Finishing my basic campervan build - Sage on Wheels ?

[mmKay]

Dropping this here real quick just to get started with some momentum. I've been procrastinating on building my camper van for over 3 years now and that's getting ridiculous. 

Remember : it's the single most strategic structural life change I can do as an introvert. 

For an introvert it's the equivalent of becoming a turtle : you carry your home on your back and are free to retreat whenever you want. 

I'll add more details soon. 

- Brainstorm to do list for next post - 

Edited January 4, 2022 by mmKay

[flume]

54 minutes ago, mmKay said:

Remember : it's the single most strategic structural life change I can do as an introvert. 

For an introvert it's the equivalent of becoming a turtle : you carry your home on your back and are free to retreat whenever you want. 

 Following!

[mmKay]

The very bare minimum I need to do to have it running and being usable :

• Purchase car battery ( FORTH ONE already ! Ridiculous) thats gonna be 'round 120€

Kind of my fault for leaving the proyect so often. It's okay but it stings. 

• Sandpaper the f*ing stinky glue from the wall panels. The carpet finish on the wood looks nice but I sprayed too much glue on wood that is not covered by the carpet and I intuit it's dangerous to be breathing in over long time. In fact I think I could have gotten some respiratory irritation last time. I wanted to buy a special mask for when I'd be using the glue but my dad talked me out of it lol. Anyways. My fault. Shouldn't care about spending 30€ for the sake of my lungs and my health wth. 

Just sandpaper it, or use some solvent. Ideally I'd do the whole thing over but it took me a while week to cut the wood in shape. Ew, too lazy for that atm. 

 

• Fix windshield leak . Smh my dad really bamboozled me on this one with his impatience. We were glueing it together and he rushed in without telling me resulting in an uneven finish with a leaky spot. Kinda tricky without the proper tools though ( the  big suction cups) 

Solution : buy that black polyurethane glue. Last time the van stinked for a week after applying it. Ew. Price : less than 10 bucks. 

• Fix possible roof leak spots after removing the roof rack  with some car putty paste. 

 

• Plug in that new fat fuse to the fuse box ( fuse 112 or whatever the numbert is) 

Super easy. 

• Need to pay the insurance ( talk with my dad)  that's gonna be like 300€. If I was going to do it on my own it would be 1500€. Ridiculous. 

 

• Get the appointment for the ITV ( Spanish MOT)  

40 bucks + pray it goes through as I've removed the van's bulhead. 

I just found out cars in 'Murica don't need to pass a yearly mechanical inspection. 

That's nuts. But I'm not surprised. ??

 

Additional things:

• Fix the rear view mirror and both of the side mirrors. It's a miracle they're still attached. The left one i actually shoulder-bumped football? style passing nearby the van some time ago. RIP mirror. 

That's 50€ from what I've just googled. 

• Find at least a driver seat. Mine is donezo. DIY = 150€ ( ish) . Bought = anywhere from 100€ to 500€. Ridiculous considering I had purchased the van for 250€. But yeah that was just a good bargain. 
• Tint rear windshield. 100€ or DIY with dad. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by mmKay

[mmKay]

In retrospect it's just some effort over time and throwing some money at the problem. 

I see it very possible to have it running soon. 

Having a cool build inside is another story. I plan going very minimal at the beginning so I get a feel of what I'd like inside and how / where would I'd like to have the furniture or whatever. 

My very minimal essentials: 

• Desk or somewhere to be using my laptop in a comfy way. Can be foldable. 
• Somewhere to sleep ( can be a sleeping bag on a memory foam just to start with something. 

[mmKay]

Post checkmarks for accomplished tasks!! 

✅

[mmKay]

Mimimal babystep for today : sandpaper the excess glue from the panels and make proper holes to screw them into the walls. 

[Michael569]

You should document that journey on YouTube should make for a neat video journal. And name your channel Sageonwheels I love that ?

[mmKay]

@Michael569 Cool idea man. Let's make it happen. 

[mmKay]

5 hours ago, mmKay said:

Mimimal babystep for today : sandpaper the excess glue from the panels and make proper holes to screw them into the walls. 

60% done with this. I burned my bread in the oven and i poked my hand with a screw a few times. I'm bleeding a little but it's gonna be worth it.

I'm kinda salty cause the sand paper didn't remove as much glue as I'd like it to and I didn't think about using BOTH acetone and sandpaper. Funny thing is i said id use some solvent and I instantly forgot. Most likely ill do the acetone later. 

 

But overall I'm glad I've overcome the resistance of re-taking this project and this public journal definitely helped. 

[mmKay]

8 hours ago, mmKay said:

Mimimal babystep for today : sandpaper the excess glue from the panels and make proper holes to screw them into the walls. 

i love how i called that " minimal babystep " . I severely underestimated how long it's going to take me ( again, as with the whole proyect -roflmao )

8 hours later of non-stop labor im 80% done with fixing the glue mess that I left last time. I'm still kind of concerned of the potentail health risks but fk it.

 

For anyone wondering what am I talking about and wants a bit more of a visual explanation , this is what I did : 

Problem is that i sprayed too much glue on the back of the plywood ( where there is no carpet ) and now it's just sticking there onto nothing, and I'm worried that It may be a health hazard if I'm sitting in the van for hours and nights at a time and just breathing those fumes in.

Sounds dangerous if you ask me, but I did my best to sandpaper most of it and I used acetone as a solvent for whatever was left. It's 70% gone I'd say.

Ideally I'd do everything all over ( I'd lose about 250 bucks ) , but it's not even about the money. It's just like a extra week of full time work  smh.

 

EDIT : it may seem that I'm constantly pissed or something but it's just that carpentry  and DIY overall gets the best of me.

I'm all zen 364 days of the year besides when I need to roll up my sleeves to fix something and it doesn't go my way. Then I unleash hell on that screwdriver.

Edited January 5, 2022 by mmKay

[mmKay]

TO DO LIST and TO DO FOR TODAY

 

Post checkmarks for accomplished tasks ✅ !! Quote this post as a TO DO LIST !!

 

 

 - I have to work 13-16 and 19-24. I woke up 7 AM and have time to plan. ( God bless magnesium suppllements, cuts my sleeping 2 hours )

• Finish off cleaning the glue mess with sandpaper and acetone.
• When I leave work at 16 go to Leroy Merlin and purchase some rigit plastic plates ( take measures for roof piece first ) . Glue the carpet on it , do the measures for the screws etc. + remember to pick up the amazon order on the way back home.
• Order the side mirrors for the car. ( 60€ for both on Amazon . Got that Amazon prime for 3 bucks. yasss)
• Be on the lookout for a second hand Driver's seat. Mine is donezo. I'll probably don't even use the passanger one. I'll just leave it at home when I go travelling. If you want me to drive you somewhere bad luck lol.

• Tint rear windshield. 100€ or DIY with dad. 

• Purchase car battery

• Fix windshield leak  ( do I have the glue already or I need to buy ?)

• Fix possible roof leak spots

• Paint the roof white with a spray ( the whole van is fresh painted besides the roof )

• Plug in that new fat fuse to the fuse box - see if it works . Clip the plastics back in.

• Need to pay the insurance . Fix paperwork

• ITV ( spanish MOT ). Get appointment.

• Tint rear windshield. 100€ or DIY with dad. 

• Order more carpet on E-bay. How much? what color? Should I carpet the Driver cabin floor ?

• Carpet Wheel arches + Inside blinker covers.

• Look for new plastics for the doors + fix screeching windows. (  Wallapop, Facebook marketplace, Milanuncios, Scrapeyard, Original volkswagen shop... )

• look up quality seat cover.

• Paint the bumpers with the bumper paint ( if it works, cool. If not, buy new bumpers. )

• Buy a bottle of Raptor truck liner for a cool bumper finish? + paint the rims ?

• brainstorm ventilation options. Floor ventilation, wheelarch ventilation, etc.

• Fix Driver cabin insulation with the leftover Kaiflex material. Insulate the inside of both doors as well.

• Fix rear mirror 

• Fix Ignition + repair the key. It's so worn out I'm worried it may snap. 

• Brainstorm cool easy functional interior designs.

• Invest 30 bucks in a mask for when I'm glueing the carpet inside the van.

Edited January 6, 2022 by mmKay

[mmKay]

REALISTIC TO DO LIST FOR TODAY. 

Post checkmarks for accomplished tasks!! 

✅

 

2 minutes ago, mmKay said:

• Finish off cleaning the glue mess with sandpaper and acetone.
• When I leave work at 16 go to Leroy Merlin and purchase some rigit plastic plates ( take measures for roof piece first ) . Glue the carpet on it , do the measures for the screws etc. + remember to pick up the amazon order on the way back home. WTF are shops even open or is it a holyday???
• Order the side mirrors for the car. ( 60€ for both on Amazon .)

 

3 minutes ago, mmKay said:

• Order more carpet on E-bay. How much? what color? Should I carpet the Driver cabin floor ?

• Carpet Wheel arches + Inside blinker covers.

 

[mmKay]

I'mma need some quality Drill bit. Use the yellow drill with a cable . The battery one is WEAK SAUCE.

I f*cking CBA struggling till the point of fainting  do minimal holes in the walls . Happened too often already,

Edited January 6, 2022 by mmKay

[mmKay]

4 hours ago, mmKay said:

• Finish off cleaning the glue mess with sandpaper and acetone.

✅
Took me a day and a half. And various cuts on my hand ;/

[mmKay]

10 hours ago, mmKay said:

• ✅   Finish off cleaning the glue mess with sandpaper and acetone.  
• ❌ Shops were closed today cause it's holiday . - - - -  When I leave work at 16 go to Leroy Merlin and purchase some rigit plastic plates ( take measures for roof piece first ) . Glue the carpet on it , do the measures for the screws etc.
• ✅ I didnt forget. nice . ---  + remember to pick up the amazon order on the way back home. WTF are shops even open or is it a holyday???
• ❌ Check in the physical store. Do not order online  - - -   Order the side mirrors for the car. ( 60€ for both on Amazon .)

 

10 hours ago, mmKay said:

• Haven't had time for this, I did put effort in today though. ❌ --- Order more carpet on E-bay. How much? what color? Should I carpet the Driver cabin floor ? 

• ✅❌  40% done. I didn't have more time.   --- Carpet Wheel arches + Inside blinker covers.

 

[mmKay]

Before sleep plan for next day. Keep pocket journal with to do checklist like I did today. Really helps productivity.

It's interesting how frustrated I get with DIY stuff. May have some shadow burried in there .

[mmKay]

1. Some stuff for tomorrow:

• go to Leroy Merlin and purchase some rigit plastic plates ( take measures for roof piece first ) . Glue the carpet on it , do the measures for the screws etc. Buy glue for the whindshield? New drill bit? Mask for when I'm spraying glu
• Order the side mirrors for the car. 60€ for both on Amazon . CALL THE SHOP or walk into it after coming back from Leroy Merlin. Store opens 8 AM,
• Order more carpet on E-bay. How much? what color? Should I carpet the Driver cabin floor ? 
• Carpet Wheel arches + Inside blinker covers. - I already did some of this but I'm not completely happy with the finish and I did get somewhat mad and irritated. It's okay though.

[mmKay]

On 5/1/2022 at 10:35 AM, mmKay said:

✅ Buy glue for the whindshield? ( I just found the one I had laying around) 

On 5/1/2022 at 10:35 AM, mmKay said:

✅Carpet Wheel arches + Inside blinker covers

Done. Took me 2 days and im 80% sattisfied with the result

[mmKay]

13 hours ago, mmKay said:

• Order more carpet on E-bay. How much? what color? Should I carpet the Driver cabin floor ? 

Ordered extra carpet  ( same color ) ✅

I just winged it. I CBA micro optimizing and measuring to save 15-25 bucks. I'll just deal with having a little too much carpet. I'm okay with potentially having wasted 20 bucks.

I went with the same anthracite color. Estimated delivery date : 18 / 19 January ( in 11-12 days. Basically two weeks )  Expect it to be here next tuesday, not this one .

I want to get a physical calendar . I feel like it will help me to zoom out from the day to day grind.

[mmKay]

When I'm confused or undecisive, it helps me to remind myself that this is just the first version of my conversion, and that I'm learning a lot during the process and that my next conversion will be even better, and the next one even better.

I'm learning from my mistakes and I'm discovering more clearly what I want and wat I dont want.

I imagine that I can have dream van, with all the feats that I desire.

It's a little bit of a stab in the ego because I'm really trying , and when I see the result that I've materialized with my best effort and I'm not satisfied with it, it makes me feel a bit incompetent.

⬆⬆⬆

19 hours ago, mmKay said:

It's interesting how frustrated I get with DIY stuff. May have some shadow burried in there .

There we go. Found one of the reasons