I bought one of these, I had to fill a minimum order and thought it might come in handy. It has. You can buy a pound of long rivets and cut them. It is much cheaper than buying them in smaller quantities. In fact I once bought a 1/4 pound of rivets from McMaster Carr and they were still in the Hanson Rivet bag and cost about the same as the pound did directly from Hanson.
I bought one of these, I had to fill a minimum order and thought it might come in handy. It has. You can buy a pound of long rivets and cut them. It is much cheaper than buying them in smaller quantities. In fact I once bought a 1/4 pound of rivets from McMaster Carr and they were still in the Hanson Rivet bag and cost about the same as the pound did directly from Hanson.
Thanks for the information. I only have about 30 to cut so I probably won't purchase one but you gave me an idea. I tried the machine screw cut-off holes in my electrical crimping pliers and the 10-32 holes fit the rivets nice and cut them pretty true.
It was indeed a nice feeling to get rid of the last of the pink stuff when I was working on my 1973. Have you decided what you are going to use for a replacement? I definitely favor the use of reflective foil insulation. Come to think of it I did see that you have decided to use reflective foil under your floor. If you have not already read about using it in your walls here is a place to start:
Have you decided what you are going to use for a replacement? I definitely favor the use of reflective foil insulation. Come to think of it I did see that you have decided to use reflective foil under your floor. If you have not already read about using it in your walls here is a place to start:
I would also be happy to answer questions on the topic if I can.
Malcolm
That's exactly my plans. I have read yours and Jim's threads many times and tried to absorb Zeps Insulation effectiveness tests. I think that I will try the PL300 foamboard adhesive as I can buy that wholesale for about a buck and a half a tube. I am not sure which foam board that I will use for my strips. I ordered a box of 2'x4'x5/8" fiberglass ceiling panels (for drop in ceilings) that will be here tomorrow. The description states that it is fire resistant, flexible, and absorbs noise. If I decide not to use it I can return it or use it to replace some broken panels in my store.
I also found a inexpensive tool for cutting the insulation. It is a set of Black & Decker Power Scissors. They are rechargable and it really cuts right through the bubble foil insulation.
I removed the rest of my interior skin except for the two end caps which will be next.
Hi, Vernon,
Are you going to put the end caps back in? Do you know if they are structurally necessary or cosmetic?
I am thinking about replace at least the aft one with aluminum panels, maybe the fore, also, but I can't decide, the enclosed shelf space is sort of an Airstream treasure. The aft one is ok, maybe a little boring.
OTOH, I've seen some impressive painting options that might improve the aft fiberglass. I've got to get under there and clean out the insulation.
Your work is looking great. You are making very good progress.
I'm moving a bit more slowly on my renovation project. I'll get some more pictures up on my blog soon to update the slow and unsteady progress. Right now, I'm getting ready for a week of camping in the semi-tent that my Trade Wind has been this summer. At least it's an air conditioned tent, and this time it will have hot and cold running water and a toilet. Baby steps.
Are you going to put the end caps back in? Do you know if they are structurally necessary or cosmetic?
I am thinking about replace at least the aft one with aluminum panels, maybe the fore, also, but I can't decide, the enclosed shelf space is sort of an Airstream treasure. The aft one is ok, maybe a little boring.
OTOH, I've seen some impressive painting options that might improve the aft fiberglass. I've got to get under there and clean out the insulation.
Your work is looking great. You are making very good progress.
I'm moving a bit more slowly on my renovation project. I'll get some more pictures up on my blog soon to update the slow and unsteady progress. Right now, I'm getting ready for a week of camping in the semi-tent that my Trade Wind has been this summer. At least it's an air conditioned tent, and this time it will have hot and cold running water and a toilet. Baby steps.
Anne
Hi Anne, I know that Frank (Overlander62) replaced his interior endcap with aluminum segments. I'm not sure how much detail he went into, but a link to his blog is below, and I'm sure he'd answer your questions in a PM if you like:
my fiberglass end cap is under the aluminum. The end cap is a structural element of the trailer. I do not recommend removing it and not putting it back in. Zepp is a full blown genius and he made a new one that was bucked together and serves the same purpose. The fiberglass is ugly, that is why the invented zoletone.
Yes I will put them back in. They are structurally sound - no cracks or breaks (so far). Plus they fit! I have already repaired the recessed shelf system that is part of them. It was kind of flimsy. I showed them to a body shop friend today and he said I would be fine to use a DA sander on the aft fiberglass cap with 220G sandpaper and prime it. Then I could paint it with a semi-gloss wall paint.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 62overlander
The fiberglass is ugly, that is why the invented zoletone.
It is definitely ugly! But sometimes "you gotta dance with dim what brung you." The front cap is not so bad as it does have a texture to it.
That's exactly my plans. I have read yours and Jim's threads many times and tried to absorb Zeps Insulation effectiveness tests. I think that I will try the PL300 foamboard adhesive as I can buy that wholesale for about a buck and a half a tube. I am not sure which foam board that I will use for my strips. I ordered a box of 2'x4'x5/8" fiberglass ceiling panels (for drop in ceilings) that will be here tomorrow. The description states that it is fire resistant, flexible, and absorbs noise. If I decide not to use it I can return it or use it to replace some broken panels in my store.
I also found a inexpensive tool for cutting the insulation. It is a set of Black & Decker Power Scissors. They are rechargable and it really cuts right through the bubble foil insulation.
That could be an interesting choice for the strips. Please keep us posted on that one. The PL300 sounds like a great choice. The Insulfoam (eps foam I think) material I used for the strips was also available in 2'x4' sheets at Lowes which I found to be pretty handy. The first sheets that I bought were 4'x8'. I sliced mine into strips on my table saw and it was definitely easier to cut up the 2'x4' sheets. For the 4'x8' sheets I had to have help on the outfeed side but I could handle the 2'x4' sheets by myself. Power scissors would be great but the good news is that the foil cuts pretty easily with regular manual scissors too.
I think that if I could only pass on one tip about installing foil the one that probably is the most usefull is to mark your sheets for cutting by laying a sheet of foil over the part of the wall you are working on and pressing the foil up against the body ribs with your fingers. The foil takes a great mark by indentation. I wish that I had discovered that trick a lot sooner in my install. I was carefully measuring and cutting at first.
On my 1973 31' International I pretty much came to the conclusion that the end caps actually both inside and outside have a somewhat limited structural value. I am not saying that they have none but my observation is based largely on the limited amount of body framing that is in those areas. My plastic end caps were not attached at all that many places either.
Relative to painting the end caps I used a shellac based primer (Zinser BIN) and then a couple of coats of a good quality interior satin gloss paint. For some reason it did not even occur to me to sand them down first. I read about that part later and thought that maybe I should have. On the other hand I have tried the finger nail scratch test here and there and find that the paint seems to be sticking pretty well. Time will tell I guess. I chose a soft grey color. I think that maybe a semi-gloss rather than the satin gloss might have been better but that is a matter of personal preference. If you really would like to have more texture on your end caps I would think that you could add some texture additive to your paint. I do not have a particular product in mind but I believe that you can get acrylic plaser type products that are intended for that purpose. There are textured paint rollers that you try too.
I think that if I could only pass on one tip about installing foil the one that probably is the most usefull is to mark your sheets for cutting by laying a sheet of foil over the part of the wall you are working on and pressing the foil up against the body ribs with your fingers. The foil takes a great mark by indentation. I wish that I had discovered that trick a lot sooner in my install. I was carefully measuring and cutting at first.
Malcolm
That is a very good tip. I think that I had read that on your thread. Make sense. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malconium
On my 1973 31' International I pretty much came to the conclusion that the end caps actually both inside and outside have a somewhat limited structural value. I am not saying that they have none but my observation is based largely on the limited amount of body framing that is in those areas. My plastic end caps were not attached at all that many places either.
Malcolm
I was thinking about that yesterday. Mine was attached at the most rear bow and then only one rivet on each side at the next rib. It was also attached around the rear window but for the most part it was just hanging there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malconium
Relative to painting the end caps I used a shellac based primer (Zinser BIN) and then a couple of coats of a good quality interior satin gloss paint. For some reason it did not even occur to me to sand them down first. I read about that part later and thought that maybe I should have.
Malcolm
I plan on priming with the original Kilz which is also a replacement for pigmented shellacs. Zinser BIN is also an excellent product. You could probably toss a coin on that one. My end caps are pretty shiney so I think I should get a little better adhesion by scuffing it up a little.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malconium
If you really would like to have more texture on your end caps I would think that you could add some texture additive to your paint.
Malcolm
That might be interesting. I had not thought about it. I sell a couple of those products that I might experiment with.
BTW - I haven't been told exactly what colors that I am going to use. I am sure she will let me know.
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The front cap is not so bad as it does have a texture to it.