Vario/T2 Work in Wettenberg

In September, Mark, Maya, and I stayed another ten days at our friends Sandie and Karsten’s property in Wettenberg, Germany, to continue Vario truck maintenance.

(As always, hover over or click on the photos to read their captions.)

Projects included: sanding, taping, and painting behind the removed bumper, greasing the nipples underneath, changing oils and other fluids in the engine, replacing the fuel filters and coolant, installing an RPM gauge in the dash, dealing with air leaks, cleaning the cockpit, replacing air system gaskets, and disposing of old oil, torn-down wood, and metal pieces.

The biggest task was removing the radiator to replace the 33-year-old original belts and the alternator with a bigger one for camper charging reasons. We had to move pulleys for this job and, while the engine was taken apart, I decided to treat existing rust spots with primer and paint.

Breaking out the dinette area was another enormous – and sad – task. Who likes to destroy a perfectly built interior and cause damage while at it? But this had to happen as the existing space was assembled for a single person and wouldn’t work as a seating and sleeping area for two (three).

Mark and I have had numerous layout discussions over the past months. We knew this would be the trickiest part of buying this half-built camper. How do we fit a two-person bed in a defined space that is technically too narrow?

For the longest time, we came up with ideas for an adjustable and adjusted lifting bed. But this system would take up too much space under the ceiling, so we’d lose headspace in the kitchen, or it would have to be an intricate design with a bed that had to be pulled out and converted as well as lowered down.

Because removing existing furniture was to be kept at a minimum to prevent more damage to the inside of the fiberglass box, we seemed to be out of options. We needed to keep the existing upper cabinets. My one rule of not having to make the bed before going to sleep had to be revisited no matter what. In a space that’s only 120cm wide, an always made-up 140cm bed would NOT fit.

Being able to park both campers next to each other saved us the time and hassle of having to move and commute every day. We developed a daily routine of using the bathroom at the nearby cemetery, filling a 10l jug of potable water there, taking Maya for hour-long forest walks, distributing our trash over different garbage bins around town, and cooking dinner at home.

Once a week, we hunted down facilities to empty our cassette toilet, which would be the day to run other errands that were only possible by car. A decent grocery store – and our friends’ house to pick up packages – was only a ten-minute walk away. Our trio was quite happy in Wettenburg. 

A highlight was the visit of our American friends Heather and Jon, who also took advantage of our communal friends’ property to do truck maintenance. The scene reminded me of past boatyard stays – hard days of work with social times in the evening – but this setting was more comfortable than a mosquito-ridden tropical boatyard without facilities.

Of course, while fun, having company made the days longer and the nights shorter, which was exhausting. It was nice to share the space and be in work mode, though. We treated ourselves to one pizza dinner out together and when Sandie and Karsten returned from their camping trip, the six of us had an amazing last dinner and evening together in our “yard.”

After Heather and Jon’s departure, we focused on household tasks, socializing with our hosts, and wrapping up our time on their property. Since the dinette area was now empty, we had to block the water tank, battery, and inverter with tools and parts, so nothing would slide on the ride. It was a live game of Tetris!

Quik Stop in Freudenberg

On our drive back to Much, where our builder Mirko’s workshop and company Premiumcamper is located, we decided to stop in Freudenberg for the weekend. It was nice to take a little break from Vario work, but we kept mulling over our potential dinette/sleeping area for hours and hours. We needed a plan before meeting Mirko on Monday.

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