Globecar Modifications

[lorger]

That would depend on the cost Andrew. I have the same in my van just now and been thinking of adding a 2nd.

@Blue Knight
Andrew not sure if you noticed my post in reply about your now spare battery.

 

[Blue Knight]

@Blue Knight
Andrew not sure if you noticed my post in reply about your now spare battery.

My apologies @lorger but I'm going to use it as a standalone 3rd-hab battery to power the TV and a couple of LED lights. I included this idea in #462 above as I think it will help my off-grid capability.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[lorger]

@Minxy Girl Mel someone on the globecar and Possl Facebook page is looking for help on how to remove the shower try.

Their van is a write off and they're removing everything to fit on new van, the guys took pics of the empty van with the insulation which I thought some of you might be interested in.

 

[Minxy]

@Minxy Girl Mel someone on the globecar and Possl Facebook page is looking for help on how to remove the shower try.

Their van is a write off and they're removing everything to fit on new van, the guys took pics of the empty van with the insulation which I thought some of you might be interested in.

I'm off out now so will have a look later but if you want to reply you can tell them that they won't get it out in one piece as they are stuck down solid and it will break as they try ...

 

[Blue Knight]

I've picked up this today from Srewfix (pic below) after Toolstation made a right buggers muddle of my previous order over a week ago. The cost was £29.99 for a 1.1m x 10m roll.

Also, be aware that the Yuasa L36-EFB (costing £120 delivered before discounts) is being sold from Halfords as an HBL700 and costs only £105, or £84 If you have a trade card.

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[CamperSue]

YBS Thermawrap General Purpose comes in 2 thicknesses. If anyone wants to compare prices, make sure you are comparing like for like. The one @Blue Knight got is the thicker one so has a higher insulating value.

 

[Blue Knight]

YBS Thermawrap General Purpose comes in 2 thicknesses. If anyone wants to compare prices, make sure you are comparing like for like. The one @Blue Knight got is the thicker one so has a higher insulating value.

Good info Sue

There's a guy who built his own camper and used nothing but this stuff. In the places where he wanted more insulation he would apply three layers so that equates to 165mm of standard polystyrene insulation - that's not bad at all.

 

[Minxy]

Also, be aware that the Yuasa L36-EFB (costing £120 delivered before discounts) is being sold from Halfords as an HBL700 and costs only £105, or £84 If you have a trade card.

Halfords website is cr@p ... if you do a search it doesn't bring it up, but I've managed to find it:

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs...goryId=355401&productId=1464864&storeId=10001

Is it definitely the same battery? The terminals are at different ends.

 

[Blue Knight]

Halfords website is cr@p ... if you do a search it doesn't bring it up, but I've managed to find it:

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs...goryId=355401&productId=1464864&storeId=10001

If I bought from Halfords Mel then I would be sure to take my multimeter along to check first.

 

[Minxy]

If I bought from Halfords Mel then I would be sure to take my multimeter along to check first.

Yes I read the comment about one being under-charged when bought new too!

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[Blue Knight]

I couldn't let the thermal wrap stand around for too long so off I went today equipped with scissors, mastic tape and my magic thermal wrap.

All I can say is if you guys only do one modification to your PVC then do this - what a huge difference in thermal performance (As long as you spend a bit of time and do it correctly).

1. I removed the drawers so this is the before pic:

2. I then insulated the whole cabinet, paying particular attention to the water pipes, wire looms, auto-door mechanism, external gaps to the door and the spaces between the neighbouring cabinetry joins:

3. This is a pic of the gap behind the fridge and the vehicle's internal shell, with the fridge in the wooden mount on the left. The fact that it's a compressor fridge means that there are no messy gas pipes or wires to consider etc (only 1 x 12+ve and an earth body lead):

4. This is the body cavity which connects to the outer area of the floor:

5. I insulated behind the fridge and around the lower vehicle cavity areas. All joins between the cabinetry work have been sealed and to say it has made a positive difference is an understatement:

6. I've also added a second insulation barrier to the cupboard which is to the right of the fridge but I forgot to take a photo

If the weather is OK tomorrow then I'll start work on Phase-6 of the insulation plan

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[Minxy]

Andrew, have you taped and/or stuck the edges down or just left them as a snug fit?

 

[dutts303]

Some more bits
View attachment 148305

You’ve carpeted your shower?!? How very posh!

 

[Blue Knight]

Andrew, have you taped and/or stuck the edges down or just left them as a snug fit?

Hi Mel,

Yes, all stuck down and tucked in where necessary. It's a really good material to work with as in theory it's just a poshed-up roll of tinfoil with air bubbles.

I've used a silicon-type tape which Nicky managed to acquire. It has no stick when you touch it but when applied to the wrap or the floor/walls then it holds the wrap neatly in place. If I want to remove it then I pull it and it almost unsticks itself. I think it's used in schools for sticking things on the wall without damaging anything.

Sue @CamperSue mentioned that this is the thicker roll of the two types available (@4mm thick) but I wouldn't use anything less than this one or else the insulation properties will reduce significantly.

In some areas, like the van cavities, I've placed 3 layers of wrap and with the tape being almost 2mm thick that equates to 16mm of direct insulation or circa 200mm of the polystyrene equivalent.

If I get the time tomorrow then I'll wire in the 3rd hab battery (standalone AGM) and do some insulation jobs - I want to reinforce some of the protection to the internal pipework too as some of the primary distribution pipes have been threaded through the outer and lower inner skins of the van - and it gets bl○○dy cold down there.

Fingers crossed for some good weather

 

[Minxy]

All this hassle because they fitted a compressor fridge.

Yes and no, personally if we didn't do long-term off-site camping over cooler months then there may not be issues with power, those that use their campers differently may not have any issues.

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[Minxy]

If I get the time tomorrow then I'll wire in the 3rd hab battery (standalone AGM) and do some insulation jobs - I want to reinforce some of the protection to the internal pipework too as some of the primary distribution pipes have been threaded through the outer and lower inner skins of the van - and it gets bl○○dy cold down there.

Fingers crossed for some good weather

Where have you finally decided to put your 3rd battery?

 

[Minxy]

I've used a silicon-type tape which Nicky managed to acquire. It has no stick when you touch it but when applied to the wrap or the floor/walls then it holds the wrap neatly in place. If I want to remove it then I pull it and it almost unsticks itself. I think it's used in schools for sticking things on the wall without damaging anything.

Is this sort of tape you mean?

 

[Blue Knight]

Is it definitely the same battery? The terminals are at different ends.

Definelty the same Mel

 

[Blue Knight]

Is this sort of tape you mean?

That's the boy albeit the diameter of my rolls are 30cm across so they must be the industrial packs.

I wouldn't just use any tape and it's just by luck that Nicky came home with them - the company were going to chuck them in the bin.

 

[Blue Knight]

Where have you finally decided to put your 3rd battery?

Just behind the shower. I'll thread the cable under the floor and up behind the panel (just above the fridge), where I'll sink a 12v power socket for the Axtex.

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[Minxy]

Just behind the shower. I'll thread the cable under the floor and up behind the panel (just above the fridge), where I'll sink a 12v power socket for the Axtex.

... might get a bit soggy in there ... unless of course you want a power shower!

 

[Blue Knight]

A few more insulation jobs today.

I still need to purchase a 12v wall socket and a battery box so I've put the battery install on hold for a while.

1. Started with the water pipes:

2. Then the Truma compartment including the pipes and lower body cavities, plus the seat belt frames (which get very cold):

3. I then spent some time doing the seat housings where the bare metal and the hab floor meets the van (here is one of the pics I took as an example):

4. The final bit of the day was the fresh water tank. For this pic I removed the wood and then inserted four full length pieces of thermal wrap down the side to help compliment the insulation properties of 20mm-thick foam which is already in place (Note smaller strips are needed for the area above the wheel arch):

5. I then inserted small sections of thermal wrap into the areas of the plastic panelled wall which lies just above the tank and immediately below the window mounts:

6. I then wrapped the front and top of the fresh water tank with a 1.2m long single piece of material before cutting out the tank access points; i.e. for easy access in the future:

7. .... then replaced the wood ensuring that the screws were perfectly aligned before adding the thermal covers to the access points:

That's it for today.

 

[lorger]

@Blue Knight Andrew I may have missed it, did you use this insulation on the doors or something different.

I was thinking of getting a roll of the Thermal stuff from screwfix to do similar jobs as you.

 

[Blue Knight]

@Blue Knight Andrew I may have missed it, did you use this insulation on the doors or something different.

I was thinking of getting a roll of the Thermal stuff from screwfix to do similar jobs as you.

Morning

The pics, process and materials used are at post #388.

I stuffed the doors because in theory they become huge freezer cavities when the weather is cold outside and this transfers quickly to the cab via the bare metal.

You'll see from the pics in post #388 that the rear doors are complicated to line with a conventional thermal wrap but it can be done if you're prepared to spend a bit of time on the job.

I've used a bit less than 50% of the 10m-long roll but if you do go ahead and buy some then be sure to buy the {1.2m x 10m} roll and not the one measuring {0.6m x 10m}. The extra width gives you so much more flexibility for the bigger areas of the van.

.......so switch on the van radio and get cutting - it becomes quite therapeutic after a while

 

[Blue Knight]

Just small jobs for me today as I had (according to my wife) some grownup things to do.

1. My intention was to remove the wood surfaces on the near side of the van so that I could insulate the van cavity but after removing the first six securing screws I realised that I had not planned this properly.

Why?

........because I was attempting to remove the top of the gas locker which meant removing the six top screws; the eight lower screws (hidden under the surface), before finally breaking the entire gas seal - so I left it. (Pic below is with the six top mount screws loose):

2. I then removed and metal foot guard in the galley area which protects the pipework. I set about double lineing the inside of the guard with thermal wrap and then single lined the floor. This area really does chill the van so it's worth doing. Note: The guard protects the three water pipes; a single gas pipe and the 12v power line that supplies the water pump:

3. The next job was to remove the rest of the upper wood surface and test-fit the battery. I've only added the terminals, fuse, foam base, and the armoured wires which I then fed down to the floor before feeding it under the neighbouring locker and across the galley by securing it to the three water pipes:

Jobs tomorrow:

a. Insulate the near side body panels where accessible.

b. Double insulate the rear door pillars and the rear wall of the gas cabinet.

c. Finish the battery housing and insulate the cavity walls, plus feed the wires to the top of the fridge.

Not much progress today in all honesty.

Cheers,

Andrew

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[Blue Knight]

A couple of jobs today:

1. The gas locker - complete. I also did the new battery housing but I didn't take a pic:

2. This next job took all of five minutes and consisted of me cutting three strips of the spare 20mm 'Fiat' black foam which I had and then apply it as a layered block to help fill the gas pipe appertures.

This apperture leads directly to the wheel arch and as such it lets a huge draft through into the bedroom. (This has to be my best and easiest mod too date):

......more to come

 

[Blue Knight]

The next job of the day was to insulate the rear door pillars as I think you'll all concur that the 'sponge mod' was not that great

1. The 'sponge mod' albeit it's normally covered with carpet:

2. Door seal removal prep: Place two pieces of tape - one on the door seal and the other on the plastic panel ensuring that they're both aligned. Repeat this twice more at different distances up and down the rubber. The door seal, once removed, will drop several inches under its own weight so you'll need the tape markers to ensure that you put the rubber seal back in its original location without placing any undue stress on any other part of the seal:

3. Slacken the body panels so that the screws are displaced by 5mm max - do not remove them. This should help the thermal wrap sheets to penetrate the back end of the panel:

4. Remove the door seal from top-to-bottom and then insert your first thermal wrap sheet. I inserted two layers to maximise the insulation properties of the pillars:

5. Trim the excess but you don't have to be precise as the excess wrap will lock under the door seal when it is re-applied:

6. Realign the central tape marker first and then reinstate the rubber seal, ensuring that you work upwards and downwards from the center:

7. Add some extra insulation to the lower pillars; i.e. apply to the original felt insulation surface (This looks better than the original sponge mod):

8. I have carpeted my corners so reapply said carpet and then start on the off-side pillar:

......then go for a cup of tea

 

[CazPaul]

What a cracking job you have made of the door pillars Andrew, great stuff

 

[Blue Knight]

What a cracking job you have made of the door pillars Andrew, great stuff

Cheers Paul, much appreciated sir

Nicky gave me a tenner the other day so I can now buy you a coffee (and a cake).

 

[BreweryDave]

@Blue Knight I have to ask ( and not knocking anything, you’ve done a lovely job) but.........are you planning on touring the Arctic

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