ok haven't updated in a week but here goes.
Found some asphalt emulsion and got the underside coated - however, I was in a rush to get it all done before the monsoon season hit southern Minnesota and I had weekend work in another state (Sat to Mon travel) so I forgot to take any pics. Looks all the same anyway, right?
After I got back, I started bolting down the bed using 3/8" x 2 1/2" carriage bolts with a washer, lock washer and nut underneath.
About this time, my hands were starting to go numb from drilling through the frame (8 bolts in out of 12) and called it a night.
Finished today:
And realized I didn't get close enough to the front corner as I did with the rear, but I have the remaining two bolts and can put them closer. Thoughts?
My external skin will be covering the frame, and I'm going to bolt it directly to it on the corners, and get some wood-to-steel self-tapping screws to reinforce holding the mess down (as the original pop-up had) - I also need these for narrow portion between the wheels as the frame is boxed in and I can't through a washer/nut through. I also found out after testing some weight (read: stood on it) that I need to add a bow-to-stern support 1x4 up the middle as it bows a bit and I can attach it to steel frame. I should have done this to begin with, but as with Wife's Doubt, she said to work smart, not fast. My other goal by the end of the weekend is to make some boxed fenders. I have an extra 1x12 from another project I can hack up for those instead of using straight-up plywood.
I was hoping to get some comp time for last weekend's work but the outlook isn't good with my backlog at home base.
I'll squeeze in the time when I can.