Staining & Varnishing

Early on in the conversion I decided that I would do the internal fitting in pine and stain it to look like aged Baltic Pine. I've always liked this stain and it goes very well with radiata pine which is very common here and reasonably priced. The finish tends to accomodate the imperfections that come with pine. If you like it's a rustic finish, but when properly varnished looks classy at the same time. I did a fair bit of looking around before I made the final decision on what to use. I finally settled on Feast Watson Old Baltic Stain. It really is the case that you get what you pay for in paints and stains. This stuff is not cheap. This one litre can was $38.00 and now that I've started to use it, I know that I'm going to need much more than 1 litre.

The quality is obvious when it is applied. I is so good that it almost doesn't need varnish, there is a real gloss on it after it dries. It does need to be covered though because it is not a durable finish on its own.

The pic below shows the rear panel of the bed which I had to take out to do the wiring and fix a problem with the framing after the water filler was installed. I took the opportunity to sand it and stain it outside. If you look carefully you can see a gloss on it already. This is one application of the stain without varnish.

The pics following show the back of the kitchen cupboard with after one coat of stain and one coat of the varnish. I have chosen to use Bondall Marine Varnish because of it's UV resistance. Although clear and very high gloss, this varnish contains an additive which prevents UV from yellowing the pine. Most varnishes, even external ones don't prevent UV damage.

I will apply another coat of varnish to this after giving it a light sand with 240 grit sandpaper and the gloss finish should be fantastic and durable.

It is really hot here today, but I'll try to get the undersides of the overhead cupboards started, then it is just some minor trimming and then onto sanding, staining and 2 coats of varnish.

I've also fixed the cuboard to the floor now that the wiring is done. I used small angle brackets which I found at Bunnings. These will not get in the way of the carpet tiles that I want to put on the floor in the cupboards.

The Awning

Before going into the staining & varnishing, I though that I'd better put up a pic f the new awning. This is a Carefree 13 foot model which has the special curved legs designed especially for the Mazda Bus. The old girl is at last starting to look like a motorhome from the outside.

The Electrical Wiring

As promised a post on the 12 & 240 volt wiring systems. I remember when I built a house some years ago that sound advice was to make sure that you get all of the wiring that you are going to need while the construction is happening. So, that's the philosophy I've empl0yed here. The pics below give a good indication of how I've done the job.

The 12 volt system had to accomodate a number of appliances including the lights, the water pressure pump, the fridge and the ignition for both the gas cooktop and the hot water system.

Because I had to get the power down from the solar panels on the roof and the 12 volts back up from the battery to the lights etc, I needed to run wiring up the side of the bus. I though of many ways of doing it in a way that it was hidden and eventually gave up in favour of this system using flexible mains ducting. I think it looks OK and will be hidden by the curtains anyway. I might paint it, not sure.

I used 15 amp 2 core automotive cable from Jaycar because it was both heavy enough and has insulation on the wire and a heavy plastic cover encasing both wires. With the lights, the simplest thing to do was to start from the battery, go up the wall to the underside of the overhead cupboards and run the wiring around all of the cupboards. Where I wanted a light, I put in a terminal block and ran two wires to go to the light. This means that all of the lights are in parallel, hopefully getting at least 12 volts right the way to the last light. (the outside light)

All of the lights are going to be very low wattage LED lamps. They are way more expensive than any others, but when you are relying on batteries to run light, fridge etc, the lower the wattage the better. We are all going to be using them in our homes soon anyway.

The pic below shows how I've run the lighting wiring under the overhead cupboards. The orange cables hanging down will be shortened once the underside of the cupboards have been panelled. The lights will all have switches on them. I've also put the fan for the rangehood on the same circuit.

This is the rangehood in its final position ready to be wired in and have the panelling either side of it. Not much stainless steel for $250.00 though. I decided to have the rangeood which flumes to the outside because there is nothing worse than cooking smells in a caravan/motorhome.

The pic below is of one of the kitchen cupboards which I've decided to use as the mounting place for the power supply for the fridge and the battery charger. I didn't want to put these units in the battery box (under the right side dinette seat) mainly because of the possibility of overheating. Both of these units only work when the bus is plugged into the mains. The one on the left is the unit that came with the fridge and connects to the fridge and the battery. It works by sensing when 240 volts is present, and then automatically disconnecting the fridge from the battery. Of course when the mains are connected the 'smart' battery charger (on right) will also begin charging the battery. A power point will also go into this cupboard.

The pic below is the panel that I made for the solar regulator and the fuse box. The regulator is a little upmarket from some available and of course cost a little more, but it does more. Unlike some regulators this little box has an LCD screen and not only regulates the charging rate of the batteries from the panels, but it also constantly senses the voltage of the batteries and cuts out the supply to appliances when the voltage falls below a pre-set level. This is to prevent the deep cycle batteries getting too flat which will damage them. The regulator also has 4 stages of charging and is designed to maintain the batteries at their optimum charge at all times so that the motorhome is always ready to roll. Daily and current charging rates and usage from the batteries are also monitored and can be viewed at any time on the LCD screen. Jaycar sell this unit for about $170.00, however I was lucky and found it on eBay for $109.00. If you are going to use absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries this is a must. Other regulators can overcharge your batteries and greatly reduce their service life - these batteries are not are not cheap.

On the right is a 6 circuit fuse box. Each of the circuits go though this box with the appropriate fuse installed. It even comes with little lables that go on the clear plastic civer to show which fuse is for what.

I have deliberately kept the 12 volt system independent from the body earth of the vehicle. This means that it is completely separate from the vehicles 12 volt system. To do this I had to run negative wiring to all appliances instead of simply running one +'ve wire and earthing everything back though the body, which means less chance of problems. If a wire rubs through it cannot short out on the body of the vehicle. Any short circuit can only result from the +'ve and -'ve wires in the system shorting together. This is why I have used plywood for the panel.

For safety reasons, I have installed a 60amp dual circuit breaker (pic below) which all power from the battery will flow through. These units are designed for high power car audio, but will do the job nicely. These are available from Jaycar for $30.00. If there is a fault anywhere in the system this will disconnect the batteries from the circuit and minimise damage. Two 120 amp batteries in parallel provide enough energy to weld metal and could easily cause a fire. One of the circuit breakers is for all of the applicances. The other one will be for a dedicated output to my amateur radio which draws up to 23 Amps on transmit. Again this will provide a safety measure if there is a short in the system.

The only remaining 12 volt wiring to be done is an auxilliary output for TV etc, wiring up the PV panels and the cabling from the battery to the point where the transceiver will sit.

240 Volt Wiring

I have completed the wiring for the 240volt system. I have run the wiring in purpose made flexible conduit. I had to do this so that I could move on with the conversion, however I will not be attempting the connection of the power points, the residual current device or the circuit breakers. That's a job for a licensed electrician. All power points in the motorhome must be double pole switches. This means that both the active and neutral lines are disconnected by the switch. In normal house wiring only the active line is cut by the switch. These are all for reasons of safety if portable generating systems/inverters are being used.

The pic below gives an idea of how the wiring is placed in conduit. The RCD and circuit breaker box will go on the outside of this cupboard.

Cutting Holes

Hi Again.

Its been some time since I updated the Blog. The one thing I have learned about fitting out motorhomes is that things never go exactly as planned. There have been been a number of delays in obtaining equipment and also with me being sick. Anyway things have certainly moved on since my last post.

Not having the confidence to go cutting holes in the bodywork, I had Peter come and do it. Below are some pics of the finished jobs. I reckon that if I ever do this again, that these jobs will be done first and the internal fitting installed afterwards.

This pic shows the right side of the bus and the install of the fibreglass gas box, the 240 volt inlet and the filler for the right side water tank. Peter used Sikaflex white sealant adhesive to make the gas box fit around the profile of the side of the bus as can be seen in the pic below. Of course there is a cover with a lock to go on yet.

The pic below shows the left side of the bus and the other water filler. Ive decided to go with two fillers because although one would have done for both tanks, it's my intention to plumb each of the two tanks to the pump separately. This will allow me to know when each tank is empty and therefore how much water I have on board. Because of the sizes of the tanks available, I have only 2 x 60 litre tanks. Any extra will have to be carried in portable containers.

That's it for this post. I'll add another one now about the wiring that I have done and also the start of the staining and varnishing.

More Work on The Kitchen Cupboard

After another a break of 3 weeks, I've managed to get back to work on the bus conversion. I came to a stop because I had ordered the appliances and other fittings and I've been waiting for them to arrive. All equipment required was purchased through Peter Booth at Tas Mobile Caravan Repairs Ph: 0458 615 003. Peter sourced the equipment through one of his suppliers and was able to provide very competitive quotes. He has 20+ years experience in the caravan repair business and does a great job if you need something done. Best of all he comes to you, no need to tow the caravan etc to a yard. - Advertisement complete.

This weekend I finished putting the shelves in the kitchen cupboard and cut the openings in the bench top for the stove and sink. I chose to go for the Smev 3 burner in bench type stove top. This was to provide the extra bench space that comes from the glass top and also to keep the distance as much as possible between the burners and the rangehood. The regulations stipulate a gap of at least 600mm between the burners and any combustible surface above, or 450mm between the burners and any non-combustible surface (the rangehood).

As you can see from the photos below, the stove top and the sink are in place, but obviously have to be moved so that the Laminex top can be fitted.

Peter is coming to cut the holes in the side of the bus and fit the roof vents. I could tackle these jobs, but I think that his experience will prove very valuable and avoid costly mistakes.

That's it for now. I hope the next post will show some more real progress, however there is now a lot of work to be done behind the scenes, wiring, plumbing etc. Thanks for reading.

Back After a Long Break

I have finally got around to doing another post on the bus project. I have had a break of a couple of weeks due to illness. I developed a bad chest condition which has finally begun to ease after two courses of strong antibiotics. Anyway, I have been working on the bus as and when I've felt able to and this post will bring you up to date with progress so far. It's going to be a bit of a marathon, so here goes.

My last post showed the overhead cupboard frames and shelving almost completed. The next most important thing was the completion of the rear bed/lounge. I had intentions of using the bus but being sick put pay to that.

At this point I had to start panelling with the tongue and groove pine along the front of the seats and the backrests. The pic below shows the finished job. There is still some trim to put around the top of the backrests.

The pic below shows the 'bed board' in place. this goes between the seats and makes it into a bed. I used 12mm plywood for this and strengthened the front edge with a 20mm square piece of pine and screwed this into place. The edges of the plywood have also been trimmed with pine to make a snug fit.

The 'bed board' stores neatly against the back wall of the tall cupboard as the pic below shows. I had intentions of using smaller pieces of ply, for ease of storage, but a couple of clips will keep the board in the cupboard nicely. See pic below.

The next job was to 'face' all of the cupboards and the toilet/shower. The most difficult part about this job is cutting the planks to conform with the shape of the roof. To help, I cut a template from plywood and used this. This is the wall behind the shower and shows the tall cupboard.

The pic below is one of the front wall of the shower/toilet and how the panelling had to be cut to the shape of the roof.



The next pic is of the front overhead cupboard which had to be faced and cut to conform with the shape of the roof. This turned out OK I think. Cutting out the panelling for the cupboards was made so much easier with a little trimmer router that I bought for the job together with a trimmer bit with a bearing on the bottom. This meant that I did not have to be super critical with the lengths of the T&G pine and I could trim them to a neat finish after the glue had dried.

This is the dinette seat behind the driver's seat. The backrest panelling has been extended beyond the seat for the sake of neatness and also to provide a mounting point for the fire extinguisher which is a must. I was lucky and a good sized one was provided with the bus.

One of the issues I had to deal with was how to obscure the glass that sits over the shower/toilet. Even though the inside will have panelling all across, I was worried that it would look awful from outside. I had contemplated painting the glass, but my advice from the experts was that it is very difficult to get paint to stick to glass for long periods. Instead, I went down the path of a product by White Knight paints which comes in a small spray can for about $15. It is glass frosting and is easily applied and is designed to stick to glass. I applied the whole can in about 4 coats to the windows. The pics below show both the interior and exterior finished job. Lets hope it sticks like it's supposed to.

Interior View

The pic below shows the completed dinette seat on the left side of the bus. In front of the seat is a small cupboard which will house the power supply for my HF radio and also provide a handy shelf to rest an arm on or sit a drink on. The bottom part of this cupboard has been cut open to allow access from behind the passenger's seat for storage of jumper cables or similar. I hope to change both the front seats to something more comfortable. The current left side seat is skinny and uncomfortable and will not tilt forward. Hopefully I can find some suitable replacements from a car/4WD etc.

This is a view from the rear of the bus looking forward. As you can see, I have put a top on the cupboard. I went down the path of 19mm melamine particle board for two reasons; The melamine provides some increased resistance to moisture and also prevents the underside of the panel being open to the air. The chemical stuff that they put in the particle board is not good to be breathing 24/7. By the time Laminex is stuck onto the top of this and a pine edging placed around it, the panel will be completely sealed again. I know that the Laminex should not be placed onto the melamine, but I am assured that if I attack the surface with the belt sander, the glue will stick just fine.

The following two pics are self explanatory and give an overall impression of the stage that the conversion is at at the moment. I have priced all of the fittings including the appliances and will order those this week.

What's next? Well I think that its time to start getting serious with the 12 volt wiring, solar panels, fuses etc then start looking for an electrician who will run the 240 volt wiring for me. I have to have a 15 amp system installed together with an earth leakage detector. I am going to get a power point placed at the rear near the bed and one outside where the awning will go. You never know when you might need it.

There won't be much done now for at least another week. I'll try to keep the posts more regular from now on. Thanks for reading.

Saturday - Shelving

Hi again. No post yesterday, I just felt too sick to do much at all. I got some done today though including the shelving in the overhead cupboards. Of all of the jobs I've had to do so far, I enjoyed this one the least. The ply I'm using is a hardwood type and quite heavy, and it also splinters really easily. Needless to say my fingers are a mess of splinters. Wearing gloves was a pain, so I had to battle through. The other problen is trying to handle a full sheet of ply and get it through the table saw alone is very difficult.

I got the fridge properly installed on a sheet of ply so I can raise it up off the floor a little to allow for the floor covering and also to level it up. The fridge naturally leans back to allow the door to fall closed. Trouble with is is the it looks wierd when inside the cupboard. All fixed now, level and secured in place.

I also ripped down some of the 42 x 19mm pine to 20mm square which I've used to put in supports for the cladding and some of the shelves. I'm waiting for someone to come around to give me a hand to remove the auto door opener so I can install the left side dinette seat and frame for the wall panels. Tomorrow morning I'll take an early trip to the hardware and get some hinges for the seat hatches, some more 10mm ply (for the left side seat and to line the bottom of the shower), some square ducting for cabling and some wool insulation for the walls. It's almost time to start looking for an electrician to to get the 240V wiring in.

Anyways, photos below are self explanatory.



Ive got somewhere to put the tools now. An early test for the strength of the shelving. seem to be holding up OK so far.



This isthe shelving in one of the kitchen cupboards and my new nail gun. Never used these things before, but I am a convert. They are great. I've also got a smaller C1 bradder and stapler, both of which have been very useful so far. See you next time.