Coleman Laramie Popup Conversion

[daveleb55]

The table is just right for cooking, it's portable, and except for buying some screws to put it together, it was completely build using SALVAGE from the trailer.




Now, just pull out the legs like this....


Voila! Ready to cook!


Hmmm, that dog is just the right size!!!

[daveleb55]

got some stuff done on the inside. Started cutting out the walls and making holes for the windows (salvaged some nice windows from a junkyard).




After having read about many different techniques, I have decided to laminate 3/4" ply between two sheets of 1/8" Luaun, epoxy fill and seal, and paint. Lightening holes will be filled with 3/4" foam insulation, 1/2 stringers across the roof will tie it all together.
I cut down the door to fit, aluminum angles will attach the door permanently to the trailers lower frame. A 2X2 running along the top of the aluminum frame will tie the walls to it. The 2X2 will be screwed to the frame from the inside. The plywood sections will be attached with a biscuit jointer, the galley counter and galley bulkhead will be joined to the sides similarly.

Here's more pics:







Dave & Kathleen

[Joanne]

DaveCo presents the portable DO table just right for those weekend cook outs. It comes complete with the table, attached handle and four fold down legs. But wait, if you order now....

The table is just right for cooking, it's portable, and except for buying some screws to put it together, it was completely build using SALVAGE from the trailer.

Voila! Ready to cook!


Hmmm, that dog is just the right size!!!

[Joanne]

See what happens? I don't drop by for a while and you get all this work done. (there's a lesson in there for me somewhere, I just got to figure it out... )

Once quick question though, given the size of the cutouts for the windows and door, are your lightening holes going to save you enough weight to offset the luan, foam and glue (ignoring the extra work and expense)?

Joanne

got some stuff done on the inside. Started cutting out the walls and making holes for the windows (salvaged some nice windows from a junkyard).



Dave & Kathleen

[daveleb55]

See what happens? I don't drop by for a while and you get all this work done. (there's a lesson in there for me somewhere, I just got to figure it out... )

Once quick question though, given the size of the cutouts for the windows and door, are your lightening holes going to save you enough weight to offset the luan, foam and glue (ignoring the extra work and expense)?

************************************

Well, any vast expanses of plywood will probably have a lightening hole cut out, the windows are pretty big, so those pieces probably wont. We'll see how it comes along. I am more concerned with the biscuit joints right now, Once I got that done and I'm satisfied with it, I'll think about the other. I am pretty much making this up as I go (if you haven't already noticed). One sawcut at a time....

Every step has required some additional "engineering" to compensate for things I didn't think of before, things I thought were going to be easy turn out to be hard, and so on...

The window and door cutouts for the passenger side removed around 3/4 of the weight, and the window doesn't weigh as much as the plug I removed. The drivers side window is longer but not as tall, i may cut out the area directly above that. We'll see. I'm going to try and get all the sides cut out and attached in the next week or two.
Kathleen has threatened to make me sleep in a plastic bag on the ground with nothing but a dinner fork to protect me from wild packs of rabid coyotes if this isn't finished in time for New Years. (She'll be staying in a Bed and Breakfast). So, like, no pressure, or anything like that.

Dave

[daveleb55]

Here's a few pics:

Outside view. The walls are now attached. I still have to extend the rear to make room for the galley. I add about 20 inches or so, go all the way out to the bumper. The floor gets extended as well. Biscuit joints hold it all together.


Inside view of the same wall. You can see the cardboard profile for the front. Because I'm installing a 24" tall window in front, the top curve radius needs to be reduced to around 14", else the tongue box will almost completely cover the front window.


Although it's hard to see from this photo, we actually found a guy locally who could cut a very thin slice of marble, which we laminated onto 3/4" ply, making a real marble countertop in a trailer!


Here's another view of the galley "mockup." Nothing is permanently attached yet, this is more of a "dry fit" to make sure I haven't screwed anything up. (Let me re-phrase that: "haven't screwed anything up to the point that it needs to be re-done!)

Baking another batch of biscuits now....

Dave & Kathleen

[Miriam C.]

making a real marble countertop in a trailer!

I live in the back of beyond! Beautiful counter top guys.

[daveleb55]

Making progress, slowly but surely. Everything is a puzzle that needs figuring out. I have been forced to adopt the "Making it up As I Go" method, since none of my original plans seem to be working for some reason or another. I spend a lot of time planning and measuring and figuring, then I try a "dry fit" and discover that none of the assumptions I made about this particular part of the build are turning out as I expected. Back to the drawing board!!


Clampus Maximus. This is laminating the luaun skin to the 3/4" ply.


Pipe clamps were on sale at Harbor Freight just in a nick of time!


Fixin' to build some drawers. These were salvaged from the popup and cut down to fit the new galley.


More freakin' clamps. Think we got enough now?

[daveleb55]

Here's a few new pics...

row of biscuits for extending the floor out to the bumper.


closeup of the biscuits to join the side wall extension


Clamped and glued: the sidewall rear extensions form the space for the new galley.


The extra 2X2 and wedges are to straiten a bow in the plywood.

Dave & Kathleen

[daveleb55]

work continues but at a painfully slow pace. Every step is a puzzle to figure out, and everything is taking twice as long as I originally anticipated. I blame Murphy!! Here's a few pics:


Lining up the biscuits for attaching the front wall extension. Notice I'm biscuiting in two axes, and then final fit with a rubber mallet. Then I clamp the heck out of it.


Here's the front framing in progress. The center opening is for a window.


Galley view, and hatch beginnings, although the hatch is hard to see.


Here's a side view with the end extension in place. I've also mounted the cut-down door, and started some of the wiring. The original wiring harness is kind of rough shape, especially where it was exposed to sun and weather for ten years, so I may wind up replacing the whole shebang

Dave and Kathleen

[Joanne]

work continues but at a painfully slow pace. Every step is a puzzle to figure out, and everything is taking twice as long as I originally anticipated. I blame Murphy!! Here's a few pics:

<snip the pics to save space>

Here's a side view with the end extension in place. I've also mounted the cut-down door, and started some of the wiring. The original wiring harness is kind of rough shape, especially where it was exposed to sun and weather for ten years, so I may wind up replacing the whole shebang
Dave and Kathleen

Dave, I'm going to have to take exception to your last sexist statement! The whole hebang NOT shebang.

Joanne

[daveleb55]

so I may wind up replacing the whole shebang
Dave and Kathleen

Dave, I'm going to have to take exception to your last sexist statement! The whole hebang NOT shebang.

Joanne[/quote]


Hmmm. Okay, howsabout a gender-neutral it-bang? Person-bang?? Creature-bang??? No?? howsabout "kit-and-Kaboodle?" (oh, never mind, may be offensive to Kaboodles)

I give up.... There's just no pleasing some people. All of this politico-correctitudiness drives me nuts.

El Grincho

[Miriam C.]

I give up.... There's just no pleasing some people. All of this politico-correctitudiness drives me nuts.

El Grincho

Wires that you know might be bad really should be replaced while they can be gotten to easily. MHO. You are doing a wonderful job with this build.

[Juneaudave]

I luv these "Trash to Treasures" builds!!!! Great Job!!!

[Mike C.]

Another Quote from El Grincho:

"All of this politico-correctitudiness drives me nuts."

Being as how I am crazy, this phrase is offensive to my politically-correct
being. Could you not use " real world challenged " or " not playing with a full deck?" But no, no, no, not ever nuts. Plus it sounds kinda genderist or sexist to me as well.

Thank you for your consideration.

P.S. Really like the job you are doing on your trailer, even if Murphy is involved.