Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sun Oct 23, 2016 5:44 pm

Don L. wrote:HI, I have been following your build and think it looks pretty good so far.

You mentioned not liking the seams from the roof wrapping down on the sides, I know what you mean. But I thought you did a pretty neat job of it.

Mine were more uneven and I tried to smooth them down some by ironing the seam and pressing into it pretty hard which helped some. I also brushed extra gripper prime into the edge of the seam to help fill it. I thought spackeling might be to fussy and also might not stick so I left it at that. The seams were still pretty visible but my funky paint job does a good job of distracting your eye from the seams.
Maybe a decorative border or something?

Cheers!


Thanks!
I was able to glue just the top first, then when that dried I took a straightedge and marked 1.5in down from the top edge and cut it carefully with a scissors. Then glued it without stretching it too much. Thats why mine turned out nicer. Also the 1.5in is the edge of my 2x2 framing so there was going to be a bit of a line anyway from the transition from wood to foam.
Your build looks great! I love the paint :) its nice when someone does something different like that.
For my seam i am thinking a corner moulding for an RV or something will cover it. Something like this Image
But i will look around more next year. I need to find one thats wide enough which may be a challenge.
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sat Oct 29, 2016 4:32 pm

finally got some photos in the sun last week and have time to upload them.
Image

Front
Image

so, seamsealer here wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't have wanted that on the side where it wasn't covered.
Image

the thing to see here is that theres nothing to see :) the side turned out fairly well
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nice shiny roof.
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Back end
Image

it started raining the day I took it home. I should have turned around and brought it back to work but i didn't. once i got home at 11pm my wife and I spent and hour wiping mud off it because the paint is still pretty fresh and i don't want mud sticking to it. So that sucked.
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:00 pm

Well, finally got around to adding up the cost of the trailer. Been busy working on the tow vehicle but had a setback with it so i had some time. Total so far is $3778.50,
$628 on supplies for in the trailer like powered coolers, portable shower and stuff. Still lots to do on the trailer and have hardly bought any supplies yet.
Looked back at the original budget and i had planned $3500 on the trailer, so im over with a long ways to go still :/
Buget for getting the car ready will go over too with the setbacks ive had. I had planned on $3800, we will have to see what it ends up being.

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sat Jun 17, 2017 1:13 pm

Well i cant seem to get motivated to start on this again, which really sucks.
I spent all winter working on the tow vehicle, finished middle of may. Was supposed to start on this trailer right away and have it ready to take to a car meet july 15. But its been a month and i just havent been able to get going on it. Anyone else have that problem? :(

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby joyofweaving » Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:08 pm

dancam wrote:Well i cant seem to get motivated to start on this again, which really sucks.
I spent all winter working on the tow vehicle, finished middle of may. Was supposed to start on this trailer right away and have it ready to take to a car meet july 15. But its been a month and i just havent been able to get going on it. Anyone else have that problem? :(

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby Don L. » Sat Jun 17, 2017 6:33 pm

Yes.
Not on my camper, but on the musical instruments I build.
It can be for various reasons , for me at least.
Link to my foamie camper build viewtopic.php?f=55&t=67321
instagram #don_leister_violin.rva
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:21 pm

Hmm, hopefully i can find some energy soon. Anyway, water tanks, im having trouble figuring out how to attach this tightly to my frame under the trailer. Planning to get this tank. http://dmplastics.ca/products/drawings/RFW1052.pdf
And under my trailer is just thinner angle going across the width.

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby KCStudly » Sun Jun 18, 2017 8:48 pm

I feel you. My build has been mired down in the body work stage. "Body shop hell" as it were.

The big thing for tanks, as far as I am concerned is to mount them using straps to hold them up. Look at any automotive OEM gas tank installation and you will see that they are held up with straps. Tabs will vibrate and break, but straps will go the distance.

Keep going. One bite at a time. Slog it out. Skimp scrap and fight your way through. Go team!

p.s. I can use all the encouragement I can get to move my build along, too!
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby lthomas987 » Wed Jun 21, 2017 2:46 pm

Yeah happened on mine too. It was especially easy in the spring to go "well it's not too warm out there yet" In the end I started taking people up on the offers of help. You know your co-worker who occasionally asks how the build is going, or what you're working on now. Just the peer pressure of having somebody come over to "paint" or "hang straps for the tanks" or to "teach them to re-pack bearings" was enough. So that I had to be ready to do the thing they were coming for. And then when they came over and we did the thing that thing was done!

So in the end I probably had 8 or 10 different people help with the trailer in varying amounts of time from 1hr to 20-30hrs. But having a "date" to work on it was a huge help for me.
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:48 pm

KCStudly wrote:I feel you. My build has been mired down in the body work stage. "Body shop hell" as it were.

The big thing for tanks, as far as I am concerned is to mount them using straps to hold them up. Look at any automotive OEM gas tank installation and you will see that they are held up with straps. Tabs will vibrate and break, but straps will go the distance.

Keep going. One bite at a time. Slog it out. Skimp scrap and fight your way through. Go team!

p.s. I can use all the encouragement I can get to move my build along, too!


Ya, ive come up with many excuses not to be able to start. Too many mosquitos to work on it at home, no room at the shop anymore at work, no neighbours to help me lift the top off, welding is the next step and i dont have a welder at home.... :/
With the tank i planned to use a strap but i am unsure how to make it tight. Most oem car straps are just make to the exact length and bolt to the frame on each end.
Once i start i know ill be fine, just need to start...
Thanks.



lthomas987 wrote:Yeah happened on mine too. It was especially easy in the spring to go "well it's not too warm out there yet" In the end I started taking people up on the offers of help. You know your co-worker who occasionally asks how the build is going, or what you're working on now. Just the peer pressure of having somebody come over to "paint" or "hang straps for the tanks" or to "teach them to re-pack bearings" was enough. So that I had to be ready to do the thing they were coming for. And then when they came over and we did the thing that thing was done!

So in the end I probably had 8 or 10 different people help with the trailer in varying amounts of time from 1hr to 20-30hrs. But having a "date" to work on it was a huge help for me.


I should do that later this summer. Part of the problem is the first steps have to be done just by me but i need neighbours and bosses help to get the welding happening but my boss has been unavailable for a month...

Went out and measured a few things today... lol.



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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Sat Jun 24, 2017 5:19 pm

Talked to my boss about how to get the trailer in the shop (its full) and got a neighbour to help me lift the top and bottom off the trailer so i can bring the frame to work! Measured a few things and made some plans for what I have to do. I had 10 weeks to do this, now im down to 2.5 so theres no way this is going to the car meet :(

Buy:
- water tank
-water tank straps
- latches,
-good screws for latches
-3 taillights
-bolts to bolt down lower half
-greasable stuff for suspension springs
- metal, latch hooks and ratchet straps
-sealing foam for upper half
-1/8 strips
-jacks?
-trailer wire
-tires

Plan:
-plan stabilizer jacks. where and what kind. drill attachment?
-plan spare tire carrier
-plan seal for upper half on bottom flange
-pick fenders
-plan how to run wires to rear
-plan license plate





-top and bottom half off trailer. DONE! :D
-take to work
-mark where to put taillights
-do taillight bolts interfere with jacks?
- finish welding trailer flange, latch and ratchet strap angle iron
-move axle ahead and weld it on square
-install greasable suspension parts, grind bevel on spings, grease them and install axle above spring
-weld supports for water tank
-Cut 1/8 pvc strips for floor bracing angle iron
-taillights screw them in, attach orange marker lights
-Weld stabilizer jacks on.
-Weld spare tire carrier
-install water tank and fittings
-glue down 1/8 pvc strips?
thursday night
-take it home and get lower half and upper half back on
back to work friday
-tape and bolt down lower half -seal up bolts so wood doesnt rot
-design, cut and screw side sliders on.
-foam tape or some seal down on flange for upper half
-install upper half
-install latches
-wire taillights temporarily?
-decide where fenders will be
-install fenders
-re-attach vin sticker somehow

- decide on hinges, handle and design for doors
-make doors, doorjambs and seals and install them

-plan bridge for car-trailer gap
-plan front of trailer
-make aero front
-paint lower surface of upper half with sherwin williams paint when painting aero front or doors
-build bridge for car-trailer gap
-decide how to do battery. disconnects, outside charging, how to run power from it. decide how and where to run power into trailer. need all power wires in including 120v and grounds, also wires going back out to breakaway.
-wire trailer lights, brakes and to battery
-put breakaway inside aero front
-take home

-make supports for top half, need assists to raise?
-install screens for sides and doors. velcro? zipper?
-what to do for flooring inside trailer
-install flooring in trailer
-build dividers in trailer
-make sealed container for inside trailer for gas and propane
-make bed slats
-buy and install door fans
-get trailer tires balanced
-wire interior for 12 and 110v power
-buy and install lights inside and outside trailer
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby GPW » Sun Jun 25, 2017 7:13 am

Cool , you’re down to the short list … 8)

Dan , everything has it’s own “time" … and it’s only a problem when everything happens at once …
There’s no place like Foam !
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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Tue Jul 04, 2017 8:56 pm

Trying to decide how to attach the pmf camper box to the frame. I was going to use some very good industrial double sided tape we have at the shop and carriage bolts, but the tape is pretty thin and the paint on the top of the trailer frame has lots of runs and is super uneven. its almost like they dipped it... plus there is a ton of welding slag painted over. grinding it all flat and repainting the whole top seems dumb. So is there any adhesive like pl premium or something that will bond painted metal to pmf, provide some fill for the gaps, remain flexible enough in -30c to not crack and be able to handle the constant flexing of the trailer?

anyway, progress update, my water tank is ready to pick up, I ordered taillights off ebay, over the weekend I welded flanges on for my latches and side marker lights, moved the axle ahead and put it over the springs. Also got rid of the nylon bushings and installed greasable bolts and brass bushings. tapered the sharp edge on the spring and greased them so they don't rust together solid. Welder ran out of gas on the long weekend and I got rained out...
The trailer tongue is angled quite a bit down and while the trailer deck height is 15inches or so the ball height is a lot less. Only 6 inches ground clearance for my jack which is lame. Not sure how well that will work out.

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:35 pm

So whats the preferred method of sealing the bolts and wood when you use carriage bolts through the wood floor into the frame to attach the box of the camper to the frame?

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Re: Pop-up foamie for Cross-Canada trip

Postby dancam » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:23 pm

The paint cracked on my pmf all over. I strapped the box to the frame and towed it to where i work to bolt it down. Noticed this morning the paint has cracked in a lot of places. Is this normal? Will it allow water into the wood now? Do i need to paint over it or what?





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