Thread: Homestar's new home?

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
What sort of fuel tank did you use for the diesel heater?
I could not find a suitable place to mount the supplied tank and ended up getting one cu$tom made.
Cheers

I used a 10 litre plastic jerry can - I’ve drilled a hole in the lid that the line goes in. I have a spare lid so I can remove the jerry can take it to the servo and fill it up then put it back again. Will take some pics tonight if I get home in time.

Originally Posted by trout1105

That's a bit of a shame, the pull out awnings are so much more user friendly than the old ones that you have to feed through that slot on the van and then erect all those tent poles and bang in all those blasted pegs in to hold it down.
Maybe a shorter unit would look better on the van?
We have had a couple of old vans with the old style annex/awning on them and it was like WW3 when me and the missus had to put them up But I do think that they are more "Robust" than the modern pull out style awnings/annexes once they are finally erected.
Our new (To us) van has an electric push button awning so more time for "Drinkies" and a quiet chat at the end of the day and less time with "Annex Rage" like we did with the old van

Yeah, easy but ugly on a van my shape - a shorter unit would end up so short it wouldn’t cover the doorway and be only about 8 feet long so pretty pointless unfortunately. I can live with doing it the old fashioned way - we only generally use it if staying more than a few nights in one spot. Given that I have an old van because I like the look of them, I’m willing to sacrifice this I think. It still has some nice stuff in it because I’m soft, but nothing that effects the overall retro look.

Originally Posted by Homestar

Yeah, easy but ugly on a van my shape - a shorter unit would end up so short it wouldn’t cover the doorway and be only about 8 feet long so pretty pointless unfortunately. I can live with doing it the old fashioned way - we only generally use it if staying more than a few nights in one spot. Given that I have an old van because I like the look of them, I’m willing to sacrifice this I think. It still has some nice stuff in it because I’m soft, but nothing that effects the overall retro look.

I wouldn't be without ours but then we are not retro, or anything for that matter. Maybe a Fiama cassette type awning would be better suited. The legs fold into the cassette before closing so you don't have those big arms folded up against the side of the van like with some awnings. Just a thought...

Originally Posted by Milton477

I wouldn't be without ours but then we are not retro, or anything for that matter. Maybe a Fiama cassette type awning would be better suited. The legs fold into the cassette before closing so you don't have those big arms folded up against the side of the van like with some awnings. Just a thought...

It's not the legs that are the problem but the fact any fixed awning like that will stick out above the roofline at each end if I want it any longer than 6 to 8 feet. Was only a thought as I got this one for zip, but won't be spending any money pursuing the idea.

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
What sort of fuel tank did you use for the diesel heater?
I could not find a suitable place to mount the supplied tank and ended up getting one cu$tom made.
Cheers

Here's some pics.

First one shows where the tank lives - at the back of the cupboard where the heater lives. I'll be screwing a baton to the floor and using an occy strap to secure it.
Untitled by Gavin Gregory, on Flickr

Tank dragged out so you can see it. 2 tight fitting holes drilled in a spare cap - vent goes outslde the van. The tank has been there almost a week full of fuel and no diesel smells in the van. Holes are very tight around the line - they won't leak bugger all even when the van is being towed slopping the fuel around. Cap only needs one full turn from tight on to off so lines don't get tangled up.
Untitled by Gavin Gregory, on Flickr

Lastly with the cap removed - vent line only just goes in and the pickup all the way - have a bit of steel tube to attach to the line so it stays on the bottom and can maximise the fuel usage but still testing so that isn't done yet. Original cap is still on the tank on a strap so can pull it out, fit the original cap and trundle to the servo to fill it. 10 litre capacity, same as the OEM tank so plenty of hours of heat.
Untitled by Gavin Gregory, on Flickr

Cost me nothing as I had all of this lying around not being used which is why I went this way, but it's turned out to be a pretty good solution IMO. 👍😊

Hi,
Great idea for the tank.
Cheers

Down at Walkerville for the weekend. Right on the beach - rugged and rocky, bugger all sand - just the way I like it.

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So, after a couple of outings we've worked out that single beds just don't work for us, so decided to start on changing that today. Utilising all existing materials to make it look as factory as possible. Pic below is what it looks like with the singles before deconstruction. Will be a bit of a compromise as you'll see when it's done - while there will be plenty of room to walk down each side of the bed, there will be no room to get arpund the end of it, so stepping over it or sitting down and swinging your legs over will have to do. 1 more foot of van would have been ideal... 😁

Untitled by Gavin Gregory, on Flickr