I have been lurking for a long time but just joined up.
Bought a 2009 Pajero GLX diesel auto for chrissy
I have been researching building a Teardrop trailer from scratch for about a 6 months and had just come to the conclusion I need to learn how to weld after getting some quotes to make the base trailer. I am enrolled in TAFE for a 2 month course now.
my darling suggested we buy one of the Jayco Doves I was looking at and use it as I was muttering that they were too expensive to buy for the base trailer and scrap the superstructure. she also sweetly added that refurbishing it would be good practice for making the teardrop. She also wanted to get on the road before 2 years and thought a camper that was usable, albeit a bit rough was a good start.
so 2 weeks ago I became the owner of a mid 80's dove that was half (or less) refurbished.
pictures will be appearing in the build thread.
As a bit of a teaser - the roof has been replaced with a timber frame with rain proof shade cloth stretched over it. The roof was put on so it didn't lift enough to fit the door, and it has no seal to make it wind/water or dust proof when closed - about a 10mm gap all round. The sink plumbing hoses had been replaced with green garden hose that had been heated to stretch over brass fittings, and the plumber who looking at it for the gas certificate would only give me one after he had cut off the regulator and cooker and closed off the piping as the prior owner's work in "sorting the cooker" was so dodgy. i.e. he certified it had no gas! (He agreed to fix it back on once I got a cooker system that could be certified and was safe - the new cooker arrived last night)
That said - it has brand new canvas, a little stained by the grease they put on the lifters (which we are cleaning off - keeps coming back) and it is registered.
We have almost got it usable. which is good as we are planning to go to Goomburra for Australia day, even if we just use it to carry our tent!
More about me - I work in IT - I do cabinet making for a hobby and have a nice workshop set up for making sawdust - 2 bays of a 3 bay garage - My Darling insists on using the 3rd bay of the workshop for her car and complains it gets sawdust on it. None of the timber work holds any worries for me but I have been avidly reading about the electrics and about the trailer making on the forum. I now have all the bits needed to put an auxiliary battery in the Paj and a second one in the Dove.
We have a miniature poodle that will be going with us, so no National parks except when we get him babysat but with that caveat I look forward to seeing you on the road
