Some mods to consider.

[2C-OZ]

I have been watching this forum for quite a while and have ' stolen' some great thoughts and ideas. I thought it was about time I share some of mine. I am new to posting so I hope this goes ok..

Water pump - low boy. Soon after buying my second hand van I had to replace a diaphragm. I can see that this will unfortunately be a recurring task and I would like to avoid continued drilling through the plastic and having to take riveting gear with me. I have done away with the rivets and installed nutcerts and now secure them with m4 x 16 stainless socket head screws with a 10mm washer and loctite. It was the first time I have used nutcerts and I am quite impressed. No special tools necessary to install. Drill a close to interference fit hole, press the nutcert in. If there is any movement then superglue it in to make the rest of the installation easier. Screw in a cap screw with a standard nut would all the way up and one or two washers on the shaft. Hold the cap screw stationary with an Allen key and use a spanner to turn the nut down to compress the nutcert similar to how a pop rivet works. When set in position remove the bolt. Some of this procedure could be used to resecure the nutcerts on the stove if they are spinning.



Stove... Boiling the billy can be very frustrating if there is any wind around so I have made a stainless sleeve to surround the base of the billy and reach down to about 10mm from the stove base. Much more efficient! In a very light draft I can boil the billy in 2/3 of the time. In a stronger breeze it is the difference between a cuppa and just frustration. In the pictures you can see extra slots to suit a butane single burner stove. The sleeve slides inside itself and is stored inside the billy. The cutout tabs push against the billy to maintain 10mm clearance.




Stove grille.... I made these aluminium thumb screws to make cleaning easier. I can't believe that swift seem to believe Philips head screws are acceptable.


Mudguard table.... As shown in the photo 9mm ply with aluminium upper and side skin contacted in place. For those interested, the annealing (softening) temperature for aluminium is indicated by when soap turns black. I rubbed bath soap on the corners of the aluminium sheet and heated from behind. Once the soap turned I allowed the sheet to cool naturally. I folded the three main folded edges with a couple of clamped blocks of wood then applied contact to the plywood and aluminium. Pressed it carefully in place then dressed the annealed corners around the plywood base. A bit of filing and sanding and there you have it.
The clamp pulls up into a 't' nut in the plywood. The clamp is very over engineered and would be made thinner if I was to make it again. The table fits neatly in the kitchen storage area.



Lighting...  I made this kitchen light from a piece of 12x12 aluminium angle attached to a pin with a flat filed on it to neatly fit into the standard bracket. The light is angled forward so it doesn't get in the way and the LED strip is hidden from the cook by the web of the angle. Works a treat!



Inside I used a length of 16x12x1.6 aluminium channel with the LED strip attached to the back side. The channel pushes neatly onto the rubber edge holding the canvas in place. The light shines on the white ceiling and gives a pleasant but bright glow inside the tent area. The channel was purchased from Bunnings and the other half has been ripped down to give 16x6channel and the strip is attached inside for protection. This light lights up the annexe and is stored with the poles in some coms conduit.




Electrical.   I have rewired the van and moved the battery to the back. In doing so I installed a heavy gauge box on each side of the rear water tank. The one below the electrical box contains a 80AH battery and an isolation switch and direct feed Anderson plug on the outside for manual battery charging etc. the 240v charger has been replaced by a Redarc BCDC1225 as we don' t access 240v power unless at home. I now have 5 circuits individually fused at the electrical box.




On the other side I have the same size box but it is fully sealed from the outside and has a lockable lid for securing valuables. If our needs change in future this box could be converted into a second battery box.



Thanks to all those who have offered their ideas in the past. Our TVans are evolving! These mods have made a big difference to our setup.
If anyone finds these mods useful and needs more info please ask.   
Regards
John


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[Pebble]

Very nice, seems that a lot of thought has gone into your mods.

Have you ever considered mounting different types of pump taps? We're thinking about that at the moment, have only had the other standard kind of pump tap in the past (well we've found the ss version of the standard was sturdier). The ones supplied with the TVan are very different and we got the impression that perhaps wouldn't last as long (with the exception of the electric kitchen tap, the way that's mounted and swivels around is awesome). Obviously a standard pump tap probably isn't going to just fit into that spot, but I'm sure dear Husband will think of something haha

[Wildmax]

Really like your stainless sleeve to go around the gas burner - drives us nuts trying to boil the billy in wind, even when we use one of those concertina folding screens to go around the front and side of the overall stove top.
Cheers

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Like Max I'm a fan of your flame rings.
I also appreciate how much trouble you went to, separating the circuits in the van.
As most of the wiring is single pair in a black sheath it would have taken a bit.
The fit and finish looks great too, well done.
Just  wondering if you've taken the trailer out with the boxes fitted.
Fully loaded of course, to prove the design concept.

[2C-OZ]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Pebble, the manual pump is an issue and if I found a better alternative it would be swapped in a flash. I have to admit though it is not a great problem as long as I am only after smaller quantities of water. The electric pump gets a workout when I need to decant larger volumes. Which model TVan do you have as the sink tap I have is very ordinary.
Wildmax and cruiser105, the billy ring is simple but effective! I have done a little testing and it saves 1/3 of the boil time in good conditions and in windy conditions is still very efficient.
The boxes have had a good workout just before Christmas. Like any rational, sane,.... people, we had two weeks available and so we did the Brisbane, Innaminka, Birdsville, Big Red, Brisbane loop. It was a nice quiet trip (wonder why!) and had a brilliant time before the summer heat set in. Breakfast on top of Big Red with the TVan was definitely a highlight. No dust inside the van and all went great!
Cheers


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[Pebble]

We have the 2013 model Canning. Perhaps I should say the kitchen tap I think is great so far, we've only been on one trip to date! I just can't imagine having to use the manual ones all the time (say if electrics failed on a trip or something).

[Rod1]

John - Those thumb screws of the stove are a great idea - how did you make them?

Rod

[2C-OZ]

Rod, they are quite easy to make if you have access to a lathe. 18 diameter aluminium knurled 15 high with 12 mm of m4 thread sticking out the end. I don't have an M4 tap so I drill a 3.4mm hole and screw the thread directly into it.
An alternative could be to use a small drawer knob and glue the thread in.
I have a small amount of aluminium spare so it might turn into some knobs before the SE Qld gathering!


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[Rod1]

Thanks John - no lathe unfortunately, but may try the drawer knob idea.  Let me know if you happen to make that extra set...

Rod

[Trackinabout]

Hi John,

If you do get around to make any aluminium knobs for the stove, put me down for a pair.
The screws bug me a lot.

See you at the SEQ Get Together


Warren

[2C-OZ]

Rod and Warren, two pairs in the TVan waiting!
Cheers


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[Rod1]

John - That is awesome - thanks! We can sort out just how many beers I owe you at the SEQ catchup.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

John,
The side table on the guard.
Was it supposed to sit short of the kitchen?
Others including Track use the kitchen as a support.

Robert

[2C-OZ]

Robert, the shelf is made to fit in the kitchen rear storage as a 10mm thick flat board (which governs the length) and the clamp stored separately. It can, when mounted, be moved the full distance along the guard. It mounts very securely and there would be little benefit in making a support down onto the kitchen bench. We normally set it backwards away from the bench to give better access to the rear kitchen storage. Hope this helps.


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[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Hi John, and Norm(Tanami Tvan.) .

Just measuring up my 2009, Canning Tvan.
The driver side box is no real problem.
I was wondering what you did in relation to the water piping from the tank to avoid the battery box in the floor.  Did you just move it, or was your box a neat fit with the smaller battery?
It appears on mine, with 105A/h AGM batteries, I need to re-route the water works.
A couple of elbows and some extra piping may do it.
I would have to re-route the hoses towards the rear of the trailer and then to their normal position.
I think I'll get some hose clamps in there too.
Just trying to compare notes, ok.

Robert.