The Walkers' Arctic Renovation: 1967 Tradewind

[Slats]

Lookin’ great, Dan. Speaking as one who has from time to time wrestled with coming down off the ledge and towing the whole hot mess to a commercial rebuilder to finish out, I can tell you that it helps, in a support-groupy sort of way, to hear others share their angst, as well as joy. Keep on keepin’ on.

[Dwwalker18]

So I guess it’s only been 10 days since my last update. 10 days... seems like so much longer. And seems like I should have accomplished so much more.

Let’s see... small projects: got the light in the bathroom working, tested the tongue jack, finished the gray tank drain, and tied up some stray wires with outlets. These little things help me feel like I’ve actually accomplished something on otherwise frustrating and fruitless days.

The major advancement of this chapter was made in the bathroom. What. A. Nightmare. Curves on curves and every angle other than a right one. But, after days of agonizing, and not always making progress, the “rough” cut is done. I’ll disassemble and give it a more polished look and coat of paint over the next couple days. I don’t want to have to come back to the bathroom...





I sincerely hope the rest of my cabinetry goes smoother, and faster.

[Atomic_13]

Hands down, that’s the most challenging area for cabinetry. You were wise to reuse the tub. Everything moving forward (literally and figuratively) should be easier. Looks great. Keep up the good work. Brian

[Dwwalker18]

Thanks Brian.

Part of my issues arose because I couldn’t get the tub to fit back in the same way it came out. Hence, the modifications seen.


Not terribly much to report today, but I did build myself a little painting booth.



It’s not much to look at, but it is made out of some of the “unsung heroes” of this project. The scraps it’s made from were previously used to build the gantries and then my “it’s just ok” scaffolding. Truly the most versatile, and abused, lumber I have. We’ll see what other random use I have for them next!

[Dwwalker18]

Working my way up the trailer has been smoother than the bathroom, but not necessarily without some friction.

Some issues:

My bulkhead isn’t perfectly straight. It leans about 1/2 inch forward. Annoying but not insurmountable.

My floor isn’t perfectly flat. Maybe about 1/8 inch variation over 6 ft. Not sure if this is an issue but for the moment (or next decade) I’m pretty well stuck with it.

In designing the transition between the “bedroom” and galley, I installed the overhead cabinets I redid. Initially I thought I could disguise the fact they are different sizes, but I simply hate how it looks. They’ll be coming down and to be rebuilt at some point.

Other than that, I’ve finished the bed and am moving forward to the galley before working on the dinette. I’ve elected to bypass the curb-side cabinetry until I have all systems functional.



I’ll have to go through towards the end and touch up many of the frames. I am either more clumsy or less careful than I should be and have caused some superficial damage.

[Dwwalker18]

Made a some more forward movement with the galley, to include hooking up the duct work, and making a shelf under the bed to protect the duct.



Took care of the rear bumper/trunk area. Copied many of you and used expanded stainless steel.



Also started working on the water supply. I’ll begin this in earnest once I finish the dinette.

[Dwwalker18]

Shifted gears slightly since my friend was coming into town for the fourth and staying with us- decided to exploit him and use his help in mounting the air conditioner.

I installed the micro/easy-start, which was pretty straightforward.



Next, I installed the condensation drip trays. Also pretty straightforward.



Imperative to success was the upgrade to my scaffolding, previously made out of scrap.



Got the unit situated on the roof, and finished the installation. Haven’t tested it since I don’t have power, but all in all it went well. The instructions call to mount the junction box at the front of the opening, but I didn’t see any clear way of doing it, so it’s just kind of hanging there by the wires. My only concern with that plan is possible noise. Maybe I’ll find some foam to wrap it in.

As part of the installation, I lined the air supply with aluminum tape. I’ve heard it helps quiet the unit, which I believe based on how flimsy the original is.



Aesthetically, I’m really happy with the interior. Not so much on the exterior. With the added gasket from the drain package, the unit sits higher which I’m not hugely happy with.



I considered removing the second gasket, but am worried about messing up the seal. Anyone have any experience with this or other ideas on how to make it look even marginally better?

[rmkrum]

Spray paint the enclosure silver?

Without the second gasket the drain cups will possibly dent the roof and will eventually crack and leak.

[Dwwalker18]

For those of you who have been eagerly anticipating my next update, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. It has been a confusing month figuring out if I was moving or not. We were two days away from having the house packed up before being told to stay put. While we were excited at the prospect of being closer to family, Prime shipping actually taking two days, and not suffering -40F without sun for 6 months; it gives us more time to work on Otis, and hopefully embark on the cross-continental journey we’ve been dreaming of.

After knocking out some house-projects to get ready for the move, and then other house-projects to get ready for the winter, I’m finally turning my attention back to important things!

Most noticeable, I have finished the dinette and front area.

As the pictures show, I’ve designed the dinette benches to have lots of storage and super easy access to my electronics center.




Just as significantly, I’ve made the 110v operational and ran the hot and cold water supply lines.

I plan on turning my attention over the next week to the curb-side closets and cabinets to finish up all the major framing I need to do. After that, I’ll be installing Otis’ “brains!”

[Slats]

Pretty impressive work Dan. Much like you, I've been stalled out lately as we prepared our house for sale (sorting through and shucking 31 years of accumulated stuff can be daunting), bought a condo, hired a crew to do some condo modifications and have been going through the process of listing and selling our house. Hopefully, things will settle down sometime soon and I can get back to puttering around on Hal.

[Dwwalker18]

Originally Posted by Slats

Pretty impressive work Dan. Much like you, I've been stalled out lately as we prepared our house for sale (sorting through and shucking 31 years of accumulated stuff can be daunting), bought a condo, hired a crew to do some condo modifications and have been going through the process of listing and selling our house. Hopefully, things will settle down sometime soon and I can get back to puttering around on Hal.

I bet you found an equal number of valuable, cherished memories, and just plain junk going through your house! Congratulations on your sale, purchase, and move! New homes are always fun; I imagine things will settle down in a year or two?

[Dwwalker18]

Originally Posted by Slats

Pretty impressive work Dan. Much like you, I've been stalled out lately as we prepared our house for sale (sorting through and shucking 31 years of accumulated stuff can be daunting), bought a condo, hired a crew to do some condo modifications and have been going through the process of listing and selling our house. Hopefully, things will settle down sometime soon and I can get back to puttering around on Hal.

I bet you found an equal number of valuable, cherished memories, and just plain junk going through your house! Congratulations on your sale, purchase, and move! New homes are always fun; I imagine things will settle down in a year or two?

[Slats]

I also found stuff I moved to here from my first house 31 years ago, for which I never found a use. On the brighter side of dark, I found a buyer for my Orange 1M.

[Dwwalker18]

It’s been a busy week and some change, with lots to report!

First off, I finished framing-up the curb-side cabinetry. Best part about this was I was able to install the fridge, and get a rather large object out of my garage. Winter is coming, after all. And, I have cold beer within arms reach now!



I managed to finish this up just before my parents came to town for a “work-cation.” With their help, we made a lot of great progress!

First up was giving Otis his “heart.” I opted to go the battle-born/Victron route, and basically copy many of the systems I’ve seen here. I was really (pleasantly) surprised at how straightforward the installation was.

Between my dad and I, I think we came to a really efficient and simple solution to maximize the space for the install:



With that operational, we shifted our focus to the “brain,” or dashboard.



After consulting with my supervisor (aka wife), we decided the best place for the controls and other tech-gadgets would be behind the cabinet over the dinette. I think it will work out nicely.

While we worked on this, my mom re-screened the window screens. I had made them too tight previously, and they warped and broke many of the screen tips.



Coincidentally, the dinette cushions were finished at the same time.



We are also able to get the entertainment system operational for testing, and entertainment to facilitate future work!



Not pictured, but we also installed the range fan and finished installing the overhead cabinets.

It was a really great week with tons accomplished thanks to the help of family!

[coloradoup]

Good looking cabinets. Great work on the electrical. Looks like a nice layout.

[Atomic_13]

Awesome job, Dan. You’ve covered a lot of ground since I last checked your thread. Those cold winters up north are no doubt a good motivator.

Looks like you went with 4/0 on your battery bank. Smart move. I had originally hoped 2/0 would work but quickly found I needed to upsize to support the full power draw of the 3000VA Multiplus when running my AC off battery power.

I have only one suggestion to add, which is to remove the top lid (not the face with the lights/switch) from the multiplus. I found that helped improve ventilation. Also what’s your plans to vent the electrical area. You guys did a great job making it compact but as you know electronics fair better when cooled. Just curious what you’ll come up with.

I ended up installing a fan on the wall most near the top of my multiplus. It helps drawl the heat generated during electrical inversion or conversion away from it. I placed the fan on a low/high thermostat and installed some vents to drawl in cool or warm air from the trailer in the summer and winter, respectively.

[Dwwalker18]

Originally Posted by Atomic_13

Awesome job, Dan. You’ve covered a lot of ground since I last checked your thread. Those cold winters up north are no doubt a good motivator.

Looks like you went with 4/0 on your battery bank. Smart move. I had originally hoped 2/0 would work but quickly found I needed to upsize to support the full power draw of the 3000VA Multiplus when running my AC off battery power.

I have only one suggestion to add, which is to remove the top lid (not the face with the lights/switch) from the multiplus. I found that helped improve ventilation. Also what’s your plans to vent the electrical area. You guys did a great job making it compact but as you know electronics fair better when cooled. Just curious what you’ll come up with.

I ended up installing a fan on the wall most near the top of my multiplus. It helps drawl the heat generated during electrical inversion or conversion away from it. I placed the fan on a low/high thermostat and installed some vents to drawl in cool or warm air from the trailer in the summer and winter, respectively.

Thanks for the suggestion about removing the top of the multiples to aid in ventilation; I had not considered that. I have been tossing around some ideas to aid with ventilation in the entire cabinet. One option is to make the entire face under the bench an intake, and leave the area between the back of the bench and wall open as the exhaust. Like you I can add a fan to aid in the exhaust if needed.

Managed to get most of the rest of the front end out together over the last couple weeks. Overall pretty pleased how it turned out, though getting to the water pump and 7-way will be a bit of a pain to get to when they require maintenance. At least It can be disassembled without destroying it.



Running propane is next on the list. Once that’s in, countertops.

I am doing laminate countertops, which I have done previously with good results in my kitchen. I used MDF as my foundation in the kitchen, and am pleased with how it’s held up after 3 years, but it is really heavy. Any lightweight recommendations that will form a good bond with the laminate?

[Hittenstiehl]

Really like the end result of the front shelving surround. Does not detract from the window or end cap at all and provides lots of storage and cubbies to set things. Nice work.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

Really like the end result of the front shelving surround. Does not detract from the window or end cap at all and provides lots of storage and cubbies to set things. Nice work.

I agree.

[Dwwalker18]

Thank you! I certainly have some trim work to do to clean them up, but I am pleased with how they came out.

I managed to run the propane, and after a few iterations of check am confident I found and addressed all the leaks. I was even able to fire-up the furnace! It would have been flawless if I didn’t forget about the on/off switch inside the unit...

Played around with the AC and Microstart while I was at it, and had no issues getting it to run off of my 15amp shore power and then off my batteries alone.

I’m excited to start work on the countertops next. They will add a sense of completeness, even if it’s really just a delusion.