Mertle's Makeover! (1 Viewer)

[Crispydoodle]

Thanks guys!

 

[Crispydoodle]

10 points for Alan! It is indeed for the 12 volt supply for the fridge.

 

[JackieP]

Thanks Gus, we really do like them, however as you say, there pretty rare to find now, and because of that were thinking of taking them off, Nearly lost one last month! Its a shame really, as there pretty retro, and alot of them are snapped up super quick by Mercedes enthusiasts to put on pre 80 mercs. And if they do come up half the time there the wrong colour!

We too have these hub caps and were afraid of losing one. Now we attach a long cable tie to each one and secure it to the wheel. Should a hub cap come loose, the noise will soon alert you. That said, in eight years, we haven't lost on yet!

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[scousebird]

Is it the original fridge in the MH? Does it have a 12V option? Or has the fridge been changed at some time because the relay, wiring or fuse may not be heavy/big enough.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Is it the original fridge in the MH? Does it have a 12V option? Or has the fridge been changed at some time because the relay, wiring or fuse may not be heavy/big enough.

I think its the original fridge...But its hard to say. It has the 12 Volt red rocker switch on the front, and when you start the engine the two replays click, and the switch lights up. I assume these draw a fair bit of juice then...

Looking at the Hella website, these are rated at 30A, and the fuse carrier holds a 25A fuse.

 

[Puddleduck]

A great job!

Well done.

Why change something that you know and are comfortable with if it needs relatively minor work / updating? For the difference in price between what you have and what you would need to spend on another you can do an awful lot of refit / replace / modernising...... that's assuming you are happy with what you have of course.

I know some people change their van every year or two (or three) but what suits one person will not suit another.

If we still had our old Hymer (1982 vintage) I would have put in an LPG conversion (it was petrol), redone any mechanics that needed it and then done a complete refit of the inside..... I know it has not been scrapped but has been SORNed. I'd like to see her back on the road some day

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[scousebird]

Were there 2 fuses in the fuse carrier? If so it could be that the wiring needs checking to see why that wire had melted. Does your battery charge up properly?

 

[Crispydoodle]

Ill have to get it checked, ive replaced the fuse carrier and that link wire for the time being, just incase its an old issue that wasnt repaired afterwards, that way i can keep an eye on it. There are 2 fuses, and 2 relays, the fuse that overheated is the one that comes from one of the relays and goes to the fridge. Im a bit baffled by the other fuse as it is wired as if its part of a split charge system, but doesnt look that big...

 

[CandC]

Good luck sorting it all out Chris... fixing the 12v habitation electrics is my next (and biggest so far) project for my van. That's been in the planning and investigation stages for about 3 weeks now. It's a bit daunting looking at a jumble of old wires which appear to have been tacked on at random isn't it? Take your time and do the work in some kind of systematic order and I am sure that you will be fine.

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[Crispydoodle]

Thanks CandC, thats the problem when it comes to these, theres no manuals to look back at lol.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Hmmm smelly carpet, lets have that out next i think...

Hmmmm think there's been a leak at some stage, pretty grim!

In with the new!

 

[Crispydoodle]

Huge thanks to the guys at Clayton Carpets in Lincoln, a job well done and well worth doing!!

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[wizzer59]

Great job Chris
If it helps Our old Auto sleeper used to smell of burning whenever I turned on the fridge to 12v (only with the engine running of course) and it was the fuse that was overheating, never did find out why but suspect the wiring just wasn't up to the job

Are you going to reupholster the old girl??

 

[Crispydoodle]

Great job Chris
If it helps Our old Auto sleeper used to smell of burning whenever I turned on the fridge to 12v (only with the engine running of course) and it was the fuse that was overheating, never did find out why but suspect the wiring just wasn't up to the job

Are you going to reupholster the old girl??

Thanks mate, yes its strange how its just the jumper wire and the connections either side of the fuse carrier thats failed.

She is indeed, thats next month.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Hmmmm..tut tut, this just wont do! Letting the side down somewhat. The Carver 3600STC is fit for the skip i think.

A trip over to Mick at Countryside Motorhomes near Wragby soon came up with the solution...

Welcome in the Truma S3004P!
As you can see it wasnt totally straight forward as the new unit varied in size considerably, so Mick had to make some alterations to Mertles interior to suit, as the van is quite old finding a match to the existing finish wasnt going to be possible, so there is a difference in colour, but saying that he has done a fantastic job! Great attention to detail with a new plinth, chimney, and roof cowl, and some new gas lines for good measure!

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[Baycott]

Mick has made a great job of that
Thoroughly enjoying this thread.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Anybody thats driven older motorhomes, or older vehicles in general for that matter will be able to recollect how horrifically poor the dashboard illuminates at night. Most modern vehicles nowdays have a plastic facia with different textures, so when you put your headlights on, the clocks come to life in an array of colours! Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat tend to opt for warm oranges and reds, Ford a nice supernatural "Ghostbusters Slimer" green, and later Volkswagen with there futeristic Indeglo Blue with ruby red pointers! Earlier vehicles were sometimes illuminated by capsule lamps fitted within the top of the binicle so they would comfortably glow down onto the gauges. Back to Mertle however, shes not blessed with neither of these two designs, but is not too disimilar to what you got in 60s and 70s cars and vans where each gauge was seperate and mounted within a general binicle, cost effective really when you think about it, especially on commercial vehicles, as the console would be blessed with switches, warning lamps and gauges depending on the spec of the vehicle. Only downside is these are illuminated by a pathetic 2-Watt capsule lamp installed in the back of each gauge! Add this to the fact that each gauge face is flat aluminium with a print on top so no light bleeches through atall, your left with instruments that are as much use as a chocolate teapot when driving at night. So a very cheap upgrade with a slight improvement is to change them 2 Watt lamps for 7 Watt White LED Lamps. Brings the dashboard up to date a little, while making it a lot easier to read while night driving.... 

View by day...All instruments in German vehicles of this age are manufactured by VDO, as are these, Some Ford Transit based vehicles, and later Fiat Iveco units will be aswell. If your driving French, Earlier Ford Iveco based, or Italian vehilcles, there likely to be Veglia Borletti.
And in the dark......

I can now actually see my instruments! !
Spedometer still isnt as bright as i like but it doesnt help that its so damn big, and it has only one lamp, mind you speeding in Mertle isnt easily achieved lol. Saying that for 6 quid, it was well worth the upgrade.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Just a quick recomendation for us funsters. Picked this Karcher Compact Hose Real yesterday from Argos for around £25. Ideal for keeping in the motorhome for topping up the water supplies, window cleaning, bikes etc. Nice and light, slimline reel, and good quality complete with connections and bracket. Ive stowed ours underneath the offside sofa.

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[Crispydoodle]

Well here she is being dropped off for the final leg in Mertles Makover Journey! Less then 6 days to go and she will be all done

 

[bjandlin]

Nice reading, well done & good luck, looking forward to the next installment.
Barrie.

 

[froghopper43]

Well done. Our old Renault traffic is 27 and I feel the same. Why spend the money Ihave not got on a motor tthat could need as much spent. Enjoying following.. Now this is what this site is rreally about

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[maison]

Great following your progress.

You seem to have done an excellent job. Now to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Excellent.

 

[Crispydoodle]

Well, Shes back!! After a 2 month gradual makeover, Mertle is now complete. Ready for another 25 years of service (hopefully lol) i certainly think the works been well worth the cost and effort, and were very proud of the finished product, all we need to do now is save up so we can use it lol!!

Frome this-

To this!

 

[Crispydoodle]

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[Crispydoodle]

 

[Allan & Loren]

Great thread. Really enjoyed seeing the transformation and a really nice job. I hope you enjoy many more wonderful trips on mertle

 

[Baycott]

Well, what a great job
Oh to have such skills

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[Crispydoodle]

Well, what a great job
Oh to have such skills

Thanks John, cant take the credit for upholstery i'm afraid, Regal have that torch, but very pleased with all the work overall.

 

[maison]

Looks great. Talk about giving a vehicle a new lease of life!

Enjoy!

 

[Al-Di]

very nice,

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