Bambi II Saved from Recycler!

[Becky B.]

I've been working away on the dinette. The bases are finished (except for the doors). I've made little storage compartments behind the backs of the seats. I haven't decided how I'm going to make the cover for the top yet. First, I have to MAKE the backs. The seats will have access from underneath as well as from the top. I kind of wanted to make access from the curbside bench on the side by the door, but I don't know if I would like the look.....

I'm in a bit of a quanndry about the table/bed. Toastie has his seat backs fold down to make up for the 3/4" of the table that sets on top of the bases. Perfect idea. Only, for me, my backs will be quite a bit shorter than the bases, so I would have to have a spare piece stored somewhere to fill in the front curve (do you get what I'm saying?? I know, sounds confusing). Or, I could just have the table set on top of the bases & have the cushions for the center be 3/4" shorter than the ones on the bases. Or, I could just have a lumpy bed & maybe it wouldn't be too bad....? That's the quanndry.

A question for all the experts here....I plan to finish the wood with a clear poly of some sort. I have everything screwed together, so I can get it all apart if needed. Is it an absolute that everything has to be finished on both sides, or can I get away with finishing it in place?

[3Ms75Argosy]

Becky. I like the fill in idea... I've been wondering a long time how the new AS do it. I think they use two different thickness foam, but yours and Toasties idea is brilliant! The interior work looks fantastic!
Marc

[BeachHouse]

In our 2005 CCD neither the front couch bed or the dinette bed when made into a bed are level. Meaning the dinette table sits on the benches so is 3/4" higher. It doesn't leave a noticeable hump when made into a bed. The cushions are very stiff foam though.

As to the finishing, we own and operate a custom cabinet shop. It isn't necessary to finish both sides of plywood except for looks, cleanability or to reduce porosity to lessen the damage water can do. And in a trailer, if you have that much water, you have many other issues to worry about before the dinette. Raw plywood (unlike particle board, MDF or wafer board) can get wet many times before it fails IF it can dry out between times.

[Becky B.]

[QUOTE=jupitorj;1185948
As to the finishing, we own and operate a custom cabinet shop. It isn't necessary to finish both sides of plywood except for looks, cleanability or to reduce porosity to lessen the damage water can do. And in a trailer, if you have that much water, you have many other issues to worry about before the dinette. Raw plywood (unlike particle board, MDF or wafer board) can get wet many times before it fails IF it can dry out between times.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't have asked for a better expert on the finish issue! Thanks for setting my mind at ease. I know I haven't always finished both sides of things I have made/refinished, but I thought I read on this forum somewhere that everything should be finished on both sides due to warping. I'm going to listen to the guy who does it for a living! Thanks!

[BeachHouse]

Finishing all sides is important for things like doors made out of hardwood but not for things made from plywood.

[crazeevw]

Originally Posted by beckybillrae

I have FINALLY tracked down all my leaks. A couple were where I sealed, but for whatever reason (dirt behind the caulk, mostly) they didn't seal well. So, I could move on to insulating. I chose Prodex again. I used it previously in my Sovereign's belly pan rehab project & could definitely tell the difference when I ran my air conditioner. I've finished one layer so far. Tedious, but mindless work! I'd hate to do a 31 footer! So, here's the obligatory pictures.....

The Front:

Attachment 146692

The Rear:

Attachment 146691

Hi,
Thanks for a great thread. Really interested in your use of Prodex. First I've ever read about this product. Read through their website, and saw that the R value is 15. Did you install 2 layers of Prodex to get R-30?
You've officially given me the bug to be on the lookout for an old Airstream trailer now. Betting it would look SWEET being towed behind my Airstream Classic motorhome!
Thanks, Derek

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by crazeevw

Hi,
Thanks for a great thread. Really interested in your use of Prodex. First I've ever read about this product. Read through their website, and saw that the R value is 15. Did you install 2 layers of Prodex to get R-30?
You've officially given me the bug to be on the lookout for an old Airstream trailer now. Betting it would look SWEET being towed behind my Airstream Classic motorhome!
Thanks, Derek

Yes, I did use two layers of Prodex. I can tell you that it keeps it nice & cool with my a/c & the insulation. I've also used it in the bottom of my Sovereign when I redid the belly pan & banana wrap and I can tell a difference in the cool factor in there since then.

I think a little AS would sure look SWEET behind your MH!!! Too bad I can't tow it behind my AS (like I saw 3 trailers behind a UPS truck the other day )

[Air Cruiser]

Hi Becky.

Thanks so much for sharing your adventures in restoring your Bambi (II), I've really enjoyed reading along.

My question is: Is there foil on both sides of Prodex? If so, do you have to worry about a vapor barrier?

Thanks.

Deb

[HiHoAgRV]

It seems the latest trend is to convert to a dinette...
Yours is lookin good. I hope to get started on Dolly's dinette soon, the kitchen is slowly making progress.

[PA BAMBI II]

Originally Posted by beckybillrae

I'm in a bit of a quanndry about the table/bed. Toastie has his seat backs fold down to make up for the 3/4" of the table that sets on top of the bases. Perfect idea. Only, for me, my backs will be quite a bit shorter than the bases, so I would have to have a spare piece stored somewhere to fill in the front curve (do you get what I'm saying?? I know, sounds confusing). Or, I could just have the table set on top of the bases & have the cushions for the center be 3/4" shorter than the ones on the bases. Or, I could just have a lumpy bed & maybe it wouldn't be too bad....? That's the quanndry.

Becky-

I had to re-read this to make sense of it. Now I know why it did not make sense to me. In our little Scotty, there is a piece of 1 x 2 tacked onto the front of each bench 3/4" below the seat base. The table sits down on these strips when made up as a bed and thus sits flush with the seat bases. The cushions then are laid out and all is well. I can't envision why you would need to shim or make up space- I suppose your construction methods will be different.

I got the street side interior lower center skin off after getting all of the electrical stuff out of the way. It has been slow going for me this Summer Airstream-wise, but the new baby's nursery is almost finished. Lynn is due 8/29.

Cheers-

Ben

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by Air Cruiser

My question is: Is there foil on both sides of Prodex? If so, do you have to worry about a vapor barrier?

Thanks.

Deb

There is foil on both sides. I'm not worrying about a vapor barrier, but some people do

Ben...Making a baby is much harder than making an Airstream (at least for your wife!) Best you get everything ready for the little one!

My dinette table will sit ON TOP of the benches. That's why I was undecided about how to do the backs. I finally decided to make the backs flip down & will make a small piece to fill in the corner/ends. And can I say, WOW, as to how unsquare everything is when making a curved dinette!!! I'm just making sure things look square to the eye cause that's how it has to be! I'll post some pictures after I have the table mounted. I have the kind that attaches to the wall & has a collapsible leg. I had one of those in a previous white box bunkhouse that I had when my kids were all with me & it was easy to make into a bed. I had to cut the bar down because the table landed up about 3" too high when mounted as it came. Sadly, I cut it too short. I had my son, Joel, weld it back together for me and everything! Long story short, my other son, Paul, is bending me a new rod tonight when he goes to work. Gotta love handy sons!

[Becky B.]

I finished (mostly) the dinette. The table was 3" too high, so I had my son cut 3" off of the round metal thing that attaches to the wall. Too much! So I measured again....seemed like 1 1/2" was the magic number. Now it was too high. So, we took off 3/4" and that was the perfect number. Wow! I was pretty frustrated by all of that. I just ordered Formica laminate "boomerang" charcoal for the counter, dinette, and rear counter (I'm not putting a sink in the rear). When the seat backs fold down, there is still a piece of wood behind it. This is my little storage area. I can probably fit a couple bottles of wine, or some other treasures back there. I still have to cut the curved pieces to fit in the corners for when the bed is in use, but I'll do that later.That's my helper, Shebea. She has made a GIANT hole under the trailer for all her treasurers. She likes to stick close to the mama!

I spent a lot of time this week with the wall for the wet bath. After a lot of standing & staring & thinking, I came up with this:

I'm going to work on the closet next. I'll have to have both walls on either side of the a/c finished before I can start on that. I have to make the front of the a/c removable, so in case it ever dies (oh please no!....) we can get it out. I want to make the bottom of the closet with a couple of hatches, since there is electric, plumbing to the water heater, propane to the catalytic heater, and the water inlet from full hook-ups beneath the floor of the closet.

I guess I should clean up my big tool mess before I start on the next phase!
Glad the bed is so big!!

[PA BAMBI II]

Becky-

I am ripping up flooring, preparing to paint the frame, and getting ready to button up the front of the trailer again.

I am new to 7 wire wiring for trailers. I have done flat four plug wiring on my smaller trailers, but not 7. When you ran your cord from the front to the rear of the trailer to wire taillights, clearance lights, battery charger, etc.- did you go out and buy individual wires, or did you find a place that sells it already made up?

The original wiring is not sleeved under the frame. I cannot find anyone who sells un-sleeved bundles of 7 wire wiring. I think running sleeved wiring under the frame and having to cut through the insulation to get at the wires you need when you need them would be a royal pain...

Thanks for your ideas!

Ben

[Becky B.]

I will admit that I am totally out of my element with wiring. I do know, though, that the wiring for the running lights was run through the frame (the new frame is 4" channel) from the front all the way to the back & comes up through the floor in the back closet. The lights were all wired & they made them all come to the closet. The connections are all inside the closet, so if something goes wrong with the lights, the connections are accessible. They are all labeled, so it won't be so hard to figure out which wire is which if there is a problem. The wiring in the rear is under the insulation. All the rest of the wiring is on top of the insulation. My son got me wire from his work. He's a mechanic, so he fixes a lot of lights in trucks. I'll ask him what kind it was when I see him. We also put the city water inlet in the closet. I'll take a picture of the wiring in the closet for you & post it.

[Air Cruiser]

Hi Becky.

Wow, everything is looking great!

I was wondering how you determined what size frig. to put into your Bambi? We're going to be going on a trip to Bontrager's (thanks for the info on them), and I would like to go with a list (including max. space available) for each item. By the way, what size did you decide on?

If you already covered this in this thread, I'm sorry, I have read the thread along, but I must have forgotten it was discussed.

I know laying out a floor plan is the thing to do, but I was wondering how others made a determination on what to give up on and what was absolutely necessary to have.

For instance, we have a 25' Safari and it has what I think is a rather large frig. for a travel trailer. However, when we go camping, we always seem to fill it up and also have a cooler for overflow.

Oh, and another thing which I don't think I've read on any thread yet (at least that I can remember).............when using overhead cabinets, is there a limit on size/weight which should be considered unless you had a way to support some of the weight from the floor?

Thanks so much.

Deb

[PA BAMBI II]

Originally Posted by beckybillrae

I think this is the only place you can get Prodex from:

Prodex Total 24 Inch Insulation

I've finished my first roll & am into the 2nd. I used the first under the floor, so I hope to have enough to finish the 2nd layer.

Becky- did two rolls do it for you? I am getting ready to order. They have free shipping today and I might try to get an order in, but it seems as though I need to enter a login or something.

I will be calling you soon to get details on installing the Prodex. The frame I uncovered yesterday looks good. I am glad the tongue was the only really rough part!

Ben

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by PA BAMBI II

Becky- did two rolls do it for you? I am getting ready to order. They have free shipping today and I might try to get an order in, but it seems as though I need to enter a login or something.

I will be calling you soon to get details on installing the Prodex. The frame I uncovered yesterday looks good. I am glad the tongue was the only really rough part!

Ben

I was a tiny bit short (I used it underneath too) and just bought a roll of the
Refletix (I think it's called) from Menards. I was only about 5 ft. short. Maybe you can squeeze it better than I did!

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by Air Cruiser

Hi Becky.

Wow, everything is looking great!

I was wondering how you determined what size frig. to put into your Bambi? We're going to be going on a trip to Bontrager's (thanks for the info on them), and I would like to go with a list (including max. space available) for each item. By the way, what size did you decide on?

If you already covered this in this thread, I'm sorry, I have read the thread along, but I must have forgotten it was discussed.

I know laying out a floor plan is the thing to do, but I was wondering how others made a determination on what to give up on and what was absolutely necessary to have.

For instance, we have a 25' Safari and it has what I think is a rather large frig. for a travel trailer. However, when we go camping, we always seem to fill it up and also have a cooler for overflow.

Oh, and another thing which I don't think I've read on any thread yet (at least that I can remember).............when using overhead cabinets, is there a limit on size/weight which should be considered unless you had a way to support some of the weight from the floor?

Thanks so much.

Deb

I got my fridge from the RV Surplus store in Elkhart. It is a Norcold Model N300X - a 2.7 cu ft 3-way refrigerator. I determined the size by what I guestimated the height of the cabinet to be & I knew I wanted a freezer in the fridge. I have no cabinets, so I didn't have a hole to fit it into. My stove will be on top of the fridge.

I don't really know anything about weight limits in overhead cabinets, but common sense would say to put your heavy stuff in the bottom cabinets

[Becky B.]

Originally Posted by PA BAMBI II

Becky-

I am ripping up flooring, preparing to paint the frame, and getting ready to button up the front of the trailer again.

I am new to 7 wire wiring for trailers. I have done flat four plug wiring on my smaller trailers, but not 7. When you ran your cord from the front to the rear of the trailer to wire taillights, clearance lights, battery charger, etc.- did you go out and buy individual wires, or did you find a place that sells it already made up?

The original wiring is not sleeved under the frame. I cannot find anyone who sells un-sleeved bundles of 7 wire wiring. I think running sleeved wiring under the frame and having to cut through the insulation to get at the wires you need when you need them would be a royal pain...

Thanks for your ideas!

Ben

Here is the photo I promised you, Ben. It is taken in the bottom of the curbside closet (the only closet). The wire is automotive romex. The plug is for my a/c. And the blue thing is pex that I wrapped in blue tape so it wouldn't be exposed to any light & get hard before we finally get the plumbing in!

[Becky B.]

I've been varnishing like a mad woman for the last few days. One side of the dinette is completed and back together. I put the banding on it & it actually turned out without a hitch! I figured I should get some of that finished before I got too far ahead (or the job of varnishing would be pretty daunting) It'll be nice to get my vehicle back in the garage when I'm finished with this part of the project!