In the last several weeks, we’ve made a lot of progress, inside and out.
On the exterior, all that remains now is to dry fit the trim, panel the inside of the door, trim one wheel well and mount the new LED running lights and turn signals. Then she’s ready for her BLACK and PEPPER WHITE paint coat.
The belly skin and all the banana wraps are done now, as is the bumper box
We used .040 sheets for the wraps and pan, mostly because it was the only material available at Wiltsie’s, except for a lighter aluminum roll, which buckles and ripples more easily. The .040 was not easy to work with but it provides a far more solid finished job.
Vince, a neighbor, has been giving me a lot of help. Here he’s filling and sanding the banana wraps. I learned too late, on this forum, that I could have bought new plastic ones from Airstream.
We assembled a T from various brass fittings bought at an auto supply store, allowing Phil to use both the air drill and riveter without plugging and unplugging them from the air supply.
We’ve had an unseasonably warm October. I was back in Toronto a couple of weeks ago, renovating a deck, and it was 32 Celsius, 90F!
The weather returned to normal this week however and I had to erect a roll up door on my work shed. Once we’ve finished the lighting at the rear, we’ll snug up the tarp.
We also winterized the trailer this week, something I hadn’t thought I would be doing this year. This will be my THIRD winter in Port Bruce!
All aluminum lined, weather protected stainless steel piano hinge, 1/8” aluminum lid - which will have fastening devices added after we paint the trailer.
The trailer body will be BLACK below the belt line but I like the cool, natural look of the aluminum box and it will remain unpainted.
The bumper will be polished and then coated (as will the lid) with the POR 15 clear-coat product GLISTEN.
While DavidsonOverlander’s furniture worked perfectly when we did a dry fit last summer, the under-bed drawers wouldn’t fit when it came to the final install this week.
Somehow the frames had warped in storage.
On a couple days notice, Grant took a day off his school teaching job, drove two hours each way and stayed here all day Friday until we overcame the problem.
I want to publicly thank Grant; not only for the beautiful furniture he built but also for all the help he’s been since day one of this project.
This is the mid ship gaucho ready for the all-new upholstery which will be made in the next few weeks.
The whole experience put me in mind of the late Frank Wiltsie.
When Frank started what would become a significant local enterprise, WILTSIE TRUCK BODIES, almost 60 years ago, it was a wood windows shop - opened just as aluminum windows hit the market.
In his Elgin County manner Frank puffed “them’s just a fad” but got lucky when the local Carnation Milk plant came along asking him to build a couple of truck bodies. The rest is history, as they say.
Later, Frank was overheard telling his friend, the lumber merchant Milt Craig, “Don’t mind buildin’ in aluminum and steel. She don’t shrink none”.
If everything goes as well as its been going we should have the new exterior lighting finished tomorrow.
Two of the original 30 years old pigtails had breaks in the insulation RIGHT AT THE ALUMINUM SHELL.
By chance I stumbled upon Liquid Electrical Tape at an auto supply store last week. It saved the day.
In addition to the 12 new LED clearance lights we are installing LED tail and turn lamps.
I learned here on the forum that you could modify commonly available LED sets, sold as Submersible Boat Trailer Lamps, to fit the 4 1/2” vintage Monarch lamps on our trailers.
It was easy to trim down the guts of the LED set to fit our housing.
This is the control panel and LG lcd TV, on the wall to your left as you enter. Galley in front of you. Front lounge to the right.
The LG fridge will go in the space between the wall and the pull out cupboard.
Turn left to mid-ship space; gaucho on one side, wardrobe and pull out desk behind sliding doors on the other. Bath at rear.
The Control Panel left to right: Micro Pulse Systems Monitor (with water pump switch), toggle switches for door and step lights, yard light, power to diesel fuel gauge. AC and DC voltage meters.
Toggles for the three heat circulation fans in the trailer. Large black toggle switch is ON/OFF for the Webasto Diesel Furnace. Fuel gauge for under floor diesel tank.
I’m going to Toronto for a few days to work on a simpler renovation, a deck. When I come back I’ll wire the control panel so that we can heat the trailer while working on more final details.
This is the slide-out desk idea I borrowed, with permission, from Zeppelinium.
It is actually an adapted IKEA wardrobe unit that stands floor to ceiling between the galley and the bath at mid-ship.
Slide doors to the right for the wardrobe, left for the office area complete with desk, lamp and window. The sliding doors can close over both areas when desired, as in travel.
A laser printer will ride in the pull-out drawer under the desk.
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