the Boxer build

  • Thread starter Thread starter john1974
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glad to hear it went ok ,come along to the Hereford meet- my tatty 17 yr old ex builder's heap will there to make yours look young !
 
john1974 said:
first trip away in here this weekend,, just back from Dorset

van drove ok, seemed most happy at 65 on the speedo and didnt try any faster..

no idea on fuel at the moment.. 60 Litres went in and gauge showing just under a 1/4 of a tank left after 350 miles.

generally happy despite a few things never making it to the conversion. weather was ok on the whole..no rain but cold overnight.

People on site.. mostly not that friendly really.. not that many MH's and the ones that were there were quite fancy.. one caught my eye, a Detleffs black magic somthing..

the rest of site are long term caravanners and , I just got a bit bored of trying with them ..

Guess as I get older I get less bothered about trying with strangers, a shame really.

very happy it made it there and back.. the only thing not touched with this long cold resoration of a dead 12 year old van was the windscreen and the wipers!!
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Try to get to some meets, loads of friendly folk.:wave:
 
I feel the same as you.
I noticed a long time ago in 2002 that our ten yr old much loved caravan didn't cut it with the snobby gits in their newish caravans.I never tried to talk to them when I realised they weren't my sort of folk.All sat inside watching the spoonfed crap soap operas and missing a lovely sunset. Its their loss not to learn from your knowledge of building your own rather than buying a packaged white box that they have no idea of what happens to build them.
If I'd have been there we'd have chatted till sunrise about how you built her.Trying mine out this Sat for the first night.We can't wait.
Is there any pics of your van?
 
thanks all

pics..just trying to partition the under bed area a bit.. will post some soon..

john
 
john1974 said:
evening all..

have done a lot of driving and shopping over the last few days..

can I ask your opinion on gas tank size..

I bought an LPG tank, and when I picked it up, and got it home today I realised that due to the handbrake cable position under the van, and the exhaust snaking around forward of this, the tank cant really be fitted underneath..
I feel a bit silly !

If I end up with gas heating, hot water, fridge and a 2 ring hob, and I do end up planning to wild camp fairly often, how big ought a tank to be? what is pointlessly small or oversized? I can/could fit tank under the rear fixed bed, so at least its mostly over the back axle..

thanks for any input,
John
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You can fit Lpg tanks to these quite easily. have 2 options either buy a smallish tank and put between hand brake cables. or do what i did and buy a larger tank and remount the handbrake cables to the lpg tank bracket.
 
To John1974, you say your woodwork skills aren't very good, well neither are mine, but I don't give a rats wotsit. What anyone thinks of my skills or lack of them is totally irrelevant, my van works for me, I like my van, it's paid for, and it didn't cost a Kings ransom. My van gets me and Mr Smith out into the world and that makes me happy, so let the snootys walk about with their noses in the air ( they will trip over at some point and fall in a bed of nettles ) and enjoy your van. :drive::wacko::cool:
 
a third trip completed, this time 700 Miles of 5 campsites in Devon .. quite surprised the economy seems to be above 30 MPG, despite half the miles being torturous Devon hills and hairpins !

Kent, Taunton (mums), Exmoor reservoir, Lynmouth, River Dart, Bigbury, Brixham, Taunton, Kent

Van behaved fine except a troubling breakdown on the first day.. I limped to Taunton with the fuel gauge at zero and the light flashing - despite a third of a tank left.. This warning light seemed to turn off the lift pump in the tank, stopping the engine dead in the end..

I tried to get local garage help but no luck, they did allow me to remain there and use my tools.. the end result was that the tank pump is now fed from my (Ignition) fridge relay, and my fridge relay switch on dash.. and got us all around the rest of the trip.. very happy indeed.. will do some proper diagnostics now I am back home with my tools.. but inadvertently I may have now fitted a separate immobiliser switch lol..may just leave it!

nice to be able to do a repair, with a handful of tools, for a problem that could severely delay or render useless many other vehicle's progress on a trip.

Interestingly, I twice attempted Countesbury Hill, both times she managed to go up in 3rd!

John
 
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