Westy's Jayco Dove Build

[BigRAWesty]

So we now have lights..
All 3 draw about an amp..
Dont mind the patches.. the roof is being done after our trip..
Its not bright but is a nice warm white..
I used the crappy old 240v cable to pull through the 12v wire.
Each light has its own switch, but has a master switch just behind the sink.

You can also see the 12v outlets to the right of the stove. Simple cig socket and usb outlets with voltage gauge..

[mudnut]

With the softer springs it will feel a lot better behind the tow vehicle too. Must do the same to my trailer as it is a bit harsh. I have shown this thread to Mrs mudsane and she likes the idea of buying cheap and upgrading the van.

[BigRAWesty]

With the softer springs it will feel a lot better behind the tow vehicle too. Must do the same to my trailer as it is a bit harsh. I have shown this thread to Mrs mudsane and she likes the idea of buying cheap and upgrading the van.

Well the 1.5t leafs had no give. It was all un the tyres..
So only ran 30psi..
Now the 32's are at 40 and its softer still..
Probably should fit shocks but agaun not something tha is critical before we leave..

[Rossco]

Looks awsome kallen, do love my dove they are a good little unit. Did you make the chassis or buy it as a kit, do like the idea of a full new chassis. Same with mine had some rot in the back but luckily was contained, used a heap of silicon to try keep it dry. Was also worried about it being too harsh with new springs but isn't too bad actually.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

[Cuppa]

Home away from home!

A couple of things you may want to do to your water supply to save yourself possible grief somewhere out in the never never though..... based on personal experience.

I've used those black tanks suspended by metal straps as you have & suggest that you insert a sheet of ply or similar under each tank. The tanks are fine suspended like that on bitumen, but if suspended with just the straps on corrugated roads they will leak sooner or later. The weight of the water constantly pushes the bottom of the tank up & down & eventually they develop a leak in the middle of one end - a result of the plastic fatiguing. You would be most unlikely to have this happen during your forthcoming trip, but if you do enough corrugated kilometres it will happen eventually, & the chances of it happening when it's convenient are slim. Been there done that! Putting in a ply panel adds extra support under the entire tank & solves the problem, as well as protecting against damage from flying rocks.

I would also add some sort of protection to the water hose which may be damaged by flying rocks to save the possibility of pulling up for the night & finding you have lost your water. Assuming you have the two tanks connected it would be a good idea to have a tap between them if you haven't already done so. That way if one tank loses water you wont have lost it all if the tap is shut at the time. The new tank has drinking water hose on it, but the original doesn't. IF you get unwanted 'flavour' changing to all drinking water hose will help.

And one other thing which I'm confident you will have done, but I'm mentioning it for anyone else reading who might not think of it - use high tensile bolts to do up those tank retaining straps.
We lost all the water from one of our two tanks out in the WA goldfields, caused by 'corrugation fatigue & which cut short our time there as we had to go back to Perth to get a replacement tank (after numerous attempts at repairs had failed in Kalgoorlie). When I fitted a new tank (together with ply support sheets) I used standard bolts. They lasted for about 3 years until they let go whilst we were on a weekend away. This was in the bus & I was alerted by the sound of the 'north/south' metal straps scraping on the bitumen road & managed to pull up before the tank was damaged. Roadside repair meant draining the full tank & a LOT of hassle. Luckily we were not too far fom home. In a camper trailer chances are you wouldn't notice anything amiss until you pulled up somewhere.

Paint job looks better than the original & gives the whole shebang some individuality (& suits the Patrol nicely).

[Winnie]

Very nice westy. Love the little Jaycos and you've done real well with yours.

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[Maxhead]

Nice job Westy,I agree with Cupps, protect your water!
We had small leaks in some plastic hose elboews and front tap on the draw bar, all because of rocks. We had a rock tamer on the back of the Patrol but it did not stop tocks from hammering everything underneath.

I ended up puting shit loads of layers of electrical tape to protect the plastic elbows after I fixed them was a lighter and a screwdriver to close the cracks.

Metal ones for a win









...........on the road

[BigRAWesty]

Home away from home!

A couple of things you may want to do to your water supply to save yourself possible grief somewhere out in the never never though..... based on personal experience.

I've used those black tanks suspended by metal straps as you have & suggest that you insert a sheet of ply or similar under each tank. The tanks are fine suspended like that on bitumen, but if suspended with just the straps on corrugated roads they will leak sooner or later. The weight of the water constantly pushes the bottom of the tank up & down & eventually they develop a leak in the middle of one end - a result of the plastic fatiguing. You would be most unlikely to have this happen during your forthcoming trip, but if you do enough corrugated kilometres it will happen eventually, & the chances of it happening when it's convenient are slim. Been there done that! Putting in a ply panel adds extra support under the entire tank & solves the problem, as well as protecting against damage from flying rocks.

I would also add some sort of protection to the water hose which may be damaged by flying rocks to save the possibility of pulling up for the night & finding you have lost your water. Assuming you have the two tanks connected it would be a good idea to have a tap between them if you haven't already done so. That way if one tank loses water you wont have lost it all if the tap is shut at the time. The new tank has drinking water hose on it, but the original doesn't. IF you get unwanted 'flavour' changing to all drinking water hose will help.

And one other thing which I'm confident you will have done, but I'm mentioning it for anyone else reading who might not think of it - use high tensile bolts to do up those tank retaining straps.
We lost all the water from one of our two tanks out in the WA goldfields, caused by 'corrugation fatigue & which cut short our time there as we had to go back to Perth to get a replacement tank (after numerous attempts at repairs had failed in Kalgoorlie). When I fitted a new tank (together with ply support sheets) I used standard bolts. They lasted for about 3 years until they let go whilst we were on a weekend away. This was in the bus & I was alerted by the sound of the 'north/south' metal straps scraping on the bitumen road & managed to pull up before the tank was damaged. Roadside repair meant draining the full tank & a LOT of hassle. Luckily we were not too far fom home. In a camper trailer chances are you wouldn't notice anything amiss until you pulled up somewhere.

Paint job looks better than the original & gives the whole shebang some individuality (& suits the Patrol nicely).

Hey Cuppa.
Yea i love the colour. Funny thing though its the old gq colours flipped lol..

But i do have sheet metal gaurds made up which span nearly the width of the chassis, so tanks and all hoses are protected.

And yea i have taps on the out lines. Each tank has a seperate fill point.
And yea all high tensile bolts across the build.

Nice job Westy,I agree with Cupps, protect your water!
We had small leaks in some plastic hose elboews and front tap on the draw bar, all because of rocks. We had a rock tamer on the back of the Patrol but it did not stop tocks from hammering everything underneath.

I ended up puting shit loads of layers of electrical tape to protect the plastic elbows after I fixed them was a lighter and a screwdriver to close the cracks.

Metal ones for a win









...........on the road

Looks awsome kallen, do love my dove they are a good little unit. Did you make the chassis or buy it as a kit, do like the idea of a full new chassis. Same with mine had some rot in the back but luckily was contained, used a heap of silicon to try keep it dry. Was also worried about it being too harsh with new springs but isn't too bad actually.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

Yea mate made the full length chassis myself.
And the rear bar.
Dual wheel carrier and tripple jerry can holder..

[Plasnart]

I've got one word for you Westy: Love it!

Absolutely fantastic job mate.

[Clunk]

I've got one word for you Westy: Love it!

Absolutely fantastic job mate.

That's 6 words and some emojis