[Green Machine]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I like the idea of cargo bungees on the ceiling as a means of storage. The headliner itself probably wouldn't be enough to hold much, but I am willing drill through the roof in order to more durably mount some eye-bolts. I actually already have drilled through once as part of the curtain setup, dabbed a bit of silicone around the edge of the bolt to keep out the elements and so far so good. This vehicle is definitely mine for the long haul, resale not being a huge concern as the miles are over 200k now anyway.

Might as well take all the steps I can to make it work for the trip!

 

[handycrowd]

In that case, you could cut holes in the headlining and epoxy plastic hooks to the underside of the metal, or even those with the self adhesive stickers on the back. If the holes are the same size as the hooks it should look neat enough.

 

[Green Machine]

Under Platform Storage
Nothing fancy whatsoever, just two eye screws and a bungee. The tiered level where the backseats formerly sat proved to be just the right size for a milk crate. Will have to keep an eye out for a another similarly sized container to sit next to it, but a bit shorter to accommodate the fuel pump's "armored plating".

Ceiling Storage
As was suggested by handycrowd, the ceiling over the sleeping platform is too tempting to just ignore. I want a means of keeping things like clothing, toiletries, etc. easy to access. Digging through a tub/suitcase/bag just for a flashlight or a fresh t-shirt will get a bit old. I have drawstring bags of various sizes that will be perfect for storing random items in the cargo bungees. Mostly soft things will be kept up there as I am sure I will whack my head on it a fair amount at first.

 

[Green Machine]

Roof Brackets
As I had already drilled through the roof to mount the inner brackets for the ceiling cargo bungee, I figured I should put the remaining brackets to use as well. Never hurts to have more mounting points, and as I intend to store something underneath the roof racket (folding table?), these will prove useful. Silicone, a washer, the bracket, and a locking nut. Pretty confident this will keep the weather out. Not exactly factory quality in appearance but acceptable enough to look at for my tastes, at least. Just need to clean up some of the excess silicone, I was liberal with the caulking gun.

 

[handycrowd]

Good idea to go back to back with the pipe clamps! Definitely keep the water out and provides a talking point/ice breaker to casual observers too

 

[Green Machine]

Figured I might as well make the most of the holes I was drilling once the damage had been done.

And yeah, the orange clamps attached to my roof might grab some attention. Overall, my CR-V has been accumulating a good number of "talking points" in recent months!

 

[handycrowd]

Saw this today and figured you just saved yourself about $3000

One minute camper in a box

Pretty cool (read simple) way to suspend the folding bed off the front seatbelt mounting points......

 

[Rickman]

Or you could go this way, but you wouldn't have the Honda reliability!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7347282272_3afdd436c3_z.jpg

 

[Green Machine]

Saw this today and figured you just saved yourself about $3000

One minute camper in a box

Pretty cool (read simple) way to suspend the folding bed off the front seatbelt mounting points......

Hah! This is the first manufactured sleeping platform I have seen along these lines! I like the pull-out stove. Been considering options involving a hinged folding shelf on the side to hold my little gas grill or whatnot without having to have a full folding table setup. The price is a bit much for me, though! Considering things like the carpeting and the 4" x 4" posts were donated from family, my platform is somewhere around $75 or so. Not sure if the entire vehicle is worth $3000 now that I have been tweaking it...

 

[Green Machine]

Or you could go this way, but you wouldn't have the Honda reliability!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7347282272_3afdd436c3_z.jpg

I definitely have put my faith in the Honda reliability as most people I know thought I was nuts to buy a 1999 CR-V with 190,000 miles. Definitely needed some fixing up but everything is still remarkably intact and functional. I have to admit that the VW bus/kombi does have its appeal aesthetically. But yeah, the mechanical elements can be pretty iffy!

One of my biggest inspirations to just pack up and make this happen has been The Dangerz blog [http://www.thedangerz.com/], logbook of a couple who drove their camperized VW down to Central America from Vancouver. They got back home not too long ago, but they took their sweet time while traveling, very leisurely pace. They've definitely left me considering driving the length of Baja, but still unsure of whether I will make that part happen or not.

 

[handycrowd]

Get you re the Vdub, gorgeous and love the effect they have on the general populace, but driving one, well, lets just say that ambling down the coast is mandatory as you sure ain't going anywhere in a rush.

Re the re-sale value of the V, I don't know, you could try marketing it as a specially converted, custom leisure vehicle, tried and tested, well run in and ready to go lol!



p.s. re the high mileage, I know a guy that works Hondas 9 hours a day and he swears by 5000 mile oil changes to keep these engines running forever, oh and fresh auto gearbox and diff oil is a good investment too.

 

[Green Machine]

5,000 miles is my oil change interval as well, seems like a fair middle ground to the old school 3,000 miles and the 7,000 miles highway recommendations that I have seen. Living in rural Maine, the miles are mostly cruising 55-60mph on back roads or cruising on the highway. My vehicle doesn't see too many stoplights in its regular routine! This is actually a good reminder to pick up some oil and a filter soon as it is getting closer to due...

I picked up the CR-V last August and was able to get the service records from the previous owners. They put on 130,000 of the 190,000 miles I bought it with and had been overall pretty good to it. Just seemed that they had reached the point where making some repairs didn't make sense anymore as they weren't going to keep it. They already had bought a new CR-V and were ready to jump ship on the old one.

The timing belt was nearly due, the U-joints in the propeller shaft were worn out, and several suspension bushings and other suspension components were shot when I picked it up. More minor things included the lack of clear coat on the hood, the non-functioning cruise control, the dead clock, and a stuck rear window. But a number of things had still been done in the last years they owned it - new radiator, new clutch, new brake calipers up front, new set of tires the year before, differential fluid changed. They let me take it to get it inspected at two different shops, overall a really good buying experience. I learned a hard lesson from my rusted out Mazda Protege5, wanted to do my best to not repeat history.

I found the cruise control clutch switch to just be out of adjustment (probably happened after the clutch was replaced) and worked fine, the window wiring had some corrosion and just needed a little cleaning up, and the clock had the well known broken solder (which this site was very helpful in explaining). I had 0 prior experience with a soldering iron but have managed to get the clock working about 90% of the time overall. Sometimes it takes a vacation for a day or two still, but I can live with that. Lately it's been on a hot streak, been on for last few months. Maybe it prefers warmer weather?

Definitely my best $700 ever spent!

My Departed Mazda
That would be the rear bumper, though it clearly was missing a substantial chunk. Serious rust issues throughout the vehicle, not exactly confidence inspiring if in an accident.

 

[handycrowd]

Rust is depressing isn't it? I can forgive anything in a motor and love driving an older car that makes folks think "thats looks good for it's age" but when they start to go rusty it's hard to keep the 'love'.

I also have a '77 Daimler two door (based on the XJ6) and man that car can rust in a dry heated garage! I got real good at welding when I fixed it up years ago. I miss this car as it's in my home town in the UK and I think that Norwegian winters would kill it if I brought it here, not to mention the cost of the gas to get it here lol!

From what you say the gen 1's a quite a bit different to the gen 2's. (no cruise control for me or maybe that's a USA model thing?) but no timing belt either so it's not all bad!

 

[Green Machine]

I know the gen2 CR-Vs use the 2.4 I4 in the US, same engine as the Accord I believe. No timing belt would be nice! I think the cruise control was standard on all CR-Vs (at least '99 and up maybe?) in the US. Same with power locks and windows. Mine is pretty base as base gets (no CD, no anti-lock brakes) and still has them. I would be happy to trade my cruise control for the diesel!

I would love an older car project at some point, should be interesting to see what is available in the Pacific Northwest. Milder winters and lack of (or at least much reduced?) use of road salt makes older cars a much more common sight. I know when I visited Portland I was amazed to see regular numbers of 60s, 70s, 80s cars still being used as street-parked daily drivers. Definitely not something you see in New England!

 

[Green Machine]

The Awning
Considering my trip is likely to encounter all variety of weather and I am in no particular rush to get anywhere, adding an awning to the vehicle will likely provide a nice bit of comfort. If my only options on a rainy non-travel day are to sit in one of the front seats or lay out on the sleeping platform, I might start to get a bit cabin-feverish. Probably wouldn't take all that long either. I will be living out of a CR-V, after all.

I found a heavy duty tarp (16 mil) online for around $13 perfect for forming my canopy. 6' x 8', a grommet every 18". If I could have got my hands on a green one, so much the better. But this tarp will definitely be able to put up with some use without falling apart too quickly and the price worked for me.

PVC piping seemed like the perfect material for the frame. Relatively inexpensive, light-weight, and able to get joint pieces in all manner of shapes. At 1" thick, the piping still bends in the wind but not to a degree that I am particularly worried. I will make a note not to set up the awning in hurricane force winds and just make do.

Proto-Awning
This is just the initial setup. Not having a middle support leg definitely allowed for more sag in the middle than I liked so an additional support has been added since this photo. I have also painted the PVC piping green to help it blend in a bit better with the vehicle and try to give a slightly less home-made appearance. Slightly. Will have to setup the whole things and share some pictures of the latest version at some point.

Future ideas include mounting a touch-light onto the cross-member section of the piping and adding an improved attachment method for the entire awning onto the roof-basket, something quicker and easier for a single person than using bungee cords.

 

[Honda4Life]

Favorite thread on the site. Keep up the good work.

 

[Green Machine]

Thanks for saying so! Glad there is an interest in my ongoing project, happy to share

 

[Green Machine]

Awning Attachment
I had been considering how to make attaching/detaching the awning quicker and easier for a single person to do and a pair of these clamps seemed like a simple enough method. 6" long and plenty strong to hold onto the 1" PVC piping. Secondary usage is holding my shovel when traveling.

A bit of careful drilling and sorting through loose hardware had the clamps mounted quite solidly to the roof rack. Some flat black spray paint helps them blend in with the rack. I may be assembling a rolling monstrosity, but at least everything will be color coordinated.

 

[Green Machine]

Maiden Voyage of the Clamps
Really easy to hold onto the assembled awning in one hand and use the clamps. Not that the original method of using bungee cords was all that difficult. Total assembly time of the awning is around 5 minutes or so, likely will get a little quicker with more practice.

The Porch Light
As these touch lights are so cheap, I can't help but keep attaching them to wherever seems a convenient spot for a light. The mounting plate of the light is small enough that it won't be in the way when the entire bundle of awning pieces is rolled up, the light component can easily stash in the vehicle for safe keeping.

99% Complete Awning
I still need to add another loop to one of the awning support legs in case I want to stake it down. Beyond that it is pretty much complete. Unless I get my hands on a sewing machine and some canvas so I can figure out how to make a storage bag for the whole setup...

Might also add another set of clamps to the opposite side of the roof rack. I could swap the awning from one side to the other when needed, such as attaching it facing the East after dark so I don't get the morning sun beating down onto the windows the next morning.

 

[squeaks]

Wow this is awesome. I will have to put a few of these ideas to practice