Reddotel Slide on Campers

[reddo]

Howdy

Since being chucked out of permanent employment for just over 12 months now , I have been doing a bit of casual traffic control work . After discussing the vintage vans and replica TD's I have built over the years with the boss and his business partner Tammy they asked if I could build them a slide on camper for Tammys Navara dual cab.

Hmmm... I thought.... hmm... Never had a go at something like that??
T'would be a change from the normal sensous curves of a plywood vintage caravan.
Just a box with windows... .. How hard could that be???
Tape measure.. chunka steel.. bitta composite alloy sheet ( Signbond).. a whole stacka rivets and goop to seal it up...
Hmmmm... Yup.. I will have a go for ya!!

Next question from the owners... "Emmachizitgunnacost"??

Good question... Oh it wont be much just a week or 2s labour and a handful of thingys.

Okey Dokey Then .. the foundations of "Reddotel slide ons" was formed.

Off I went.. Bought a pile of 25mm square sect steel ( I don't have .. and cant use a MIG welder.. its stick weld or nuthin)... I can see the weight being an issue already.

Fired up the boilers,harnessed the workhorses and dusted off the sign on....


After a day or 2 or metal fusion and dissecting I had the frame knocked up..


I don't own any fancy mitre clamps so I spent the equivelant of the first 10 minutes wages on a $10 Bunnings clamp and then used my good old electricians initiative to complete the corner clamp..
'ere yas go...

Bloody bewdy mate.. just don't "fizz the clamp or the set square to the frame..
Made good progress ..on the "ground floor level

Then moved on up to the sides and roof..

fitted some corner bracing and a few more bits and pieces..


welded on the front cowl section to try and make it a bit more aerodynamic...and in just on 16 hours work I had a frame..


Spent the second night in bed with a wet flannel on my dial and constantly administering eye drops.. gunna buy meself one of the thar new fangle LED watchmyacallit helmets one day. I hate welding flashes... but hey!!!.. the rays sure do dry out any pimples ya might have .. and.. after a day or so.. ya end up with a real cool face tan...

Wadya mean I have copped damaging rays.. its cool to have a nice tan.. even if ya cant see it in the mirror for a day or two due to temporary blindness...

Ok.. thatll do for today,,

More later.

[Richard]

Here you go Reddo, some inspiration for you.
Thats if you can see yet from the welding flashes.

[reddo]

Sweet...
and I like his choice of pack mule too.

After finishing the frame I went and bought 4 sheets of "signbond" @$61 a sheet.
Gloss white outside .. a wafer of plastic through the middle and primed aluminium on the inside.
I used theses on the sides, front and back. The bonus with this stuff is there is no primer sealer undercoat topcoat painting. ya just goop it to the frame and bung some rivets in.

Also bought 4 sheets of 0.6mm aluminium sheet to close in around the lower section that you don't see when the camper is in the ute. Also used it on the roof. Lot lighter that the signboard.

Swung past Mister ply and wood and got a sheet of 10mm ply for the floor.




Owners dropped off some second hand van windows so I bnged one in the left side...


and 2 in the right



I spent a full day on the back wall finishing off around the edges wit 25mm alum angle.
Sealed the back of all the angles so water cant seep in. Finished filed all the laps on the corners .. nice and neat.
Then I emailed em and told em how many hours I had done and what they owed me..... and ...
promptly got the sack
They are happy to pay me up to where I am now... but are coming to take it home and finish it off themselves. Expenditure was starting to get a bit much for em!!

So... down tools.. load all the odds and sods inside the van and kiss it goodbye....

Walked around the back of the slide on and stubbed my toe on the 179 I just got back from the engine reconditioners ... this is the second time I have "got it back"... so..
That was todays job.. its back in and running.. just gotta fit the bonnet back on and that's another disaster out of the way...
Hmmm... Birthday tomorrow... might leave the shed locked up for the day and go and hit the suds somewhere.

The end..
Reddo...... minister for short stories

[DC3TD]

Great story & pics so far Reddo.And seeings as this is written after midnight i guess that makes it your Birthday.All the best & you can have the day off - after you clad it all,put in the floor,entry door,lights & fitout.That should keep you outta the pub for a while. cheers gordo

[reddo]

Hi Gordon. Thanks for the birthday wishes.
Mate ... I wont be banging in one more pop rivet on the slide on. As much as I enjoy fiddling with different challenges in The Shed of Invention" I wont be working for free.
I think the owners are coming down sometime today with a tailgate loader truck. We will man handle it onto the loader and get it up on to the tray. Throw all the unfinished bits and unused lengths of alloy angle, box sect steel etc and wave bye bye to it.

The whole time I was building it they kept saying "make sure you get your bro to signwrite your name on it ( Acme Caravan Co??)


Now that it will be getting finished off by them , I wont be putting my name on it anywhere...They might do a good job and that would ruin my reputation as a mangler of metal, wood and fobbergross

I have other "Irons in the fire" in vintage van land at the moment so chances are there might be another van project coming along shortly...
In the meantime I will revisit the bike hauler TD and do some maintenance work ready for Clyde and Barbs Big Autumn Tour up in the QLD Hinterland at the end of April.. waaaaayyyyyyyyy cool.

Are we there yet ????

Reddo