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Motorhome Construction Diary Index
Wothahellizat 1: Construction Diaries

NOTE:
This project is dedicated to my personal maxim

If a job's worth doing, it's worth over doing.

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This is the story of the building of our motor home, a vehicle that allows us to drive to some of Australia's least accessible places and spend enough time there to get the good photos.
Diary #36 10 Apr 01 to 11 Apr 01
  • We leave the rally and stay with fellow WORT owners Steve and Jill.
Diary #35 05 Apr 01 to 07 Apr 01
  • We are interviewed by Paul Clitheroe from "Money".
  • Some general musings about the rally.
  • We get mobbed on open day
Diary #34 30 Mar 01 to 02 Apr 01
  • We frantically try to get the truck presentable for the Griffith rally and have a small drama on the way there.
Diary #33 10 Feb 01 to 23 Mar 01
  • The truck gets a name.
  • We go to Wee Jasper with the Canberra chapter.
  • The balloons fly while we prepare the rig for Griffith.
  • The Marnie's pay a visit in their 4x4 Bedford.
Diary #32 2 Jan-01 to 12 Jan-01
  • We go for our first shakedown trip. The truck causes a stir wherever we go.
Diary #31 27 Dec 00 to 28 Dec 00
  • All sorts of things finished in readiness for our first outing.
  • New photos, some old one improved.
Diary #30 8-Nov 00 to 20-Nov 00
  • Construction of the pop-top roof.
  • Pics of the whole roof, nearly finished.
  • The truck hits the road for a day.
Diary #29 2 Sep 00 to 15 Sep 00
  • More talk about fuses.
  • A winch is added to raise and lower the deck.
Diary #28 7 Aug 00 to 18 Aug 00
  • An accident with some jumper leads causes me to think about fuses.
  • Some shots of the interior showing the start of the fitout.
Diary #27 2 Jul 00 to 25 Jul 00
  • A brief musing about "doing it".
  • Battens, insulation and wiring installed in the bedroom.
Diary #26 28 May 00 to 15 June 00
  • The deck is finished, a description of how it works.
  • 9 Aug 00 photos added
Diary #25 17 Feb 00 to 11 Apr 00
  • The houses go on the market.
  • A few shots of the nearly complete cladding.
  • We move into the workshop.
Diary #24 5 Feb 00 to 15 Feb 00
  • We start the GARP program.
  • Some photos showing the mounting of a panel using the VHB tape.
  • The cladding is mostly done so I take the beast out to test the body mounts.
Diary #23 10 Jan 00 to 16 Jan 00
  • The entry steps are built and the cladding begins.
  • I describe a method of attaching the cladding using VHB double Sided tape.
Diary #22 20 Dec 99 to 7 Jan 00
  • I get my 15 minutes of fame.
  • Some photos of the pop-top.
Diary #21 28 Sep 99 to 16 Dec 99
  • I turn traitor and re-enter the rat race, albeit very briefly.
  • The water tank hangers are made, not without a small drama.
  • The monster awakes.
Diary #20 23 Sep 99 to 21-Oct 99
  • I quit my job and get a timely reminder that I've done the right thing.
  • Not much happening on the construction front but we attend the CMCA Forbes rally.
Diary #19 16 Aug 99 to 20 Sep 99
  • We visit some friends and are graphically reminded of the dangers of motor bikes.
  • The truck shows off at a 4x4 show.
Diary #18 2 Aug 99 to 15 Aug99
Diary #17 22 July 99 to 31 July 99
  • General babbling about going full-time.
  • My design appears justified after hearing from a friend about his recent trip.
Diary #16 20 July 99
  • The main framework is up.
Diary #15 11 June 99
  • The Townsville rally.
Diary #14 24 May 99 to 27 May 99
  • Some tips about slinging large items from a chain block.
  • I start finally the building of the body.
Diary #13 22 May 99 to 23 May 99
  • Problems getting the rear body mount to fit onto the chassis.
  • 11 Jun 99, New photos added.
Diary #12 20 May 99
  • Tips on drilling a truck chassis. Mounting the fuel tanks.
  • 11 Jun 99, New photos added.
Diary #11 19 May 99
  • I start building the body mounts. This entry covers the front mounts.
  • 11 Jun 99, New photo added.
Diary #10 24 Apr 99
  • Analysis of the chassis twist causes a slight design change.
Diary #9 14 Apr 99
  • We try the truck out on some rough(ish) stuff to measure the chassis twist.
Diary #8 20 Feb 99 to 2 Apr 99
  • General ramblings, the truck goes for a drive, some upholstery tips.
Diary #7 3 Feb 99 to 8 Feb 99
  • The engine cutoff cable fails so I add a solenoid actuator to shut the motor off. We attend a CMCA rally.
Diary #6 15 Jan 99 to 30 Jan 99
  • I build a new bull bar and I discover the joy of hammer tone painting.
Diary #5 4 Dec 98 to 30 Dec 98
  • We go for a drive to Goulburn and ditch the old tray. Old manual hand brake replaced with an air operated Maxi brake.
Diary #4 9 Sep 98 to 30-Nov 98
  • The back of the cab is removed, fuel tanks found and cab sprayed. Wiring removed and replaced.
Diary #3 20 Jul 98 to 15 Aug 98
  • I get my heavy rigid license. The truck moves into a rented workshop. I start to dismantle the cab.
Diary #2 Nov 97 to 28 Jun 98
  • The search for a suitable truck begins. We find one and have the engine replaced and chassis stretched.
In the beginning July 97
  • We are camping at Carnarvon Gorge and decided that this is the life.

 

 





 


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