The Re-Birthing of she who is SAHARA! Part THREE.

Phase THREE - Where-ever I lay my hat....

In my minds eye.... I can see it all perfectly. Reality though.... now, she can be a bit of a kick in the teeth at times. Especially when you're a cheap cunt poor bastard like myself. And ESPECIALLY when you're trying to get rid of/sell a lot of excess shit you've acquired over the years and NOT amass more superfluous crap! 

So, what do I do straight up? Buy more shit of course.... Obviously, using primarily hand tools is going to make this whole conversion process a lot more painful, gonna need some more electrical tools. An electric sander and jigsaw should speed up the process. Plus a shitload of screws and brackets and bits and bobs. 

Anyhoo.... that's all a digression. First port of call was to find another cheap source of timber slats for the bed/bench. And after a lot of searching and sending messages I found the PERFECT thing. An old hardwood timber futon. Right length, right width, right amount of slats. Only missing two bolts, but as I'm planning on ripping it apart, I can deal with that.

'Proof of concept' thanks to a $25 timber futon

First step, well... after checking that I'm on the right track size-wise, is to carefully rip it all apart and see how/if it can be reconfigured into what I want. I mean, judging by the pic above, it should work.... right? My main concern was the weight. Not so much the overall weight of the timber used, Sahara, like all vans, is a bit light in the rear end. She needs a bit of 'junk in her trunk' for stability. No, it's more the weight of the sliding section that's playing on my mind. It needs to be strong and stable enough for two (?) people to lay on, but also light enough to slide in and out relatively easily. 

If you think upside-down, and fourth dimensionally....
you'll get the idea.

This part of the build actually played on my mind a fair bit. The weight factor I mean. And considering that much of Sahara's use is to be a everyday drive, I ALSO wanted to make my life even more difficult by designing the bed to be removable for times when I needed to use her as a van, and not a camper. So, the bed needs to be strong, usable and convertible PLUS needs to be easily removable if required. 

I ALSO wanted enough height and space between the legs at both ends of the main bed section so that I had enough room to slide in storage containers. Not that I'd theoretically need much storage for a long-weekend camping trip, but the way the World is now-a-days, anything could be possible in the not too distant future. Many nights were just spent in contemplation, just staring at my belly button, running different ideas and configurations through my head. As it is, I had to readjust the design on the fly a few times, and I'm expecting to have to readjust it again in the not too distant future.

The most difficult part, well that I found, was getting the width measurements juuuust right. The sliding slat section had to be long enough to stretch all the way to the passenger side storage box, but be short enough so as it wouldn't overhang too much when in the seat position. The main section had to be wide enough to be comfortable as a seat, but narrow enough not to be sticking out too far into the van area. BOTH sections needed to take into consideration that as part of the 'bed', when expanded in full, was to be about double bed width utilising the drivers side storage box as part of the base. And all of this needed to be done with a selection of pre-cut timber slats.

Yup.... I can't just go into this half assed. I gotta go in full assed.

Visualizing how it MIGHT work

Yeah.... THAT 'should' work

First stage, after the rough mock-up in the back of Sahara, was to make a box section for the main part of the bed. Now here, I got VERY fuckin' lucky. All the original holes, nuts and bolts from the futon base were already in perfect position. I just had to put that section back together. And at least I'd know it had a decent amount of stability and strength. I lost a tiny bit, height-wise, but not enough to be overly concerned about. 

Next, was a rough mock-up for the slats. I KNEW I had enough, but I still had to get them spaced out a decent distance apart to slide well and not rub against each other, but have them close enough so that the mattress wouldn't sag between the gaps. 

OK..... so I ended up eye-balling and guestimating this part. 

The legs were a bit of trial and error, and needed a bit of contemplation. Primary concern was of course, strength and stabily, once again. But they also needed to not add too much weight for ease of removing. As a bench, they needed to, potentially, hold the weight of 3-4 people. As a bed, they needed to, potentially, hold the weight of 2 people ahhhhhh..... having 'relations'. So, for the main 'bench' section, I went good ol' 2x4's. At a 300mm length, they didn't add too much to the weight. For the 'sliding' section, I went for smaller dimensions (from memory, 20x40mm) built in an elongated rectangular framework. I also added right angle brackets and aluminium cross braces to add a bit of strength horizontally. 

In the above pics, you'll notice 4 aluminium strips across the sliding slat section. Without them, when you're opening or closing the bed, it rattles like two skeleton fucking.... not a major hassle, but still annoying and a bit noisy. I had the aluminium floating around, so I added it to see it it would help the problem. Once I had 'proof of concept' I removed them and bought and added a single 3mm aluminium strap. I also cut up an old flexible cutting board, about 1mm thick, and staplegunned sections of it to the main frame so that the sliding slats had a smoother surface to run on. Once the mattress is on, and adding a little bit of weight, it's runs smoothly and quietly.

Next up, after refitting and drilling a couple of holes in the main section, was a good staining to get it all to kinda match. I think I went with Jarrah coloured stain as it was the closest to the colour of the futon slats. 

The holes? Oh, The main section is also attatched to the drivers side storage boxes with 2 wingnut bolts. If and when I need to remove the bed, all I have to do is take out the mattress, the sliding section, undo 2 wingnuts, remove the bolts and take out the main section. Takes all of like..... 10 minutes.

The Re-Birthing of she who is SAHARA! Part TWO.

Phase TWO - Just touching the sides....

This bit could be a little bit more.... problematic.

I mean, I know what I want to do, and how I want it to look.... but do I possess the skills required to bring it all to fruition? 

Of course I bloody do! Do you think I'm a total fuckin' idiot?

Don't answer that....

Vans, even due to their immense internal carrying capacity, are normally void of any decent storage space. On the inside, it's just a big.... hole, really. So, the initial plan is to have storage boxes down either side. Nothing too flash, we're going for practicalities here. A bed length of ply going down both sides from the back end, to level with the side door, encompassing the wheel wells. With places to stash tools and basic camping gear/first aid kit atc both fore and aft of said wheel wells. The drivers side boxes, if all goes to plan, will also form a part of the bed base. Theoretically, that'll get the slat bench/bed over to the side of the van, both giving me more stability as well as more storage space when the bed's not in use.

I'm guessing it might make working out the correct lengths of the slats interesting, but I'll worry about that when I get there.

Luckily, the top section of ply from the original set-up is the perfect length for a double bed. And the 'wing' panels from each side are the perfect width to make the dividers for each box. Guess I lucked out there.

I also got lucky with the metal bed frame that was in her initially being the size it is. Saved me having to buy some saw horses to use as a workbench.

Rough fitting and guestimations

The darker timber in the pic above was from me getting a bit over excited with adding some extra bracing to support the bench/bed. The idea is to have a wing-nutted bolt set-up to attach the main section of the bench/bed to the drivers side of the box. That way, when it's in use, the beds nice and sturdy 😉. 

It also looked kinda fucked up.

But, it all worked out in the end though. Turned out to be the perfect opportunity to give Jess another lesson in drill usage. This time, removing screws and not drilling out pop rivets.

Jess removing the screws from my fuck up.

In all honesty, the next few steps weren't REALLY that difficult. I just had to make sure that all the measurements were spot on, and all was pretty sweet. Although, I DID try to simplify things as much as possible for myself. Height of the boxes, 30 cms. Width of the boxes, 23 cms, which was the width of the timber I was working with. It was also the width of the wheel wells.... kinda handy. 

The main issues I had, was how to bolt/attatch all the timber framing to the body of the van. I mean, I aint no panel beater or mechanic, so I really have no idea as to what's where and where all the wires and fuel lines run. I DO know that there's a big tank full of petrol under the back end, so drilling was to be kept at an absolute minimum. 

After a lot of umming and ahhing, I decided to brace the internal corners of the main timber sections and dividers with 20x20 square DAR, and use big assed, solid shelf brackets to bolt the main side peices to the floor. Good thing Sahara was originally a comuter van, as there were a multitude of bolt holes where the seats were originally attatched. This gave them a decent amount of strentgh, plus the added bonus of being to have the DAR counter-sunk a few Mil to allow for the lids to fit kinda flush(ish)

Drivers side storage box.
HUGE assed brackets for strength and stability

Passenger side storage box, pre bolting down.

The end product, all stained and bolted down.

As you can see by the above pic, the left hand/passenger side lids don't fit exactly flush, but meh.... I can fix that later. It's not a HUGE issue. It was more noticable after a few coats of Teak stain. The two front sections of each side have a removable lid. The front left, near the side door, is going to store a First Aid kit and anything we might need in a hurry. The front right is for.... not sure yet, as it'll be tucked under the mattress. The middle sections, above the wheel wells, are screwed down. There's not much space under them, so it's kinda useless as storage. As for the back sections? The one on the left I kept open. That's going to be storage for a tool bag, jack and whatever. The right hand side is kinda framed in for loose items. Maybe a hatchet, rubber mallet, spare tent pegs, that sort of thing.

After it was all fitted and stained and bolted in, she looked kind of.... plain. Oh, I was happy enough with what I'd done with my limited skills, but she needed something. Grey roof, grey walls, grey curtains, teak stain.... but she needed a bit of colour. So me and Jess decided to sticker bomb whatever we could.

NOW, she's all purty!

A little bit of stickerbombing for colour

The Question is....

The Re-Birthing of she who is SAHARA! Part ONE.

Phase ONE - Gutting her like a pig....

Just like almost everyone else who's renovated a new house, or customised a new car, or even redesigned their own bedroom.... we all have one thing in common. We ain't happy with the Status Quo, and just HAVE to imprint our own artistic personality into what ever we own. 

And I'm no different.... albeit a bit less talented than most. 

When I first looked at Sahara, she was decked out for the previous owners lifestyle. This included storage area for FIVE Longboards. Something that's never going to be a part of my plans. They'd had it all professionally designed and fitted, including an all metal frame and shitloads of ply that was to come in VERY handy.

The big hole on the left - Longboard storage.
3/4 length slideout drawer on the right.

Small 10 yr old child for scale

Front section, including the 'kitchen' area.
Actually, this end is going to be reused.

I'd already had a rough idea of what/how/where I wanted to put into whatever van I ended up buying, so I initially saw the fittings inside of Sahara as cheap materials to reuse. It also gave me a good idea as to how much room I'd have to fit in my own design of bed/bench combo and separate kitchen area. One of the BIG selling points was the sliding side windows, with flyscreens AND blockout curtains for privacy. A big concern is the need for ventilation, especially during the night, and without the sliding windows I'd have needed to look into some kind of roof vents. Very costly, and Sahara's bloody tall enough as it is. Plus I'm trying to complete this project without having to worry about solar power and extra wiring.

Also, if you look closely at the above pics, you'll notice just how high the bed is sitting. This proved to be problematic when test driving.... and especially when reversing. Mainly cos I couldn't see jack shit out the back or side windows. Yes, I know there's bloody mirrors, but I'm old school. I like to be able to look over my shoulders. Plus being a motorbike rider.... I like to be able to see shit around me and vans are notorious for blind spots.

Just another reason for me wanting my setup to be relatively low.

Jess learning the basics

After removing all the bedding and table and stuff, I notice all the timber was pop-riveted to the metal frame. Oh God why?!?! There was like, TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND of the fuckers! Luckily, I had Jess with me that weekend and living with his Mum he's not really had much to do with drills and shit, so it was a great learning experience for him. 

Frame removed.
The heavy duty square framed area, front right corner,
is where the folding table slides in.
The plan is to cut across the frame in line with this
and use this 'kitchen' section separately.

After we got a lot of the excess weight off by removing some of the ply, the next step was to remove the four mounting bolts and try to remove the frame. Three came out relatively easily, but one... and there's ALWAYS one, proved to be a real bitch. It was the one closest to the surfboard storage area, so it was rusted in a bit. No problemo I thought. a bit of WD40 and a bit of time and elbow grease and she'll be sweet....

Nope....

She was just spinning her head in the hole. FUCK.... 

A bit of a crawl underneath showed the issue. A nut at the other end where-as the other three were threaded into the body. No biggie, I'll just reach under with one hand, reach over with the other and..... Can't see shit can I?

Once again.... luckily Jess was with me. He was able to guide my right hand with the socket wrench every time it slipped off while I held the nut in vice grips with my left. 

Now.... I say 'lucky' as he was 'there' maybe.... 60% of the time. Bloody typical of 10 yr old boys. Every time the socket would slip, I'd be like 'Jess?'. And he'd be all distracted with something else like a song on the radio or doing a 'Fortnight' dance. 

Bloody kids, gotta love 'em hey?

So anyway.... we got the four bolts out and I tried lifting the frame out. 

FUCK!!!! 

Didn't even budge!

No.... I can't be THAT heavy? Can it? Another try. Still nothing. Not even a tiny bit of movement.

So a grabbed a big assed 2x4 to act as a lever.... still nothin'.

Then I decided to use my brains and see if there was a 5th bolt somewhere.

Dickhead! 

After removing the 5th bolt, it slid out no problems. 

Just an empty shell.... plus the safe.... since removed.

$25 futon frame. Checking it'll fit.
Not that I'm using it all, primarily the slats,
and the dimensions are pretty close.

So now she sits, all empty and noisy to drive. But that's only a temporary issue. The plans for the side boxes are all drawn up and measured, got my hands on a cheap ass futon for the frame and slats and miscellaneous timber.... She's gonna be a sweet ride.

And her name is.... Sahara.

I dunno why, but all of my vehicles in the past - bikes, cars, pushbikes - items that are close to my heart, she's gotta have a name.... and for some reason, they're all female 

I dunno, maybe it's a bloke thing?

And more often than not, there's a long and winding path traveled to finally get to the end decision. 

My mind can work in mysterious ways at times. 

Take my last car - A Toyota Avalon. Pretty basic, pretty normal, nothing out of the ordinary. No mag wheels, no big V8, basic white in colour. Just a decent, everyday, family-type car. It took me quite a while to come up with a name that just... fit. Nothing I could think of seemed to suit her.

So, after about a week or so, I was just sitting there, contemplating my belly button, and it finally hit me.... 

Avalon....

Hmmmmm..... Roxy Music had a song called Avalon....

BINGO.... Roxy fits her perfectly!!!!

So, Roxy she was!

So, when I first looked at buying this van, the then owner told me they were calling her 'Captain Clunky'. 

The fuck is that shit? She deserves a classy name. Something befitting her wanderlust attitude. Something.... better. My initial thought was 'Matilda', as in Waltzing Matilda. Kinda fitting, A great old school Aussie tune. A song about swaggies (hobos) , running from the cops for stealin' a sheep.... but a bit tragic in the end.

Then again, maybe not.

Then on my way after doing all the paperwork to actually pick her up, Elvis's American Trilogy was going through my head for some reason. Now, growing up I used to LOVE this song. Well, I think it was more HOW Elvis Presley sung it, the passion and emotion you could feel. It was almost tangible, even coming through the speakers on an old, crappy tape deck. 

Hmmmm.... Dixie? That's a definite contender, even if it's a bit.... religiousy.

But still not 100%.... best keep pondering.

So today, I was out on the balcony having a ciggie, looking over where she was parked, but kinda staring out into space and trying to let my subconscious take over.

Hmmmm.... Toyota.... Ooooooh..... who founded the company?

Kiichiro Toyoda.... Ok.... nothing there. Kids? Did he have kids? Two sons.... bugger. STEEE-RIKE TWO!

His mother! He had to have one.... right? Which brings us too.... Tami Sahara. Hmmmm, nah, not Tami, not for a van at least. Sahara.... Ooooooh, that has posibilities.

So then I googles 'Sahara Nomad'

Tuareg - OK, that's been done!

BUT.... I did find the pic below connected to the article Tuaregs sexually free muslim women

The image behind the inspiration

HELLS YES!!!! That image! Those eyes! That.... attitude!

And so, 'Sahara; was born. Or re-born. Or discovered.

Told you my mind works in mysterious ways.

Plans are supposed to be fluid.... aren't they?

Soooooo, the ORIGINAL plan mentioned in my last two posts, I got a fever and Doing this my whole life, was to be patient. To wait a couple more months, keep an eye on van/camper van prices, and when I've withdrawn my 20K Superannuation, THEN buy a van.... I was guestimating around the 15K mark.

Yeah well, I kinda jumped the gun and pulled the trigger on the new van a few months early.

Butt fuck it! She's a bargain at 12.5K and drives like a dream.

In a few days, Great Spirit willing, I'll have my hands on a sweet 2001 Toyota HiAce Commuter Super LWB. High roof, 192000 ks on the clock, auto, compliance plated as a camper, sliding side windows with fly screens, custom black-out curtains, decked out with double bed and HUGE-ASSED sliding drawer (although I'll be stripping it out, remodeling, refitting and utilising what I can). Sure, she's got a few small issues, but nothing not easily fixed. A bit of a rattle in the exhaust, a few scratches down the side,  few small tears in the roof lining.... like I said....nothing huge.

Side View, as she is now

Back view, as she is now

Ideally over the next few months, me and my 10 yr old Jess are going to have bulk quality time together refitting it out. Storage boxes down the sides to cover the wheel wells, a removable slat bed that converts from a bench to a double bed, kitchen/stove storage with sliding drawers, fairy lights all over the ceiling.... it's gonna be soooooo pretty.

"Why re-do what's already done?", I hear you cry? Well, for starters, I didn't do it.... it's not 'MINE'. 

Secondly, with the mattress sitting so high it restricts visibility out the back. 

And thirdly, my design lowers the center of gravity significantly and allows for more headroom and potential light-weight storage up higher.

Kinda something along these lines

And the best part? In a couple of months I'll have ANOTHER 10K to spend on 'catching up' on other things that have fallen by the wayside these last 12-24 months plus get some extra hardware for the van such as a decent stereo, bull bar, maybe a CB radio as well. 

Life, although she's a bitch at times, can be pretty sweet as well.

Stay tuned all you 'Saints and Sinners', this is the pointy edge of the wedge.... the looking glass is coming back into focus.

It feels like I've been doing this my whole adult life....

Planning and waiting....

Waiting and planning.

Pre-planning EVERY crucial element, to the tiniest detail, but always lacking that final piece in the end to bring everything to fruition.

But now, at the risk of calling the "Oigles" onto myself, I THINK I might finally be on top of things.

In my last Blog entry, I spoke about the re-igniting of an old dream, to get a van and convert it into a camper. And it's been smoldering for quite a few years now. And, because of all this CV-19 shit, and the lockdowns, and the relaxing of rents and debts and the Australian Gubbermint handing out payments everywhere - especially early payouts of Superannuation.... I may have just cracked it! 

Patience Grasshopper

A LOT of catching up can be done with 20K!

I'm not looking to fit out some kick-ass, super camper. Nope, just a basic fit-out to head out on the weekends for two to four nights whenever I so desire. Ideally, I'd like a 4WD, LWB Delica. A bit more expensive up front, but less work and costs at the tail-end as it's already fitted out on the internal walls. And I LOVE the idea of having a swivel passenger seat. And the fact I'm not going to be worrying about solar panels or fridges or any of that 'Van Life' bullshit is going to keep the costs down. Plus I'm pretty confident in my wood working and problem solving skills to get most of it done myself.

Kinda also helps that I've already got a pretty extensive camping set-up as well. 

Plan B? I'm quite happy to get my hands on a decent LWB Toyota Hi-Ace van. Just as long as it's registered, runs well, the tranny isn't shot and the body is in decent shape.... just means I'll have to scrounge more free pine pallets to line the walls and work out some sort of cheap insulation. 

A ROUGH layout plan. Notice the lack of dimensions?
Well, that's kinda because I don't know what sized van I'll be getting yet

And Plan C? Well, if need be, I'll just start looking at other LWB vans available. Simple really.

Plan D.... yeah well, then I'll just say Fuck It and buy a car..... at least I've got all the camping gear and tents and shit.

Either way, I'll be able to get myself back out roadtrippin' and STILL be able to pay off my debts. 

For now, it's just a case of....

I got a fever, and the only prescription....

I gotta be one crazy motherfucker.... and I don't know it's just because of all this Covid-19 bullshit that's going around at the moment, or if I've just had the peace and quiet and time to reignite a smoldering dream....

To buy a van, and convert it into a Campervan....

Fuck, that get's me nervous just typing it. 

You that know me best are fully aware that even my best laid plans fail, normally due to lack of cash-flow, more often than not. I'll charge full bore into a project or something, hit a brick wall, bounce off, land in a heap all assholes and elbows, sit there on the cold, unforgiving ground to catch my thoughts.... and then charge back into the wall again.

Sometimes it takes me a while to realise that the only thing I'm getting is a headache. 

'Fuck This Shit' has ALWAYS been an option!

There's been a fire in my belly. One that's been burning for a while - travelling, writing, photography.... and it's unveiled itself in different ways, shapes, and forms throughout the years. My own book, websites, magazines, blogs, social media - I've done it all.

And now it's been reignited! 

All because someone ate a bat!!!!

Yup, IF I tread carefully, plan well, and work smart, I could be one of the few that comes out the other end of this 'Pandemic Lockdown' on top of my life and not struggling like I have in the past and like so many others will be in the future. 

That's a BIG call for someone who started out unemployed, broke and VERY uncertain of the future at the start of 2020, but no-one can accuse me of being a pessimist. 

I AM an opportunist though!

Stay tuned all you Saints and Sinners.

The ONLY way, is up!

MORE cowbell!