Not a massive update though, just a couple of things.
First off, as rain is forecast for tonight, I needed to seal the powered roof vent I started yesterday. This meant getting the ladder out again and climbing back up on to the roof. Doing that a lot more confidently now ;).
I started by taking everything back off, that I had fitted yesterday ! Sounds backward I know, but if I had been able to find some anti rust primer yesterday, I would have done all this then. As it was I finally found the kit that I got when I ordered the back two windows, it came with a bonding kit which included a Dinitrol black primer, I dont think there is anything better to treat bare metal, it gives good coverage, completely saturating the metal, and dries very quickly, enough to bond to if needed.
I dabbed it over the drilled screw holes too, none of those holes will be rusting in a hurry !
The next job once that had dried, which only took a few minutes, was to coat the plastic fan cowling with a layer of silicone, which I then placed the rubber O ring on to. This makes sure that the O ring had a good seal to the plastic, then I ran a bead of silicone directly on to the roof around the hole I had made. Now I have always been REALLY bad at using silicone sealer, I can never put the right amount on and it usually ends up with far too much and a real mess. Today wasnt going to be any different. I had forgotten to take some rag up with me to wipe the excess off with, so was using my fingers and wiping it on the foam floor tile that I was using under the ladder to stop it marking the roof.
It looks a bit of a mess, but it IS way up there on the roof, and wont really be noticed :P. Also, if you think about it, the more silicone thats up there, the more the rain water has to get through :). Hopefully, thats true and it wont leak, we shall see when it rains ;).
Looks well sealed to me, you should see the amount of silicone underneath that cowling ! So anyway, this is the cowling fitted back on, I also spread some silicone on the inside edge where the metal meets the plastic, and here I am just about to pop the fan unit on and fix back down. The power cable is fed through a hole in the cowling that ensures it passes by the fan blades without being in the way.
As you can see, I did give the metal roof panel a clean before I started too, the fan doesnt look too different in colour now :P. The whole roof needs a good clean, something I will do before I fit the solar panel in the next week or two. I think I will add some more sealer around the skylight too as the sealer on it is looking decidedly old and does leak slightly still.
This is a more solid looking photo from underneath, inside. You can see I gave the underneath a slight covering of primer too.
I will wait and make sure its all watertight, then I will make a tube from a strip of plastic to fill the gap and channel the air straight down. Then I need to make a rectangle out of the plastic sheeting to cover the hole left by the light I removed to put the fan in. Sorry if that doesnt sound clear, I know what I need to do in my head, you'll just have to wait for the pictures ;). It will look good in the end, I promise !
I left that job there for now, and went on to my bulkhead window problem. Behind the driving seat is a window in the metal bulkhead. Quite often when I am picking up dogs to take to our field, I have to pull in to driveways, meaning I then have to reverse off. This is not a problem, Nina has plenty of windows for me to see what is coming, the only problem is that the bulkhead window is so shiny, that all I can see through it is what happens to be in front of me ! The reflection of everything through the windscreen shows up in glorious technicolor behind me :P. My idea to get around this was to find some clear MATT film to stick over the window and reduce the glare.
Thats my neighbours garage across te road you can see in the window lol.
My friend Jamie works for Signs Express, and they use a clear laminate when making signs that is also MATT, so you can see their graphic signs underneath it without reflections. He managed to get some for me, so I thought I would have a go at applying it. I sprayed the window with a soapy solution to get rid of any dust etc, then started applying it. It was at this point my eyes went all funny and out of focus. Or did they......
Lol, no they were fine, Jamie had accidentally given me some frosting film, which is REALLY cool and gives an amazing effect, just not the one I wanted here :P.
There are definately no reflections ! :P. But also, not very clear to see through :). I texted Jamie and he is going to find some of the clear stuff for me :). Thanks Jamie !
Which brings me on to the next thing Jamie did. On Friday, I contacted Jamie very late on, asking him if he could make me some signs up, it was about half an hour before they shut for the weekend, so didnt think I would get them until this week, but as Jamie is a master sign maker within 20 minutes he had all that I had asked him for made up and ready to use ! He even took them home with him for me to pick up Saturday. Thanks Jamie. You are a star :).
What were the signs ?
Nina has always been registered as an Ambulance on her logbook, as are our other vehicles through our Animal Ambulance business. As Nina has always been earmarked as a rescue vehicle, and the past few weeks has stepped up as an Animal Ambulance after we sold one of our Ambulances, we decided that we should reinstate her as an Ambulance, or an Animal Ambulance.
To qualify as an Ambulance, the vehicle has to be fit for purpose, and display the word Ambulance on at least 3 sides.
Once converted to a camper, Nina will be used as an overnight rescue vehicle, meeting rescue dogs that come over to England from Ireland etc. When these dogs are taken in to care by the rescue, the hand overs usually take place in the early hours of the morning when the ferry transport is cheaper, the temperatures are cooler for the dogs and the roads quieter. Then may be used for longer trips transporting dogs to rescues/new homes etc as well as being used as an Ambulance in our own business.
Ambulances also qualify for free road tax, which really helps the budget out no end.
Before you stick some signs on your vehicle though, you need to take your vehicle to a DVLA office where they will inspect it, then send off the details where it will be decided whether your vehicle qualifies as fit for purpose and is signwritten within the guidelines and you have a good reason for wanting an Ambulance.
So these are Nina's new signs all fitted and proudly displaying her new status as an Ambulance again :).
Thats it for tonight, I always say its going to be a quick update and you end up with an essay :P.
Not sure what I'll be doing next, so much still to do, guess I'll just pick something and get on with it ;).
See ya soon !
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Gloucester
No comments:
Post a Comment