A gazelle converted into a motorhome, a motorhome based on a gazelle

Features of mobile homes

A motorhome has many advantages, but the most important ones are comfort and mobility. A noisy city with dense traffic and bustle can get so boring and because of this you want to escape into nature. This is where a mobile home comes to the rescue, because you can park it anywhere and not have to think about where to find a hotel nearby. To begin with, we suggest you find out how mobile homes differ and what types there are.

1. Types - vans, trailers or combined with a car.
2. Classes - A, B, C.
3. Types of trailers - hybrid, trailer and fifth-wheel trailers.

With trailers everything is very simple, but with other options it will be a little more complicated, since they look the same, but in reality they are different. Let's try to figure this out.

• Van option. The rest room is located inside the cabin and is located separately from the driver's seat. Basically, this format is chosen if only 2 people will travel in such a car. The passenger and driver are in the cabin during the trip, and to get into the living quarters, you need to stop and get out of the car. This type can fit a lot of furniture.

• Combined motorhome. In this version, there is access from the sleeping place to the driver's seat. A motorhome in this role is popular for traveling with the family. This is how a combined house can be made from any van.

We briefly got acquainted with popular types

Motorhome based on GAZelle-2705

together with the German one they created a living compartment in a standard GAZ-2705 van. It has a high roof, 7 seats, and 4 recumbents.

After entering the salon, the porch slides under the bottom using an electric motor. On the ground floor there is an office made in the shape of an oval: 4 extendable armchairs, a set of plumbing and kitchen appliances, a toilet with a washbasin separated by a curtain.

A small staircase leads to the second floor, where there are a couple of sleeping places and a small storage box for luggage. There is no more room for things, and where they will go remains a mystery.

On the starboard side there is a roof of a folding gazebo, on the left side there are connectors; external sources can be connected to them: water and electric.

The camper has an all-wheel drive chassis, however, it is better to drive it carefully and do not climb into impassable places

DIY mobile home

Let's try to figure out how to build a mobile home with our own hands, for example, from an ordinary gazelle or a small trailer (photo). First you need to draw a plan for the interior of the vehicle. Calculate where you can arrange sleeping places, where to put a folding table, and where to equip built-in wardrobes for clothes, dishes and other things.

Since we are setting up a motor home in a small area (in the cabin of a gazelle), we will have to make do with a minimum set of amenities. It is better to use folding furniture as much as possible. Tables and transformable beds that are securely attached to the walls will be very helpful. If necessary, they can be unfolded and folded, stored in wall panels or turned into chairs (photo). All these points need to be carefully considered.

At the same time, the house on wheels should have everything you need to feel comfortable while traveling: a bedroom, a kitchen, a place to relax. After allocating the space for furniture and basic amenities, the plan must include places for communications, which are impossible to do without. This is a ventilation system, heating (if you plan to travel in autumn or even winter), electricity.

Motorhome based on GAZelle 4x4

A motorhome based on a GAZelle 4x4 in the form of a residential unit is equipped with many components.

Appearance of a gazelle motorhome

The advantages of a camper make it versatile and convenient for travel:

• small overhangs at the rear;
• a canopy covering the cabin protects from the sun (a sleeping place can be placed in the canopy);
• on the right is a conveniently opening door, entrance glass, window for the sleeping area;
• on the left is a pair of large glasses.

On the starboard side there is a decent-sized hood covering the luggage compartment. You can place gas cylinders, water containers, and a septic tank in it.

What's hidden from view

The interior contents of the motorhome are comfortable:

• steep steps lead to a kitchen area with a sink, gas stove and drawers for storing household utensils;

• further there is a small corridor, on the sides of which there is a bunk bed, a small toilet and a shower room;

• You can sit on wide soft chairs at a folding table;
  Read also:  YaMZ 238 turbo engine for KAMAZ
• there is a two-tier sofa for sleeping;

• The heating system maintains a comfortable room temperature even at -25ᵒ.

Heating and ventilation

Gas can be used for heating. It can also be used for cooking if there is room for a small kitchen in the cabin of the motorhome. Don't forget, you need to be very careful with the gas cylinder! Be sure to take care of fire safety.

In connection with the question of gas, the topic of ventilation immediately arises. Even if there is no kitchen, the house still needs to provide a flow of fresh air. You can use existing windows for this purpose, but be sure to also make several ventilation holes. If you are going to use gas to heat your future caravan, one vent should be located low enough, almost at floor level.

Malfunctions and their elimination

KamAZ suspension malfunctions and repairs:

1. Axes offset. May be caused by a breakdown in the system, worn bushings or improper installation of the suspension mechanism. It is necessary to replace worn parts and reinstall the suspension.
2. Displaced tension ring. The cause of the malfunction may be the operation of the air springs in an extended state and at a low pressure level. It is recommended to replace the springs and adjust the pressure.
3. Breakdown in the suspension with reaction bars. It can be caused by deformation of the plate, displacement of the internal fender mechanism, or a rupture in the area of ​​the tension ring. It is necessary to replace the plate, adjust the bump stop, eliminate the gap, and inspect the rods for defects.
4. Air leakage in the area of ​​threaded inserts. The shock absorber and valve alignment should be inspected for damage. It is also necessary to adjust the mechanism hinge.

During all repair work, you should wear protective clothing: a mask or goggles.

Bathroom, kitchen and shower

In the small cabin of a gazelle (photo) it is unlikely that it will be possible to equip a shower, but a small kitchen corner and a mini dry closet can be provided.

Without these basic amenities, travel is unlikely to be comfortable enough. If you purchased a large trailer (photo) and decided to completely refurbish it, then it is quite possible to place a small shower in it.

All this farming will require water. It can be stored in plastic tanks, but you will need to allocate space for them. To supply water to a sink or shower, you will need pumps. Used water should be collected in a container under the body. The hose from the washbasin and shower is connected to it. Do not forget that during the trip some tanks will need to be periodically refilled with clean water, and the container under the body will need to be emptied in a timely manner.

Water supply

When creating a house on wheels, it is necessary to equip a water supply system. As a rule, it is very primitive. Two tanks are installed - one for clean water, the other for collecting recycled, dirty water.

Design and principles of operation

The design of the coupling mechanism includes such elements as:

• flywheel;
• hydraulic power steering;
• overlays;
• a spring device that presses the disk against the flywheel housing;
• clutch release fork, clutch release drive;
• push-type coupling;
• coupling pedal shaft;
• pressure disk;
• double-disc or single-disc petal device;
• release bearing;
• protective casing;
• transmission drive shaft.

Gas and electrical equipment

Any motorhome on wheels - a Mercedes or a gazelle - requires special treatment in terms of electricity and gas supply. You should not naively believe that, without having the appropriate education, you can perform high-quality electrical wiring and install the appropriate equipment in a motorhome. The same applies to gas equipment.

For example, few people know that for a gas cylinder in any motorhome it is necessary to “select” a separate closed area, in the lower part of which there must be holes communicating with the outside atmosphere. This allows propane, which is heavier than air, to “leave” the motorhome if it leaks from the cylinder, and not cause poisoning or a fire in the cabin.

An important point for a motorhome is the correct calculation of battery power. To ensure maximum autonomy, you should add up the daily energy consumption of all devices present in the motorhome. The resulting value in watts will need to be divided by 12 (V), resulting in a value in ampere hours (Ah) - this is what is indicated on the battery and allows you to judge its power. So, if the energy consumption in a motorhome is 50-60 Ah/day, it is optimal to purchase a battery of 120-150 Ah. Such a motorhome on wheels will be able to function autonomously for two days. It is advisable to provide an external outlet for recharging the motorhome battery in parking lots.

Rodzilla

Rodzilla is manufactured using Western technologies in Russia and is suitable for the climate and roads of the country. There are 3 configurations of residential modules:

• family F-POD;
• basic Rekless;
• maximum MAX-POD.

Traveling on wheels is a special lifestyle that is not suitable for everyone. But those who dare to take such a step must be in good conditions; they can be provided by motorhomes based on Gazelle.

Technical characteristics of the motorhome - gazelle

How to install

Air suspension installation:

1. Place KamAZ on the support.
2. Remove the plastic plugs from the trunk of the vehicle.
3. Unscrew the mounting nuts of the struts to gain access to the wiring gaskets.
4. Connect the compressor to the receiver control system unit.
5. Install the resulting structure on the base of the spare wheel.
6. Connect the wiring to the compressor and receiver, following the instructions on the wire labels.
7. Assemble the connected wires into a bundle and bring it out into the driver’s cabin.
8. Lay the harness along the cabin wall and lead it into the power unit compartment.
9. Connect the wires to the battery, ground and fuse block.
10. Remove the strut and install the prepared pneumatic strut in its place.
11. Remove the brake system hoses.
12. Disable ABS sensors.
13. Connect the pneumatic lines to the compressor, receiver and control unit.
14. Lead the air line into the engine compartment.

How to make a motorhome from a gazelle with your own hands

It is not easy to make such a structure. You will need an experienced craftsman. A homemade motorhome, equipped on a chassis, is combined: externally it is a car, and inside it is a mini-apartment.

DIY mobile home from GAZelle

To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a hand saw for wood and a lot of patience. The gradual modernization of the car looks like this:

1. The seats are taken out of the cabin, the old trim is removed. All metal parts are treated with a special solution that prevents rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with foamed polyethylene, and sheets of plywood are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall cladding; this should be thought out in advance.
2. The frame for the furniture is welded right in the body. If the car cannot be leveled, you can use a pipe as a level, its ends resting against the lower edge of the window openings. After rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and brought inside again.
3. Window openings are covered with carpet. Ceiling panels covered with carpet are also installed. After completing the interior trim, you can attach the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.
4. A swivel mechanism can be made for the front seats. To do this, you will need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ, and part of a rotary strut. The scheme is quite simple.
5. The final stage is installing furniture on the frame, connecting lighting, installing a pump for the kitchen washstand, covering the mezzanines and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.
6. Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made sets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. The kitchen also needs to be attached to everything - the floor, the sofa, the wall. This is done to protect the furniture from becoming loose while driving on bumpy roads.

We should not forget that such a modification of the car requires registration with the REO. To do this, you need to write an application and receive a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and a protocol from the authorized organization.

Useful tips

Building a camper from a gazelle with your own hands will not be cheap, so many craftsmen are trying to save money.

We recommend watching the video: costs for a homemade motorhome based on a GAZelle 4x4.

However, during work you need to think carefully about everything:

• plan all changes in advance;
• improvised materials will not make the interior comfortable, because you will have to live in the house for more than one day, the rest must be comfortable;
• refuse a dry closet, because the interior of a GAZelle motorhome is small, and it will not be possible to make good insulation;
• some modifications will be needed: changes to the body, heating system, wiring; knowledge of auto mechanics will come in handy here;
• if you still had to install plumbing in the cabin, you need to make a tank for drainage;
• do not forget about the 220 V connector and the converter for 12 V from the car battery.

If you want to build a mobile home from a GAZelle with your own hands, do the work in stages.

Manufacturing process

To work you will need tools:

• Bulgarian;
• welding machine;
• hand saw for wood.

Drawing of a motorhome based on Gazelle with dimensions

The conversion time will depend on the availability of materials and the skill of the craftsman:

1. First you need to take the seats out of the cabin and remove the old trim.
2. All metal elements are treated with an anti-rust solution.
3. The walls and ceiling are insulated with polyethylene foam, the floor is covered with sheets of plywood, and the wiring is laid under the sheathing.
4. Without leaving the body, they weld the furniture frame, checking the installation with a level. Then they finish the work outside the car, clean everything up and bring it back into the car.
5. Carpet is used to glue window openings and ceiling panels.
6. The salon is sheathed and mezzanine slats and furniture frames are installed.
7. The front seats are equipped with a rotating mechanism using a front hub from a VAZ.
8. The furniture is installed on the frame, the lighting is connected, a pump is installed for the sink, the mezzanines are sheathed, and the interior is improved.
9. For cooking, you can equip a gas stove with one burner.
10. Instead of self-made furniture, an option with a ready-made set is possible. The furniture is reinforced with corners and screws, and carefully secured so that it does not come loose along the way.

We must not forget that all these homemade car transformations must be registered in the Regional Economic Inspectorate; before this, they receive a resolution from the technical department of the State Traffic Inspectorate and a document from the relevant organization. Re-equipment can cost up to 25,000 rubles. A ready-made motorhome based on a gazelle 4x4 costs 1,800,000 rubles.

You can find out how to register a motorhome with the traffic police in the video.

Insulation and covering of a van

The main task is covering and insulating the van body. For these purposes, plywood and metal sheets are used. Aluminum pads must be installed in the corners for strength and stability of the structure.

Interior decoration and furniture selection

To make you want to be inside the trailer, you need to take care of a beautiful finish. A caravan or regular trailer can be furnished in a modern or minimalist way.

Ordinary folding furniture or make it yourself.

Motorhome interior decoration

A properly designed interior of a house on wheels will help you go on a long journey and enjoy the comfort of home:

1. Color – it is better to stick to a single range of light or dark tones, more suitable for small spaces.
2. For finishing, fireproof, not very hot materials are used: eurolining, MDF, wood well impregnated with special compounds.
3. For furnishings, it is worth using multifunctional folding furniture and compartment partitions.
4. Successfully built-in open shelves and drawers will help achieve compact organization of storage areas.

The owners’ imagination and advice borrowed from the Internet will help you create a stylish and well-appointed gazelle-based camper yourself.

Furniture layout inside the camper

Interior of a mobile home

Location of the dry closet and water tanks

Stylish plywood trailer house

If your car has a towbar, it would be a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice “drop” trailer for overnight stays outside the city. For this:

1. On the basis of the finished trailer, a floor frame with insulation inside and plywood sheathing is assembled.
2. The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All holes for doors and windows, as well as to lighten the frame, must be cut in advance, so it is better to think through the drawing carefully.
3. Shelves are assembled from furniture panels and installed on the base. These same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.
4. According to the shape of the van, a plywood sheet is bent above the shelves on both sides, and a power frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is made liftable, providing access to the kitchen.
5. The top hatch and skylight are cut out. The entire frame is insulated and the wiring is installed.
6. Everything is covered with veneer sheets on top. Once the door and window openings are cut out, you can begin exterior painting and varnishing.
7. Doors, an overhead hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After securing all the fittings, side lights and wheel fenders, you can safely set off on your journey!

And the video shows a detailed assembly of the motorhome with the installation of solar panels:

Motorhome based on GAZelle Next

Developed in collaboration with . If you delve deeper into history, you can find out that the miracle van first existed as an ordinary GAZelle Next car, characterized by a small tonnage and a high level of ergonomics. The car is assembled from branded spare parts.

The Germans created a project, then they built a motorhome on wheels based on it. The development was transferred to the Moscow representative office of the company in Khimki, where custom-made models are expected to be assembled.

As a result of cooperation with a German company, the public had to see a comfortable, creative truck, converted into a mobile home, with the following advantages:

• comfortable arrangement of compartments;
• potential configuration changes;
• Russian production to order;
• the ability to drive with a category “B” license;
• ease of maintenance.

Review video of a camper based on GAZelle Next.

No body modifications took place, only additional heat and sound insulation was performed, and the step was lowered by 85 mm for convenient entry.

The salon contains wooden furniture, a shower stall, a dry closet, a stove, a sink and a refrigerator, and there are a pair of water tanks: 80 and 90 liters. The pump supplies water to the shower and heats it with a boiler connected to a heater located in the cabin.

The Next gazelle can accommodate 4 people. The cost of the car ranges around 2.5 million.

Types and applicability of KAMAZ brake drums

Today, KAMAZ vehicles use 5 types of brake drums, which are divided into two huge categories:

• Drums with an internal diameter of 400 mm, designed for pads with a width of 140 mm;

• Drums with an internal diameter of 420 mm, designed for pads with a width of 180 mm.

The most common are 400 mm drums; huge drums are installed on only a few truck models.

At the moment, the following models of KAMAZ brake drums are of current concern: 4310, 53205 (“Euro”), 5511, 6520, 6520 for MADARA drive axles, as well as several drums for trailers and semi-trailers. Each type of drum has its own characteristics.

Brake drum KAMAZ-4310. It has a working diameter of 400 mm, 10 bolt holes for mounting the wheel and 6 holes for mounting on the hub. Used on KAMAZ trucks models 4310, 43101, various modifications 4311, 4326, 43501, 5350, 63501, 6450 and others.

Remove the drum KamAZ 6520 rel=0;controls=0;showinfo=0;iv_load_policy=3;" frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

Installation of brake pads KAMAZ

How to correctly hammer in the oil seal, rivet the pads, rework them for a 10-ton brake system and replace the bushings.

Brake drum KAMAZ-53205 (“Euro”). It has a working diameter of 400 mm, 10 bolt holes for mounting the wheel and four holes for mounting on the hub. A distinctive feature of the drum is the presence of nine longitudinal stiffeners. Installed on KAMAZ vehicles of models 53228, 65111, 65115, 65116, 6540 and others.