The lil Draggin's draggable live-in

[LowTech]

 Thanks you guys,
MP - storms just went through here w/ 50mph winds, headed your way 
I'll get into venting in a bit, . . . I mean . . . like air flow.


So next was to be able to make a meal in my new space.

I'd been holding some things from earlier tearouts, a late 60's (?) stove/ oven unit was one of them. I also had an old military field desk that I was using as a food cabinet, one crate of cooking equipment, one of even more food, and one that contained the 5 gal propane tank.  
 I wanted to frame up a box that would hold two crates under it. It would also put my stove up at using-while-standing height.



 A bit of ply on top and I had this set-up,

  

 The fold-up surface was already in here (for now) and I was building around it.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have one of those field desk too. trying to figure out how to incorporate it. I was thinking of putting all my mineral testing equipment in it. right now I have it all in a plastic tool box and a soft side tool bag. highdesertranger

 

[LowTech]

To the few that read,
Sorry I got bogged down on posting. This was going on at the same time that I was putting head gaskets on the Draggin' (It prob would have gone better if Sassy been around to help ;-p ) and running in to odd issues w/ that process. Packing for a couple of events I'm doing, not like packing things in before moving . . . No! This was packing things in to a new build and trying to figure at how all that's going to work

Now I'm rolling and have limited on-line access. I'll finish up this thread soon and start a log for those that are interested.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am interested. love your vehicles. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

Me too!
Bob

 

[masterplumber]

Me 3!

 

[sassypickins]

Me 4!!!!

Sassy

 

[Matlock]

That make me #5 !

 

[4GNomad]

Ditto! Me #6 !

 

[LowTech]

Thanks everyone!
I have a good connection right now and some time, so . . . on we go.

 After framing in those two boxes, bed and cooking area (which I did in a weekend), I now had to keep it from moving around. Using some other boxes, crates, footlockers, coolers, etc. and scavenged lumber I'm going to puzzle it all together.
 I'll start at the bed and work forward on each side. Being that I'm "mocking" this up in basically the way I'm going to do the final build I need to play w/ pieces that are about the right size.

 Starting at the bed I ran a 2x4 across in front of the legs. Next was to put in some storage boxes and a cooler.

   

 Next, another 2x4 on it's side. Would have preferred on edge or a 4x but the cooler wanted spout room.



(think I ran out of photo room)

 

[LowTech]

Next was a couple of 4x4's running almost to the front wall and another 2x4.

 

 I connected these on both ends and between the seats w/ some 1x boards to keep them the same distance apart. I also spaced them just far enough apart to fit the van seat slide rails between them.

 On the other side I put a footlocker and spacer 2x6 between the bed and field desk w/ a 4x4 behind the field desk to keep it out where I wanted it.

 

 I now have a "U" that can not move forward or backward. All that was left was to make it so the legs of the "U" can not come together.

 

[highdesertranger]

very nice. how do you like those front runner boxes? also what type of box is that in 2nd to last pic that the pack is sitting on? surplus? highdesertranger

 

[LowTech]

Thanks.
I like the Front Runners a lot. They are based on a S. African ammo box and have some good design features. The other is type of US foot locker and I don't like it. The plastic mis-shapes, the top ends up concave, the tray inside doesn't hold things separately (just one big tray), and I've had water get into it when it was outside.
It might be ok sitting at the foot of a bed (except for having to take the tray out to get to anything) but in a moving rig . . . not good. (that's the nice way of saying it )

 

[LowTech]

Time to catch back up on this build thread.  

First thing that needed changing was the having the seats at floor level. It worked ok as far as holding them in place, I didn't have to worry about them tumbling about as I knarlied my way down some dirt tracks, but there was something about sitting at about 8" off the floor and looking up at the rest of my stuff that didn't work for me. So the first chance i got (after finding the right pieces of lumber) I pulled out the seats and rebuilt the frame.

   



 Frame height was now enough to slide a milk crate under. That allowed me to put under 1 full size and 2 of what I call half size (the square ones). I still had space in front of them for random things.

 

[highdesertranger]

nice, I know what you mean by sitting low to the ground. dang knees. highdesertranger

 

[LowTech]

So, now the thing that had been holding me back.
There was no way that I was going to start building anything inside "for real" (though I was often tempted) w/o painting the walls. That meant I had to be somewhere that I could push everything out, and not have it just cooking in the sun / blowing around in the wind.
Between the RTR and doing the Camino del Diablo I had that time and place.
I moved everything out, de-constructed the bed frame (no other way to get it out), did some wall patching, and painted.

     

 

[LowTech]

After,

   

 

[WriterMs]

I guess most of this thread was before I started reading the forum, as I'm sure I had not seen any of it. Glad you resurrected your build thread.

 

[LowTech]

I stuffed all my "temporary" stuff back in and hit the trail.
A couple weeks later we had the chance to set still for a bit at a friends place. Tapped into the grid and started working w/ one of my true loves, rough-cut slabs of real wood.

     

 

[LowTech]

The next step was to remove the only thing left from the beginning, that fold up table. I drilled a bunch of rivets out and opened up the space.



 Being that the kitchen counter and closet were going to be all part of the same frame, and built before a new bed frame, I had to have my placement just right. Did a bunch of on-line searching and figured exactly how much room I had from the back wall. The other thing I had to take into consideration was that I was going to eventually build an elevated floor. That caused me to raise the stove up some so that it would be at the right height, . . . someday.
 Doing exact measurements for things that will use  american lumber SUCKS! There's no truth in advertising there.

 I framed in the closet, did a temporary frame under the counter, and test fit the slab pieces.