The Mad Dash begins...

[mikeschn]

Today was a good day. I decided that I would finish the outside of the walls and canvas them.

But first I had to resize the wheelwells. They were not centered on the wheel. Look at this image, you can see a pencil line where I have to cut the wheel wells out...



After the wheel wells were cut out I sanded the sides with 220 grit random orbital sander. In the past I've used coarser grits, and they can gouge a side really fast. 220 was gentle enough that I didn't gouge any of my work.



Then I coated the outside generously with Gripper and smoothed out the canvas into the Gripper...



I'm very happy with the appearance so far. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks once I put that gray garage floor paint on it. I'm thinking about painting the bottom edge with a little bit of black paint, like the new Jeeps I've been seeing on the road.

The most important thing I learned on this build is not to leave an unfinished foamie hanging around to be damaged. As soon as you have it sanded smooth, get that canvas on it!!!

Mike...

[GPW]

Working flat like that sure is the Nicest way to do a covering ...

[Fred Trout]

Looks like some very nice canvas & you are making quick progress

Some closeups of before and after once you have sanded and painted would be nice. You can use 100 grit to sand Gripper or other thick primers; it is very hard to sand through and I make all kinds of clumsies while sanding it without it showing dents or scrapes.

If you have trouble getting the already-dried-out unglued edges sitting flat when doing your overlaps later, ironing them with a damp cloth on top before gluing helps quite a bit.

[jonw]

Good progress Mike. And almost all the POR15 splatters have worn off me by now...

[mikeschn]

Jon,

It took that long eh?

Good progress Mike. And almost all the POR15 splatters have worn off me by now...

[mikeschn]

Well, I couldn't wait for the weekend. Wanted to play with the foamie again. So tonight I dug out the doors and started gluing up the hard edges all around, for the outside edges and the windows... Oh also for the hinges and the door handles. The hinge inserts are on the other side. I should have flipped a door around so you could see it. Ok, next time.

So here's what it looks like at quitting time...



Mike...

[GPW]

Nice doors !!! Cool idea of partial framing around the windows .... that simplifies the carpentry ...

[S. Heisley]

Lookin' Good!

[GPW]

Studying those doors , noticed no wood on the top .... that’s Brilliant .... No wood is necessary there , or the bottom either really , but you can screw a nice sweep to that ... COOL !!! The Little things really count on a Foamie ... every piece of wood saved means less expense and more cargo capability ... Little things add up quickly too , anything made of foam is still the Lightest part of the equation ... Foamie’s ... the thinking man’s (or lady’s) camper....

Plywood = 57 lb./cu.ft.
Foam = 2 lb./cu.ft.

BIG difference eh !!!

[mikeschn]

Glenn,

I wish I could take credit for that idea, but alas, that happened by coincidence. The reality is I haven't gotten around to cutting all the little strips that I plan on bending around that curve. I looked at the door opening, and realized that I already cut it to have the 3/4" top wood piece. The plan all along was to have hard edges all around... I don't think it'll add too much weight.

Mike...

Studying those doors , noticed no wood on the top .... that’s Brilliant .... No wood is necessary there , or the bottom either really , but you can screw a nice sweep to that ... COOL !!! The Little things really count on a Foamie ... every piece of wood saved means less expense and more cargo capability ... Little things add up quickly too , anything made of foam is still the Lightest part of the equation ... Foamie’s ... the thinking man’s (or lady’s) camper....

Plywood = 57 lb./cu.ft.
Foam = 2 lb./cu.ft.

BIG difference eh !!!

[GPW]

In reality , the canvas would hold it all together...

[mikeschn]

Glenn,

I agree. The plan all along was to be triple redundant. Glue, screws and canvas.

If the canvas comes undone, the screws still hold it together.

If the screws come out, the glue holds it together

If the glue comes apart... well you have to draw the line somewhere...

What are the odds of that?

Mike...

[Fred Trout]

If the glue comes apart... well you have to draw the line somewhere...

What are the odds of that?

Depends on how many buffalo you hit or hit you

[GPW]

Been years now , glue hasn’t come apart ... How much proof do we need ???

[mikeschn]

WooHoo! It's Friday. That means I can work on the Mad Dash again.

I thought I would jump start things this evening by gluing down the edges on the walls. Hey, did you know that's time consuming? I only got one wall done, and then it was dinner time and quitting time.

Ah well, the plan is to start up again early tomorrow morning.

And the goal is to get the insides painted, and the walls glued up, and at least a few spars in place. I'll take pictures.

Meanwhile, here's what the wall looks like now.



And I decided to canvas the door jams this time. I might have to shrink the door. Plus, I haven't decided if I want to use putty on those joints to hide them.



Mike...