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Looking really good! In the tiny space of a car, every little bit of space is precious and must be used.
Bob
Bob
My Road Tripper
- Thread starter sephson
- Start date
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Patrick46
Well-known member
We (the wife & I) have an '06 Scion XB....you know, a 'Road Toaster'!! 
we've made 3 trips from the West Coast to Wisconsin for family reunions, and we found that we can fold down the passenger side rear seat, slide the front one all the way foreward, and make a bed for the co-driver to sleep in very comfortably while blazing down the highway. (...and I'm a good size fella, too!)
We've driven from Chicago to the Oregon coast in 36 hours, 5 times now!
With all the work you've done with this little car, it looks to me like you're gonna be very comfy & cozy in there!! Who needs a huge bus???
we've made 3 trips from the West Coast to Wisconsin for family reunions, and we found that we can fold down the passenger side rear seat, slide the front one all the way foreward, and make a bed for the co-driver to sleep in very comfortably while blazing down the highway. (...and I'm a good size fella, too!)
We've driven from Chicago to the Oregon coast in 36 hours, 5 times now!
With all the work you've done with this little car, it looks to me like you're gonna be very comfy & cozy in there!! Who needs a huge bus???
sephson
Well-known member
And I've still got more work to do. Next week I'm going to put a shelf in over the rear cargo area.
sephson
Well-known member
First, a correction for an earlier post
I double checked the stats on this car and verified the measurements. I have 6.5 inches of ground clearance. My best guess for where the nine came from is that I flipped the six upside down in my head. Still, 6.5 is not bad for a small car. It puts some limitations on places I can go, while at the same time, the 13'-6" overall length just might open up a few others.
On to the pictures!
I began work on the shelf for the cargo area today.
Here are my attachment points:
These are the connection points for a soft cargo cover. They're not really meant to take a lot of weight, so this shelf will not be a place to stow a bunch of heavy stuff.
My frame components for the shelf:
I determined that 5/8 in. threaded rod was a perfect fit for the cargo cover attachment points and that it was very nearly a perfect fit for 1/2 in. EMT conduit. Again, not the strongest structure, but it doesn't need to be all that strong. The second picture shows 1/2 in. EMT conduit couplers.
The threaded rod is cut into four 6 in. pieces and one 1 ft. piece. The 6 in. pieces go on the ends of the conduit supports. The 1 ft. piece goes into the center end of one of the smaller conduits, where the two pieces will be coupled together. I cut two EMT conduit couplers in half and left one intact. The set screws on the couplers locks the threaded rod in place in the conduit.
This is the shelf supports assembled and installed:
They just clip into the cargo cover supports.
These are my shelf pieces:
The metal things in the corners are spring clip style tool holders. They clip the shelves to the conduit.
This is the assembled and installed shelf:
I've designed this shelf so that I can disassemble it and stow it away when I need to haul equipment. The shelf breaks down into three sections for easy storage and the supports are easily removable and will fit in my under floor storage tray once the longer support is broken down into two pieces.
sephson said:
I double checked the stats on this car and verified the measurements. I have 6.5 inches of ground clearance. My best guess for where the nine came from is that I flipped the six upside down in my head. Still, 6.5 is not bad for a small car. It puts some limitations on places I can go, while at the same time, the 13'-6" overall length just might open up a few others.
On to the pictures!
I began work on the shelf for the cargo area today.
Here are my attachment points:
These are the connection points for a soft cargo cover. They're not really meant to take a lot of weight, so this shelf will not be a place to stow a bunch of heavy stuff.
My frame components for the shelf:
I determined that 5/8 in. threaded rod was a perfect fit for the cargo cover attachment points and that it was very nearly a perfect fit for 1/2 in. EMT conduit. Again, not the strongest structure, but it doesn't need to be all that strong. The second picture shows 1/2 in. EMT conduit couplers.
The threaded rod is cut into four 6 in. pieces and one 1 ft. piece. The 6 in. pieces go on the ends of the conduit supports. The 1 ft. piece goes into the center end of one of the smaller conduits, where the two pieces will be coupled together. I cut two EMT conduit couplers in half and left one intact. The set screws on the couplers locks the threaded rod in place in the conduit.
This is the shelf supports assembled and installed:
They just clip into the cargo cover supports.
These are my shelf pieces:
The metal things in the corners are spring clip style tool holders. They clip the shelves to the conduit.
This is the assembled and installed shelf:
I've designed this shelf so that I can disassemble it and stow it away when I need to haul equipment. The shelf breaks down into three sections for easy storage and the supports are easily removable and will fit in my under floor storage tray once the longer support is broken down into two pieces.
Attachments
sephson
Well-known member
The work on the shelf continues.
Driving home last night, I could hear a bit of a rattle coming from the shelf:
I covered the conduit pieces with 3/4 in. black heat shrink tubing. Hopefully this will quiet the rattle.
I've also painted the shelf pieces:
And I trimmed 1/4 in. off of either end to accommodate some trim pieces which I should have tomorrow morning:
I also need to replace the spring clips that attach the shelf pieces to the conduit. I've ordered the next size up, which should be a better fit. As I mentioned, I've ordered some trim and I've got a smooth rubber mat coming to cover the top of the shelf. All of this should arrive at work tomorrow morning.
Driving home last night, I could hear a bit of a rattle coming from the shelf:
I covered the conduit pieces with 3/4 in. black heat shrink tubing. Hopefully this will quiet the rattle.
I've also painted the shelf pieces:
And I trimmed 1/4 in. off of either end to accommodate some trim pieces which I should have tomorrow morning:
I also need to replace the spring clips that attach the shelf pieces to the conduit. I've ordered the next size up, which should be a better fit. As I mentioned, I've ordered some trim and I've got a smooth rubber mat coming to cover the top of the shelf. All of this should arrive at work tomorrow morning.
Attachments
sephson
Well-known member
Tothemoonandback, for power I have a small portable power system that I came across at a gun show last month. It's a discontinued system by Goal Zero, the Extreme 350i with a 30 watt briefcase style solar panel. Because this system has been discontinued, (replaced by Yeti 400) I got a screaming deal on it. I can charge the system via the solar panel, 120 volts AC or by plugging it into the 12 volt power port in the car. I have a laptop, a smartphone and a camera battery to keep charged up, and that's it. Also, I'm only going to be on the road for short stretches, so this system should be adequate for my power needs.
Obviously, if I were looking to full time it in the Soul I would need to look into a larger, more permanent setup.
On to today's pictures!
More work on the shelf:
Here I have a 2 ft. x 6 ft. rubber anti-slip floor mat, some trim and my shelf sections with carpet tape on them:
The completed shelf sections:
I cut the rubber mat to fit each piece, then attached them using carpet tape and upholstery staples. Then I added the two different flavors of trim, one with a lip for the front and back edges, one without for between sections.
I had to rethink my method of attaching the shelf sections to the conduit:
The tool holder spring clips were cutting the shrink tube to ribbons.
My solution:
Magnets! Rectangular, encased, ceramic magnets with a maximum pull strength of 25 lbs.
The competed shelf installed:
The magnets work great! There don't seem to be any issues with the shelf sliding around, just a slight rattle. putting some fresh shrink tube over the conduits to replace the damaged shrink tube that I cut off after taking these photos should take care of the rattle.
This was a fairly major purchase:
One thing about the Soul that has always bothered me is the lack of a spare tire, so I bought one. Sure, the car came with a flat repair/inflation kit, but my experience with flat tires says that's not enough. I've had two flat tires in the twenty some years I've been driving. Both were side wall blow outs. The tire inflation/repair kit that came with the soul would do nothing that. I shopped around a bit and got the absolute best deal I could, but it was still a significant chunk of change for something I believe should have been included with the car when I first bought it.
The spare stores beneath my under floor storage.
Obviously, if I were looking to full time it in the Soul I would need to look into a larger, more permanent setup.
On to today's pictures!
More work on the shelf:
Here I have a 2 ft. x 6 ft. rubber anti-slip floor mat, some trim and my shelf sections with carpet tape on them:
The completed shelf sections:
I cut the rubber mat to fit each piece, then attached them using carpet tape and upholstery staples. Then I added the two different flavors of trim, one with a lip for the front and back edges, one without for between sections.
I had to rethink my method of attaching the shelf sections to the conduit:
The tool holder spring clips were cutting the shrink tube to ribbons.
My solution:
Magnets! Rectangular, encased, ceramic magnets with a maximum pull strength of 25 lbs.
The competed shelf installed:
The magnets work great! There don't seem to be any issues with the shelf sliding around, just a slight rattle. putting some fresh shrink tube over the conduits to replace the damaged shrink tube that I cut off after taking these photos should take care of the rattle.
This was a fairly major purchase:
One thing about the Soul that has always bothered me is the lack of a spare tire, so I bought one. Sure, the car came with a flat repair/inflation kit, but my experience with flat tires says that's not enough. I've had two flat tires in the twenty some years I've been driving. Both were side wall blow outs. The tire inflation/repair kit that came with the soul would do nothing that. I shopped around a bit and got the absolute best deal I could, but it was still a significant chunk of change for something I believe should have been included with the car when I first bought it.
The spare stores beneath my under floor storage.
Attachments
sephson
Well-known member
Thank you for the comments everyone. While it's eating up a lot of my free time, I'm really enjoying this project. It's a lot of fun working the rust off of skills I just don't have the opportunity to use that often.
sephson
Well-known member
I was going to post some pictures yesterday, but I lost the cable that connects my camera to my computer. I replaced the cable and now have pictures to post, so here goes.
The bulk of the conversion work is done, so now it's down to the details.
I've been playing around with the idea of tarping off the hatchback area for a shower area.
42 lb. pull strength, rectangular, encased ceramic magnets hold the tarps to the hatch. For this test I attached the tarp bottoms to sand bags. I need to get some stakes for campsite ground attachment. I also need more tarps.
Window Coverings:
I made these by cutting scrap pieces of black duvetyne fabric to fit each window except for the windshield. They're held in place by a few more of the magnets that hold the shelf in place. There are many advantages to the duvie as window coverings; I have ready access to scraps, when in place they make the windows appear to simply be darkly tinted, and since it is intended for use on stages the fabric has been treated with a fire retardant. There is, however, one major disadvantage. They have the UV resistance of the bastard child of an albino and a red head. Ultimately, if I want them to last, I need to come up with another material for my window coverings, but in the short term, they'll be fine.
Now for my gear. Bear in mind that this is still a work in progress. That said, if anyone has any suggestions for improvements, feel free to chime in. I'll appreciate the input.
Cot size air matress:
It's a perfect fit.
There's just enough room for me to stretch out.
The basic camp setup:
There's a roll top table, a folding chair, complete with footrest, a Coleman camp stove, some assorted cookware, a small cooler and a box of assorted camping supplies that I got from one of my sisters.
The table collapses into a very compact unit, which given my limited space is critical.
I also have a small tent, should I decide I'd rather camp out than sleep in the car.
I got the tent for free and it doesn't take up all that much space.
My toilet:
I picked this unit because it collapses down to briefcase size for easy storage.
The bulk of the conversion work is done, so now it's down to the details.
I've been playing around with the idea of tarping off the hatchback area for a shower area.
42 lb. pull strength, rectangular, encased ceramic magnets hold the tarps to the hatch. For this test I attached the tarp bottoms to sand bags. I need to get some stakes for campsite ground attachment. I also need more tarps.
Window Coverings:
I made these by cutting scrap pieces of black duvetyne fabric to fit each window except for the windshield. They're held in place by a few more of the magnets that hold the shelf in place. There are many advantages to the duvie as window coverings; I have ready access to scraps, when in place they make the windows appear to simply be darkly tinted, and since it is intended for use on stages the fabric has been treated with a fire retardant. There is, however, one major disadvantage. They have the UV resistance of the bastard child of an albino and a red head. Ultimately, if I want them to last, I need to come up with another material for my window coverings, but in the short term, they'll be fine.
Now for my gear. Bear in mind that this is still a work in progress. That said, if anyone has any suggestions for improvements, feel free to chime in. I'll appreciate the input.
Cot size air matress:
It's a perfect fit.
There's just enough room for me to stretch out.
The basic camp setup:
There's a roll top table, a folding chair, complete with footrest, a Coleman camp stove, some assorted cookware, a small cooler and a box of assorted camping supplies that I got from one of my sisters.
The table collapses into a very compact unit, which given my limited space is critical.
I also have a small tent, should I decide I'd rather camp out than sleep in the car.
I got the tent for free and it doesn't take up all that much space.
My toilet:
I picked this unit because it collapses down to briefcase size for easy storage.
Attachments
sephson
Well-known member
If one of the moderators knows how to rotate that last image 90 degrees, could you please do so?
Thank you.
Tothemoonandback asked earlier about what I intend to do for power. Here's my system.
Not the latest and the greatest by any stretch of the imagination, but it should meet my needs nicely.
Here's all my gear packed away. Believe it or not, it all fits in the cargo area without having to fold down the rear seat.
Basically I can go from road tripper to passenger car without having to unload my gear.
That takes care of yesterday's photos. Now on to today's work.
Today I rearranged the spare tire area a bit. Here's how it was:
Here's everything I'm trying to fit in there:
On the left is what came with the car, some tire patch goop and a small air compressor. At center there's everything that came with the spare tire, the donut tire and rim, a lug wrench and a scissor jack. On the right is everything I'm adding, a pair of bottle jacks, two plywood disks and a 3 ft. length of 3/4 in. EMT conduit. There are also a few small towels.
The jacks are each wrapped with a towel for padding. There's another towel in the wheel under the plywood disks. The tire repair goo is just randomly tossed in. The towels serve the duel purpose of padding items and providing something I can wipe my hands on. The lug wrench and conduit are in the underfloor storage tray rather than the tire compartment.
In the bin is a set of jumper cables that my dad gave me a few years before he died and a come-along that I'm borrowing from my employer. Note the lack of quotation marks. My employer will get the come-along back in the same condition it's in now when I buy my own.
The bin stores under the driver's seat while the handle fits in my under floor storage.
Thank you.
Tothemoonandback asked earlier about what I intend to do for power. Here's my system.
Not the latest and the greatest by any stretch of the imagination, but it should meet my needs nicely.
Here's all my gear packed away. Believe it or not, it all fits in the cargo area without having to fold down the rear seat.
Basically I can go from road tripper to passenger car without having to unload my gear.
That takes care of yesterday's photos. Now on to today's work.
Today I rearranged the spare tire area a bit. Here's how it was:
Here's everything I'm trying to fit in there:
On the left is what came with the car, some tire patch goop and a small air compressor. At center there's everything that came with the spare tire, the donut tire and rim, a lug wrench and a scissor jack. On the right is everything I'm adding, a pair of bottle jacks, two plywood disks and a 3 ft. length of 3/4 in. EMT conduit. There are also a few small towels.
The jacks are each wrapped with a towel for padding. There's another towel in the wheel under the plywood disks. The tire repair goo is just randomly tossed in. The towels serve the duel purpose of padding items and providing something I can wipe my hands on. The lug wrench and conduit are in the underfloor storage tray rather than the tire compartment.
In the bin is a set of jumper cables that my dad gave me a few years before he died and a come-along that I'm borrowing from my employer. Note the lack of quotation marks. My employer will get the come-along back in the same condition it's in now when I buy my own.
The bin stores under the driver's seat while the handle fits in my under floor storage.
Attachments
LeeRevell
Well-known member
"They have the UV resistance of the bastard child of an albino and a red head." Love the way with words!
And a shower with a skylight! Classy!
Making a tiny car 'livable' is reminding me of NASA and their space capsules - fitting full living capability into the smallest available space!
And a shower with a skylight! Classy!
Making a tiny car 'livable' is reminding me of NASA and their space capsules - fitting full living capability into the smallest available space!
highdesertranger
R.I.P HDR
- Joined
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you are getting it done. congrats. highdesertranger
sephson
Well-known member
I've done a bit more work on the finishing touches for my road tripper.
While the magnet and cloth approach works well for the window coverings on the side windows and the rear hatch, I had to come up with something else for the windshield.
Eclipse Sun Shade
I only have so much space to work with, so I opted for something I could permanently mount rather than trying to find storage space to yet another item.
I had to modify it a little do to a 3/4 in. gap on either side of windshield, which would make for quite the light leak. I simply attached some foam weather stripping to the shade in order to fill the gap.
It attaches directly to the windshield by way of mounting brackets with double sided tape.
I need to give the adhesive 24 hours of curing time, so I'll have to wait to post picks of the finished installation.
I've also figured out how to make use of my shower area.
I picked up this small sprayer at Home Depot for about $7. It holds 1.75 liters, or a bit less than half a gallon. With a little experimenting at home, I've determined that this is actually enough water to get clean from head to toe, including washing my long hair. It can be a little awkward to use, but I think that's more a matter of unfamiliarity than anything else.
I even got a chance to try out the sleeping area over the weekend. I had a late night gig on Saturday followed by an early morning call time on Sunday, so I set up my car bed and slept at the venue.
Saturday's Gig
While the magnet and cloth approach works well for the window coverings on the side windows and the rear hatch, I had to come up with something else for the windshield.
Eclipse Sun Shade
I only have so much space to work with, so I opted for something I could permanently mount rather than trying to find storage space to yet another item.
I had to modify it a little do to a 3/4 in. gap on either side of windshield, which would make for quite the light leak. I simply attached some foam weather stripping to the shade in order to fill the gap.
It attaches directly to the windshield by way of mounting brackets with double sided tape.
I need to give the adhesive 24 hours of curing time, so I'll have to wait to post picks of the finished installation.
I've also figured out how to make use of my shower area.
I picked up this small sprayer at Home Depot for about $7. It holds 1.75 liters, or a bit less than half a gallon. With a little experimenting at home, I've determined that this is actually enough water to get clean from head to toe, including washing my long hair. It can be a little awkward to use, but I think that's more a matter of unfamiliarity than anything else.
I even got a chance to try out the sleeping area over the weekend. I had a late night gig on Saturday followed by an early morning call time on Sunday, so I set up my car bed and slept at the venue.
Saturday's Gig
Attachments
sephson
Well-known member
LeeRevell
Well-known member
In the fourth pic above, I can see through the glass to the outside. Might need another bit of Velcro tape to get a total light seal?
sephson
Well-known member
It's not an immediate concern. At this point in time I'm not looking to do any stealth camping. I just hate getting woken up at the crack of dawn (too many years working late nights) by sunlight streaming in the windows if I don't need to be awake at that hour, but thank you for the observation. Flipping down the visors helps.
