TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:00 am

Karl,

I don't know what's wrong with mine. It holds the rubber stopper up, but the rubber stopper becomes a fulcrum on which the seat pivots. There doesn't seem to be any ratcheting action. Some guy in a 4WD Dodge pickup slid through an icy intersection a few years back and hit me in the side, right behind the sliding door and crushed the wood with the hatch and electrical box in it, so I rebuilt that section. Maybe I left out the part that ratchets?

Brian Z

Sat Nov 08, 2008 10:37 pm

Wildthings wrote: Not wanting to burst anyone bubble, but that bracket for the lantern looks way to flimsy to me, especially if someone where to smack it as they passed. The plastic extending over the lantern isn't so cool either, as gas lanterns get damn hot. Buy a battery operated light if you want to use it or stick with just using it for the flag, we don't want to see a thread about your bus burning.

Believe it or not, it's plenty strong. As for heat, it may have problems with a propane lantern turned up to "way high" but for normal illumination and for kerosene (paraffin to Brits) lamps, it's fine. In fact, any lamp you can comfortably hold by the handle shouldn't heat up the plastic unduly.

Here's my own contribution to this thread. I've been using kerosene lanterns for a long time, and have been filling them with this little filler from the Coleman company:

It's screwed onto the spout of a Coleman fuel can and is used to fill gasoline stoves. Its advantage over a plain old funnel is that it automatically cuts off when the tank is full. I discovered that it also fits onto the top of many oil-lamp bottles:

While I buy kerosene by the gallon, I find it easier to pack a quart at a time, so I re-fill the lamp-oil bottle as needed. I also modified a filler so it works better with kerosene lanterns. This involves shortening the filler pipe and attaching a washer to the neck if necessary (for instance, if the filling orifice on the lamp is unusually wide):

It makes filling the lamps a lot easier, especially in the dark.

Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:10 am

The lantern idea is sweet...I guess you could say it was a bright idea :wink:

Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:18 pm

I made a couple of the PVC lantern hangers and have been using them.
They are so simple, so ingenious, so useful. Thanks for posting that!

Opossum wrote: I like all the gadgets and accessories for the bus. Here are a couple, I made this week, to make camping a little easier:

This hanger is also good to dry out towels and is easy to make.
Two sprinkler parts:

Just cut a couple notches and screw together.

"Stay Air-Cooled my friends"

Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:17 pm

If static approves, then it is good. As strange and interesting as it sounds, he collects lanterns from all over the world. I would have to say that he is the lantern authority on the samba. Which automatically makes him the lantern holder authority.

Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:07 pm

sortof off topic: but this weekend i traveled to a family reunion ~400m roundtrip. And at the end of it, we decided for a group photo or two. Someone picked a spot in front of a historic building on the porch, everyone agreed. One problem, too many cars parked where the camera person would have to shoot from, so cars were moved. I was the last vehicle in line, but didn't feel like moving the bus as it wasn't in the view.

Next problem, no tripod, and someone would have to be left out of the group to take the pic.
I eyed the bus poptop, and told my brother to set his camera on the sloped top, set on timer and a few folks got into place. Test shot was perfect. It was just one of those moments where the height, slope and distance were all synched.

Next thing i knew, 6 or more cameras were lined up on the bustop, and everyone was posed and dozens of pics were taken of 2 dozen family members all smiling at my bus :D

point of the story: it's an expensive tripod, but pretty handy as a gadget in a pinch.
dp

Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:18 pm

whip618 wrote: Here is a set of homemade awning brackets that use regular tent poles, the brackets slide into the jack points and when the awning is taunt enough just snug down the cap screws. It isn't a huge awning but it does the job and is easy to set up.

Phil

Pictures of of awning??? :lol:

Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:54 pm

Opossum wrote: 12"

We all say it is 12" in length :lol:

Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:11 pm

The outside the bus table bracket is a good one to add and I have one .
And the tiki bracket is another and I will have to get them , also a front mount reciever bracket is another GREAT idea and I have one of them as well.

Type in rain fly on the home page here and see what Jonce Fancher has to offer as far as add ons go for the bus you will love it.
I have the long fly and a matching window block with screens and it is top quality workmanship.

Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:37 pm

I built mine today......... it has some slight variations but works great.... I'll be using them this weekend....

Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:37 pm

fastmc25 wrote: I built mine today......... it has some slight variations but works great.... I'll be using them this weekend....

I love this idea, I've been wanting to make something like that to hold dripping wetsuits.

Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:13 pm

i swoon at the brilliance of some of the ideas i see on here......!!! y'all are a hell of a resource.

Phil, i'd also love to see more pix of your lower awning attachment brackets, esp in action.

i haven't gotten there yet. but i'm planning on welding up an "L" shaped bracket that fits into my jack points to carry our folded portabote low along the side. Portabote makes something similar for larger RVs but i wanna be ale to take my 'bote where the bus can go, and not have to drag it off the top to pop it (to pop the bote or the Westy).

Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:41 pm

idle stick made from plumber's helper handle and crutch tip
for winter warm ups and locking the other door
notched end for unlocking the door

Aloha
tp[/img]

Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:22 pm

rear bumper mounted hammock stand, pictures will follow.

Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:30 pm

Whos gona make the swivel tabel clamps for a late westy?

Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:56 pm

Nice but I'd be afraid of bending the gutters.

Tue Mar 30, 2010 5:57 pm

chabanais wrote: Nice but I'd be afraid of bending the gutters.

Not with PVC. It would give before the metal.

Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Maybe I still wouldn't risk it.

notchboy wrote: chabanais wrote: Nice but I'd be afraid of bending the gutters.

Not with PVC. It would give before the metal.

Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:36 pm

When you come to the next VW Camper Family gathering, you will see that most of us are now using the PVC lantern hanger thingies.

Our gutters are doing fine, though our minds are often in the gutter.

http://www.vwcamperfamily.com

Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:38 pm

They won't bend or damage the gutters at all.. .... they worked great this past weekend....they had oil lamps on them for 2 days... no problems at all... 8)