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65CV · 01-09-2013, 06:24 PM

Sparky,

I remember our first attempt at a bellypan corner. My son and I spent 14 man hours the first day and ended up producing nothing but frustration. We used soft aluminum, not the tougher 6061 you used.

That is a very impressive job you've done. So glad that the task is over for you and that it looks so good. Working on cold ground is miserable, isn't it?

Congrats!

John

Sparky57 · 01-09-2013, 06:27 PM

Also installed Solar panels:

2 65W Solar panels (130W total) mounted mid-line on the trailer. Used some through-hull marine fittings to bring the wires through the outer skin inside.

I bought lower power solar panels than I had dreamed of, but added an MPPT controller so I can get max power out of the panels I have. I got a 10a MPPT Solar Controller and a remote monitoring unit that shows the battery charge state, the power going into the panels and power coming out.
I really like it so far.
Post some pics later of the finished install.

Minno · 01-09-2013, 06:52 PM

Aaah, yes. The bellypan. I remember it not so fondly. I definitely agree that re-doing the bellypan would be infinitely better with a shell-off. We also did a shell-on. Took about 4 times longer that we thought (I actually think I understated that), and was not exactly easy. Don't plan on doing it again. Everytime he talks about taking a section off to do something I try to talk him out of it! Now that it's done though, it looks nice. So does yours!

Kay

Sparky57 · 01-09-2013, 07:48 PM

Thanks John, thanks Kay!
And it is nice to hear that it is *actually* that hard, as hard as it felt. To top it off, I was working solo. I really enjoyed the first 10 hours...then it started to get harder and harder, and the rest felt like a frustrating chore with no end in sight. I think I may need a support group or medication to get over it.

Now it feels like I am on the the fun stuff once I put the inner skins back in. Finishing work and cabinet building! I have no idea how to do that either!

nmbosa · 01-09-2013, 10:54 PM

Beautiful work on the belly pan. That was unquestionably the most difficult part of our restoration - and we had the shell off. Yours looks great and the 6061 will probably hold up very well to years of road abuse, so you will get your money's worth out of all that hard work. Can't wait to see your next update.

Norm

Sparky57 · 01-09-2013, 11:32 PM

Thanks Norm! I love your Overlander blog... I have 3 young daughters and am planning on bunks...any tips? I am wondering how wide is wide enough and how much height between mattress and roof is sufficient for kids. What do your bunks measure?

Mark

nmbosa · 01-12-2013, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky57

Thanks Norm! I love your Overlander blog... I have 3 young daughters and am planning on bunks...any tips? I am wondering how wide is wide enough and how much height between mattress and roof is sufficient for kids. What do your bunks measure?

Mark

Sent via pm, but in case anyone else is looking for this information -

The bunk is 75 1/4" x 28 1/8".

The height to the interior ceiling at the outer edge of the bunk is 23". At the center of the bunk (as the roof curves down) there is apprx. 19 1/2" of clearance. (these measurements are from the top of the 4" mattress).

The bottom of the bunk sits on cleats that are bolted to the bulkheads at either end of the bedroom area. The cleats are at 51 1/2" off the floor.

The bunk rails are constructed from 4 3/8" x 3/4" wood - auto correct wants to call it magma honey

but you know it as a dark wood from African and South America.

I have to add that ironically our kids haven't slept in the bunks yet. Our youngest is still uncomfortable with the height and we never got around to buying the cushions for the dinette. So, our nightly routine is a little silly. We take the mattresses from the bunks and put them on the dinette to make a queen bed. One of us sleeps up front with our youngest daughter, our oldest gets one of the main beds and the parent who drew the long stick for the night gets the other main bed.

Hopefully we will get our dinette cushions this winter and at least our older daughter can start using the bunk.

I'd also recommend a ladder of some sort. The kids have trouble getting down on their own without one.

Norm

54breadloaf · 01-12-2013, 02:12 PM

Looks great Sparky! I have started on one corner but failed miserably. Then it came to me one night. Ill make a pattern out of heavy paper. ( should have just read your post :0)... ) anyway, like you I'm working solo so it's hard to get motivated. When I do, I'll post som photos. Thanks for the inspiration.

JT

zonacpa · 01-12-2013, 10:58 PM

I'm planning to do some bunks as well. I have twin boys. Here are some pictures I found on the web.

ddstech · 01-13-2013, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky57

Thanks Norm! I love your Overlander blog... I have 3 young daughters and am planning on bunks...any tips? I am wondering how wide is wide enough and how much height between mattress and roof is sufficient for kids. What do your bunks measure?

Mark

I have three little girls too. We came up with these bunks that slide out like gauchos. They are awesome!

Matt

pullswitha40 · 01-13-2013, 11:51 AM

The belly pan looks great.....

I look forward to seeing photos of the solar panels.

Just how did you mount them?

Sparky57 · 01-13-2013, 02:32 PM

Here are some solar panel pics and a few pics of the new Tornado flushers that are connected to the grey and black tanks. Ran the hoses through to the rear SS corner. That is one busy little corner of my trailer now - Bal jacks, flush valves, dump valves, power, cable, water inlets, and the HW tank fresh air intake and exhaust pipes

Solar are 2 65W panels mounted mid-line, with SeaDog thru hull wiring clamps and home made anodized aluminum mounting stands. Last pic is the MPPT controller and MT-5 Remote monitoring unit (they are just laying loose right now....)

M

Sparky57 · 01-13-2013, 05:08 PM

Forgot one pic of the solar controllers. The MPPT controller is on the left, the MT-5 Unit on the right, showing 18.5v flowing from the panels into the battery bank...

Added one pic of the tire holder too- painted up the rim a nice hammered aluminum grey just for fun. Still need to attach the aluminum skin to the underside (that is what is hanging down over the tire) Can't seem to find the right size washers in stainless to hold the metal in place.

@DDSTech- those bunks look nice. I like the slide out option, that is smart. Do you know what distance you get between mattress edge and roof? I don't think my girls will sleep together any more, they all want a bunk , and they all want their own bed....So I'll end up with 4 beds back there, total of 6 in the trailer with the queen dinette. What is across from your beds?

m

ddstech · 01-13-2013, 08:27 PM

@DDSTech- those bunks look nice. I like the slide out option, that is smart. Do you know what distance you get between mattress edge and roof? I don't think my girls will sleep together any more, they all want a bunk , and they all want their own bed....So I'll end up with 4 beds back there, total of 6 in the trailer with the queen dinette. What is across from your beds?

m[/QUOTE]

I'll have to grab you measurements next time I go out there. I can tell you my 10 yr old is pretty tall and fits comfortably on the top. My other two girls are short and have many years before they out grow it.

Across from the bunks is the kitchen. I'm going to be posting all the pictures soon. Just need to finish up some things first.

pullswitha40 · 01-14-2013, 10:25 AM

Looks great.....

I only hope I do half as well on my Spartan......no that's not true ....I hope I do as good a job as you are doing.

Sparky57 · 01-15-2013, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pullswitha40

Looks great.....

I only hope I do half as well on my Spartan......no that's not true ....I hope I do as good a job as you are doing.

Thanks! The secret is to break big jobs into lots of little jobs and do that one at a time. And only take pictures of the things that go well

M2HB · 01-15-2013, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky57

Thanks! The secret is to break big jobs into lots of little jobs and do that one at a time. And only take pictures of the things that go well

Taking pictures of just the items that go well sure makes it look easy.

Sparky57 · 01-30-2013, 09:32 PM

Quick update;

Completed the insulation using EPS 3/4" foam over top of Prodex. I am really happy with it and despite the cold evenings I have been able to warm the trailer up quickly using a little space heater. The EPS foam is light, bends nicely to fit and thin enough that there is an air gap between the Prodex and the skin. It was easy to install and with the reflective barrier it holds together well.

Completed all the wiring and tested all the circuits. Ordered 12 LED recessed lights from China -- They are 110v but I was able to mod them to work as 12v (by just cutting off the step down transformer

) They are nice, and seriously, $5 delivered to my door, tax and duty included. Ridiculous.

3W LED Ceiling Down Light Recessed Fixture Warm White Cabinet Lighting 110V 220V | eBay

Also prepped the inner skins for reinstall. Sanded with 120 grit and washed with TSP and rinsed. Some of the back sides were corroded so I had to clean up the corrosion with a scotch brite pad and then Alodine and Alumiprep, then rust paint. A couple of the skins were corroded right through so painted front and back.

Mocked up the bathroom cabinet and shower area too in cardboard- that is the next step, once the skins are back in.

Sparky57 · 01-30-2013, 11:39 PM

Here is a pic of the insulation I am using. One pic is the backside, which is plastic. The other pic is it installed with the foil liner side facing outwards. I can't really find any drawbacks to using this stuff. Someone said it will soak water out of the air, but from what I read it doesn't do that. So far, I am happy with it...

Also got the gas lines installed. $200 in labour and $350 in copper and hoses, regulators, fittings and bushings.

My cheque book is empty!