Gunter L'il Standy Build

[bdosborn]

Awesome build, I like your woodworking skills. I've been hanging around the van building forum and those guys aren't as good as what I'm seeing on your build.
Bruce

[Mark Gunter]

Thanks, bd!

In another life, I had a little cabinet shop where we built high-end custom furniture and fabricated some architectural Millwork, but my business’s main specialty was repairing, finishing, maintaining & refinishing architectural millwork in high rise buildings in Dallas. I acquired some building and woodworking skills, but I’m not stressing over perfection in this build, just making things functional and pretty to please the Mrs. and me.

I built out a van a few years ago when I was single, and didn’t make it nearly this pretty. But this build has plenty of mistakes incorporated, lol. A big part of my business has always been to make things look good, no matter whether things are “just right” or not. If you can make it look good, you’re the well paid hero lol.

[Mark Gunter]

That’s a mighty impressive van build you’re doing, bd!

[bdosborn]

Thanks Mark! We just got back from a 2 day road trip and the van makes it so much easier than we're used to.
Bruce

[Mark Gunter]

That’s awesome. I can’t wait to test this little camper in the wild. I feel like I’m two months behind now, and there’s so much more to be done. Hopefully we’ll at least get some summer camping done, looks like Spring will be gone long before I’m ready.

[Bezoar]

Looking great - don't forget us when you snap some new pics!!

[Mark Gunter]

Here's another update ...

With a cramped workspace, plenty of rain, no decent table saw or workbenches, it took quite a while to make our cabinet doors. I just used 1x3 pine for stiles and rails attached to 1/8 plywood. Once finished, I painted them according to our color scheme and went about installing them once the paint was dry.

I first put the stiles and rails together with glue and wavy fasteners while clamped together and clamped to a flat piece of 1/2" baltic birch, then milled the edges inside & out with a 1/4" round-over bit once the glue was set. Then I attached them to the 1/8" plywood panel and re-clamped to the flat bb panel to let them set up.

Once ready, I measured and marked for the hinges and door pulls and installed the hardware. Then I clamped a straight 1x4 across the bottom of the cabinet to align the doors in a row while I screwed in the hinges. Satisfied with that, I removed all the hardware and painted.

While the doors were drying, I installed more moldings in the cabin and rounded over the bottom edge of the cabinet face with a 3/8" round-over bit and painted the cabinet.

Then came time to install the doors, so back on with the hardware and hung the doors. Next I installed the roller latches, and used tape with a square and pencil to mark their position. I could then close a door, mark and measure the coordinates to install the latch on the door.











I finished the lid on the starboard side wheel cover cabinet, and took the opportunity to repaint the port side cabinet lids as well.







Bulkhead, with a lot of junk in the background.



All the junk you see piled in this shop belongs to the pack rat landlord I'm renting my space from, by the way. But a few items in the forefront are mine: solar panels, etc.

Here's a shot of the aluminum trim that will go on the sidewall of the hatch; this trim will receive my weatherstrip. I am countersinking the existing holes.



I started with a 1/4" plywood pattern for the shape of my ribs, just getting started in this pic.



In this next pic I'm machining the top part of hurricane hinge for screws.





And here it is installed



I've been busy making ribs too, and reading in the forum about hatches, la da di, la da da.

Then I had to halt my hatch door project for a day, yesterday, to do a little bondo work and paint work that needed done before I proceed with the hatch.





And that brings us to today!



Next up: The scariest part! Building a big hatch door! Will it work? Will it fit? Will it seal? Time will tell ...

[bdosborn]

That wire chase is a great idea!
Bruce

[TimC]

That wire chase is a great idea!
Bruce

Yes, brilliant. I might have to incorporate that in my next TD.

[Mark Gunter]

It’s a result of my worrying, at least I can get to that main run of wires. Unfortunately, I used little retainers on the wires across the walls and ceilings after they left the chase, so it won’t really be possible to easily pull a wire if the problem lies elsewhere. I’m still glad I did the main run this way.

[Mark Gunter]

Just a very quick update on my build.

I completed the hatch door a couple weeks ago, it was by far the most stressful part of the build. I haven’t weighed it nor ordered the gas struts for it yet.

Not long after, I finally moved the camper out of the shop and drove with about 15 miles, it pulled very nicely.

Since then, it’s lived just outside the shop door and I’ve been busy building out the galley. First thing I did, though, once it came outside, was to install the Maxxair fan and the cable gland for my solar cables in order to keep the weather out. It rained 3 inches the next day, and the galley area and cabin remained bone dry. That was a big stress relief.

Pics to come soon.

[featherliteCT1]

Beautiful work!

[Mark Gunter]

Thanks Featherlite!

[Mark Gunter]

No pics, didn't happen, so ... my pics left off as I was preparing to build my hatch door, here it is in progress.

First, the frame & ribs went up in place







Then, the 1/4" ply skin





Then the canvas skin





Then I took it out to fold the canvas around the sealing edge, and painted





Meanwhile, I installed the black aluminum trim and D seals.
Afterward, it was permanently installed and a few more coats of paint.



Went to work in tight quarters to insulate it



Got my latches installed



Tight quarters installing the inside 1/4" skin



Opened her up and trimmed edges with router







Finished skinning the bottom and added a rail across the bottom, I guess it's a "prop rail" for now since I haven't order the struts yet.



"Cleaned up" my act for the umpteenth time



Wrangling wires for the galley



Installing galley wall to bulkhead





After this, I decided it's time to move it out of the shop. Once out, I had to take a drive to see how this top-heavy monstrosity pulls down the road. I made a 15 - 20 mile round trip with a couple of stops, and was surprised at how easily it pulls. Took pics at the Dollar General parking lot.









Since then I've begun on the galley.

In the lower cavity on the right will live a 12v refrigerator that used to live in my van for boondocking. On the counter directly above it will be the a/c refrigerator that came from the sacrificial popup, feshly painted red to match my new stove/oven.





I built a slanted rack for holding four camp dishes (plates)





Figuring out a face frame piece for the electronics



Water pump from sacrificial popup



Lower face frames going in





A pull out cutting board for extra space



I thought I had more pics of the galley progress but have to wait, I guess. I got a little more accomplished, then had to go to Chicago on business. More to come soon!

[bdosborn]

Nice! Are you officially dried in and ready for weather? Seems like its time to camp if you are...
Bruce