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03-20-2014, 11:18 PM
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#121
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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03-21-2014, 03:50 AM
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#122
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Rivet Master
1966 17' Caravel
Newport
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,291
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I agree that sounds interesting but then again so does the project in general I can not wait to see the end result. Keep up the good work.
Cliff
__________________
Gotta get busy! Have a great day! Now where did I put those revits?
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03-24-2014, 09:07 PM
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#123
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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I got a good start on the belly pan replacement today. I got the front street side wrap on. I went with 5052 H-32 .025. Also fabricated some new U channels for this side. It seems like I'm building this thing backwards and backtracking over ground that I already covered earlier on. I see why everyone does a shell off restoration instead of doing it this way! **hindsight** Either way it's a good learning experience.
I made a big sheet metal dispenser out of the box that my aluminum was shipped in. I kinda think I need to call Guinness World Records and see if this breaks the record for "world's largest foil box". : D
Tomorrow I'll put on the side pieces. I'm kinda up against a deadline to get this done tomorrow. The next day we are expecting a BIG rain! This is going to be interesting. I don't have replacement windows for the Armadillo yet, so I'm thinking I'll just reskin the entire street side. I'll come back and cut holes for the windows later when I have them. I plan on making them from scratch so I can make them any size I want.
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03-25-2014, 07:30 AM
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#124
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Rivet Master
1960 33' Custom
Athens
, Georgia
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,373
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the aluminum foil dispenser box is pure genius
__________________
1960 Sovereign 33' Pacific Railroad Custom
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03-26-2014, 04:16 AM
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#125
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4 Rivet Member
1960 26' Overlander
Wervicq-Sud
, FRANCE
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 296
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What a great job !
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03-26-2014, 09:02 AM
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#126
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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Looks like the Armadillo didn't get water right before the rain hit this morning. Just barely got it tarped this morning. Luckily being a roofing contractor I had a spare 60'x40' tarp laying around. I think I could have fit 3 Armadillos under there!! But regardless I did make some good progress yesterday.
Yesterday's progress:
And now the Armadillo slumbers in its blue cocoon until the downpour ceases only to emerge as a beautiful.... Oh wait. It's going to look just like it did when I tarped it. Darn. I should have named it the butterfly and maybe it would be totally done when it emerges. Haha.
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03-27-2014, 07:41 PM
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#127
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Rivet Master
1959 26' Overlander
Western
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,468
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Don't let a nasty wind move that tarp back and forth. The gouges will be painful when and if you polish.
Man, I'd love your spring weather.
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03-27-2014, 09:48 PM
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#128
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 65CV
Don't let a nasty wind move that tarp back and forth. The gouges will be painful when and if you polish. Man, I'd love your spring weather.
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g
I was worried about that. But luckily there was no wind. It's already 80 degrees here!
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03-28-2014, 11:27 AM
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#129
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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This morning was an interesting experience. I needed the U channel where it bends from the side around to the front toward the hold down plate. The old one kinda "fell apart" when I got frustrated and quit working it out slowly in favor of yanking it out. Remembering Vernon's post about making a curved U channel I took a shot at it. The old one was .60-.65 aluminum, or somewhere in that neighborhood. The local shop didn't have any. The next size up was .80. :/ kinda heavy but I'd rather go heavier than lighter and suffer a failure here while driving down the highway. After an hour or so of snipping, cussing, measuring, trimming, cussing, drilling, riveting, cussing, measuring, drilling, riveting, cussing. I have a what I call my curved U channel "A la Vernon". Thanks for the post!
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04-30-2014, 11:41 PM
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#130
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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It's been a while since I've posted but I've been working on the armadillo a little here and there. I've got the skin replaced on the street side. I'll cut the holes for the windows when I fabric at them.
I've started working on the skin on the curb side. And I'm re-skinning the door. I'm getting rid of the door in door in favor of a solid single piece of aluminum for a more sleek look. Also planning on getting rid of the suicide door in favor of a normal door.
I've started the wiring. With my marine background I had to go with tinned copper wire for all the 12 volt systems. I've also started some of the insulation. I can't wait to get the AC up and running. It's starting to get hot in there!
The tear drop side marker lights have been replaced and so have the taillights. Originally the Armadillo had the wedding cake lights but I was told by the gals at vintage trailer supply that those were unavailable, so I went with a more generic lens they had in stock.
Can't wait to start buffing her out!
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04-21-2015, 09:33 AM
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#131
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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It's been approx a year since I've touched the Armadillo. I've been away in PA for work. She wintered at my son's step dad's place. Very kind of him to offer to let me keep it there. I had recently finished real inning the outside of the door when I parked it and hadn't gotten around to putting a door handle in yet. It was wired shut from the inside which meant that someone, usually my son, had to crawl through the luggage compartment hatch to open the door from inside. I had an L-100 knob but hate the look. I wanted an L-66 or something that looks like the old refrigerator door levers. No luck. So I settled on something that would blend in instead of sticking out. Picked this up at Out of Doors Mart for what I considered to be fairly cheap. Seems very well made and sturdy too.
It looks crooked in the pic because I hadn't secured it yet. It's just sitting in the hole. Guess I was a little too eager then forgot to snap a new pic after it was done.
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06-12-2015, 02:07 PM
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#132
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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06-16-2015, 07:21 PM
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#133
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Rivet Master
1959 26' Overlander
Western
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,468
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"While I have the old frame out I need to clean the crud that the PO used to "seal" the old window frame. It's some brittle stuff that almost has a sandy texture to it. Short of getting a non abrasive grinding disc after it I'm not really sure how to remove it. Of course that route would put scratches in the skin and I'd like to avoid that. Any suggestions? "
I assume you've used the usual stuff like the orange stripper from the big box stores, acetone and mineral spirits. Sometimes the orange stuff will work well after a day covered in butcher paper or saran wrap for 24 hours.
Other suggestions:
De-Solve-It - if it's silicone based
3M Adhesive Remover - if it is oil based
Heat gun (real one, not a hair dryer)
Good luck.
Let us know what works.
Stay dry down there! Look like Texas is getting all the rain these days.
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06-16-2015, 10:15 PM
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#134
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Rivet Master
1957 22' Caravanner
1960 26' Overlander
1963 24' Tradewind
El Paso
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 945
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I've seen liquid nails look like that after a few years of baking in the sun. I think they recommend Vaseline to soften the sealant and then a wooden stick to scrape off the nastiness.
Good luck!
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06-16-2015, 11:21 PM
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#135
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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Actually I posted the question as a separate post and got some great advice. Mimiandrews said to use a heat gun and a cow hoof. I forgot my heat gun when I went out the AS but I did bring a cow hoof with me and it worked like a champ! It took the dry sandy looking stuff right off with minimal scraping and it didn't even scratch the aluminum. Basically it's like a giant fingernail. It didn't do so well with the silicone. It took the bulk of it off and took it down to a super thin layer that was stuck to the aluminum. A little silicone remover will get that off though. I was beyond impressed with the hoof!
I went ahead and replaced the front panel since it had holes where the rivets holding it to the tie down plate had pulled through. It was held in place previously with some pop rivets through the hold down plate. It worked to move the trailer around a little but not ideal. Should be good now.
Still working on the window. Should be done in the next week or so.
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06-16-2015, 11:29 PM
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#136
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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And yes! It's been horribly wet here! Lakes are overfilled. Rivers are over flowing their banks. Some places are flooded. Luckily not in my immediate area. But we know how to handle that problem here in Texas.
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07-22-2015, 06:12 AM
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#137
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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This has been quite the undertaking and big learning curve but I'm close to having a brand new window in the front of the Armadillo. It took a couple tries to build a suitable widow frame that looks good. There's a couple issues that I don't like about it still but I've got to go back on the road and those will have to be addressed when I get back. In the meantime here's what it looks like so far. Overall it's a way better design than the original.
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10-04-2015, 08:21 AM
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#138
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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10-05-2015, 05:01 AM
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#139
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Rivet Master
1959 26' Overlander
Western
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,468
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Looks like it was well worth the effort. Hopefully the rear one is a LOT easier!
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10-05-2015, 11:00 PM
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#140
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3 Rivet Member
1963 26' Overlander
Dallas
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 243
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It'll be much easier. And less expensive! I made all the mistakes on the front window. Haha.
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