The Escape Pod: AC installed 07/25/2011 Pg 4

[mcspin50]

Wow Synthesis!! You're screamin' along!! When you're done, do you think you could swing by my garage and help me finish mine?? Just kidding...sorta.
You're doing a great job. The carpentry skills sure have paid off for you. And I really like the grain of your plywood.
The Spar Urethane is a great finish, but then I may be slightly biased.
Take care,

[Synthesis]

Danno,

Not a clue. lol
I will pull the tear out of the garage tonight and get some measurements for you if I remember.

TY Lil.
I am having lots of fun with the build, and in fact, will be picking up the rest of the supplies I need to get the roof skinned (EPDM rubber roofing), and the doors started tonight.

I looked on Ebay and found rubber roofing for 20 bucks for a BIG chunk of it, plus about 40 shipping... Something like 15 wide by 30 long.
But no guarantee I will have it in time for the June car show (first weekend in June)... I shopped around, and a local shop wants to sell me a chunk of 5 foot wide by 15 long for 200 bucks.
I hemmed and hawed and told them about online.
They'll let it go for 80 bucks.

Reasonable, knowing I can have it tonight and be ready to install it almost immediately.

Need to get the order with Grant placed, or else I'll be hurting for windows and trim before the show.

[Synthesis]

The local shop just called me back and offered me the chunk they have, which is actually 7 foot wide by 15 long for 40 bucks cash out the door.

She originally quoted me out for 15x15 new and had misquoted the price.

I'll be picking up my new roof at 3:30 today, and the side trim and rails shortly after that.

[Synthesis]

Some progress tonight!

I sanded the roof seam down after hitting it with some filler this weekend.

I also sanded both sides again, gave a light wipe-down with mineral spirits, and gave them their final coat of Urethane.

After cleaning everything off and giving it a once over, I then rolled the RV EPDM rubber roof out over the main roof.

Since my hatch is not installed yet, I ran three screws into the wall framing about 7 inches below the rear edge of the roof, below where the hurricane hinge will be located. This held the rear of the skin in place while I laid it out where it needed to go.

Once I got the roof aligned, I flipped the front back up and over the back so I could apply the EPDM Latex adhesive.
This adhesive allows two forms of application.
Dual surface contact, or single surface pressure.

Since I was doing this myself, I opted for the latter, where you coat the wood surface, immediately lay the EPDM down, and smooth it. After approximately 30 minutes you brush the roof firmly with a push broom to press everything into place.



I applied putty tape along the very edge of the roof before laying the edge of the EPDM over the side. I pressed the EPDM into place over the putty tape, and then began measuring the front radius for the roof edge molding.

My front radius is 24 inches, and since my walls sit flush with the top of the trailer, I have an idea in mind for the lower trim along the trailer.
I have some T6061 1/4" thick by 3 inches wide that will go side to side across the trailer just below the edge of the plywood. The EPDM roof will come down below the wall line and overlap the front of the trailer frame with putty tape underneath it. Then, there will also be putty tape over this behind the T6061. This will be attached using self-tapping screws into the trailer frame and provide a weather tight seal for the very lower front edge of the trailer.

Back to the topic of the radius... The roof edge molding is powder coated extruded aluminum, and since I want to overlap the T6061 at the front lower edge, I measured 27 inches from the end of the roof molding, and began marking every 1 inch. A total of 36 cuts were made.
This allowed the roof edge molding to contour to the frame. It overlapped the EPDM flap sticking off the side as well.



I applied another strip of putty tape immediately between the EPDM and the roof edge molding, and then ran some lathe screws through the molding, the first layers of putty tape, the EPDM and the second layer of putty tape. Why Lathe screws? They have a flat, wide head, rather than a tall head.



Then, I trimmed the majority of the rubber back (as seen in the picture of the cuts above, and the following picture.



After the EPDM is trimmed back, I will mask the wood and roof and touch up the cuts with some white "Appliance" enamel, then I will run some clear "50 year" silicone caulk into the cracks as well as under the edge of the trim against the wood.

[Synthesis]

More work.

The roof is officially done, except for the roof vent.
I may wait on the vent for a few weeks, as funding is very tight.



The trim strip along the lower front.
The rubber roof lays over the front of the trailer frame with putty tape sealing the roof to the frame, then the aluminum bar stock with putty tape behind it sealing the screw holes and the aluminum to the roof.

The side roof edge trim has the two layers of tape, one above and one below the EPDM sealing the ends as it overlaps the aluminum strip.


Gratuitous roof shots:



Installing the first of the bulkhead panels.
I laid the rubber roof flap between the frame and the bulkhead panel. The hurricane hinge will cover the top edge, the EPDM will help trim out the hardwood spar that supports the hinge and hatch.






Shot of the galley counter with hinge.



I appreciate any and all feedback. This is my first Teardrop build, and my first major non-car project that I have ever taken on by myself.

[Facemeltingly Epic]

It's looking pretty good so far! And you were clearly more ambitious than I for your first build.

[Synthesis]

Thanks Epic!

The hatch is built with the exception of a small strip of plywood at the very top front edge (intentionally left off for now, until the hinge comes in)...





Note the curve of the hatch matches the curve of the side perfectly. The bottom is moved out 1/4". Knocking it back into place lines it up spot on.

The hatch will actually ride about 1/4" further from the side than it is now, to make room for the gasket seal.


The top edge shown up close. It is intentionally lower than the main roof line. Disregard the rough cut on the trim. It will be cleaned up when the hinge arrives and I can mount it to the roof.


The hatch will be raised up to roof level when the hinge arrives and the last strip of plywood is attached and glued. Once I get the hinge lined up and attached to the hatch and everything is hunky dory, I will remove the hatch entirely.

Here is the underside of the hatch. Yes, the screws are sticking through. These will be sanded off smooth, and then whenever I get around to it, I will be attaching a canvas liner to the hatch to cover the roof spars and provide some nice trim. I did not need or want to double the roof spars up to 2x2, when a 1x2 oak spar will work fine. The hatch is VERY rigid.




The edges of the hatch. This plywood will receive a very thick coat of fiberglass resin on the underside of the lip. This will stiffen the edge and reinforce it enough that I should not need to worry about breaking a corner somewhere.



The hatch will get the same edge treatment that the main roof has, the hard molding. Since I am only going through fiberglass reinforced 1/4" plywood, the trim will be attached via countersunk style machine screws with nuts and Loctite. The screws will stick up through the plywood from the bottom side, the nuts will go on with a healthy dose of blue loctite for serviceability. Excess screw length will be trimmed so the plastic insert can cover the nuts.
The side leg will be notched as the front radius is to provide a smooth curve, and consistency with the rest of the trim.

The galley wall edges will be capped with 1.25" dead soft aluminum "L" trim. The short leg overlaps the plywood on the side. The long leg fits the galley wall edge.


And, the radius fillers for the door frames. These will be trimmed to match the plywood. They were installed last night with adhesive, and screws to hold them in. Out come the screws and then they get a healthy trim.

[Synthesis]

Updates:
My order from Grant came in. The windows yesterday, the rest of the molding today.

I went molding happy on the camper.
The rear galley wall with the molding curved over it. I need to remove the wall cap and place putty tape beneath it then reinstall.


The street side door frame with the outer piece of molding installed. I have already used a thin strip of putty tape in the corner of the molding and pressed it firmly into place and then ran in screws.


The door hinge with the door behind it. I did a dry run fit of the door, and need to sand it in a few areas to make it fit well. The hinge fits and works perfectly. Putty tape between plastic hinge and wood side, 1/8" aluminum strip over the hinge.


The biggest update so far. The hatch is built and on. The EPDM adds some serious weight to a fairly lightweight hatch. I'd say it gained probably twenty lbs with the EPDM, so now the whole hatch weighs in at about 45-60 lbs. I may opt to trim the side ribs down some in the future.


I need to trim the rest of the fiberglass off of the ribs and then do some light sanding to clean it up along the edges.




The Hurricane Hinge installed.


A booboo I made. I cut the RV roof edge molding off on the side, when I planned to leave just the side rib to overlap under the hurricane hinge, and then caulk heavily with Silicone. Not sure how I will fix this yet... But I will find a way.

[Synthesis]

I have made a LOT of progress this weekend...

The doors are mounted, windows are in, latches are in, weather seals on the doors and hatch.

I have to add the RV roof edge molding along the hatch and the lower rear panel, and then weather seal the bottom of the hatch.

About 2 hours of work to get the hatch roof edge molding installed and then the exterior is done-ish... Except for some caulking work around the molding.

Then all I have left is the rest of the wall paneling inside..

Down the road I'll be adding the roof vent with fan, and the AC unit in the front box that is yet to be built. Photos incoming in a little bit. Waiting for some adhesive to set up for about 30 minutes so I can start the roof edge molding. EXCITED!

Photos incoming later.

[Synthesis]

The outside is finished!





Today I finished building the doors and installing them.
The T-Molding on the Street side of the camper has some issues due to some clearance issues I did not account for.
I tried to assemble all of the aluminum molding and trim with some nice screws, but the screws remove about 1/8" of clearance.
I did not take this into account when I built the doors, so the molding on the Street side is pretty banged up and bruised from my attempts to make things fit right. The door also sits just a hair too low in the opening, so the bottom hits sometimes when I close it.
I have enough T-Molding to redo the door, I will do so at a later date.
I ended up removing all of the screws on both the T-Molding on the door and the edge trim in the door opening. I discovered that the finish nails on the nail gun work perfectly for securing the trim in place.



The galley hatch had some sealing issues against the gasket. The single 1/4" plywood edge wasn't thick enough. I remedied this by gluing a strip of 1/4" on the inside, then placing a piece of 1.25" aluminum edging underneath it. I clamped this in place when I installed the RV Roof molding. I drilled holes all the way through all four layers, and through the EPDM, and installed button head machine screws (couldn't find flat ones). I then used blue loctite from above and put the nuts on. The nuts will sit under the plastic trim in the roof molding.
This provides a smooth surface for the gaskets to seal against.



I also installed rubber bumpers in the notches on the hatch ribs so that when it sits down, it sits nicely on the counter top. I still need to sand and finish the bottom side of the hatch and trim the rough edges out, but for all intents and purposes it is completely campable at this moment.


Difficult to see here because of the flash, but my hatch prop rods are 3/4" dowels, with a pocket in the hatch ribs. One dowel on each side.


And a shot of the double gasket for the galley hatch.


This will be the last "build" post for a while, at least until I get the interior 100% finished (less than 4 hours of work there, with the exception of carpet).
I plan to take this and get it weighed this week to see where I am at with my goal. I suspect I may be a bit over my 700 lb limit. But don't think I am too far over that. I need to see how this pulls as well. And I may tow it to Cumberland, WI tomorrow when I drive to work there just to see how she does.

Next up, widescreen LCD and 12v PC installed in it.

[Synthesis]

Today I took the trailer to get weighed...

My goal weight was 700 lbs empty. This is with no mattress or any extras.

I tossed the spare into the trailer today, drove onto the scales, disconnected the trailer so that it was the only thing on the front axle scale..

680 lbs!
When I get the interior finished with the last pieces of plywood, and get the carpeting installed, it will weigh in at a whopping 700 lbs. Right on my goal.

I am ecstatic!

[Synthesis]

Today I picked up a FANTASTIC FAN!

And it is FANTASTIC!
heh.

Actually, the fantastic part is that I got the fan for 75 bucks. Smoked cover, interior trim bezel, and everything.

It has both suck AND blow modes, a thermostat to control the temperature and the fan really pushes some air.

This was the last thing I really needed to make this fully ready to go for the summer. AC is not a must, but is still in the plans. The vent will make things a lot nicer though.

[Synthesis]

Final-ish photos before Dells run.

The mattress is definitely too big. It was free, so I can't complain.
I'll just lay one side against the wall for now, which means the curb side door is the only one that will open for the time being.
No big deal for me.

The girls seem to like it. Molly is the Border Collie, Izzy is the one on the right. Puggle.


My Fantastic Fan currently on Exhaust mode. You get a very strong breeze with this fan on the low speed.


Yep, the girls definitely love it.


The external lights are on. They have dedicated switches on each light, but I can also control the whole lighting circuit with one of the two switches shown in the above pictures (dangling from the inner wall)


An outside shot of the Fantastic Fan. This shows you how big the fan motor is. This thing really moves some serious air. I may not need AC after all. I still need to run some of the EPDM caulking around the vent base and the screws.


The side windows are safety glass and very darkly tinted.. It will take a lot of light shining even through the screen to get a view inside.


My power distribution system.
I am using a Bussman AMG fuse holder as the power block. 8 gauge wires come from the battery to the power block. The top bolt is the ground, the bottom is the positive. The wiring from the positive post to the fuse block is 12g. The white wiring to the trailer is 14g lamp cord.
All ring terminals are crimped and then soldered. All of the push on spade terminals are crimped with the correct crimpers (the terminals are Metri-pack connectors that I use in my wiring harnesses), and then heatshrinked.

The 5A fuse is for the lighting. The first 15A fuse is for the fan. I will reduce this to a 10 when I get a chance to pick up some fuses.


The battery is currently mounted in the back. It gets moved into the sleeping compartment for traveling purposes until I can get a tongue box built. Down the road sometime. Lower priority.
The battery is very large for the trailer, but I wanted to be able to run 2-3 days easily before needing to recharge, and without getting below 50% on the battery.



The 110v system plug. This is a 15a 3 prong plug.



That runs into a 6 outlet power strip. I cut the plug off the strip and wired it directly into the screw terminals on the back of the RV plug.
This will give me 110v when I plug in, until I can actually wire in a GFCI circuit and plugs in the walls.


The power inverter you see is a 400 watt with two outlets and a USB port for charging electronics. It connects directly to the battery and is fused.

This will most likely be going to the Dells run just like this this weekend. The Dells run is the annual Fiero car show..

[Synthesis]

I picked up a Progressive Dynamics PD9260c a week or so ago.

I ran with the power converter this last weekend while visiting the kids. Man, that thing is nice! And it only requires a 15-20 amp outlet to power it.

I also picked up my battery box from the shop last night.

The battery (ies) will be installed through the floor of the camper, just forward of the trailer axle.
The top flange of the box will rest on the 1/2" thick plywood floor, with some bolts to hold it in place permanently.
The front, bottom and possibly the sides of the box will be covered with polycarbonate and sealed. Held on with some short buttonhead Allen bolts into tapped holes in the battery box frame.

The frame is large enough to hold two identical batteries (it was sized for the battery I currently have, and if I ever have to change batteries, I will need to match the size closely).
The hole in the floor over the batteries will be filled with the plywood "plug" that was cut out of the floor. It will be trimmed to fit inside the box edges, and a hinge attached to be able to swing the cover out of the way. The edges of the plywood will have 1/8" by 2 inch steel bar cut and bolted to it. This will provide a flange to rest against the top of the box, and also allow me to seal the edges of the box to prevent hydrogen gas from getting into the camper during charging.

[Woodstramp]

Synthesis,

Your camper is sharp. Love how the sides turned out.

BTW, I was looking at the trim pics. Where did you get the screws? How much were they?