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truckasaurus · 06-05-2011, 04:18 PM

Been working on bits and bobs this week. Completed the through floor battery venting, installed another stainless marine vent for the fresh tank and did a test fit of the grey and fresh tanks. Naturally the fabricator incorrectly located one fitting but we're working on that....

The 5' x 12' laminate for the kitchen counters and bathroom vanity is sitting getting ready to be installed and we finished the main cabin paint work. Installed the dinette/ bed platform and a few other little things like Fan trim etc.

truckasaurus · 06-11-2011, 08:45 PM

Today feels very productive. I laminated the bathroom vanity and both kitchen countertops. I chose a patterned laminate for the kitchen and used a remnant that's a bit simpler for the bathroom vanity.

We're sealing the edge of the counter in kitchen with an oil based satin product but I used aluminum trim in the bathroom as it'll be getting wet a lot more.

I also fitted the vanity vessel and faucets and I still think it's going to work well for the shower tub, even the stainless riser that I had made at work looks factory. In the kitchen I set the sink in place and mounted the faucet but I still need a soap dispenser and blanking plate or maybe I'll go for dish soap and hand soap.

The cooktop is just dropped in it's cut out right now but I love how sleek it looks.

I've got to get going, I'm out of the country for a couple of weeks soon and we leave for Cali' mid August.

toastie · 06-12-2011, 07:16 AM

Looking great, where did you get the stove top?.....................toastie

truckasaurus · 06-12-2011, 09:00 AM

Thanks Toastie, it's from panther-rvproducts.com. Super nice to deal with. It's a US model SMEV and had the correct connections (I'm told but haven't tried hooking her up yet). They don't get all the SMEV stuff but that's apparently a manufacturer/ distributor restriction.

marzboy · 06-12-2011, 01:04 PM

Wow! looks great, so nice to see it pay off.

slowmover · 06-12-2011, 08:35 PM

That laminate is similar in color/pattern to what was OEM on our '83 Silver Streak; we liked it well enough to source cork flooring to complement it.

Have passed this thread over to my wife to read several times over it's course.

truckasaurus · 06-12-2011, 09:31 PM

Got the sink and cooktop sealed in place and got started on the plumbing today. GF painted the door/ door within a door and little stuff that takes ages. GF and her mom picked up fabric for the dinette for a steal of a deal, about $50 (regular $250) so I need to get the 6" 2lb foam for the cushions/ bed ASAP.

It rained cats and dogs at midday and it was crazily loud in trailer, but I loved it :-)

I also replaced most of the window catches (sanded blasted 4 of the original ones) and started on fitting the new window cranks. The new cranks seem jerky and cheap compared to the originals but I've applied some lubricant to see if thats works better.

JIMandPJ · 06-20-2011, 12:01 PM

You can probably see the finish line in front of you. Thanks for sharing the documentation.

Do you think the tank vents you've installed also work for fresh water tank vent.

truckasaurus · 06-20-2011, 01:46 PM

I've put one in for the fresh tank too, I think it'll work just fine.
We are looking forward to getting homemade getting on with the last six weeks of work

truckasaurus · 07-05-2011, 08:34 PM

Well we're at the five weeks to go point and it's not looking like there's much wiggle room in the schedule. We did just get the shower tub installed and sealed up which is a big landmark, a little plumbing on the exit side and I can move onto the supply side. I've booked the 'stream in for some professional tlc, a local RV dealer is going to install the propane lines and regulator for me which will save a little time and help me sleep at night.

I'm a bit stumped with the city water regulator; I'd kind of assumed it would attach to the city water inlet inside the trailer between the inlet and the fresh plumbing system but it seems much bigger, what gives?

After a thoroughly terrible experience with the Honda Power Equipment dealer in Calgary I bought an EU3000is generator from another dealer in Edmonton. So far I've just run it for an hour as I'd like to get the 20hr oil change out of the way before I go on a big trek and I really like it. It's super quiet but is a bit large and may require some rejigging in the truck bed area. Now I need an air conditioner to justify the huge red toy.

Darkspeed · 07-05-2011, 10:43 PM

Those are some fancy valves there in the shower... I like it!!

truckasaurus · 07-24-2011, 08:51 AM

So, a couple of weekends to go and there's more than a few jobs still to take care of, mainly finish cabinets, install flooring, doorway (build door too), wire and plumb to finish, complete dinette table and pedestal unit, source all essential stuff like hoses, install genset in truck, install AC unit and cooling system ducting and circuitry, fab and install screens and maybe hit the weigh scales and do a bit of balancing and if I'm lucky test run the plumbing before 3 weeks on the road.

This week I had a local RV place install the propane lines, they did a nice job if a little pricey (over $1100 reduced to $800 after my nearly croaking on the spot). I also picked up the dinette upholstery and the GF stuffed them all with foam and Dacron and they look great. We also picked up the screens which had taken $400 and 3 weeks only to find that a one legged cat could have done a better job so they went straight back :-( So Fraserway RV gets a thumbs up Airdrie Windshield and Glass gets a huge "avoid like the plague thumbs down".

I also found a neat 1 1/2" Y valve at WestMarine that mounts flush so we can switch pump out from black to grey easily, pricey at $70 but at this stage money is pouring into parts like there's no tomorrow so I'm trying not to dwell on it too much.

The drawer and panels are going to get trimmed to final size today and laminated with a sculpted Formica P lam.

toastie · 07-24-2011, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

This week I had a local RV place install the propane lines, they did a nice job if a little pricey (over $1100 reduced to $800 after my nearly croaking on the spot).
.

Wow, just fell off the chair, looking great!!!!!!!!!!

truckasaurus · 07-24-2011, 09:09 AM

You're telling me. When they said 7 hours at $130 I suggested they get some new techs... Welcome to Canada Nice guys though

truckasaurus · 07-25-2011, 07:20 PM

A few small wins this evening. I finished trimming and laminating the drawers and panels; added support rails for the dinette to hold the table in place as a bed platform and slipped the fridge in for a test run.

The fridge is uber quiet and the Danfoss compressor doesn't even seem to get warm; it chilled a couple of Keiths down pronto. I'll have to do an ice making test and time it next.

It's a little hard to see but the Formica skins on the drawers have a really neat pattern in the material.

After work tomorrow I'll be trimming the dinette table with aluminum and hopefully starting on flooring....at some point I'll have to take care of the plumbing and wire up the distribution panel but that parts a little daunting.

Frank's Trailer Works · 07-25-2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

7 hours at $130 Welcome to Canada Nice guys though

Man I need to raise my rates!!! I will say that 7 hours to do the whole job is not too bad though. Flaring lines is not always an easy task.

Darkspeed · 07-25-2011, 07:57 PM

Looks really good and dig the fridge!!!

truckasaurus · 07-31-2011, 07:21 PM

So, not a bad couple of days. I ran all the PEX and installed all the 1 1/2" sanitation hose that the black and grey system requires. I'm almost stunned at how much all the fittings, pipe, hose and stuff has added up to. The good news is that after a couple of false starts the vacuflush system seems to work; quite a relief.

We fitted one of the 1" venetian blinds and it went great but I did break a weld on the window closing it so I'm going to have to take it in to work and see if it can get a tack weld or something.

I've noticed the door knob is starting to perform poorly to the extent that I'm sure it won't open from the outside soon. It was replaced with the correct new assembly when I bought the trailer 3 years ago but I'd love to ditch it and get something better. I don't particularly care for the appearance so keeping it stock is not important to me and I wonder if anyone has found something less finicky that works for a slim yet set back scenario.

Tomorrow it wiring day and if that goes well a full fresh water through to dump test; fingers crossed...

truckasaurus · 08-01-2011, 07:32 PM

Some days it just doesn't go that well.

I tried to get the wiring done but hit some roadblocks.

Attached is a picture of the Progressive Dynamics Power Control Center PD4045.

I've attached the 110V shore power (fat wires) and the main breaker and branch circuit for the converter along with battery wires to a temporary 12V battery. It does nothing; I kind of expected the fan to spin up as it charged the battery but it twitches a few degrees when I flip the breakers off and I'm stumped. The instructions are useless and I'm hoping someone out there has this figured out already.