Mangrovejack's 2012 VW Caddy Maxi Camper

[mangrovejack]

Time to get the subwoofer installed. I settled on underneath the back of the drivers (right) side seat. There is just enough volume for the shallow mount Infinity 10" sub. The sub box is jsut a fairly rough stacked MDF design. Originally I was going to build a fibreglass tub to extract every last bit of volume I could, but after calculating what I had versus what I needed, I settled for the easier and way less messy approach. Obviously it doesn't hit as hard as a dedicated conventional 12" or 15" ported sub, but considering the little room it's taking, it's plenty for this application.

It will be powered by a Taramps class D 1k wrms amp mounted under the front of the drivers seat.

[mangrovejack]

Installed the marine gradle vinyl floor. I didn't want to carpet in case of spills etc.

[mangrovejack]

Electrics being wired up.

Using a Redarc Battery Management System (BMS) which charges the 100aH Lithium battery using solar, or the alternator. It prioritises solar, so even when driving along if the panels are providing enough juice it'll use that. The unit is tiny and can actually be mounted under the bonnet if needed (I obviously have mine under the passengers (left) seat.

I've also added a permanent power source for the Blackvue dashcam to always record. It uses the lithium battery, so there's never a possibility of draining the starter battery.

Using a 1500w inverter to power the microwave, kettle and any other 240v electronics, all neatly and tightly mounted under the rear of the passenger seat.

Finally, I've added a dual 3amp USB charger and a Renergy battery monitor to the glovebox to monitor the state of the battery and charging system.

[mangrovejack]

Order some 2020 (20mm x 20mm square - I know the yanks do things differently and their version of 2020 is about 1.5" by 1.5" or something like that) aluminium extrusion for the rear bed frame as it's nice and light, small and fairly easy to work with.

[mangrovejack]

Starting the build of the framing. The plan is to build it in two halves and the entire frame can be taken out if necessary (in case I need to use the caddy to mvoe something big). This means nothing is permanently glued or screwed in place. Instead I'm going to use threaded inserts into the floor and wheel wells and the whole thing can be unbolted from that leaving a perfectly flat floor.

The wood-work is for building some framework to hold the aluminium whilst I cut new threads.

[mangrovejack]

Instead of going the same route as everyone else with the Touran armrest, I decided to just build mine out of the 2020 aluminium to get a minimalist one that is a bit longer than the factory one to be more comfortable.

It had high density foam rubber underneath the carpet.

[mangrovejack]

Although I've already upgraded the headlights once to less yellow but still Halogen bulbs, I got sick of the light wuality compared to my other cars that all I have LED lights, so I installed some Philips LED which have made a huge difference.

[mangrovejack]

Back to the electrics again and this time I created a ground distribution block along with the negative shunt for the battery monitor.

[mangrovejack]

The only thing missing from the battery management side of things is shore power or 240v charging. I don't anticipate the need for a proper shore power solution, but installing this Redarc battery charger whilst at a powered site means hopefully the battery usage would at least be topped up enough from an overnight stay, even if we use the microwave for example.

[mangrovejack]

Installed the amp and bass knob. To fit, I've had to slightly modify the underseat storage with a cutout to clear the seat when sliding it forwards and back. I've yet to install a piece of L angle PVC in front of the amp so that feet don't accidentally touch the amp (I have the seat all the way back when driving and the amp's edge is slightly visible at that point.

I also installed a sub grill and stuck some acoustically transparent cloth on top to stop dust and other crap from falling into the sub.

[mangrovejack]

With the many lights being added, I needed a nice way of being able to turn them on and off at will. My solution is add this switch panel to the front of the ash tray (with the actual main power unit mounted on the fuse panel under the bonnet.

[mangrovejack]

More framing work, it's a little overkill, but it doesn't flex and it is still extremely light weight. Test fit to ensure all my applicances can be added.

[mangrovejack]

The battery monitor all hooked up and turned on for the first time. Along with the rest of the electrics. Used a couple of fuse boxes to handle the electrical load. A lightweight blade fuse 12 way panel and a heavy duty 7 way panel for the higher amperage devices (such as inverter etc).

[mangrovejack]

Back to some wood working. Installed and carpeted the rear tool storage lid. Created the side door cards and then added leftover hardboard to the framing for both separation of compartments and bracing of the whole structure to prevent racking.

[mangrovejack]

Testing out the solar panel and charging system. Installed an under bonnet cut-off switch to full remove any solar power input if needed.