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bwoodtx · 05-06-2010, 03:26 PM

Man, that trailer is lookin' great!! When you painted your end caps did you sand them any first or just clean and apply the adhesive primer? Thanks,

JSTOTT · 05-06-2010, 05:16 PM

We did not sand. We did use the pressure washer to clean and prep them. Then straight to the adhesive primer before painting. Seems to have adhered well. Hope that adhesive primer works well as it was VERY expensive!
Jenn & Russ

JSTOTT · 06-06-2010, 07:20 AM

I made some good progress remaking one of the overhead cabinets. This one goes over the range and sink. It also has the fan build into it. It wasn't too bad remaking the cabinet. I went with an oak and oak plywood, we chose a dark walnut stain. The only thing that was a little odd was the door thickness. We wanted to reuse the old hardware to preserve the look. The doors needed to be an odd thickness, we didn't want to go with the vinyl covered doors so we planed down some wood to the right thickness. Otherwise pretty straightforward cut and assembly.

Still working on the dog kennels. We are about 1/2 way through a bed and 3 kennel combo. I ended up cutting up an old dog crate but will share photos once it starts to come together a bit.

JSTOTT · 06-06-2010, 09:34 AM

Well,
Russ gave the cabinet update but thought everyone should know we (OK-mostly Russ) have gotten a lot more than just the cabinet done.

A/C has been purchased, new hole cut in our airstream for it going off the original marks for placement by the factory. Then we realized, they shipped us the wrong A/C.

So, delayed again, new correct one should arrive this week.
I also found an almost new (less than a year old and immaculate) generator, Honda eu 3000is. Got it on craigslist and had to drive over by Chattanooga, TN to pick it up. Saved a bundle which always helps. Runs beautifully and Russ is working on how to house it on the tongue. We eliminated propane tanks from our design so the generator will take their place.
Found a two burner vintage electric corning stove top at an estate sale. New and in the original box for $25. I love its retro look and the price was right. Russ wired it up and we made sure it worked fine. Now we (I mean Russ) just has to build the cabinet for it.

We picked up a couple of lights at IKEA that have the right vintage look and installed them up front. Look great. While there, I found a mattress on clearance, perfect for the single bed. The pups thought it was grand and tested it out in our foyer! Now we (I mean Russ) just needs to build that bed too.
I am most excited about our bed/dog kennel but will post pics of that once it is complete.
Will keep the updates and pics coming.

Jenn

JSTOTT · 06-09-2010, 05:34 AM

The AC went up smoother than I thought it would, despite the dogs eating my installation directions.

I cut the hole on the roof with the template from the AC and put in some 2x2 support material.(not shown in picture)

I was very nervous about putting the unit on top and looked at a lot of approaches online. We ended up with a fairly simple approach. I pulled up the truck and put the unit on the truck. We then carried it up a ladder with 1 person on the truck. We laid the unit on some non-skid material on the roof and then gingerly moved it over the hole. Fortunately the cut from the template was pretty accurate and we didn't need to make any major changes. The low profile AC was just around 100 lbs so it was fairly manageable.

Right after hooking everything up, I made Jenn sit in the camper and quickly froze her out.

Russ

kevinb · 06-09-2010, 07:04 AM

Really making progress, details on the a/c unit , what size and make? Looks nice on your coach. Please show pics of your kennel I will need to do something for doggies on mine too.
Did you get the pm with Todds phone #?
Kevin

JSTOTT · 06-09-2010, 09:34 PM

Hey Kevin,
after reviewing some of the other posts we went with the Carrier, low profile 15K unit. I'll post some of the progress on the front dog kennel.
Russ

JSTOTT · 06-09-2010, 09:55 PM

Here is the start of the dog kennel. I didn't have one that shows the front face. I'll put one on hopefully this weekend after having a chance to make the doors. We went with sliding doors verses swinging ones. This will make it easier to leave open during the night but still enable the dogs to go in and out. The base was made out of 1/4" plywood with a Mica top, should be very durable and water resistant. I added a 3/4" lip around the edge to keep any messes contained. I riveted in some angle brackets and added wood supports to ensure the bed could support a small elephant. The doors will slide in a 3/4" C channel. I basically chopped up an old dog kennel for the mesh, it was thicker than any other alternative that I could come up with and cheaper too.
Russ

kevinb · 06-10-2010, 07:26 AM

Nice design, when you get the doors on please post, I like the soild top lots of possibilities there.
thanks for the pics.
Kevin

JSTOTT · 06-10-2010, 09:52 PM

The plan right now is to use the flat top as a lounging couch during the day and a bed at night for one of the kids. We'll see how it works out. Hopefully I'll have something to show over the weekend.
Russ

JSTOTT · 06-18-2010, 05:34 AM

I haven't put the hardware on yet but here is a look at the face of the kennel and some of the mounting. I ran about a 1/4" dado down the edges of the doors so the grates would slide right into them. I used metal straps (these are from the rubbermaid wire closet organizers) to mount the kennel grates in a number of spots. It is riveted to the walls to add some additional rigidity and also supported with 2x4s.

Russ

kevinb · 06-18-2010, 06:57 AM

Great job looks like a piece of furniture. I like the open dividers, lots of air flow to keep them cool. My own personal favorite, go latex for a top cushion, expensive but comfy, just make sure no latex allergies.
I do some rescue work and I know one thing for sure, your furry friends are lucky to own you!
Kevin

JSTOTT · 06-20-2010, 06:08 AM

Yes, they do own us!
Three of them are completely deaf and the other one is our token hearing dog. They are all rescues too. Took some convincing for Russ to do the whole built-in-kennel thing, but... the furry creatures and I are very happy with the results.

The hard one is the great Dane crate as he is 37 inches tall at the front shoulder. He will be getting his own kennel with my other son's bunk bed high single bed above it. We are positioning it facing the current built in kennels so they can all see each other. It will be a couple inches shorter than ideal as the wheel well will extend under a section of the bed but he should still have ample space.
Russ spent all last weekend building the box that will sit on the tongue and house the generator. He is still working out a few kinks so he will post more later. I included a couple of pics. First pic is the bottom of the box. Sturdy with good airflow. Second shows the box with the top and the side open. He tried to make the generator as accessible as possible. The third is the pic of our new lead under cabinet lights. They give off a ton of light for such small little things! Got them at home depot, on clearance. We had the guy open the package and plug it in because we didn't know if it would be bright enough. Gives a cool bright white light (picture does NOT do it any justice). Last pic is of Russ lounging on our new furniture and enjoying the cool AC blasting away!
I started polishing the exterior. WOW...PAINFUL...BORING...ENDLESS... but... sure looking pretty.

I am using a standard buffer and I am now looking for a cyclo buffer to help move things along. I am kicking myself for not purchasing one I saw on craigs list a few months back. It still seemed like polishing was a long way off, but now I wish I had gotten it as it was CHEAP.

Ah well, will find one again.
Jenn

bwaysteve · 06-24-2010, 08:15 PM

Great work Russ! We started about the same time and you got there pronto.This is the problem with having grown kids and working solo.No free helpers!

JSTOTT · 07-02-2010, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwaysteve

Great work Russ! We started about the same time and you got there pronto.This is the problem with having grown kids and working solo.No free helpers!

Thanks, I still feel like I've got a long way to go though. I finished another overhead unit, and it is ready to be installed. I need (want to) get a wall installed first.

Slowly but surely getting there. Need to have a couple of camping trips to get me psyched up for it. We came back from the last one with a ton of ideas. Some implemented, many just added to the "to-do" list.

Have a happy 4th!! I'll probably work on the tin can a little this weekend between other fun activities.

Russ

bwaysteve · 07-02-2010, 04:28 PM

Russ,I got my tail lights glassed in.They are coming along,but have dips and pinholes.What did you use to fill and smooth? Bondo?

JSTOTT · 07-02-2010, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwaysteve

Russ,I got my tail lights glassed in.They are coming along,but have dips and pinholes.What did you use to fill and smooth? Bondo?

I had dips and some pinholes too. I didn't go to bondo for any of it. I just continued with epoxy coats. I used a sanding block and an orbital sander trying to figure out what might work better. It seemed like the sanding block approach was just as quick and didn't gum up like the orbital sander. The flat block helped, it was the best way to minimize the dips, otherwise you sand the lowpoints too and it never really gets flat. I would then add some epoxy for either pin holes or dips. It did take me about a week of adding sanding filling.

I didn't use them but there are some filler materials that you can use, outside of just glass fiber that make it easier to make a paste from. Someone else had recommended it.

Russ

JSTOTT · 07-05-2010, 07:47 AM

Welded a new exhaust pipe in the generator that routes the exhaust down, instead of into the hotbox (generator box that I made). This is an attempt to get some more of the heat out of the box. Nothing at the autoparts stores, but 1" conduit matched the exhaust pipe. Pipe runs straight through to the bottom. I'm going to look at using some exhaust wrap for the pipe.

Been looking for a reason or excuse to use Jenn's Garage sale welder. Works pretty well when the circuit breaker isn't tripping. I need more power...

Russ

JSTOTT · 07-13-2010, 04:53 AM

Here's the start of the Big dog's kennel and bunk bed combo. It takes up a ton of space. I used 2x4's on the 4 corners for support and will add trim on the face to clean it up. I started work on the trim yesterday. The next cabinet has been added in.

My driveway is not where I planned to vacation but I need to have the camper a little more functional before camping.

Russ

kevinb · 07-13-2010, 07:18 AM

Hey driveways can be fun, dont think mine is ever going to leave at my rate of resto. With all those dog boxes dont forget to leave room for a bath! Make sure you show a pic of the finished product.
Kevin