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Minno · 11-17-2013, 09:07 AM

Sofa looks good! Chris has a doohicky for curves: it's a tool that you can bend to shape and lock in. We do the curves with cardboard and the tool. Then cut the wood, fit it and scribe again, ... and again... and again... Make sure you leave extra width when you cut the original! Compound curves are the same except you have to undercut or bevel the curve in order to get it to fit correctly. Takes some finessing, for sure! I'm not good at it. Chris is much better but he usually has to scribe 2 or 3 times to get it right still. We've finally got it down to an art, and now we're done with doing curves except the bathroom wall. He's at a wood bending seminar this weekend with thoughts of using it in the bathroom to cover up plumbing. I think it involves new tools too! He said something last night about needing a lot more clamps.....

Kay

Panama Red · 11-17-2013, 11:51 AM

Half the fun is buying new tools! The other half is using them... I need to look for the curve tool. Will have to actually finish the bedroom one day, instead of just throwing a bed in there. Also have to build some small cabinets for the ends of the sofa. I'm guessing that's where the radio will go, judging by the wires coming out of the wall.

Minno · 11-17-2013, 05:13 PM

Here's the curve doohickey I bought: Buy WoodRiver Curve Template 37 at Woodcraft

It comes in the 37" version that I have, plus a 107" version. If I had to choose again, I'd buy both. The 37" one just isn't long enough to get the curve for an entire wall, but the 107" one would be too long for some of the places I'm scribing.

Our first wall took more than a day and two sheets of plywood. I got the fist curve so messed up that by the time I got the curve right, the plywood wasn't wide enough anymore. So I used the curve I made as a template on another full sheet of plywood.

Practice certainly does help. Plus the curve template helps a lot too.

Great work on your trailer! But don't complain too much about cold it is in Florida...

Chris

Panama Red · 11-17-2013, 06:42 PM

Ooooohhh! It's a doohickey! Even better!!! I'll be ordering one shortly. Hate to admit it, but I'm a tool junkie.

As far as the cold goes, cripes, what was up with the heat today? Had to be low eighties and muggy as a swamp... Wait a second... Guess it is a swamp.
Finished the floor for the front of the LoveStream, except for trim molding. Installed a floating oak laminate. Not so sure about this floating stuff. It'll probably be all piled up back in the bedroom by the time I get to our first campsite... I was expecting glue or nails or something.

Fixed the vent cap over the front fan/vent also. The outside plastic was completely gone, leaving only an inner plastic that I'm pretty sure wasn't original. Made a miniature swimming pool out of the vent cover, which all drained into the camper through the cracked inner plastic. I removed all the plastic, and riveted a piece of aluminum in there. There is absolutely no end to the crap that was done wrong to this poor trailer. She's looking good though. Better than I've ever seen her anyways...

Hoping this front will get on through so things will dry out and I can start on the belly pan.

-Red, dog tired...

overlander64 · 11-17-2013, 08:11 PM

Greetings Panama Red!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panama Red

Finished the floor for the front of the LoveStream, except for trim molding. Installed a floating oak laminate. Not so sure about this floating stuff. It'll probably be all piled up back in the bedroom by the time I get to our first campsite... I was expecting glue or nails or something.

I suspect that you will find the floating floor to be quite happy in your coach. I have Armstrong laminate "floating" floors in my Minuet. The flooring was installed more than five years ago and it still is among my favorite modifications . . . it was almost the only choice with the Minuet's composite aluminum floors and their rows of rivets attaching the floors to the frame. You probably won't notice the "flexing" that can happen from time to time with the Minuet due to the irregularities in the composite aluminum sub-floor.

Good luck with your coach!

Kevin

Panama Red · 11-20-2013, 06:57 PM

Hey Kevin, man I'm hoping it works as good as yours has! It looks incredible in there. Very happy so far, first trip will tell...

Finished out the spare tire well and carrier tonight. Started making the measurements for the underbelly!!! WOOOOOOOOT! Got my service manual in the mail, and wouldn't you know it, the one thing that ISN'T described in detail is the underbelly! No drawings, no instructions, just "Remove it and replace it..." Pretty much figured out what I needed from the black and gray tank removal instructions though.

One picture as I wrapped up the evening. Relaxing with beverage of choice... Coming soon to a campground near you!

Foiled Again · 11-20-2013, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panama Red

Oh yeah, almost forgot, I'm a "Supporting Member" now. Waiting on my stickers! WOOOOT!!!

-Red

Don't they send you a supporter too? (The devil made me say it)

desertair27 · 11-20-2013, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panama Red

Hey Kevin, man I'm hoping it works as good as yours has! It looks incredible in there. Very happy so far, first trip will tell... Finished out the spare tire well and carrier tonight. Started making the measurements for the underbelly!!! WOOOOOOOOT! Got my service manual in the mail, and wouldn't you know it, the one thing that ISN'T described in detail is the underbelly! No drawings, no instructions, just "Remove it and replace it..." Pretty much figured out what I needed from the black and gray tank removal instructions though. One picture as I wrapped up the evening. Relaxing with beverage of choice... Coming soon to a campground near you!

Nice!

Panama Red · 11-20-2013, 08:09 PM

Smmmpphhh... Supporting member.... Giggle....

Panama Red · 11-21-2013, 06:09 PM

Big day today! Ordered the new axles from Inland Andy. Heck of a nice guy, and they have a fourth quarter sale going, so now's the time to get em!!! New shocks and centramatic balancers also. This thing ought to ride like a marshmallow on a cloud!

Spent the afternoon crawling around in a drippy rain on wet concrete installing the new pink stuff insulation. Some screws with big fender washers and a utility knife, three long necks and the appropriate swear words, and I almost finished the rear of the trailer to the black water tank. Axles come out tomorrow, a little bit of frame to finish painting, three more sheets of pink stuff, a short case of Coroni (a case, apparently, is 18 beers now...) and I'll be cutting aluminum for the belly pan. Hoping for Saturday, but rainy weather slows me down. Something about being wet and cold...

Again, huge shout out to Andy at Inland RV for making the axle purchase so stinking easy. You, my good man, are a saint!

-Red

Panama Red · 11-22-2013, 06:45 PM

Axles out! Not as big a job as I thought... On the Panama Red longneck scale of difficulty, with a "one" being as easy as getting MSNBC to side with the democrats, and a "ten" being the equivalent of ever getting Limbaugh to admit he was wrong, I give dropping the original axles on a '74 Sovereign a "3 long necks"! That seven horse, 150psi compressor and air impact driver really helped on this one. Man it's nice to have a dad with a shop that's geared for wrenching! I was able to enjoy quite a few of the aforementioned longnecks with pops this evening also! Good times with a great man! Love you dad! Starting the belly pan tomorrow morning! To all my northern friends that are snowed in right now... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH HHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!! It was eighty today... Sorry, I take joy where I can find it...

-Red

Panama Red · 11-23-2013, 06:33 PM

My apologies to my northern brethren, those of you stuck in the great frozen tundra known as "Everything North of Florida", or, maybe those being iced upon out west, even as I type. I never should have mocked what would be your pain, if you weren't frozen numb. Sure, I giggled to myself as I walked out to The Lovesream today, partly because of the incredible weather, partly because I thought of "supporting member" again, and I chuckle as if I were a thirteen year old at stupid stuff like that... So, at 0700 this fine morning, I finally un-tarped the beautiful pile of shiny 4x10 sheets of aluminum and began, THE QUEST FOR THE BELLY PAN!!! Dun-dun-dun!!!

Air shears in one hand, magic marker in another, and measuring tape in still a third, I set into the pile of sacred metal as a man possessed! My goal; To finish the belly pan from the rear all the way to just forward of the gray water tank. I know, I know, lofty goal for certain, and yet I was determined and steadfast in my approach...

All this to say, as the sun was setting, and I was drilling holes for the last sheet of aluminum, I drilled a hole through the rubber connection between the gray water tank outlet and the valve inlet... Karma I think. The gods of all things metal and shiny obviously have not approved of my laughter at the expense of the less fortunate... Anyways, hole in rubber thing = not getting to put in that last piece and failure to reach my goal... Soooooo, sorry! Hope y'all get an early spring!

Can't get back to this until Wednesday, so until then, here's a little belly pan porn... And, a picture of her without no feets!

On Panama Reds Longneck Scale of Difficulty, with One Longneck being as easy as convincing Mike Tyson to bite an ear, and Ten Longnecks being slightly less difficult than the Apollo 13 mission, I would rate installing the belly pan to forward of the gray tank on a 1974 Sovereign in one day an Eight Longnecks... I am freaking sore all over. See y'all Wednesday night for the continuing saga of Red and the Cantankerous Belly Pan!

-Red

Sorry for the crappy pictures... Will take better ones Wednesday.

dbj216 · 11-25-2013, 06:19 PM

Panama, you're doing good! Your pictures reflect too many longnecks! A bit out of focus I'd say, like I get after two beers. But that is a lot of aluminum to hang in one day!

I'm doing my belly pan also. I was wondering if you cut your material approximately 60" long and left the 48" as purchased. And then ran the sheets between two frame "joices". The belly pan I pulled down had a seam down the middle hitch to bumper, and it was one looong sheet of aluminum. I wonder if going curb to street with 4' sheets between joices would be easier and just as good.

It got to 35 degrees today. Heat wave!

David

Panama Red · 11-25-2013, 07:06 PM

Hey David! Yeah, I bought ten foot by four foot sheets of aluminum, then just cut them in half. Just the width of the air shears short of 60 inches. The very back sheet was a full four feet, but I haven't had another one go a full four yet, but I'm just to the gray water tank. I'm pretty sure I'll have at least one more full four foot span. I'm skinning it all the way across, rail to rail, running the whole sixty inches. No seam. The toughest part so far has been bending around the black water tank, but it wasn't as bad as I was dreading. I had it built up pretty big in my head...

Good luck with that pan! And, REALLY watch where you're drilling!!! I was so thankful that goof I made wasn't into anything serious. Also very glad I had water in the tank to point out my flub. Would have really sucked that first day at the campsite otherwise...

The pictures were after ten hours of crawling under and back out from that trailer. I was dead tired and just stuck the phone down there a squeezed off a few... The beers were very few and far between that day, darn the luck.

I've been reading the Canopener thread all afternoon, watching the videos... That thing looks like a hoot! Have to bring this up to SWMBO, see what she thinks.

Talked to Andy from Inland today with a few questions concerning the axles I ordered. What a helpful dude! Can't wait to get them suckers in and rolling.

See y'all Wednesday with more progress!

-Red

Panama Red · 11-27-2013, 07:47 AM

Woke up yesterday morning at 4:30 from a dream that the LoveStream (the name that has now stuck to Bertha) fell off the jack stands... Couldn't get back to sleep. Got me thinking, I've got this thing up on six jack stands, the main four of which are on the axle plates, and I pulled the axles this week because I've got new ones coming, and it makes installing the belly pan so much easier, and in removing the axles, I removed a lot of the rigidity of the structure under that thing. It's basically balancing on two vertical sheets of, what, quarter inch steel? So, I went out and stuck a few more jack stands under her on the frame rail for additional support.

Getting back on the belly pan this evening. Pictures to follow...

-Red

Minno · 11-27-2013, 07:09 PM

Our trailer spent 4 years supported on solid cement blocks under where the axles had been removed. We had the 4 stabilizer jacks turned upside down at the 4 corners for additional stability. When we put the new axles under, we had to jack the trailer up an additional 3 or 4 inches in order to clear the 12 inch brake hubs.

Kay

dbj216 · 11-27-2013, 07:13 PM

Nightmares!

I have concerns about my trailer being on jack stands and no axles. When I removed the axles, I removed about 330 pounds that was hanging below the jack stands. I have my trailer supported on two jack stands behind the rear axle, and the hitch jack. Three legs of support. And I have two safety jack stands in front of the front axle notches and four stablizers, two in front, and two at the rear. I can feel it wiggle a bit when I clammer up the step into the trailer. No bad dreams yet though.

My belly pan sheeting will go up the same way you are doing yours. 48 by 60 sheets riveted to the frame rails and cross stringers. I put a collar on my drill bit so I don't go any deeper than 3/8" so I don't hit something important.

Gonna visit Florida next spring!

David

Panama Red · 11-28-2013, 06:38 AM

Kay, I wish I had the patience for a four years on the jack stands refurb... That level of repair has to wait five years until I retire, so when I have a bad dream, I can wake up, walk outside, and get back to work on it. Love what y'all have done/are doing to Little Girl!

David, I had four stands under the axle plates, two under the a-frame, now I have two more on the frame just behind the axle plates. I feel much better about it now.

I replaced the rubber coupling from the gray tank to the valve, and got the sheet of belly pan back in that covered it. Installed the next sheet, from the gray tank to the fresh water tank. The sheet covering the fresh water tank is the only part of the original belly pan I'm leaving in. So basically, I've got two more sheets to tack in, then go back and make sure I have enough rivets in each sheet, then I start on the wraps!

It was well after dark when I got finished last night, so the pictures sucked just like the last ones, so I'm not posting them. Instead, I'll give you a few gratuitous construction shots... If I've posted these before, sorry...

-Red

Panama Red · 11-28-2013, 02:51 PM

Hey! Hope y'all are having a fantastic Thanksgiving...

Don't know if anybody has posted this before, but, after killing my shoulders and getting to the point I just couldn't face crawling under there to drill one more hole, I had an epiphany... What if I had a drill press that pressed UP??? Grabbed my floor jack, took off half the handle, and drilled ten holes easier than I could do one before! Seriously, DO THIS when you go to drill your belly pan rivet holes. Pictures are belly pan to front of fresh water tank, with my upward drill press on the side. See y'all Saturday!

Oh yeah, almost forgot... Drill Dr. Get one! I've sharpened this bit a half dozen times... Cuts like buttah...

-Red

Minno · 11-28-2013, 06:45 PM

Wow.. now why didn't we think of that! Great idea!
4 years was a necessity for us - we could only work in the summers here in the frozen tundra...

Kay