M116A3 Build

[lfhoward]

We had several hours of rain today that were not predicted, so I pulled a tarp over the trailer to keep it dry. I worked in the shop measuring and cutting spans for the side benches, and drilling pocket holes in them with the Kreg jig. Stacks of small wooden parts don't make a very exciting photo, but they will be necessary for successful assembly later on. I also double checked my wood supply and made a run to the Depot to exchange 6' roof beams for some 8' ones. It turns out the width of the roof beams needs to be about 6'-1&1/4", so 6" beams were not up to the task!

[noseoil]

The more stuff you can do on the bench now, the better off you'll be later on when assembly is happening. To me, seeing a stack of properly made parts is like money in the bank & very rewarding.

I had a buddy help with the wall, deck, cabinet assembly when it was time to actually put the parts in place & assemble it. Told him it would take a couple of hours start to finish. He was amazed at how well everything fit together when we stood the walls & dropped in cabinets to screw it all together permanently. What he didn't see was the time spent on the bench dry-fitting, checking, measuring & prepping for the actual assembly.

Just sayin' the more time you spend on sub-assemblies at the bench, the easier it is when working inside the build later on. Do as much as you can now to save time later.....

P.S. It's looking really nice so far. You will be amazed to see how strong that thing is when it's finally assembled. A bit of Kevlar or AR500 in the sides and it would be completely "bullet proof" when it's finished!

[lfhoward]

Today was a hot but nice day, so I got a lot done. I finished the roof beams so that the tarp would lay better over the trailer when we have a thunderstorm this evening.





I temporarily hooked up my fantastic fan to the converter to ease the heat a bit while I worked. Works well!

[KCStudly]

Are you going to bevel the front roof spar so that the sloped panel can lay flat against it? It would be better to do this prior to putting it up there.

[lfhoward]

The "windshield" wall piece will go on top of the angled side beams, using the same strategy as I used to attach the roof to the flat side beams. I'll fill in the "V" shaped creases at the top and bottom of the windshield with some beveled timbers, so the angles will be crisp and look good.

[lfhoward]

I got the tarp on for the night with the help of my neighbor. We joked that almost anything could be hidden under there. A howitzer. A Patriot missile battery. A squad of Army Rangers.

[lfhoward]

I have a few logistical questions tonight:

1) I have always been a tent camper so I never have stayed at a campsite with an electrical hookup. People on here say that the power inlet box should be on the drivers side. Does that mean that the passengers side of the RV is where there is typically space for people hang out and do stuff?

2) If the outdoor living area is on the passengers side, then I am thinking that my rear door should be hinged on the drivers side, yes?

3) speaking of the rear door, the door jambs were the last things I installed this evening before calling it quits. I noticed after the fact the the drivers side vertical beam (that the door will be hinged to) did not go on perfectly straight. The top is about 3/16 to the right of where it should be, so that the beam is not exactly square. Now it is glued with TB and fastened in using pocket hole screws. Is there a good way of breaking the glue and resetting it, or will I just have to cut my losses and adapt the door itself so it will also not be perfectly square? This is what happens when I am tired and hungry. it won't be noticeable to the casual observer, but I do want the door to open properly.

BTW, I am using 3/8" of space between the door and the beam on the hinge side and 1/4" on the other 3 sides, according to one of Grant Whipp's informative posts.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?p=196001#p196001

Thanks!

[noseoil]

Just back the screws out & use a fine cut saw to cut the joint that's wrong. A sawzall, hand saw or even a hack saw will work. Once you have the joint loose, mark the correct location & make a shim that's the thickness of the saw kerf. Move the vert into place with the shim & some glue, then just re-do the screws. Not the end of the world, just a minor bump in the road....

Looking good now & don't sweat the small stuff!

[lfhoward]

Thanks. Good idea about sawing it off and shimming it. I'll fix that this morning.

Looks like I have about a half day to work before the rain comes. Here's what it looks like with the tarp on.

[lrrowe]

I use an oscillating tool from HF to undo a mistake I made similiar to this.
It works well.

http://t.harborfreight.com/power-tools/ ... 62279.html

[lfhoward]

Thanks, lrrowe. It is good to know that this sort of mistake is relatively easy to fix!

Not too much to report today. This morning I drilled four additional holes for grade 5 bolts that will hold the center of the side walls to the top of the fenders, and I started the process of water-sealing the gap between the fenders and the wood. It was threatening rain most of the afternoon, so I worked in the shop primarily. I made the long beveled pieces that will fill the V-shaped gaps at the top and bottom of the "windshield" (front upper wall). I don't have a table saw, so I rigged up a jig to my band saw and cut the boards lengthwise using that. Definitely a challenge, but they came out nice.

[lfhoward]

Today's progress: the windshield wall frame.



I set the front windows in their frames to see how they look.



These fixed front windows are a different design than the typical rectangular windows that open at the top (which I am using on the sides of the trailer). Can anyone recommend a good thread on window installation? I am not very clear how these windows attach and seal to the body, as there are no screw holes.





Edit: There might be trim rings that came with these. Tomorrow morning I'll dig deeper into the box from Little Bear.

[lfhoward]

Here are the side windows for comparison.

[noseoil]

It looks like they have the outer flange, which sits against the outside skin & forms the seal with a gasket or some sealant, and an inner flange which is the "U" shaped channel. This is the cut-size you need, to allow for the wall opening so the unit slides in place, yes?

Usually with this type of setup, there's a trim ring of some sort which has holes to match the "U" shaped channel in the window frame. The trim ring is on the inside of the wall, the screws go through it (self-tappers or drilled & tapped) to let the inner trim ring fasten the window in place from the inside and pull it against the outer skin. If you don't have this trim ring, no worries! Depending on the inside wall finish, you can make one out of 3/8" or 1/2" plywood, stain, paint or whatever you want for finish & then use it to sandwich the window in place. If there's a gap between the trim & inner side of the window, some rope, flexible tubing with LED lighting or something else can be used to "caulk" the gap for a more finished appearance. Just use cardboard to do a mock-up of the opening & trim ring so you get the correct size, then transfer it to the wood you sue for the piece.

I have a similar thing going on with the port holes in my build. The wall thickness isn't right for the trim I have, so I'm making some wooden trim rings to pad out the wall prior to installing the windows. It's a bit more work, but I've figured out a way to make it look good, just not ready to put them in yet or I'd post a picture for you.

[lfhoward]

Noseoil, thank you for the explanation. I looked deeper into the box the windows came in and there are no trim rings. This makes perfect sense as I got the windows for just $10 each on Grant's retirement clearance special! I will need to make my own wooden trim rings or try to find some that fit the 14x21 size, which seems to be fairly common at RV supply websites.