Securing units & wooden floor

[davebngy]

Hi all,

I will be taking ownership of my unconverted bongo in the new year and am tackling the installation of kitchen units on my own (with some help most likely).

I'm intending to put a unit with sink/hob/fridge on the drivers side where the middle row of seats are. Then retain the rear seats and fabricate a rear facing seat to go right behind the front seats. Something like this:

This image was taken from clearcutconverstions ebay link.

I'm not so confident of drilling holes into the bongo for securing the units and wondering how everyone has done this. Very paranoid about rust and damaging vital organs of the bongo so to speak. I've seen details of wooden bases being laid down. Is this what is most commonly done? Fitting the wooden floor seems a fair task.

It would be great if there were a simple way of securing the units to the middle seat brackets which are left behind once the seats are removed.

Thanks for any advice on how everyone has done this in the past.

[Dr Fingers]

Good question... how DO you attach kitchen units etc to Bongy's OS?


Derek

[philpdr]

I've built a conversion virtually the same as yours will be,first fitted a wooden floor as per fact sheet.To secure the kitchen unit to the side of the Bongo I took off the trim panel below the middle window and found a main strut behind it.Drilled a hole in the flange on the strut and put a length of screwed rod through a bracing timber across the kitchen unit,through the trim panel then through the hole in the flange,I put spacers on the rod between the wood brace and trim panel and the trim panel and the metal side strut of the Bongo to stop any flexing.The kitchen unit is also screwed down to the wooden floor.The rear facing seat is also fixed to the floor and the kitchen unit which makes the whole thing rock solid.

[winchman]

Mark holes, drill them either paint or grease them then fit this
http://www.avdel-global.com/en/products ... sertr.html
I do it on the cheap by using one of these cheaper tools
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROFESSIONAL- ... 53ed463916
Local tool place sells the inserts for a few pence each
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-X-GROOVED- ... 27de680627

[Diplomat]

http://www.avdel-global.com/en/products ... sertr.html

I could watch that all day!


Frank

[Simon Jones]

You need to get out more Frank . Rivnuts are ace: I've used them in several Bongo projects.

The seat tracks can also be used to anchor units but using J-bolts to engage in the slots used by the locking mechanism.

[Spencer54]

Like this one

[mikeonb4c]

A thought in passing. Fit a top loading fridge and be one ahead of most side conversions in being able to use it with the bed down. Top loader is also much more energy efficient. Also, try and think how you could design it so you can still raise the drivers side engine cover for inspection and maintenance without having to unbolt and remove the drivers seat.

[davebngy]

Thanks for all these points. This has given me plenty to think about. I'm sure once I actually take ownership and get inside for a good look around, then more ideas (or realities) will become apparent.

I'm picking up the bongo from the south of England and driving back to Scotland. I might call in on some of the camper converters whilst on the way home.

Certain there will be more posts to come from me before the Bongo is finished (if it ever can be).

[Dodgey]

Most , if not all conversions attach the units to the floor, and the vehicle sides.

Attachment to the floor is with plastic blocks .... http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-White-Pl ... 4/p/164410 or similar

Attachment to the sides is usually with self tapping screws into holes you drill into the interior metal - there is no rusting risk on the interior. On mine I used simple metal angle brackets from B&Q. 90 degree metal plates with holes in them. Wickes have them too.

It's vital to really secure your units as they have to endure speed bumps etc.

[Puma931]

Use the existing seat runner rail threaded holes to bolt the base of the side unit to the floor. That's what I'm doing for my rear side unit (leaving a hole in the ply floor to get to the original threaded holes).