pics but it was too flamin hot so I was working rather quickly on the roof, had a golf brolly zip tied down for shade.
Easy to remove, the inside facia is only that, a facia, doesn't support anything but I removed it anyway, mainly to check out things.......Up on the roof first off dig thru the silastic to find the screws, seems like Coromal and Jayco share a love of silastic, about 2 dozen screws hold it down, once they are removed, I ran a lino knife around the edge to cut the silastic and it came out very easy.
They have used sticky back foam to mount the thing to the roof with a bead of silastic around the edge which was followed by a trowel load of mastic to finish off, my leak wasn't caused by a Cocky having a chew it was just this stuff had very little adhesion to roof or plastic hatch and the wind deflector was the bit with the leak I think..............Mind you the stuff that was just piled on the roof with nothing to do with sealing the unit stuck really well and is still there
Once cleaned up as good as I could I applied a liberal amount of some stuff similar to Sikaflex, german made and works well, and put it all back together, van should be lighter as I removed about 5kg of silastic which before was layered that thick it actually caused water to pool........I was looking at the AC pod suspiciously and trying not to think about it.
With some wet weather possible this weekend I may get to see if I did a good job or not. The shower vent didn't leak so I'm pretty sure it'll work.
Tools needed, long ladder with towel to protect side edge of van, old towel to cover roof, keep heat from you and crap off roof, screw gun, silastic gun, lino knife and a small scraper, rags and turps for cleaning and a large brolly for shade is a handy item as well.
Easy to remove, the inside facia is only that, a facia, doesn't support anything but I removed it anyway, mainly to check out things.......Up on the roof first off dig thru the silastic to find the screws, seems like Coromal and Jayco share a love of silastic, about 2 dozen screws hold it down, once they are removed, I ran a lino knife around the edge to cut the silastic and it came out very easy.
They have used sticky back foam to mount the thing to the roof with a bead of silastic around the edge which was followed by a trowel load of mastic to finish off, my leak wasn't caused by a Cocky having a chew it was just this stuff had very little adhesion to roof or plastic hatch and the wind deflector was the bit with the leak I think..............Mind you the stuff that was just piled on the roof with nothing to do with sealing the unit stuck really well and is still there
Once cleaned up as good as I could I applied a liberal amount of some stuff similar to Sikaflex, german made and works well, and put it all back together, van should be lighter as I removed about 5kg of silastic which before was layered that thick it actually caused water to pool........I was looking at the AC pod suspiciously and trying not to think about it.
With some wet weather possible this weekend I may get to see if I did a good job or not. The shower vent didn't leak so I'm pretty sure it'll work.
Tools needed, long ladder with towel to protect side edge of van, old towel to cover roof, keep heat from you and crap off roof, screw gun, silastic gun, lino knife and a small scraper, rags and turps for cleaning and a large brolly for shade is a handy item as well.
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After missing out on a good footy game at Stand Down Park due to no TV, we invested in a SatDish set up, bought from a WA mob Access Antennas, the bullock train made good time from the other side of the world and arrived today, left Perth on Thursday..........Put the mechanno set together and powered it up and it didn't want to lock onto a Sat...............not impressed,nearly went and read instructions 
but had lunch instead :hungry:, which saved much constenation, because as I walked across the yard I saw why it didn't want to work,
dish was pointing straight at my outside light pole, which just happens to have a plow disc as a hat, moved dish and tried again, all working, now waiting for the Vast to approve the thing, might read the instructions while I'm waiting....
Yeah, yeah I know where's the pics ???????????.............
but had lunch instead :hungry:, which saved much constenation, because as I walked across the yard I saw why it didn't want to work, dish was pointing straight at my outside light pole, which just happens to have a plow disc as a hat, moved dish and tried again, all working, now waiting for the Vast to approve the thing, might read the instructions while I'm waiting....Yeah, yeah I know where's the pics ???????????.............
So the above time stamp shows 1.29pm so that was a few minutes after I lodged the VAST application, finished my cuppa then went out to the van to clean up my mess so about 1.55pm ? TV has sat channels on it, it's all working, they mustn't have much to do, I'm very impressed and I get stations from all over the country............I could watch Shaun The Sheep 3 or 4 times tonight..........
PS:........................It doesn't fit under the bed, somebody has packed his shed, so no easy fix solution by way of tacking a post on the back, have to just chuck it in back of Ute.
Note to self, buy block of dirt build big shed first.
PS:........................It doesn't fit under the bed, somebody has packed his shed, so no easy fix solution by way of tacking a post on the back, have to just chuck it in back of Ute.
Note to self, buy block of dirt build big shed first.
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Have the same setup @Drover and more than happy with it... Just remember that if it doesn't get used often (Can't see that happening in your case ) you may have to reactivate your card!
Didn't use ours for a while when we got it (Reception was good where we went).... Set it up at Busselton last month and it didn't work OK before I tried sussing things out I did the unthinkable...... I got the book out for a read while relaxing with a coldie! And lo and behold I read the section re: the activation. Got the laptop out and followed the destruction's, went for a swim and all was up and running when we got back
) you may have to reactivate your card!Didn't use ours for a while when we got it (Reception was good where we went).... Set it up at Busselton last month and it didn't work
OK before I tried sussing things out I did the unthinkable...... I got the book out for a read while relaxing with a coldie! And lo and behold I read the section re: the activation. Got the laptop out and followed the destruction's, went for a swim and all was up and running when we got back Final Mod carried out on Big Mal today, well from The Shed that is, needed some shed time so made a stand for the Sat Dish since I couldn't find anywhere to stash it that wouldn't drive me nuts................on completion my big Dawn vice and my drill press were unbolted and boxed, welde packed up..........Mod Central is now closed.....I am so over this moving caper, said that when I left the RAAF 23 yrs ago, this time is really, truly the last time...Damn that long....bugga.
Anyway Big Mal is now sporting 2 big black round things on the back, hopefully the new addition won't fall off, a possibility as I had to use some cheap shoddy, crap wire in the welder and it is rubbish, I like CommWeld..........of course I slightly stuffed up, dish should have been 50mm away from rear wall but something moved and it's now 20mm, if need it a bit of foam tape will sort it..........
PS: the observant will notice a Navy ensign as well as RAAFie sticker, I did both........needed to retire early.
Anyway Big Mal is now sporting 2 big black round things on the back, hopefully the new addition won't fall off, a possibility as I had to use some cheap shoddy, crap wire in the welder and it is rubbish, I like CommWeld..........of course I slightly stuffed up, dish should have been 50mm away from rear wall but something moved and it's now 20mm, if need it a bit of foam tape will sort it..........
PS: the observant will notice a Navy ensign as well as RAAFie sticker, I did both........needed to retire early.
Tested the roof hatch repair last night during a big downpour, passed with flying colours as my seat is bone dry, glad it was as it is stuck down with a Sikaflex 291 type stuff and removal would not be easy.
Big Mal has been home for 9 days now and it is so nice and roomy, other than the usual Pressure valve hassles all has been good, thankfully.
Big Mal has been home for 9 days now and it is so nice and roomy, other than the usual Pressure valve hassles all has been good, thankfully.
A month and Big Mal has been home, hate to say it but it has left The Tardis for dead, we have room and it's roomy and a big fridge is brilliant, nothing more to say really, anyway the shower had a couple of Halogen lights fitted and when you turned them and fan on the power usage increased something savage. The meter would show at least a drop of .5 to .6 volts, so today while wandering thru the Big Green Shed I spy some LED lights at $2.10 each, so picked them up, of course I can mod the halogen fitting ?!?..........................armed with side cutters, drill, sticky tape and Sikaflex we attempted the mod....................Ha,ha it worked, well it will be good when the glue dries.....................
new job next to old job.....................................
On the left the new light fitted in the old housing on right.........
..which has had mods done with side cutter.....note No gaffer tape was used in this mod........
Finished, lovely bright white light which with fan on chews .1 of a volt, most impressed..............sticky tape will be removed later when the Sikaflex sets.................carrying just the right amount of stuff on the road...................
new job next to old job.....................................On the left the new light fitted in the old housing on right.........
..which has had mods done with side cutter.....note No gaffer tape was used in this mod........Finished, lovely bright white light which with fan on chews .1 of a volt, most impressed..............sticky tape will be removed later when the Sikaflex sets.................carrying just the right amount of stuff on the road...................
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Great job @Drover Now go and have that coffee on the beach
Have had 2 rolls of led strip lighting sitting under the seat for ages, been putting up with a dinky outside light, well not anymore, 
utilising my portable shed, holes were drilled, wires soldered, heat shrink shrunk and silastic squirted........................ :drum: behold plenty of light to barbie with......
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Used the same mode as before, cleaned down the surface with metho, stuck the strip down with the sticky supplied sealed the ends with a blob of silastic and added a dob in 2 places along the strip, last time I found this kept it waterproof and it stayed stuck thru storm and tempest and no failure in 2 yrs...............................:nod:
pic doesn't do it justice but it does have a nice finish.
well not anymore, utilising my portable shed, holes were drilled, wires soldered, heat shrink shrunk and silastic squirted........................ :drum: behold plenty of light to barbie with............................
Used the same mode as before, cleaned down the surface with metho, stuck the strip down with the sticky supplied sealed the ends with a blob of silastic and added a dob in 2 places along the strip, last time I found this kept it waterproof and it stayed stuck thru storm and tempest and no failure in 2 yrs...............................:nod:
pic doesn't do it justice but it does have a nice finish.
did someone say PARTY at @Drover 's place..........................................?
I can see you from Brisbane!
Please finish the washing up.
Please finish the washing up.
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