The interior set-up, which was inside the car at the time of purchase has had it’s days. That’s why we decide to completely renew it. First we tear out all furniture, cables and other junk. The only thing we keep is the wooden base plate and the leathery covering under the roof.
Our concept
In advance we thought about how the interior set-up should look like. These were our demands:
- Fridge and sink must be accessible from the outside. Our cooking options are limited to the outside area, so we want to have quick access to the food and running water while cooking.
- Seats in the interior: In case of bad weather, we want to be able to sit comfortably in the closed car to eat or work - even if the pop-up roof is closed.
- Emergency bed: In addition to our "roof bed" we want to have the opportunity to sleep downstairs. Either due to cold temperatures or wind, if we don’t open the roof at all or when friends are visiting us, that there is space for four people. A good sleep is important for us. For that reason the emergency bed should have a width of 4 feet.
- Auxiliary heating: To create a cozy atmosphere in the car even when it’s cold outside, we want to install an auxiliary heating.
The boxes
We have built the boxes according to the template of 4x4 Innenausbau. On their website you can find an ingenious instruction video, that even office workers like us, are able to get the boxes together decently. Due to the high delivery costs, we didn‘t buy the material from Germany but from the swiss company Swiss Case. Unfortunately, we forgot to document a whole box from the beginning to the end.
For building the boxes we needed the following tools:
- 3 saws (mitre saw for the profiles, circular saw with guide rail for the wood plates, jigsaw for the closure openings)
- Abrasive paper and file
- Drilling machine and riveting machine
- Angle and tape measure
- Silicone spray
- Vacuum cleaner
The bed
Our bed is on the 2nd floor and can only be used if the pop-up roof is open. The base is an old slatted frame (4 feet wide), which is held on the sides by metal anchors. At the back end (above the driving cab) we additionally fix the slatted frame with 2 hinges, that it stay put. As a mattress we chose a foam material (4.7 inches) from the b-bolliger GmbH. In addition, we have the opportunity to hang the slatted frame and the mattress on the ceiling to have more space in the lower part of the car.
In addition to our "normal" bed, we have built an emergency bed to avoid having to pop up the roof during high winds for example. For this purpose, we have attached angles to the sides of the furniture on which we can place customised chipboards. We can simply clamp them under the slatted frame while driving. In this case we need an inflatable mattress to lie on.
The kitchen
Our kitchen is small and confined to the outside area (yes, we hope that the sun will always shine...). In the right wing of the back door we build a hinged metal shelf, where we can put on the stove. In the interior of the car there is a sink and a fridge (40 liters), which are accessible from the outside. In addition, we can open the sand plates, which are attached to the sides of the car and use them as an additional shelf.
The auxiliary heating
We have installed an Eberspächer Airtronic D2 as an auxiliary heating. We decided on this because a height kit was available for it. With this kit the auxiliary heating should produce enough power even at high altitudes (e.g. in the Andes). The best place for it's installation was behind the driver's seat. We have placed it directly under our power supply box.
Light
We have three light sources (2 inside / 1 outside). The interior lights are installed on the bottom of the slatted frame and can be switched individually. They can also be rotated. The outside light is mounted (together with a switch) on a removable board which can be attached to the lashing rails. Thus we have the possibility to vary the position of the light. In the sleeping area we have installed car sockets to charge or plug in various electronic devices (e.g. a reading lamp or cell phones).