Masto's 16.49.1B

[MastoCamper]

Hi all,
We've had the new van for two months now, so I've been a little slack making time to post updates.

The joys of discovery when you bring the new toy home and realizing it's a tad wider than the old flamingo, ended up having to unbolt the awning and flipping it onto the roof to get it down the drive. :doh:


Looks like I'll have to mod the awning top mounts to make them quick release, or move the house over a few inches.


Anyway, got stuck into installing the entertainment system, from what Jayco left me, (no room for additional cables, three speaker cables squished between the bulkhead behind the air-con and the wall, a speaker cable squished between the bench top and the wall, and one cable cut all the way through near the outside speaker), so much for testing and quality control.


Oh, and they also had one of the power cables squished under the front storage black liner, which probably would have eventually worn through. Also something to keep in mind if your planning on screwing clips to the wall of the liner for the jack winders etc. there are quite a few cables behind it.


And after few cut knuckles and scratched arms, a finished install;


I will also be replacing the $2 shop outdoor speakers that Jayco installed (and not even inline) in the next week.


And pending money and time, the annex floor and veranda, and then, (like most of the other blokes on this forum), start on the "Lara" mods... love the TV mount and pantry baskets,

Beside my whinge about Jayco's quality control, we are stoked with our new toy and our shakedown at Barwon Heads on Anzac weekend was sensational.


Here's to shorter setup time and longer kick back and drinking time.

Cheers,

 

[17triton]

Welcome Masto hope you enjoy the forum, yes Jayco quality can be iffy but most things can be tweaked and the after sales service is pretty good too!

 

[Bmhdg76]

Hi Masto,

lookin good. What model head deck is that? Do you possibly have a pic of behind the socket plate you have made? The one with the inputs etc? How hard was it to make up that plate?

BJ

 

[Brad]

Welcome Maestro. Bummer about the house being in the way.

 

[MastoCamper]

Hi BJ,

The head unit is a Sony XAV-601BT, Picked up the wall plates from Radio Parts; http://www.radioparts.com.au/, (bigger range than Jaycar), look under components.

For the inputs, used the VGA COMPOSITE AV PC AUDIO wall plate and swapped the VGA computer connector with the USB connector, (had to by the USB plate because they didn't sell it separately),


Installed the male to male connectors composite AV output into the existing TV aerial wall plate, (had to by the composite plate because they didn't sell the male to male connectors separately),


Went for the no solder option, much cleaner and easier to install/remove if required.

Although I only ordered the external speakers from Jayco, they installed a couple of speakers under the dinette seats (which I will replace with quality eventually). I've wired these and the externals to the front channel via the toggle switch shown and the new internal speakers I installed to the rear channel. That way we can switch on the zoning function on the stereo and watch videos inside while listening to music outside, (great function of this unit).

Hope that's enough info,

Cheers,

 

[Xpandafan]

Welcome MC. Good to see you're not wasting any time in getting down to personalizing your Expanda. Nice work.
Sympathize with the house siting issue. It appears to be a widespread home design failure, pity there are not more architects and builders with Expandas. My Flamingo OB barely fitted without greasing sides! The Panda now lives in the space previously known as the front lawn.

 

[Bmhdg76]

Hi Masto,

Thanks for that info, much appreciated.
will look into those bits.

BJ

 

[Lara]

Hey there MastoCamper, loving all your mods! How good does it feel to add your own personal touches, so satisfying!
Bugger about the access down the side of the house. Just to make you feel a little better, we have zero access at home for our Expanda, so it's kept in storage.
Thanks for the heads up about wiring behind the front hatch lining. I was gonna put clips in for the winder, and a few other things so good to know.
Go for it with the TV mount and pantry baskets, you won't regret it! You're like me, quality all the way!
Looking forward to seeing more mods as they happen!

 

[MastoCamper]

Hi all,

Next mod done. Probably wasn't a priority, but will impact on future mod to wardrobe,

Replaced the Jayco installed 5" 25w Magnadynes


With 6" 200w Fusion Marine Speakers (MS-FR6021)


Also, because of the larger size, managed to line them up a bit better, although not exactly, a lot better than the previous.

Sound is sensational, crisp and clean, and probably far too much volume available for most van parks.

Now our 14 year old daughter wants to use the van as her DJ both for her birthday party in the back yard ....not.
Time to party, :rockon:

 

[Lara]

Looks great MastoCamper, love the speaker choice!
Oh and good luck saying no to a 14 year old girl! She's probably already batting her eyelids and giving you puppy dog eyes!

 

[MastoCamper]

Thanks Lara, yes I definitely get the puppy eyes. But come to think of it, it may not be a bad idea, I can set the volume, use a long cable for her iPod and lock the door. that way they can change the music but not up the volume or mess the panda.

 

[MastoCamper]

Hi all,

Next mod done,

Added a TV mount the easy way, using the same type as @Lara, many thanks,

No drilling or screwing into walls for this one, used the existing hole Jayco inserted for cables in the bench top, just used a wooden plug with smaller hole and a couple of home made polished stainless washers, (makes this little investment transferable to future vans).


The Quick Release LCD Bracket makes it easy to install and remove TV, especially when its the same one daughter uses as her computer monitor when we are not camping,

Managed to get both items from the same supplier for the cheapest price I could find on the net, which was even better when I saved on delivery fees because they are close to my work;
Visidec Focus LCD Single Swing Arm, http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/31148-vf-at
Ergotron Quick Release LCD Bracket, http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/50178-60-589-060

Cheers,

 

[Brad]

Nice work MastoCamper. Like the replacement speakers too. :thumb:

 

[17triton]

Very nice MastoCamper they do look flash. Can you still use the powerpoint ok?

 

[MastoCamper]

Thanks, guys,

Heaps of room for power point, more than what it looks like,

 

[Soaring]

Great work. Yet another addition to my ever growing mod list.

 

[SilverFox]

Hi all,

Next mod done,

Added a TV mount the easy way, using the same type as @Lara, many thanks,

No drilling or screwing into walls for this one, used the existing hole Jayco inserted for cables in the bench top, just used a wooden plug with smaller hole and a couple of home made polished stainless washers, (makes this little investment transferable to future vans).
View attachment 15538 View attachment 15535 View attachment 15533 View attachment 15534 View attachment 15537 View attachment 15536

The Quick Release LCD Bracket makes it easy to install and remove TV, especially when its the same one daughter uses as her computer monitor when we are not camping,

Managed to get both items from the same supplier for the cheapest price I could find on the net, which was even better when I saved on delivery fees because they are close to my work;
Visidec Focus LCD Single Swing Arm, http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/31148-vf-at
Ergotron Quick Release LCD Bracket, http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/50178-60-589-060

Cheers,

Now, here is the thing!!

This is exactly what I like about this forum. You get some great ideas from other like minded people.

I'd like to say thank you to @Lara and @MastoCamper. I too have ordered the Visidec and Ergotron products so that I can attach my TV in my Expanda without taking too much bench space for other things. However, I'm having to wait until the end of August for it to be delivered, cause everybody else on this forum has already ordered there's before me!!!

 

[Zammm]

Hi All
I just wanted to let you know i too (after looking at Lara's mods thx Lara) got online to order the Visidec TV mount.
Before i placed the order i had a quick look on Ebay and I found heaps at a smaller price. I paid $48 + $15 delivery. It's an online store. Well worth the look. Search under Visidec for anyone interested. It was a Bid process but there were that many ads for them that I got away with a minimal spend. Besides I was not in a hurry so if I missed out on one I would have started bidding for another. Just thought you may like to check it out.

16-49-4 Expanda
2012 Audi Q7

 

[SilverFox]

Hi Zammm,

Thanks for the info. I should of looked on Ebay. Sounds like you scored an absolute bargain!! Well done.

I'm happy enough to now wait until the end of this month for mine. Its already been paid for and ordered. Again, thanks to @Lara and @MastoCamper for some great ideas!!

This is a great forum full of really nice people, sharing some great ideas. Thank you.

Cheers

 

[MastoCamper]

Hi all,

Next mods done, and a couple of dilemmas to take care of,

Dilemma 1, How to get the panda up and down an extremely narrow drive without a second or third person and not wipe out the side off the van???

Add some dolly wheels;:minion_write:



Added to both sides of van, these are adjustable and removable.
I still need to unbolt the awning and flip it on the roof, but it should save damaging the grab handles. :minion_happy:

Dilemma 2, What to do with all the tent poles and the mess in the front boot???
Add a false floor to the front boot;:minion_write:

First step move the jack (to front of boot and closer to the hatch) and mount clips for the winder and brace; , also trimmed down the jack clamping plate so it is closer to the side wall; , not totally happy that the jack is still on roadside of van, but just need to be mindful if need to access.

Next, cut material to size and pre assemble; , disassemble and install,
:minion_please:
Topped off with a bit of thin carpet and double sided tape, which also doubles as the hinge for the easy access flap at the opening.

This has saved me from mounting two 150mm pole tubes (for which I have no room without major A frame or bumper change) to cater for the poles for the Annex, Veranda and wind break poles. At about half the weight of one 150mm pole tube and a total cost of $63, also cheaper.

The 80mm lost from the bottom of the boot was negligible, as that was the available wasted space on top of all the stuff piled in there anyway.

Happy to give more details if anyone thinks this may suit their requirements,

Cheers,