Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Philip, Thanks for the advice, really. Early in my build I found it easy to jump around and would often work off plans to get more stuff done. But later in the build I am finding that to often be less practical. Once you start doing bodywork your clothes (and shoes) get all covered with FG sanding dust and you don't really have too many options other than to keep going, or bail out. Yeah, I could do the Tivek jumpsuits, but they are essentially "paper ovens" and I already melt as it is. The shop vac does okay for cleanup, but it doesn't really get it all off of your person.

One task that comes to mind that I may be able to tackle... with Karl's help on the CNC... is to mill out and form the side door latch striker plates. If I want to get this done soon I will need to get it done soon. Karl is looking to sell off a bunch of his equipment, mostly to make room for a new CNC lathe/milling station. So that could cause an interruption in service, so to speak. Sure, I could mill them by hand and the break press isn't going anywhere, but, you know, just thinking out loud that there may be an 'interruption in service' during the transition phase.

Okay, it sounds like I am making excuses... I am... but after a long day at work I only have so much more to give. It's like going to the gym; if you do it every day you get used to it and can muscle it out; but if you quit for a while it gets hard to get into the swing of things again. (wha, wha wha... I'm a big sissy cry baby... go ahead, let me have it! )

I had every intention to go to the shop again this evening, but spent the day up to my elbows in a piece of machinery that got dirt, grease and sludge on my clothes, and, you know... despite how many times you wash your hands... grime embedded into them. I didn't think that was such a good combination for bodywork. You know, transfer and adhesion issues.

The last couple of days I have gone off the wagon and had decaf coffee instead of my healthier choice of herbal tea. Like I have said in the past, when you give up all caffeine, even decaf... especially DND decaf... which isn't very... it still has a little something something, you notice it.

p.s. Last weekend was the spring Zagray's tractor swap meet, but my calendar reminder didn't kick in and it rained anyway... so we missed it.

p.s.s This coming Saturday is the spring Unimog event and my friend Larry has reached out and invited me to go again.

Time to bust out the Air tools and finish this up !!!

Yea motivating yourself after a long day on the grind stone is a hard ask some times man.
Ive got a bit of a second wind on my project but being dark at 6 and cold to boot evenings arnt motivating me much.
Keep chipping away brother. Some stages arnt as fun as others

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GPW wrote:Time to bust out the Air tools and finish this up !!!

Maybe. I'd have to run a long air hose up the stairs, as the big shop compressor is not currently plumbed up there, and my little pancake compressor that I have been using for brads/staples, etc. would surely not keep up. Plus, I don't like Karl's DA sander and don't own a pneumatic long board.

Dale, thanks for understanding.

I'm going to head up to the shop now and see if we can get the cabin laid on its side without too much drama. I'm thinking I should anchor a strap to the cradle frame underneath, wrap that up the far side wall using cardboard corner protectors and use the overhead hoist to lower it down past its balance point onto some scrap foam. Might have to toe some stops to the floor on the near side so that it doesn't kick out. We'll see what Karl thinks.

So here’s how things went. Started by emptying everything out of the cabin and taping the coiled up wires (that still haven’t been routed out thru the bottom of the front locker) so that they wouldn’t dangle down inside. Next we replaced the small 2x3 blocks under the build cradle with longer 2x3’s so that it would be easier to slide the cabin toward the work bench, so that once the cabin was flipped onto the curb side there would still be room to walk/work from the roof side.

Next we placed a few 3/4 thk x 2 ft lengths of blue foam down on the floor. I didn’t bother putting anything under where the door was because it was pretty much empty space there. These were leftovers that I had already cut to length matching the width of the camper and have no future plans for, so wasn’t too worried if they get damaged.

Karl figured we could do it all by hand without any rigging equipment, and with the both of us, he was correct (although when I’m by myself and trying to just prop the cabin up on a tilt I still need to use the floor jack). Basically we lifted at the door header and teetering on the build cradle, then tipped it up on the edge of the curb side floor until we found the balance point. Then Karl went around to the far side and held it by the roof vent opening until I came around and we lowered together. Frankly it didn’t seem that heavy, but when you consider that the floor is the heaviest part and we never really lifted the whole of it, it makes sense.

Underside of floor with work cradle.



View of roof, curb side down.


So the good news is that the street side wall is now horizontal for me to work on. The bad news is that it is over 5 ft in the air. My little two step stool only gets me up to belly height, and a 6 ft step ladder puts me either too far away or side ways… too awkward to work off of efficiently. So I need to come up with some simple scaffolding, about 34 inches high x 2 ft wide x about 5 ft long. I have several options that I will explore further tomorrow.

tony.latham wrote:KC:

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel for your "weekend project"? You going to get your camper in the woods this summer?

Tony

280+ pages into your build, and I see why the Pyramid Builders took so long...perfectionism. Hopefully, you'll finish before the twenty year mark. Has Karl started to build the extraction ramp for the PCE, yet?Just kidding, I admire your various skills, envy your meticulousness, and marvel at your patience. I grew anxious after constructing so little of my TTT during the first 11 months of the build, that I pushed my small skills to the limit, during the final 9, to completion. That's why I've had to continuously modify it since then, to correct some glossed-over deficiencies that occurred during the rush. Your steady pace ensures that no stone is left unturned (not a Pyramidal pun).

Thank you WOI, I appreciate the kind words.

So , KC …. when you finish this one up , what are you going to build next ? Just curious … I’m sure you must be brimming with ideas … I’m thinking “Yankee Ingenuity” would dictate a multi-purpose trailer for both work and play … a “camper/hauler” … Basic hauling for punking chunkins or weekend camping…

We had another great Unimog event today. Five (5) mogs, Larry’s ‘04 TJ Rubicon (dead stock down to the tires, except for the winch), an extended cab Ford Ranger V6 with lift and extended shock mounts (not especially large tires… impressed with its ability to keep up), and Brady’s six wheel Pinzgauer that I rode in last year.

Brady had an ignition issue on the way to the staging area with intermittent backfires running on the highway that got worse on the surface roads, until they arrived and it wouldn’t restart. Very interesting ignition system with threaded adapters for the coil and ignition wires, all designed to be water tight. 24 volt system. He found the points were out of adjustment and weren’t separating, but resetting them did not make it run. He was troubleshooting right up to the start of the event and finally decided to go find another coil all the way in Worcester. Fortunately our host had a spare vehicle to loan. He eventually found that the points had become fouled and caught up to us later for the last leg of the event.

In the meantime we had 2 mogs get slashed sidewalls and had to change tires on the trail. These are big tires up to 395/80-20 size that weigh about 200 lbs each. The lead mog, Geoff’s green machine driven by (his step daughter?) Jessica, flopped on its side creeping down a steep decline when a large boulder shifted under the right front tire. She flopped over on the passenger side door which was stuffed in by a tree root, breaking the side glass. Fortunately there were no real injuries (Jessica had a few bumps from sliding out of her seat) and the damage was mostly limited to the door. After hand winching the boulder out from under the front end using a strap and come-along, we used the winch on the front of Larry’s Jeep and a snatch block to right the truck. A bunch of applied leverage and grunt work to roll the dislodged boulder… weighing easily 1000lbs… out of the path of the trail, respooled the winch and we were on our way.

Not far from there we stopped again when we got word that our “tail gunner”, Geoff (driving his newly acquired red mog) had slid off the trail on a deceivingly simple looking section. This spot had previously proven to be quite a treacherous side hill hazard. By the time we had walked back approx. 1/3 mile over hill and dale, Brady had gotten the Pinzgauer turned around, they were using his winch with a snatch block anchored with a strap around a large boulder and the hook connected to another strap wrapped around the ‘headache’ roll bar above the cab of Geoff’s truck. This gave Geoff the stability he needed to drive himself back up onto the trail w/o the risk of rolling on down the hill.

The only other carnage that I know of was Larry’s rear view mirror popping off of the windshield on an especially bouncy section of rock garden, and me chipping the edge off of a front tooth (not sure how or when, but I surely did).

I can tell you that it is utterly amazing what you can drive a bone stock Rubicon over/up. Things that I’m not sure I could walk or climb on foot, it will go over. Simply amazing.

GPW, I have talked many times about possibly building a much simpler standy (or slouchy) slide in for the Charcoal Briquette (my resurrected 5x8 UT), but I also have dreams of a V8 or flat 6 Subby conversion on a Porsche 914. I would love to scratch build a ‘32 roadster inspired sportster/fun driver car, or maybe even a Factory Five Cobra. I have my chopped ‘72 Chevy short fleetside P/U that needs a lot of love, and I want to build wooden geared clocks. I guess I need to keep moving! Too many (potential) projects, too little time.

Yesterday I used some donated scrap lumber from Karl, a couple of 2x4’s and what was once a very nice piece of birch cabinet grade 3/4 ply, to make this scaffold plank. It’s 24 wide x 60 long. Here’s the underside framework.


And the top side with it toed to the sawhorses using a couple of drywall screws.


The horses put it a little higher than the 32-34 inches I was shooting for, so I might trim down the frame, leaving the ply cantilevered at the ends and just screw that to the horses; or I might add dedicated legs and bracing to get it to the correct working height.

All for now.

"Too many (potential) projects, too little time.” … I share that frustration , and I’m sure we’re not at all alone around here …

GPW wrote:"Too many (potential) projects, too little time.” … I share that frustration , and I’m sure we’re not at all alone around here …

I hear that. Been trying to get rid of projects for nearly 50 years now.......

Facebook link pics of spring Mog Fest 2017

KCStudly wrote:Facebook link pics of spring Mog Fest 2017

Looks like fun! Is that a Steyr hanging out with you?

No Unimogs here, but I do have a Jeep. We get out from time to time. https://www.facebook.com/SWIdahoOverlan ... page_panel

Yup, it's an air cooled 6 wheel drive Pinzgauer on gas. There are a few others in the group but they didn't show up this time.

Lori is going camping with our youngest in two weeks, and they set up all the tents ( birthday party weekend trip, he's taking several friends) to air then out. I took the opportunity to sleep out last night... (oh my aching back!)

Here's my great old sleeping bag:


Never mind a mummy bag, this is how I like to rough it... flannel lined & roomy!




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