While the paint was curing, I worked on installing the main breaker box. It was just as awkward as I had imagined it would be and probably even more than that. Working with 10 gauge cable in a confined space is not for the faint at heart! Still, using brute force and ingenuity, the breaker box was installed. Installing a breaker was just as awkward as everything else. As the cable I made up is 20A, I put a 20A main breaker. I could upgrade to a 30A breaker if I had 30A cable. I remember putting 20A cable because it was cheaper. Something I would do differently if I was starting from scratch.
After I'd done all but tighten the bolt connecting the earth wires to the bus, I took a break and installed one of my two rear panels. The left panel went on easily enough. There was a problem with the right panel, however. Because the hillbillies had drilled a hole to install a TV aerial cable and fastened it with some kind of epoxy, there was a little cable sticking through on the inside.
I'd trimmed the cable a year or two back as TV holds zero interest for me in my motorhome. I'd rather live my own life than spend it watching fictional episodes of other people's lives. Anyway, I looked at trimming the wood to go around the protrusion then noticed a pinhole of light. Not welcome! That means I'll have to chip that epoxy away and rivet a real patch over the hole, on the outside.
The daylight had now escaped on me and my LED lantern had given up the ghost. I'm not surprised. It could be naff batteries or the LED lantern could be naff. I'll put my money on the LED lantern being naff because my experience to date is that LED products are universally disappointing. Out of three batches of LED light bulbs in the house I've had 80% fail in under 6 months of light usage.
The earth wire still needs to be bolted down and the cover put back over the breakers. I'll have to borrow a 3/8 spanner as my adjustable spanner is too bulky to hold it in place while I tighten the nut with my existing 3/8 spanner.
I'd been hoping to do all of this today but wriggling around under the kitchen counter working on wiring took a long time. Mostly that was because I could work with one hand only while resting on the other. To do the bolt, I could well end up having to lie on my back under the counter.
No photos today. The daylight had gone before I had anything to show and I've not really completed either task yet anyway. When these two tasks are completed, I'll have completed the inside of the bus as planned. There are, of course, a few additions I could make though such as a gas cooktop, a 12v system for charging USB devices from a solar panel affixed to the front of the bus, a fresh water tank under the bus, a real toilet with a real black tank and a fresh water inlet. The gas cooktop could run from an underbody gas tank or from a bottle placed on the ground.
For the rest, I have still to jack the bus to check the kingpins. I have a battery to install under the bus to power the fans, the reversing horn to check and wire, the right wiper motor to replace, the right wiper switch to replace and the right wiper linkage. I'm definitely close to having a usable motorhome.
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