41 replies to this topic

[GroovyDad]

I plan to take most of the winter to build out my new Bobcat shell.  My plan is to go very simple and light so I can have as much agility as possible.  As of now, I plan to build a side dinette with a rollover chair that folds into a small, narrow bed for a second person or for stealth camping.  I plan to have gravity fed water from a 7 gallon jug, heat from a Mr. Heater, a simple, two burner camp cook top, one battery for LED lighting and a porta-potty.  I also plan to use a good quality ice chest for refrigeration.  

 

I'm toying with idea of incorporating milk crates for drawers.  Milk crates come in two sizes, are durable, reasonably priced and can be easily removed and stored when I'm not camping.

 

The other day, I started building a set of rollover hinges.  I'm fortunate enough to have a neighbor with a rollover couch in his FWC and he let me take some measurements of his.  I have some welding/metal working experience, so I got to work.  The hinges in the photographs are very raw and still need to be ground and finished, but they work!  and all for about $40.00 worth of metal.

 

 

[billharr]

Nice job on the brackets looking forward to your build

[pvstoy]

I think that is pretty good skills to take metal and make your own roll over assembly!!  Looking forward to the rest of your build

[GroovyDad]

Because my Gerry can holder doesn't allow my door to open all the way and fasten to the door holder, I came up with a little door stop to prevent the window from slamming against the can holder.  I'm always glad that I save little pieces of hardware, nuts and bolts--they always come in hand sooner or later.

[GroovyDad]

 

I know it's not a good idea to have an indoor propane cabinet, but I'm only planning to use an 11 lb. bottle and I'm going to seal it really well AND vent it to the outside.  

 

I still have to paint it, install the cabinet door & hardware, silicone seal it and mount it in place.  

[GroovyDad]

 

 

 

 

I'm building a side dinette, so I've begun to make the seat boxes.  The forward seat box will hold my battery, battery isolator and inverter.  The rear seat box will support my homemade rollover hinges and have storage inside. 

 

 

Since I used several different species of wood in my build, staining the cabinets would look a little jumbled, so I decided to go with a light, neutral paint.  

 

I'm having a BLAST!

[ski3pin]

I'm having a BLAST!

 

  That's one of the key benefits!

[billharr]

Looking good, the seat brackets came out real nice. Will the hinged top on the rear seat clear the back cushion? I just did a lift out panel. I may have over killed the rear seat but if I have the top bed pulled out i step down oh the end of the roll over. Brackets bolt through to a 3" alum angle that is bolted to the sides and at the ends bolt to the angle on the outside edges. I added a bracket at the bottom that bolts through the floor. If you are not standing on the folded over seat it should not be a problem. If you are standing on it that is a lot of leverage. 

 

You can see the angle in the picture below. Angle to the outside is bolted through the outside wall. There is 1/2" of angle by the plywood that my seat panel sets on.

[GroovyDad]

That's a good question Bill, I didn't check to see if the hinged lid would clear the back cushion.  I'll check it before I install the hinge and if it doesn't clear, then I'll make a lift out panel too.  Thanks for catching that!

[GroovyDad]

 

So I made a little more progress on my Bobcat build this weekend.  The photos above are of the completed forward dining seat/electrical box.

 

 

These show the completed bench with storage that holds the rollover seat.

 

 

These show the porta-potty storage and the lid, which will be part of the lower bed when the dinette is converted to the bed.

 

 

The propane cabinet is large enough to hold an 11 lb. tank, and old school kerosene lantern and some extra kerosene cannisters.

 

 

A view of the progress from above.  If the weather continues to stay nice, I'll tackle the kitchen counter and cabinets next weekend.