I was tired of waiting for the Comet parts to arrive from UK. I went ahead to make as much progress on the project by working around the "long poles in the tent" parts.
First some update on the robin and sparrow nests.
these photos were from a week ago - this is the sparrow's nest; notice nature favors odd numbers
the three robin chicks a few days ago
specialty plumbing fittings are the biggest ripoffs in this country; most of these shitty parts cost pennies and most of the vendors want to gouge you; hence i do my best to design out the need of them; in the case of this barb coupler, just look at the shitty quality - the injection molded seam; 500% mark up!
I grew tired of waiting for the Comet parts to arrive from UK as I want to keep the project moving. I decided to finish all the preparation work by working around the "long poles in the tent" parts. There are also a number of design decisions that I have not finalized, giving myself more time to mull over the trade offs.
i went ahead with the electrical circuit work
a bit of fishing is required to get the wires where i need them
even though i only need one wire for the auxiliary pump i ran an extra one just in case
this old switch will be replaced by a new SPDT center-off; the switch positions are: Primary, Both Off, Auxiliary
of the three chicks two has taken flight and left the nest; this must be from the third egg that was laid last; this little baby would take flight any moment now
two of the three sparrow eggs has hatched
Nearly 2 weeks ago i diagnosed the no start problem with my Land Rover Discover is due to the failed fuel pump; after a bit of research i found out instead of paying Land Rover a prince's ransom for the in-tank fuel pump assembly which cost a few hundred dollars, I can just replace only the pump that is for a GM at about $39.
i ordered this Airtex fuel pump from Amazon, and Amazon deliberately wait until 2 days of the ETA to ship it to me; Amazon do this because it wants every one to be a Prime customer - as opposed to the sub-prime cheap skate like me; the dirty little secret is they use USPS Priority Mail which typically takes only 3 days; i used to really like Amazon but not so much now because of this deliberate tactic
On the other hand, the rocker switches that I ordered from Digikey on a Friday evening arrived to my front door on the following Monday morning using the same USPS Priority Mail shipping.
Amazon made me wait for this part for 10 days when they could have ship to me in 3 days; i have also notice very often with lower cost products i can procure them at brick and mortar for much less, and able to see them first hand before buying
here is the entire pump assembly including a fuel level sensor
the fuel hose gave me a fit due to unique characteristics and diameters so one trip to the nearby Napa
all back together with the new GM electric pump - it is not exactly a drop-in replacement so a bit of improvisation was needed
the engine fired right up and the problem is fixed for my Home Depot adventure wagon; i reckon this would have been a $1000 dealer event for an average Land Rover owner but it cost me less than $50 (the pump, the fuel screen, and the fuel hose); each time i perform my own repair or maintenance, i get to know so much more
i needed to make some decisions with what fittings to use amongst a lot of parts that i brought home; most of these would be returned once i know i don't need them
this is how the convertible tank will be stored at home when i don't need it for the trip
testing the access port (the marine deck plate) for leak - not a drop
as the Comet parts have not arrive, i improvised the tank with my cheap Chinese pump for my functional tests
i have chosen the location of the pump cable exit though not yet procure the suitable rubber grommet
this is the last time i saw this chick; she left the nest for good that evening
bye bye birdie
the sparrow chicks still have many days to be ready
made a Texas BBQ brisket
it will last me many many meals
sparrow chicks' progress
the sparrow mom foraging for baby food
i scrounged around at home for a suitable connector and plug for the auxiliary tank and grudgingly settled for this mini-jack because they cost me nothing
the cleat for the front to restrain the tank vertically
i need to create a cutout for the overfill/breather port
i started with only just some vague idea and i expanded the shape in the process
the odd shape allow me to connect the over-fill/breather tube
the strap hold down is installed; noted that the tank is already restrained in 5 of the six directions without the strap; hence the strap has a very easy job to do
the new switch arrived and i could finish the electrical circuit modification
all wired up and tested
Doing this project really give me more appreciation how precious water is, and how big a deal for a design to securely transport, store, and use it. I also gave me much more insight into what Westfalia designers must went through for each of the wonderful compact campers they design and produce. This is also why I would never attempt to build my own RV.
After I finished the electrical circuit modification, I proceeded to test out water supply at the faucets from both tanks (and their respective pumps). I was taken aback by the poor flow when the primary tank/pump is selected. It took me a few seconds to remember that I have yet to install a non-return valve for the auxiliary tank/pump (it is amongst the Comet parts that I am waiting to arrive from UK). The poor flow and pressure is due to much of the water is being pumped from the primary tank to the auxiliary tank. All is well as designed.
with the auxiliary tank fitted there is still more storage than the original NAFTA James Cook; i am very happy with the outcome of the project
When I first set out to design and fabricate the wooden cleats I considered using teak to keep up with the nautical theme. However I decided not to make a production out of it. I ended up just using some fir scraps as they are very easy to fabricate and light weight. I even decided against using some maple scraps that I have as milling them would take so much more effort.
i deliberately left a gap on the right side of the rear cleat for swiping out dirt with a hand brush
All that remains in the project is to swap in the Comet pump and add the non-return valve in the auxiliary water tank.
Very nicely done!
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