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Old 06-18-2012, 08:54 PM   #21
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With the newly bent J-channel waiting for me at the shop, I made the curves with a pair of tin snips. This turned out to be very easy. Not sure why I was so afraid of making new j-channel.

After filling the cracks between plywood pieces and over the screw heads with wood filler, I sanded (with a belt sander, otherwise it would have taken forever) everything smooth, swept and then wiped it (somewhat) clean with a damp cloth.

Back up a few days. To add support to the plywood step, we added two steel angle brackets. One right on the edge and one six inches or so back, with a layer of aluminum to protect the underside of the plywood from water and dirt, since the belly pan will not cover it. Both kinds of metal are painted to prevent rust.


I kept thinking of all the stepping that would happen in that one spot and decided it needed to be reinforced to prevent the plywood from sagging later on.

Back to today. The holes for the toilet and shower were drilled, then the new flooring went on.

That's good lookin!



Otis tested it out and it matches the pugs perfectly. If you are wondering why Otis looks like he is melting, it is because I made him come out of the air conditioned office and into the boiling shop to pose for me. A high of 93 today with 700% humidity.
I went with my FIL (father-in-law) to a metal shop today to see if they could create a custom shower pan for the bathroom. It will cover the entire bathroom floor (making it a wet bath) and is kind of an odd shape, since the wheel well intrudes into the bathroom by about seven inches.
Every time I go to one of these Amish shops, I feel like I just stepped into Planet of the Apes.

These Amish guys are the hairiest folks you will ever see. Their scalp hair continues down their neck, surging into their shirt collars without diminishing in the least. Do their wives go to a special school to learn how to make that haircut? Every Amish guy has the same one and it looks as if a bicycle helmet was strapped to his head, and all the hair that stuck out got cut off. Not quite a bowl shape, because there is a bit of a mullet thing going on in the back, leaving it just short enough to expose their neck fur. Now, the Amish have no problem using electricity. They all run their shops with it and seem to experience no guilt whatsoever about it. Deodorant, on the other hand, must be the root of all evil. Visit an Amish shop on a hot day (or any other day) and you will understand.
Okay, enough venting about the Amish for now.
The shower pan is about 3 weeks away and there is so much to do in order to be ready for it. Tomorrow, I insulate the under side of the floor, screw down the j-channel and then go to Dairy Queen for their "happy hour" slushy special. Anybody want to come with?
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Old 06-18-2012, 11:32 PM   #22
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Looking great!
While you can still get to it I would suggest sealing the wood as much as humanly possible where the shell will sit on it (between the C channel) I used close to two gallons of polyurethane to build up a large protective barrier. This maybe overkill, but it sure felt good to see the water make a puddle instead of soak in when it rained and I hadn't gotten the last patch on yet!
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Old 06-19-2012, 04:37 AM   #23
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I just found this thread. I had a fabricator suggestion, but glad you were able to find one. I really like the aqua color you painted the frame and rims...
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Old 06-19-2012, 08:29 PM   #24
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Eric H - I'm with you on that! I coated the plywood with West System Epoxy on both sides until completely saturated, then added another coat. I would love to see what the floor looks like in another 50 years and see how well everybody's expensive, time consuming, stinky glues held up!
62overlander - Wow! Frank Yensan knows I exist! Really though, your blog post where you painted a trailer hitch red made me realize that such a thing was possible. Hence the aqua color! Thanks!
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Old 06-19-2012, 08:34 PM   #25
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It was another scorcher in the shop today with no AC, but I would rather be sweating and getting work done than sitting at home in the air conditioning thinking about all that I am not getting done.
All of the channel is screwed down and each screw head is covered in silicone to prevent leaks and/or condensation from soaking into the holes and rotting the wood underneath.


Next, I added four plastic drains (one on each curve) and sealed off any gaps in the channel.


This way, if the outer shell ever does spring a leak, the water will flow down these tubes and out of the belly pan.

I haven't decided whether to add a flexible tube that would come out the bottom of the drain and send the water out a service panel on the bottom.

Speaking of the bottom, this was my view for the last part of the afternoon.

Most of it was spent on my back on a wheeled thing made for scooting under cars. I measured for the Styrofoam insulation and hubby cut it to size on the table saw. My job for tomorrow will be to glue and tape it in there, then add a layer of fiberglass insulation. We are using the Styrofoam for its sound barrier qualities, and the fiberglass for its R-value. I may decide against the fiberglass in favor of some kind of foil bubble insulation. Being upside down, sweating and covered in fiber glass might speed that decision. Anybody have any suggestions?
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Old 06-19-2012, 08:55 PM   #26
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Everyone that I've seen seems to agree that the fiberglass holds the water and helps promote rotting. Personally I would avoid it.

I'll take some pics of the sanding / polishing I'm doing for you tomorrow!
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:29 PM   #27
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Everyone that I've seen seems to agree that the fiberglass holds the water and helps promote rotting...
I have also seen that on the trailer forums...the boating/kayak/canoe folks have a completely different perspective...they deal with water in a larger picture than us. I sealed my floor with epoxy.
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:42 PM   #28
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That is a fantastic rebuild. The trailer will be something you can be proud of for years to come. It sounds like you have your shower pan issue resolved. I found a local guy to build my gray water tank out of stainless steel.
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Old 06-20-2012, 06:11 PM   #29
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I have also seen that on the trailer forums...the boating/kayak/canoe folks have a completely different perspective...they deal with water in a larger picture than us. I sealed my floor with epoxy.
I think they are talking about insulation. People seem to agree that the fiberglass insulation holds water.
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Old 06-20-2012, 06:18 PM   #30
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I think they are talking about insulation. People seem to agree that the fiberglass insulation holds water.
Duh. You are correct! (walking away red faced)...
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Old 06-20-2012, 07:07 PM   #31
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Okay, so I think I have settled on a floor insulation solution. Feel free to unsettle me if you have any better ideas.
For under the floor: Expanded Polystyrene Insulated Sheathing with an R-value of 7.7
For the Walls: One layer of Prodex, plus HSC painted on the exterior of the interior skin. The Prodex supposedly has an R-value of 15.6.
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Old 06-20-2012, 07:20 PM   #32
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Might want to rethink the HSC. See this thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f478...e-86901-2.html

I think the conclusion was that HSC isn't a great idea unless perhaps you used it to paint the ribs as a thermal break

Whoops on edit I see that you are aware of this. What made you decide to use the HSC? Just curious.

At the restoration rally, Uwe was recommending two layers Prodex below, three in ceiling panels separated by strips of Prodex to create airspaces.
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Old 06-20-2012, 07:26 PM   #33
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[QUOTE=aluminitus;1163810]Okay, so I think I have settled on a floor insulation solution. Feel free to unsettle me if you have any better ideas.
For under the floor: Expanded Polystyrene Insulated Sheathing with an R-value of 7.7

Great thread... and makings of a great trailer.

For the under-floor insulation, I would use either "Extruded" (not expanded) polystyrene... it will be pink or blue, or Polyisocyanrate (urethane)... golden color, with foil facing.

The white foam will actually suck water from the air over time.

Good Luck, you've made great progress.
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Old 06-20-2012, 08:49 PM   #34
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What's the best way to stick that sheathing to the underside of the floor? I assume liquid nails would be good, but I could also see it eventually pulling away due to the fact that the sheathing is fairly brittle and weak. The liquid nails would stay intact and stuck to the underside of the flooring, but it would separate from the sheathing... or maybe not? Seems like it would need something extra to hold it up..
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Old 06-21-2012, 07:48 AM   #35
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byamcaravanner: oops that's what I meant. Whichever one it is that is colored is the one we will use. Does it have to have a foil facing?
reinergirl: The reason the HSC is for cool weather camping (since we will be full-timing), so that it will keep heat inside the trailer better, therefore it will be painted on the (non-visible part) inside skin to reflect heat back in. It should add to water tightness, have sound-deadening qualities, and I already have 5 gallons of the stuff that can't be returned
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Old 06-21-2012, 12:17 PM   #36
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Not to bombard everybody with questions...oh wait. This is my thread. I'll do what I want
There is an unusual dent in the front endcap that was made before we got the trailer.

I have called a dent removal guy who said that it would be $50 for him to come look at the thing to tell me whether or not he can do something about it. Plus there isn't anything close by that he could use for leverage to push/pull on it. I have tried gluing an elevator bolt to the dent and pulling. The glue was not strong enough and came off. I have tried a suction cup, but since it is on a curved surface and has rivets at the edge, there was no suction. I tried using a rubber mallet on the back side (albeit very tentatively) and nothing budged. Should I try a hammer and dolly or will this make it worse? What about one of these on the end of a pry bar? We are getting close to having to insulate the trailer and I really want the big dent and maybe the long dent gone before it is too late.





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Old 06-29-2012, 07:35 PM   #37
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I know what you are thinking.
"???????"
I don't really have a good explanation, other than it was really really hot in the shop and I had been under a trailer insulating all day. Yesterday broke the record for the hottest day since 1954. 103 or so. Good grief!
As you can see from the above picture, we bought Prodex insulation. With a claimed R-value of 15.6 for one layer and 21 for two layers and waterproof-ness (it's a word, right?) Prodex seemed the way to go. Since insulation4less.com is the only company that sells the stuff, I had to buy it from them. Believe me, if there had been another way, I would have purchased it elsewhere. Having looked all over the web for reviews, the Prodex consistently was rated well but the customer service was terrible. I decided to do an experiment. Since the company was having a buy one-get one sale that was worded poorly and overall very confusing, I decided to call them and get some clarification. The notoriously rude owner picked up and I hadn't gotten half a sentence out before he interrupted me and chided me for not looking at the website. I actually had some questions about the Prodex itself but he brushed me off and curtly hung up. He failed my test miserably.
Grudgingly I ordered two rolls of it, and hoped that they would showup without any issues so that I would never have to have contact with that awful man again. It is a shame, really. He could have a good company if only he wasn't him.
As for the Prodex itself, it was easy to work with, easy to cut and I think it will do a good job of keeping the trailer warm and cool as needed.

Two layers went on the underside:

The gray and black tanks were both installed...

and will have at least one layer of insulation covering them.
The pugs got to stay in the air conditioned office and were glad for it, but after having gotten up at 6:30 and "working" all day, they were ready for a good nap.
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Old 07-31-2012, 10:13 PM   #38
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Progress with the belly pan
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Old 08-03-2012, 05:14 PM   #39
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Aluminum shower pan/wet bath floor has arrived!
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Old 08-03-2012, 05:49 PM   #40
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Nice to hear that you got the pan fab wrapped up. I will be following this closely as we're ripping the center bath out of our 31'er. We're looking into custom fab for the shower pan, countertop and sink. Looking forward to your updates.

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