Silver Beatle - She's now with an old friend!

[2bits]

Getting uber close there Tom! Did I say I love those hinges??? I also labored over whether to use 3 or 4 hinges. three looks cool and is going to be better for it for sure.

[bve]

Tom the Silver Beatle is looking great, your patience and attention to detail are really paying off. I like those hinges too.

I noticed the headboard has a bit of a slope, what angle do you have it set at, I am planing the same sort of thing and have set up for 10* slope.


The Dark stain adds a nice contrast too.


Burke

[DMcCam]

Great job as always Tom! I've been looking at that same design for my hinges because of the period look to them and they would fit my icebox door too. How are you planning on finishing your doors; 'T' molding perhaps? I'll bet you can't wait to remove all that protective plastic! It won't be long now for sure.

Cheers, Dave

[aggie79]

Getting uber close there Tom! Did I say I love those hinges??? I also labored over whether to use 3 or 4 hinges. three looks cool and is going to be better for it for sure.

Thanks Thomas,

I really like the look of those marine hinges on your teardrop. (Didn't you "discover" them?)

I too agonized on the three-hinge question. In fact, I initially ordered four but bought two more later because I didn't trust my construction methods and thought three per side would keep the doors from warping as much. In the end, I like how they turned out.

Tom the Silver Beatle is looking great, your patience and attention to detail are really paying off. I like those hinges too.

I noticed the headboard has a bit of a slope, what angle do you have it set at, I am planing the same sort of thing and have set up for 10* slope. The Dark stain adds a nice contrast too.

Burke

Hi Burke,

Thanks for putting together the PDFs of those build threads. I reference them quite often.

My headboard cabinet is sloped back 2" on a 22" height. I'm not sure how to calculate the angle, but I think I remember it being about 5-6 degrees on my table saw.

My walls are pre-finished oak flooring. I knew it would be difficult to match that finish so I decided to go a contrasting route with my cabinets. They will be an ebonized oak finish - almost black - but with some brown tint and with the wood grain of the oak showing through.

Great job as always Tom! I've been looking at that same design for my hinges because of the period look to them and they would fit my icebox door too. How are you planning on finishing your doors; 'T' molding perhaps? I'll bet you can't wait to remove all that protective plastic! It won't be long now for sure.

Cheers, Dave

Hi Dave,

How's the frame going on your build? I'm looking forward to your TD's construction.

I'm using double seals on my doors. I've built some oak surrounds for the interior and will be installing them soon. The door and door opening edges will have aluminum trim. I am also using t-molding around the doors. I'll add weatherstripping on the door surrounds and on the t-molding.

[aggie79]

The long weekend allowed me to make good progress on the Silver Beatle. With having to wait on glue, sealant or finishes to dry, I worked on a bunch of different things.

Some of my electrical wiring is in the roof and sidewalls. I did need to run 12v and 120v from the headboard cabinet to the power center that will be located in the galley. Conduit was run underneath the teadrop for this purpose.



I had already built the interior door surrounds, but needed to install them. The surrounds are a mid-build design change. I originally was going to go with t-molding only around the doors. However, I didn't trust my construction skills, and thought that t-molding only would leak. I decided to have double seals - at the door surrounds and at the t-molding. Because my interior walls were pre-finished, I didn't think I could get epoxy to "stick". So I decided to use 3M 4200 sealant between the walls and surrounds and mechanically fasten the surrounds to the walls with exposed fasteners.



My Petcool air conditioner will be located on the tongue in a cedar tongue box. The supply air will be piped through the tongue box and front of the teardrop into the headboard cabinet. This meant that I had to cut a hole in the back of the tongue box and in the front of the teardrop.



I really didn't like the idea of cutting a hole in the front of the teardrop but it came out okay.



The rest of the time, I spent fitting trim. It was the same procedure - cut and fit in place, remove trim, add sealant, and re-fit in place. I added trim to the galley sidewalls, door jambs, and doors.







I still have a little more trim to install. Then I can re-install the doors, and install the seals and windows, and the Silver Beatle will be campable - sort of. Oh - I guess I better get the trailer lighting installed too.

Gig'em

[2bits]

Wow.. Umm I dare say you are so close you can spit on it! I live your inner door frame, I still plan on doing one for mine too because you can see where some of the lamination came off on the inside of mine, but it has never leaked a drop at the door and you can even see light coming through at the upper edge! I don't know how, but it never leaks.

[bbarry]

Glad to see your progress! Thanks for posting some pics of your door surround. I think you'll be glad you took the time and double-sealed it. I went with just the T moulding on my doors and it's next to impossible to get a complete seal on the corners next to the hinge. Then, if your door is warped so much as 1/32 (not that mine are, you understand...this is purely hypothetical) one might get other places that seal less than perfectly. . Suffice it to say that a few drops will enter during a good storm, especially when driving. If I get ambitious one of these days, I will make surrounds like yours and that should keep the agua out.

Congrats...you're getting there!

[starleen2]

Looking real good, Tom. I think that you win the "Excessive use of Blue Tape Award"

[aggie79]

Then, if your door is warped so much as 1/32 (not that mine are, you understand...this is purely hypothetical) one might get other places that seal less than perfectly.

Brad,
If all I had was a 1/32" warp I'd be happy. Good thing there is some flex in the doors to go along with my double seals.

Wow.. Umm I dare say you are so close you can spit on it!

Thomas,
It's getting there, but I haven't started the cabinets and have barely started the electrical. The October target is still in my sights though. (I've thrown in the towel for being campable by the Joe Pool outing. If the night temps are less than 80 degrees, we'll be there in our tent.)

I think that you win the "Excessive use of Blue Tape Award"

Scott,
I'm thinking of renaming her to the "Blue Tape Special".


Oh, BTW...Look what I picked up from the paint shop on my way home from work today.



Gig'em!

[2bits]

Hey Tom, I love the fenders!!! They are gonna look great on the teardrop! What do you need cabinets for?? LOL

I hope we don't get blown away by a tornado today, I haven't seen a 'nado warning in 10 years! Freaky

[aggie79]

Hey Tom, I love the fenders!!! They are gonna look great on the teardrop! What do you need cabinets for?? LOL

I hope we don't get blown away by a tornado today, I haven't seen a 'nado warning in 10 years! Freaky

No kidding. We've had a little bit of everything today.

I work for a city in northeast Tarrant County and we had a lot of flooding. Several roads had to be closed and an elementary school was evacuated because of high waters.

I hope Loyd Park isn't under water. That'll teach for initiating a burn ban!

[Lookfar]

Tom;
The Silver Beatle is looking sooo good! You should be proud to accept the blue tape award. I'd say more, but everyone else has pretty well covered it.

[Prem]

Tom,

You do first class work!

Camping in it soon?

Prem

[S. Heisley]

Tom, you are doing such beautiful work that your build will be nothing short of amazing. You're almost done!!!

[Rlowell]

Tom,
That is an amazing build. I am learning a lot from you...is that OK?
At any rate, I love the doors. Keep on keeping on!
Rod