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lacosta31 · 11-12-2009, 10:23 PM

Hi - I guess this is the right forum. I'm setting off on my upgrades for the camper. Most will be cosmetic and design centered, but some will be functional. I have already mouse proofed the underside completely, taken my inverter and furnace covers to be powder coated (chrome - they look great

)
changed the range hood and some other minor things. I've mostly just considered my plan of attack (materials and surfaces) over a few glasses of chardonnay.
Anyways... the propane tank part.......

So I'm repainting the front part of the frame for rust and dings and decide to paint the tank tray as well. Notice that the metal tanks have worn paint away from travel and after I paint, figure that a rubber mat would help prevent this in the future and be better if it gets wet.

Painted tray

Then I took a hard recycled rubber entry mat and using a template, cut a mat for the bottom of the tray (good drainage holes). I cut the mat so that the tie down rod would come through the center.

Fit bottom of tray nicely. The mat is a hard enough rubber that the tanks don't feel like they sway or feel squishy on the mat (they still snug down tight). Keeps metal off metal so it's practical to that extent. Not the coolest mod ever, but if it keeps rust from the bottom of the tray....one less thing to t/u paint.
(sorry couldn't figure out how to separate the photos with breaks in the text)

SilverRanger · 11-12-2009, 10:36 PM

Nice Job! That metal to metal contact does cause rust in a very short time. I was going to use indoor/outdoor carpet, but a rubber mat with holes makes much more sense and won't hold moisture. Any photos of those powder coated covers?

lacosta31 · 11-12-2009, 11:14 PM

Here are the powder coated covers...better than the tan color or whatever they were.

funkill · 11-13-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lacosta31

Here are the powder coated covers...better than the tan color or whatever they were.

Boy - it look like your chrome powder coating turned out much better than mine. Mine (my stovetop) was so *off* that the business owner didn't charge me. But it still looks better than it did to start. I was told that the chrome is really difficult to shoot - especially if there is any surface imperfections. ???

Your work thus far looks good.

Laura

SilverRanger · 11-13-2009, 07:58 AM

The chrome looks great. Thanks for the pics, lacosta31.

OB Bambi · 11-13-2009, 08:24 PM

I re-painted the tank bracket on OB Bambi about 6 months ago. Afterward I cut out plastic page protectors from a business presentation notebook for the tanks to rest. I thought it was the best use for Kinko-bound business reports.

I do like your idea about the foot mat. I think I will redo mine with yours. Also those chrome cover are sweet.

Randy

lacosta31 · 11-14-2009, 09:09 AM

Thanks Randy, the mat is pretty hard recycled rubber (green too

). Because its about 3/8" thick, I didn't want it to be squishy below allowing the tanks to wobble (obviously sitting on the metal base is the most firm footing).
The mat is actually upside down so the tanks sit on a flatter surface. They seemed pretty stable when the cover was back on and everything snugged down. I thought about cutting some vinyl tubing for the bottom of the tanks, but this seemed cleaner. Cheers.