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truckasaurus · 03-26-2009, 07:22 PM

The manual suggests SAE #10 oil. Do you think regular air tool oil would be OK, I have a lot of air tools for work but none with motors.

FreshAir · 03-29-2009, 08:58 AM

I just recently had the lower half of my coach's panel replaced. The 'tech' used mini air tools. After pre-cutting and pre-drilling the holes using the old panel as a template he held the new panel in place with screws then installed the Olympic rivets and shaved them with the shaver attachment.
Neil.

Aerowood · 03-29-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

The manual suggests SAE #10 oil. Do you think regular air tool oil would be OK, I have a lot of air tools for work but none with motors.

Air tool oil will be just fine. You can also use sewing machine oil, marvals, 3 in 1, or any other light oil. I,ve even used ATF in a pinch.

truckasaurus · 03-29-2009, 10:42 AM

Awesome, so I'm good to go with the oil. I wish I had a nice clean concrete pad or shop though..

3Ms75Argosy · 03-29-2009, 02:28 PM

Sorry for not knowing, but what's the high speed drill for?
Marc

truckasaurus · 03-29-2009, 03:08 PM

I don't think it's strictly necessary given that a regular drill would work but I bought it for drilling out all the rivets. It is super compact, lightweight and fast. Plus it makes a really cool sound....

Inland RV Center, In · 03-29-2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Sorry for not knowing, but what's the high speed drill for?
Marc

Slow speded drill motors, especialy electric drills, allow the drill bit to chatter, which in turn creates a hole that is not a true round. They usually are ever so slightly triangular. Because of the pressure you must use, they also help create burrs,

High speed drill motors eliminate most of those problems.

Additionally, very high speed drill motors work very well with just feather pressure, that if used properly, do not create a burr as the slow speed drills do.

Sort of like Dentistry. The old belt driven hand pieces compared to the ultra high speed handpieces.

Which does a better job??

We all know that answer.

Andy

utee94 · 03-30-2009, 07:20 AM

Sure, but to drive a high-speed air drill, you need a beefier compressor than the average home DIYer owns. Mine is only a 2 HP 8 gallon compressor-- just fine for my rivet gun and air nailers and whatnot, but it doesn't have the CFM capacity to drive a high-speed air drill.

I haven't had any problem at all using my electric drill. The bit does chatter and the holes aren't perfect, but the solid rivets expand and fill up those gaps nicely. The hose spray test, as well as severe thunderstorms over the past 2 weeks, prove out there are no leaks.

Don't get me wrong, if I owned a trailer service or restoration shop, I'd be all over the beefy compressor and high-speed air tools. But it's tough to justify the cost for a one-off renovation, when the electric tool does the job just fine, though with a bit more effort.

Anyway, your plan to fashion banana wraps for the bellypan and fill in the middle separately will work just fine. It's what I'm doing, and what many other restorers have done. In some ways, it makes more sense than using full sheets, because you can design the belly panels to cover specific areas and then make them more easily removeable as "access panels" in case you need to make a specific modification or repair.

And I definitely echo Andy's suggestion to use those large-head pop rivets for attaching it to the frame underneath. You might be able to buck some of those rivets along the edge if you really want to, but I don't think you're going to get much (if any) advantage, and the wide heads of the special pop rivets will distribute the load better.

Good luck!

-Marcus

3Ms75Argosy · 03-30-2009, 07:34 AM

Thanks guys! My electric with a sharp bit did fine with the exterior style rivets, but yes, that high speed drill looks cool!
Marc

truckasaurus · 03-30-2009, 07:45 AM

I think the drill will come into it's own when I'm up drilling on the roof sheets, that sort of thing. But next weekend is looking like +1, no wind and sunny so it could be shell off day; hopefully. If nothing else I'm really looking forward to being able choose the tanks, it seems like I've spent hours deliberating already.

utee94 · 03-30-2009, 09:42 AM

"Measure Twice Cut Once" figures in here as well. All of the time you spend in planning and preparation will pay off when you get to the actual work.

With the extent of the panel replacement you're planning, the price of the high-speed air tool and compressor likely will pay off in time and energy saved. My Dad always told me, "Do it right, do it once."

Although I am thoroughly enjoying my restoration work, I don't really want to ever do it again, at least not on THIS trailer!