Top Tips for Monocoque Autosleepers Forums

jabber

Hi Mike,

It is a glass mirror 12" x 18" Bevelled edges about £14 from B&Q. Only has two fixing holes. I have fitted the same to my last two caravans and it seems to make them look bigger when you go in through the door as well as their normal use.

Hope this helps!

John Cool

spykal · Moderator

Hi All

Thanks Jabber for the information on the mirror.

One Autosleeper owner I have met was very proud to show me the 32 modifications that he had made to his van, I think he had made modifying his van into a hobby in its own right Wink

. I did not mind, I have used some of the ideas already and am now working on my own variation of some of the others. One of his good ideas was to have made a couple of very small round table tops, in fact I think he said that he had bought them ready cut at B&Q. They were only about 9-10 inches in diameter, the material was MDF. He had fitted a normal table leg socket to the underside of each and finished them by staining and varnishing. Because they were so small they were ideal for drinks etc even when socketed into the normal places. Especially good when entertaining friends in the van. Five of us sat comfortably in his van with the little tables in place. As you know the normal tables mean that you have to slide in and out, with the little ones we were able to stand up and move quite easily.
Until I saw these small tables I was convinced that a swivel table fitting that I had seen on yet another owners van was the best solution. It had a cranked leg held in an adjustable bracket fitted to the side of the drivers seat box. The small table could be swung over the seats and out of the way. Only problem seems to be finding a place that sells the bracket and that when you do find one they are about £50 to buy.

Geoffh

spykal

With reference to:
14. Mirror on outside of toilet door...did you fit a glass mirror or a plastic mirror. The one in the loo is flexible so I have been looking for one made of the same material (acrylic I think) but I have failed to find one.

Not sure where the "Heart of England" is but Stephen Webster Plastics in St Albans do Mirror Polystyrene in 2000x1000mm sheets

jabber

There are a lot of useful internal fittings in the CAK catalogue, brackets, table fixings, switches etc. it is well worth getting a copy.

These little mods are what makes all the difference and turns having the MH more into a hobby for me. My main maxim is that anything I do should look as if it was done when the MH was manufactured.

I hope more people will let us in on the secrets of their mods so that we can use them as well.

(Can you post photos straight onto a posting or do you have to use a library?)

All the best,

John Cool

spykal · Moderator

[quote:3734eb8beb="Geoffh"]Not sure where the "Heart of England" is but Stephen Webster Plastics in St Albans do Mirror Polystyrene in 2000x1000mm sheets
Geoff[/quote:3734eb8beb]

Thanks for that Geoff, I will check out Polystyrene mirrors.......as to the "Heart of England" and you will have to excuse me using that marketing description ,I used to work in the tourist industry, I live in Worcestershire.

Mike

spykal · Moderator

[quote:8a5f3ebe66="jabber"]
(Can you post photos straight onto a posting or do you have to use a library?)

All the best,

John Cool

[/quote:8a5f3ebe66]

Hello John,
To post your own pictures into a thread the pictures will need to be in a library or exist in your own web space, the process of getting them into a post is harder to describe than to do...if you see what I mean.... but a really good guide was posted at

spykal · Moderator

Hi

Just to keep this tread going here are some pictures of various mods to my 1998 Executive. Some of them would be applicable to other makes too.

1. Kick down bar fitted to the side of the non electric step. This allows you to put the step down and up using your foot. Easy to use and good for when you are carrying something or just to keep your hands clean.

2. Extra worktop made that fits into the door gap and stores under the sink flap for travel.

3.Not a mod but a tip, keep the paper towel roll in the left hand over stove cupboard. It sits on the left between the catch and the left hand side and the paper slides out under the door. It works really well as a dispenser, unlock the cupboard door with right hand, pull out a sheet with the left hand leaving part of the next one showing , push the door back to grip paper and tear.

4. Travel covers fitted over the fixed ventilators in the 400mm roof lights. These are 8.5" (215mm) square, made from perspex, held in place by velcro and fitted with self adhesive draught foam around the edge. Fitted, from the inside, when traveling during the winter months they help keep the cold draughts off your back and shoulders.

Mike

RayJ

Spykal,
Great Thread & good tips, my Autosleeper Talisman 2 is Ten years older than your 'Baby' so has taken a while to get it 'Travelworthy'
mainly due to the Talbot underpinnings,it's OK now after replacing both cab doors,both front wings,bonnet + cutting out the rain gutters and relacing them with stainless steel, still one or two bits (sills need stripping back and welding). Oh, and i have now 'Waxolyd' all the cab body, chassis and underneath the 'Monocoque' . Mine has the 'Vailliant' instant water heater,i must admit that after always having Carvers in my Touring Caravans I was considering changing it,but after using it at the back end of last year,I'm impressed , a whole water tank full of piping hot water if you want it ! I know that there are questions over it's safety,but if we use common sense (kitchen window open when burner lit) i don't see a problem. I have fitted 'Mad' spring assistors to give the 'poor old rear springs' a bit of a boost and they have improved the handling too.
What type of board did use for your worktop extension (great Idea) ?
My next job is to upgrade the Waste pipe and tap,got the bits from the
good old CAK catalogue.I got fed up with waiting 20mins or so while the old one emptied...I think Autosleepers(Monocoque's) are great ! and Looked after can last almost 'For-Ever' shame about the vehicles they are mounted on ??? RayJ Laughing

RayJ

Spykal,
just thought that I would add; I don't know if Autosleepers have changed much since 1988,when my Talisman was built, but on an 'exterior check' i removed the side window trims and found that the self tapping screws that held the windows in place were not stainless steel (shame on you! Autosleepers..) and were badly rusted,some had to be drilled out,went to the local yacht chandlers and bought replacements in A4 S/S ,put them back in with a squeeze of silicon around the threads. Job Jobbed !!
I would check if i were you guys.Why spoil a good ship for a 'alfpenny worth of Tar ! or in this case S/S screws.
RayJ