Avion C11 Build

[skindeepfx]

Ok i am going to post this in Truck since it is officially a truck camper .......but i have more ideas than just putting it on a truck. some of them will make you 

anyway to start out i thought i post a link to my album 

https://goo.gl/photos/J4uQovTuHP9QMLBR7

I found this gem one year ago up in Detroit, i am in NC , it was basically just a shell with a interior skin full of holes. Two days later and i had it on the back of my truck and hauled home and the fun began.

The idea is to turn this into a off road capable unit , fully self contained but simple.

Solar 300-400 W probably Renogy, removable system 
AGM Battery 200 AH range 
all new wires, marker and tail lights 
compressor fridge 
 all Led lights
very low AH consumption  
12 v AC / Swamp style 
removable outdoor kitchen 
if needed composting toilet 
No overhead compartments 
Not sure yet on LP gas , maybe a 5 lb system 
Yes i am going to paint it , probably eggshell with red accents 
shore power, just in case 
outside lights are Solar Garden lights, works like a charm 
10 gal ? ( could be more depending on weight)  water underneath for low center of gravity , grey water as well 
custom attached screen tent , my wife does not like bugs 

and all of this for under 6000 including the base camper 

if interested i could go into detail of what i have already accomplished, lots to do still 

Cheers 

Michael

 

[highdesertranger]

very cool looking camper, I like it. I noticed you removed a lot of the insulation. how are you going to replace it? highdesertranger

 

[Belinda2]

Skindeep,
I am so impressed there are no words. I will have to think about the great quality shell you have to work with. Good job picking THAT out. What a find!

 

[rvpopeye]

Wow , when I said "we like pictures" you were ready !

 

[skindeepfx]

very cool looking camper,  I like it.  I noticed you removed a lot of the insulation.  how are you going to replace it?  highdesertranger

yes the old insulation was this 2 part urethane foam which took on all the odors of 40 years of use and abuse.
Hammer ,chisel+ drill and wire brush attachment and 3 days of misery took care of that.

after this process i thought i will never glue anything to the interior skin for the purpose of removing it easily if it does not turn out great 

long research , also on this forum , led me to closed cell foam mats , like Yoga Mats , way to expensive for my budget  and heavy.

long story short, the gods of craigslist took pity on me and send me to this warehouse full of this 1/2 inch thick  closed cell foam mats  , i mean 20.000 sqft full of this stuff 
So i scored the entire insulation for about $ 100 + a few dog beds   and it is sitting in my yard right now waiting to be installed 
 I have no idea about the R value but i figure it will be Ok since it is nothing but trapped air and rubber 

Cheers

 

[skindeepfx]

Wow , when I said "we like pictures" you were ready !

  i have been at it for about a year now with long breaks for , well, mostly financial reasons .
But just like a squirrel , one nut at a time

 

[highdesertranger]

skin deep, excellent choice on the closed cell foam. this makes for great insulation. I use it on the floor of my truck. I have used it to insulate fiberglass tops. in the past Bob and I have both recommended it. highdesertranger

 

[Zeke]

This is good stuff, post more. Go into as much detail as you can stand, I'll be here reading it.

 

[skindeepfx]

Skindeep,
    I am so impressed there are no words. I will have to think about the great quality shell you have to work with. Good job picking THAT out. What a find!

Belinda2 
Yes it looks awesome , and it is a great quality comparing to the wood build units , thats why i fell for it ,  but it comes with some great disadvantages ......lots of aluminum riveted seams. In short it was leaking like a sieve, all the tape between the layers of aluminum disintegrated.
Why i did this ??? I should have have learned from my experience owning a vintage airstream before  :huh:  
It took me a while to problem solve this 
I tried numerous things before i applied an epoxy to the seams which needs to be painted for UV protection 
So i am in the process  of deciding what the paint is going to look  like 

But now i feel like i could turn it upside down and go rafting 

cheers 
Michael

 

[skindeepfx]

This is good stuff, post more. Go into as much detail as you can stand, I'll be here reading it.

Well , here is a detail on how i build my FAAAANTASIC FANS for $ 28 a unit 
I went to Wally World and found two of these on the reduced aisle for $ 15.00 . 12v what could go wrong ?
plus  two DPDT switches at $ 5 each and a bit for heat shrink etc 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/O2-Cool-FD10001A-Portable-Fan/45226368

They  were the size for my top vents , i had to clip the corners a bit but no problem in making them fit .

Next was to disassemble them, throwing the battery compartment out , and de-solder the circuit board,  re-solder the resistors for the 2 speeds making it a bit more streamlined and replace the flimsy switch with a DPDT ( center off) switch-and give it a try.
 It worked great.......blowing into the cabin .....
Great , but heat tends to rise so there was a need to exhaust , next was a DPDT switch to reverse the polarity of the fan motor. 
Awesome , heat is going out .

You will see a the two switches one next to the fan and one next to the LED light in the pics below 

Is it as good as a "Fantastic Fan"? Maybe not, but a lot cheaper. 
Here are some numbers taken from my Anemometer 
Low out 2300 cfm 
High out 2900 cfm

Low in 2800 cfm 
High in 5000 cfm 
Those numbers are just an average as the numbers jump depending on where you hold the probe 

https://goo.gl/photos/QShKpMURnsUQQMTLA
https://goo.gl/photos/t8pLoA9iVbCB2whM6
https://goo.gl/photos/nCD3z6cRVHTgfika7
https://goo.gl/photos/8ubzWLjFeS5CDQ5KA
    
I hope that the links are working for you, if not i will figure out the way of resizing the pics so that they can post 

Forward 

Michael

 

[skindeepfx]

So, i thought i give you a little bit of insight on my LED lighting system that i came up with 

Just a disclaimer that i am not a electrician of any sorts , not even close. Just learning as i go along 



After finishing the wiring i realized during the process that i could have used a different wire size , 12 instead of 14.

It won't matter for the LEDs but the rest could have been 12 awg , but now i will live with 14 awg don't use high Ah equipment    







I purchased a bunch of those 

Universal 6pcs High Power White 3w LED Eagle Eye Bumper DRL Fog Light Motorcycle Light Daytime Running DRL Tail Backup Light Car Motor

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FEZEVQK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00



And a set of those 

RioRand® 2 pcs Set Waterproof Aluminum High Power 6W 6000K Xenon Slim COB LED DRL Daylight Driving Daytime Running Light Lamp For Car SUV Sedan Coupe Vehicle (White)



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C1YI2XA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00



Both are relatively inexpensive and i thought if they are made for the car industry than they are made to take the abuse of the  road 



Here is a picture of them all lit up on the inside 

https://goo.gl/photos/PL1CYZWXEe5exzwn6



And the light bar on the outside , this light bar will illuminate the removable and movable kitchen that i am planing 
 
https://goo.gl/photos/xnPKSkaPKEyWQSWk8
The lightbar i crafted from a 3/4 PVC pipe that i had floating around, basically drilling a hole big enough and setting the LED's with some epoxy and wired to a switch that is accessible from the outside
outside switch and electrical outlets 
https://goo.gl/photos/JJmesEmTKo7HrNSU8 

The inside lights are divided into 3 circuits 

• Fully adjustable , home crafted  reading lights  
• The center cluster, along the ceiling  
• And the lights that will be the light up walls to the left and right of the center cluster  

The center cluster and light up walls are wired in a way that you can control them from the door area and from the bed area individually. I used regular household switches for that purpose  
https://goo.gl/photos/xRQnFgzTXtZttBcM7

And switches  over the bed 
https://goo.gl/photos/sd5XmcMa29kuoJQA9

The one thing i was not aware of is that those LED,s needed a heat sink in order to disperse of the heat created 
It took me a while to figure this out , in the original intended application they would use the car body as a heat sink

My solution
https://goo.gl/photos/Xcnqkf9EAfVC3Zek8
Using a metal enclosure riveted directly to a aluminum rib
Now they are running cool and no more overheating 
The switch that you see in this image is is to reverse the direction of my home crafted $30.00 FAAAANTASIC Fan 
Next post   
Total Ah use with all lights and 2  FAAAANTASIC Fans at full speed 
https://goo.gl/photos/3X7z3MZQsYcYVy2w5
Just over 1Ah   

The outside lights are on a completely different and independent system, more later  
Stay tuned 
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Cheers 
Michael