Red Sparrow..........

Bad news...my contract is not being extended past 23rd.  But at least I have earned enough for a window or two and maybe a water tank and shower.

A lesser spotted Red Sparrow

Battery Monitor..........

I bought a battery monitor and temp fitted it a while back.  Tonight I rewired it.  It is now fully working.  It is a Clipper BM-1 from Nasa Marine Ltd.  It cost £100 inc.  Now this sounds a lot of dosh, but to me money well spend.  Rigged up the Amp meter bit tonight(was having a blond moment on first fit) now shows the Amp being used.  So I am going around house turning things on just to see. :)  My main roof light(LED) uses .3A, charger for Eeeepc uses 2A, kitchen LED .3A,  tv booster and 300 watt inverter running a 42" tv 6.4A.

The tv did surprise me thought I thought it would be a lot higher.

Shit stabber alarm..........

Not done a lot, but I try to do at least one thing a day.  So tonight I have finally wired up this light with PIR which I mounted above door.  I only did this tonight as Max went inter attack mode when a 'doger' or 'shit stabber' was walking around lorry having a look.  That is one of the draw backs of 'wild camping'   But after 10 years I have come to accept as a fact of life.  But I still have no patience for them.  In this day and age of internet and mobile phones to arrange meets.

Re-con mission..........

Well I did not do any of the jobs I planned.  But I did find a laundrette and asda not far from my country retreat. Went shopping in Toolstation and picked up the wooden beams and enough cladding for rest of lorry ceilin.  So by next weekend should have ceiling all done and the start of garage re-built.

I don't how I will cope when it is all done.  Next project I suppose.

Oh and I did get a visit from the police(that's twice this week).

Planet Sterling..........

Planet Sterling is up and running and fully functioning.  Whoop Whoop!  I now know all about batteries/chargers/alternator and how to lift the bonnet.  It has been a momentous day,  I will sleep well tonight.

Planet Sterling...She is a thing of beauty!

My battery monitor tv is the dogs bollox.  £100 well spend.  It also tells you how long it will take to charge or discharge.  And the likle bar on right is a 0-100% of capacity.

In the morning I will get the tye-raps out. 

Not best photo but it shows the lower half of my fairy cupboard.  If I have time on Sunday I will finish the new door I have already started it a new lay-out with amongst other things, the hinges on other side.

Poets day..........

Well it national Piss Off Early Tomorrows Saturday day today.  So I decided I better to something constructive in the day light.  So I worked on charging system.  It is turning into a mission of epic proportions.  After un-wiring my re-wiring of the alternator outputs I now have the system nearly working with the Sterling A2B in line, the dash is live and engine starts. Whoop Whoop.  Then I noticed little picture of battery on dash computer and there is no life on planet Sterling.  So after some more reading I think the problem is my alternator - it needs a (+) feed to kick start it into life as there is no voltage on B1+ or B2+ with engine running.  So in the morning I will run yet another cable to the front and tap of the starter solenoid.  I will take some pics as well for the benefit of others.

At least I have some more knowledge now about automotive electrickery.  I have a good feeling that my charging system will be up and running in the morning after I have run cable.

Nothing new..........

Nothing new to report today.  I am getting more pissed off with this box, due to the amount of work I think will be needed to get it water tight.  The water that has leaked into the living area has turned to ice with no signs of thawing out.  So there is no point in even planning the job of insulating the floor.  Sometimes I just wish I had loads of money and just buy one of them American style rv's off the shelf as it were.  The water is accumulating at the bottom of the walls behind the ply I think this is coming from the roof, tracking down and collecting.  But I will have to wait until Saturday to poke around.  That's the problem with it being dark at 5pm.  I think next year I will try and head to Spain for the winter.

Under the bonnet..........

I looked under the bonnet today!  I had to go and ask how...it is easy...but when you have never done it.

I have been trying to fit a Sterling A2B charger.  In the instruction it is easy...but in the real world!  Just remove the alt 2 batt cable - plug in this magic box and run 2 patch cables, cable A to lorry batts and cable B to domestic batts.  Simples, er NO - there is no alt 2 lorry battery cable.  After disconnecting all but one big red cable, I fired up and checked voltage @ 28v so alt is working.  After following 'big red' I find it goes to started and there is small patch sharing connection going to B1+ terminal on alt, there is also cable going to dash(hidden) from terminal B2+.  So remove small patch and run a separate wire from B1+ to the 'Magic Box'.  Fuck all happens when I turn the key.  Bollox to it, I am a mechanic I use spanners, not all this electrickery.

Been thinking B1+ and B2+ are alternator outputs so logically if, loom cable from B2+ is moved down to the starter(thus being indirectly connected to lorry batts) and the terminal b2+ blanked off).  Leaving B1+ to connect to 'Magic Box' then all should work!?!  I also did some googling B1+ and B2+ are just outputs and there is no change in output voltage, according to spec sheets.

Have to wait till Saturday to try this.  Or do it by generator light, no sod it too cold - it's waited this long.  It's is going to be a long weekend as there is lots of jobs need doing.

Log burner cured..........

Not recent it happened in my lazy faze!

When I was giving up smoking I was shown pictures like this.  There WAS a mesh up top I think it was a spark arrestor.  This was blocked after 2 weeks of burning pallets!?!

We spent the day in Lincoln.........

It's a very nice city, even in the not so white any more snow.  I found out were my 2 favourite shops are Toolstation and Wicks.  First we went to toolstation to pick up some silicone to seal up box a draft excluder brush and some hooks.  Rather than dump my coat/overhauls/cloths on the floor or in the corner(doing my own house training now!).  Max loved charging around the industrial estate even though I poisoned him with my cooking.  How can such a small dog be filled with so much shit?  This was a good excuse for me to do a re-con mission and there are pallets stacked up every were.  Onto Wicks to collect the paint, a white gloss for the metal corners and joins of the box.  I might as well paint the rest of the box while I am at it.  There is also big sacks of sand and shingle just left outside(need some sand ya see).

I dare not risk parking in my country lay-bye, still too much white stuff, so spending the night at the weighbridge site.  Stopped in garage around corner and found they sell cole, milk, bread etc.  Also they have a tap mounted on wall outside.  So restocked.  Things are looking up, if you ignore the extra box sealing work and the back end make over.

I have been thinking..........

I have been looking at a Mercedes 814D LWB Minibus.

I think this would be perfect I could still load tools, motor bikes and heli's in the back.  Then after the garage/workshop I would partition of bedroom/bathroom and then have open plan lounge and kitchen at the front.  Most of the works pre done, so I could move straight in and do the work while living.  They are pre insulated, carpet trimmed and have sun roofs fitted with erby heater to boot.

The money I have spent so far converting lorry is not that bad as most of it is reusable.  The polystyrene can be used to insulate bus floor and partition walls.  With any surplus wood can be chopped up for heat.  The wood burner, shower tray, toilet, sink, water heater, batteries and charger will be reused.

Even now I am talking myself into getting the bus!  I think this lorry has served it purpose.  It allowed me to store my stuff while being sorted and some sold.  It has not cost me any money like poll tax, site fees etc.  But  I will loose some money when sell on as there is a caravan door and toilet door fitted in side.  But it will not be too bad I think. 

I will have to start saving up for a summer purchase I think.

Snow, water and rot..........

Well due to the snow they can't get the plane in hanger, so been on stand bye for 3 days now.  Had to dig the lorry out of snow twice now(not good when it's 7.5 ton)and found out today the thing is leaking like a sieve and the ply lining is soaking when in places and starting to rot.  Not sure weather to patch things up for now, sell it on next year and buy a minibus.  Or the other option is to finish the conversion.  I think I will be going for the minibus option as I spent today doing housework. It turns out I do not have that much stuff.  Most of my books I have collected over the years can be sold on, as I have a kindle.  My 42" tv well lets face it is pure luxury, but not often used(as I have to run generator).

My mane thoughts though is the rot, well pissed off!  That and the back end is getting a make over(more bloody work).  I have sold on the old kitchen worktop as it was too heavy and in process of replacing with 9mm ply.  The garage is going to be higher and going across the width.  The kitchen is going to be also going across width and being open plan with the lounge/bedroom.  By doing it this way then only the garage area will be cold and the heat from log burner will be able to cope with the extra and everything should be dry and cosy.  I still think that the tail lift is a bad idea because of the weight, you can see by the way the lorry sits.