Building a “Home” in a 80-series Toyota Land Cruiser — part 2
New year 2019!
Our search for a sink and faucet zeroed in on a Kohler K-3349–1-NA. We liked it because its a sturdy 18 ga model, small and deep. The faucet will fold in to the well.
The cabinet frame is made of 1/2" square tubular steel frame. That would be covered in the future with aluminum sheets and powder coated gray to match the interior of the car. We sized the frame to fit the fridge.
The fridge fits nicely with the compressor tucked into the wheel well.
The Kohler sink Kohler K-3349–1-NA came in and was mounted on the frame. It required to be ‘sunk’ in about an inch, so the faucet folds flush with the counter top cover. We are still debating what material to build the counter top.
We are also working on the heat exchange unit for the hot water system. We will have to find a place in the vehicle for this unit.
The water from the ‘hot water tank’ gets circulated with a pump that is being controlled by a thermostat. A switch on the dash will turn on and off the pump.
We had issues with space for the stove. We ended up building a stove from two camping stoves and some machined brass pipe parts. The connection was used from a torch welder and it hooks to a standard coleman propane tank. The stove was assembled and tested. It will require a wind shield and is designed to fit in a drawer under the fridge when not used. We can pull it back to cook by the tail gate, or to remove it completely and place it on the counter top for cooking in wet or cold weather.
Our next task is to find drawers and finish the storage unit behind the front seats. Last we will build the couch that turns into a bed.