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Home of Rivet the 101FC

Outfitting Rivet for Expeditions and Extended Travelling

The intent of outfitting Rivet for expeditions is to:

Have storage area so stuff isn't all over the place
Have a source of heat
Have a fridge

The first part of the project was to build side boxes over the wheel wells that have storage area for recovery gear, spare parts, tools and such. I also wanted a source of water that was easy to get to instead of carrying a big water jug bungied to the side.

The right side is a large box that is meant for storage of large items and has a lid on top. The left side has a 3 gallon water tank (filler accessible through a small door, a small sink and a hand operated water pump. It also has storage for smaller items and has access to both shelves from the side and the upper shelf from the top. Both boxes are bolted to the wheel wells with 4 bolts.

The next part was to build cabinets. They are about 36 inches tall and bolt to the storage boxes (no additional bolting to the Rover). The right side has two shelves and storage for a 10 pound propane tank. I will mount an Olympian 300 catalytic heater to the top of the cabinet that will be plumbed to the propane tank. The left side has 4 shelves designed to hold containers as tall as a hypoid gear bottle (bottom), oil containers (second shelf) and then 2 smaller ones on top for smaller items.

The insulation is RTec 1 1/2 inch styrofoam. I chose that because it won't absorb water in the case of a leak (hah!). It is also light and can be wedged into the frame so that glue is not needed. It is really easy to work with. The roof corners use 1/2 inch RTec since it bends and conforms to the body.

In front of the right side cabinet will be an Engel fridge. There will also be a fold down table for the laptop and whatever else.

I relocated the air tank that was originally on the right rear of the body to underneath the body. I was able to squeeze a 4 1/2 gallon tank under there which is better than the 2 gallon tank I had before. I kept the compressor inside to protect it.

The boxes are built with 1/2 inch plywood with a 1 inch frame. I used Poplar wood as highlights that I planed down to 1/2 inch. I used 0.063 3003 aluminum plate for accents that I brushed with 220 grit emery cloth. The cabinets are built with 1/2 inch particle board with Poplar and brushed aluminum. In keeping with my "industrial design" philosophy for Rivet, screws, hinges etc are exposed. The hardware is marine grade sourced from a boating supply shop.

The sides and top of the interior will be finished using 1/8 inch masonite covered with a foam backing and "Shire GreyMix" tweed that I will get from a custom auto interior shop.

I skinned the side doors with .063" 5052 aluminum for strength. The doors were insulated with RTec and then the aluminum screwed on. This provides a honeycomb effect to stiffen the doors and eliminate the flexing due to the cracked welds on the frame.

Everything was built in my driveway. I used a nibbler hooked to my air compressor to cut the aluminum. The wood was cut using a small portable table saw.

	Right side storage box.
	Another view.
	I painted the inside of all the boxes yellow so that I can see stuff better under low light conditions.
	The left side box.
	Another view of the left box.
	Another left view.
	The sink with the small door to the left that is the access to the water container.
	Filling the water tank is pretty easy.
	Mounting the plumbing was a challenge with the sink. It is made up of 3 different parts that were cut and stuck together.
	Access to the top and bottom.
	Access to both from the front door.
	The right side cabinet.
	Bolted to the storage box.
	Another view of both together.
	I had to invent a way to hold the propane tank.
	The tank sits in a recess and is held in place by the cabinet. There are 2 eye bolts behind that are used to attach a strap.
	The left cabinet installed.
	A shot of both sides done (for now).
	Door skins.
	Another shot of the doors skins. I still need to finish the opening around the window.
	Left side open.
	Right side open. I'm using a tie down strap for the propane tank, but it will be replaced with a strap.
	Both doors open.
	To keep the theme of Industrial Design, I wanted to keep a continuous run of aluminum to match the front console. I stuck an 18 1/2 x 94 inch sheet of .063 5052 aluminum up with a 1 1/2 x 1/2 inch poplar frame underneath. I did the edges with 1/2 inch angle aluminum with screws. It should be about 1/8 inch lower than the finished tweed panels to stand out a bit.
	I mounted my Gerber axe and Glock shovel on the side of the box. I used a LiteGrip to mount the Glock shovel.
	I moved the tools to the side door.
	Since all of the insulation was done, I finally started on the paneling. I made the panels out of 1.4 inch plywood with 1/4 inch slats where the frame struts are on the body. The area between the slats will hold 1/4 inch foam from a custom upholstery shop.
	Here is a shot of the right side.
	The foam was cut and glued to the plywood, leaving the framework uncovered. This will allow me to screw the panels into the Rover framework without causing dimples in the finished product.
	After the foam is layed down, I covered it in the tweed material. I added hooks at critical points that will allow stuff to be strapped to the side walls instead of just sitting on the floor.
	This is the left side with the tweed in place. The corners are screwed on with brackets, so they can be removed easily for wiring changes.
	Here's te right side.
	Here is the top. I also wired in some flourescent 12 volt lights that I got from a boat shop.

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