LCD-TV in the camper:

Transcription

1 LCD-TV in the camper: I wanted a TV in my camper to watch DVD s or for the kids when we are traveling. What I didn t want was to sacrifice a cupboard or another useful space. I got an AKAI TV-DVD combi which also works on 12V and has a reasonable size. It is fixed above the backward seat in the camper (Missouri ST). The mountingsystem is a simple construction of two wooden plates bolted together. The bars of the seat are in between the two plates (sandwiched) without modification to the bars. The TV is slightly tilted to give the TV the right viewing angle. 12V connection is made with a normal sigaretplug which can be plugged into the contact under the seat of the driver (next to the handbrake).

2 Cupboards can still be opened, there is no issue with getting in en out of the upper bed and the kids can watch their favorite film while daddy is driving. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in

3 Extra 230V connection point: The connection point for plugging in a 230V connection on a campsite is standard on the Missouri 635ST on the right side of the vehicle. This is also the side were the access door is and where you are likely to put your table and chairs when camping. I didn t find that very handy and I expected that it could lead to potentially dangerous situations whit small children. I decided that I wanted it on the other side of the camper, next to the watertank filling point. The cable is directly connected to the fusebox on the same contacts as the original one (parallel connection). The fusebox is situated in big wardrobe on the bottomshelve. The cable runs from there downwards to the cabinet with the Trumaboiler. From there it follows the warm air tubes through the garage and underneath the bathroom to the seat where the cleanwater tank is situated. To get the cable under the floor of the bathroom u used a strong wire (used to pull electrical wire through pipes in houses) which I pushed from the side of the watertank under the floor towards the garage. I had to do this a few times before I could pick it up from the garage side. After the cable was there I cut a hole in de side of the camper and installed the second connectionbox. Both connectionboxes are connected so I can chose which I will use when. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in

4 Cracks in the grey stickers: On my Missouri the stickers that give the camper their distinctive Karmann look were quit cracked. This was an ugly sight and I took them off. First tearing sticker in pieces by hand, but some glue still got stuck on the surface. I removed the glue with waterproof sandingpaper (grain 600 or higher) and a lot of water during sanding. It s not an easy job, and there is no way back! As replacement stickers I used carwrappingfoil I found one that had exactly the right color. Placing this foil neatly is not very easy, but using a little bit of water with dishwashingdetergent made life a lot easier. Now it looks nice again.

5 I even started with the back side of the camper as well because this sticker was also torn. I did the upper part of the back (the small grey stripes) but left the big middle section naked. Which I like better. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

6 A place for a campingtable: I needed a space to stow my campingtable away, but I didn t want to put it in the garage. The space behind the seat of the driver is big enough, but one of the seatbelts is in the way. I solved that problem by replacing the seatbelt to the inside of the backseat. The belt itself comes out of the space underneath the backseat through a slot in the wooden plate where the seatbelt first was mounted. You have to make the slot really smooth not to damage the belt!!! On the inside of the backseat you can use the same fixingpoint for the seatbelt as it was on before. Just turn the seatbeltdevice around. Now there is enough space to stow the table. I fixed the table with two straps, attached to the bars of the backseat, with Velcro. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

7 Window leakage: I had some problems with the side windows of the camper. Some times ther was water coming in and the seats would get wet. I didn t remove the complete window, like someone else on the forum describes, but I fixed the problem with siliconsealant. I put some on the sides and on top of the windows on the outside. Problem solved. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

8 Shoedrawer under the backseat: In the Missouri (ST) there was a small door under the backseat to use the space underneath the backseat. I didn t find this very handy and made a shoedrawer out of it. I made a long box with small wheels on the bottem and fixed that to the original door. The locking mechanism is still in place, but I had to cut the undersection of the plate of the seat to enable the drawer to roll in. To stop the drawer form rolling completely out (if the lock isn t secured and you are driving), I fixed a slightly higher plate to the back of the drawer. This will stop the drawer from coming out completely. Lifting the front of the drawer will get the drawer out completely if I want to.

9 There is a wooden beam fixed to the floor under the seat to guide the drawer. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

10 Rust under windshield rubbers: The front windshield is glued to the car body. Around the windshield is a rubber strip, probably for wind noise reduction or optical purposes. Under this rubber there is always dirt and moist, which results in rust spots around the windshield. To treat this problem I flipped the rubber strip out of its holding around the windshield. This is easily done with plastic tire spoons used for bicycle tires. Don t use metal ones, they damage the rubber. Gently pulling the rubber it will come easily loose from the windshield. You can completely remove the rubber form the windshield. After the removal of the rubber you can clean the area around the windscreen and treat any rust with an anti rust agent. Paint it again and then put the rubber back in its place using the tire spoons again. Start at the corners on top of the windscreen as they have to be at the exact same spot as before. To make things easier I used a washing-up liquid to slip the rubber back in its place.

11 I treated my VW Transporter (T4) in the same way. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in

12 Repairing the sinks of the bathroom: After ten years the plastic parts of my Missoury aren t that flexible any more. This resulted this summer in a broken sink of the wash basin. I saw that one coming because the plastic around the sink was already cracking up, but in my case the whole sink broke out in an instant when I wanted to put in a sinkplug. When I got back home I cut out the whole basin and used multiplexwood to make a replacement plate. I painted the wood with yacht laquer which is usually used to cover the wooden decks of yachts to give it it s waterresistance. Make sure to cover the whole plate, including the back sides.

13 After that I bought a replacement stainless steel basin and put that in the wooden plate. The plate is screwed to the original plastic cupboards from the underside, so there are no screws visible. All seams between the plates and de other parts are covered and filled with silicon sealant.

14 I had a similar problem with the showersink. This sink was also on the verge of breaking up. I used the shower only a couple of times, but it could give me quite some trouble if it was to break off. I got some normal household sink parts and they fitted quite good in the sink of the shower. The only thing was that the screw to hold the parts in their place didn t fit. I found a stainless steel bold (screw) which did and used that one.

15 The original grid (small round metal plate with holes) I left in place because it s holes are smaller than the new one. I don t want any problems with clothed pipes I hope the new parts will distribute the pressure more equally over the plastic parts and on other parts than the cracked ones. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

16 Repairing the Insect screen door: The plastic fastening point of the insect screen door was broken. Some pieces of the plastic broke off so the insect door could not be fastened on the outer door of the campervan. I completely removed the plastic parts in the middle of the door and replaced it by a sheet of (painted) aluminum. This sheet fits exactly in the upper and lower sliding rail in which the plastic part was before. The metal panel that was original in the door as part of the plastic system is still in place. The additional aluminum sheet can be slid back and forward to lock the screen door on the outer door. Additionally I added a normal doorknob tot the locking mechanism to use to shut the close the outer door (the silver doorknob on the lock). It is fastened inside the lock. If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in (*=@):

17 Make the passenger seat turnable: I wanted the passenger seat turnable so there is a little more private space to sit in the camper as the kids are coloring or playing on the table. Making the seat turnable isn t that hard. Turn mechanisms can be bought in several stores, but they are often made for the Mercedes Sprinter. This is (as you might know) the same car with a slightly different nose. The turningmechanism for the Sprinter will also fit in your VW LT (at least mine did). The problem is the plastic box that is behind the seat (Missouri ST). In this box is the inverter for the electrical circuits in the camper. Since all cables come from underneath the seat and run up between the right cabin door and the entrancedoor of the camper (to the control panel above the entrancedoor), it is easy to divert them. I made a small box of a sort of plywood as a new housing for the electrical devices. This box fits exactly in the small corner behind the seat on the right side of the cabin. I added some holes for ventilation at the top and the bottom of the box. I have this box for a couple of years now and never had any problems with overheating or anything. The box will get a little bit warmer than the rest of the cabin, but just a few degrees. Not enough to overheat or damage the equipment or other parts. Now there is enough leg space to sit comfortably in the turned seat.

18 If you have any questions about this modification, feel free to contact me. You can write in