The two halves fit so tightly together that I didn't use biscuits or dowels. I did use two splice plates on the bottom which can be seen in the photos. These were put on with liberal amounts of woodworker's glue then shot on with a brad gun (air). I also feel pretty confident about the Interlux Marine Epoxy on the topside as this product has held a previously recalcitrant split in a wood door that no other product has been able to hold together. Keep in mind that my aft floor support steel was intact and all frame members were good so the floor is well bolted down too.
re: getting them in. the aft-most edge of my frame sagged 1/8 to 1/4" before the new floor was bolted in so it wasn't a problem fitting. also, I removed everything, hot water heater, etc. but I didn't want to pull out wheel wells so my curbside half was actually a big "L" instead of a square. I used a floor jack to snug up the frame before bolting it all together. I used 1/4 luan for the template but still had to flex it quite a bit when cutting/fitting. The actual subfloor went in without much problem. I think the pull down straps shown above are a pretty clever solution if you have some driveway or road you can drill or pour concrete into..
wow, 72 degrees, clear as a bell.. we don't get days any nicer down here..figured I'd go ahead and mount the repaired blackwater tank BY MYSELF! like the song sez: "ain't no hill fer a stepper..":
harbor freight to the rescue once again...and some leftover thompson's water seal ;-) hey, this may not look like much to you but that is a REAL "Sealand" type toilet flange there, all screwed in correctly and everything...well, it looks like HEAVEN to me!
one more thing: since I also got my new Intellipower 9200 mounted in today (thanks VTS!) can anyone tell me if this door:
looks like an original mounting? I'm just wondering why it's not HINGED like the other ones..?.. and what about those funky little tension wings on each side holding it on? that looks like some PO stuff to me, but fill me in eh? wouldn't it be better to find an aluminum piano hinge and rivet it to the bottom? there ain't no rivet holes down there so maybe it came this way...
looks upside down, should mount just like your refrigerator door cover, the J channel hinge should lock into the top of the frame and latch at the bottom. The little side twist latches are definately an add on. I'll take a closer picture tomorrow if I get home before dark, but this kinda shows it.
The door is definitely upside down. The hinge should be under the hangover or rain guard. I am sure the side latches were added by PO to keep the door from falling off.
I am not one to fall in love with this end of the project so I figured a wood that will hold up to moisure would do. I hadn't thought of the aluminum factor. I will replace it rather than take any chances of problems down the road. Shuks! Removing the old damaged wood was the most work. Do you think the wood has to be polycoated too if I use exterior plywood?
Do you think the wood has to be polycoated too if I use exterior plywood?
the rationale is that its not much work to slap a few coats of plastic on before replacing and it can only help if/when a leak may (*will) develop further on down the road ;-) we amateur woodworkers usually have a few half-empty cans of poly-u laying around the garage and this is a perfect way to mix 'em together and participate in some 'creative recycling' for the environment!
and THANKS for the door tip...upon closer inspection the only rivet holes I can find are two in the rain cap above the door so the hinge must have originally been riveted into the cap and not the door frame, as there are not rivet holes in the frame. ya learn something every day, nice to accumulate all the myriad details of bringing something back to its glory days.... gracias amigos
ahh, a J-channel hinge...hmmm...not crazy about those but there must be a reason for them (there is: to keep the door from bopping you on the head ;-) and certainly no harder to rivet on than a piano hinge... but I could take the shortcut and simply hold the trailer upside down ;-)
I think I'm up to about 48 or 49 DIFFERENT KEYS for this trailer... I'll have to bar code them... I do have a great old-school locksmith in the hood who can probably reset them for just a couple different keys for cheap..
also: I've been using this "epmd" grey gasket material on some doors and it seems like pretty nice stuff, but not cheap ($7 for 10 feet). seals up good and is the right size. the aft battery compartment had a couple yards of river sand in the door channel before I changed the gasket...I think that's what caused the rear to droop a bit ;-) seriously, it was a SPARE TIRE mount that had been welded onto the bumper. if you are considering doing something like this: DON'T!!! put it under your tongue (and count backwards from one hundred..zzzzzzz)
We took our lock in and had all the outside compartments keyed to one key. The front door is different so we ended up with two keys. Better than a dozen.
Sealing the end grain is first importance - sealing the faces is good in a general way but there is enough interference grinding on the faces while fitting that one should thin out the sealer and load up the grain over a couple of days. It would be the same teaspoon of water that never dries that ramps up the pressure treated metal rot or accelerates up softening the plywood.
Today I was thinking how good the floor looked and my work fitting it in so nicely. However I know there are a few of you guys more experienced than me out there who can predict a outcome based on the materials used. So I will take the hit and do it right. That means new exterior grade 3/4' decking.
After all, I am only talking about a 48'X21" piece of material here. Poly the end grain is also a great tip.
Thanks,
We took our lock in and had all the outside compartments keyed to one key. The front door is different so we ended up with two keys. Better than a dozen.
I found some compartment locks at Harry's Ace Hardware, this was a few years ago. The locks were cheap. It was easier than dealing with worn locks and keys. I would think compartment locks would be easy to find on the web.
I got my cam locks at Vintage Trailer Supply, $6-ish, and they fit perfectly. The plus here is that you'll also be tempted to order Vulkem and a dozen other things in the same package for one shipping fee!
Seriously, the plus is that they will check the locks and make sure all of them are keyed the same.
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