"The X-Cubed" C.T.T.

[zkengle]

I got the ceiling panels in the main roof section installed tonight. Also trimmed out the opening for the front window, the fan, and the two recessed LED housings. These will get RGB LED strips and frosted lenses to diffuse the light. The rear RGB strip will shine straight down through another piece of acrylic, into the galley.

 

[Kharn]

Slow. Down.



Have you thought about window coverings for your skylights? Camp Inn uses a piece of fabric mounted on two curtain tracks for their 560's sunroof, I thought that was a pretty cool solution when I was looking for design inspiration on their site.

 

[zkengle]

Slow down?? Does not compute!! I have my goal set - first weekend in June, for the TearJerkers Boondocking gathering that I'm organizing.

Haven't quite gotten to the curtains yet. The screen ceiling provides an obstacle. It will be very similar to what camp-inn does, but probably with wooden dowels spanning from side to side.

Although I have been toying around with a new idea: instead of having a flat screen ceiling at the front roof section, I might make a screen wall kit that encloses the sides and front of the open roof. In my model, I adjusted the strut location closer to the hinge which opens the roof up a lot more. It would actually provide standing room to change, it would make latching the roof from the inside much easier, and it would make mounting the curtains much easier.

 

[Kharn]

Mounted dowels could work (dowels sliding in a track could be a problem due to the span and their ability to rack and fall out without an excessively deep channel), you might need a powerful sewing machine to deal with folding over the interior show fabric, plus the lining, plus the exterior show fabric (maybe use fabric paint or embroidery for your X design to show through the skylight when both the panel and curtain are closed?) to make the rod pockets.

The screen roof would be pretty cool. Stowing the screen neatly would be the biggest issue.

 

[zkengle]

Mounted dowels could work (dowels sliding in a track could be a problem due to the span and their ability to rack and fall out without an excessively deep channel), you might need a powerful sewing machine to deal with folding over the interior show fabric, plus the lining, plus the exterior show fabric (maybe use fabric paint or embroidery for your X design to show through the skylight when both the panel and curtain are closed?) to make the rod pockets.

The screen roof would be pretty cool. Stowing the screen neatly would be the biggest issue.

I've just done two layer curtains before. One plain side, one decorative side. Well, my Mom has done them for me.

As far as stowing the screen, it would be be detachable so that it wasn't always just hanging there when the roof is closed.

 

[zkengle]

Doors and wheels came yesterday. The doors are the factory-style 26x36, so I didnt think there was a need for a picture. But I'm a bit excited about the wheels....

15x6 SenDel T10 aluminum wheels, 0 offest, 5/4.5 bolt pattern

And they absolutely tower over the 12" stock tires... should make the trailer look a lot more proportionate

 

[zkengle]

Put the wheels on last night and took some height measurements to ease my worries of being able to easily garage this beast.

New setup added 3" to the height, which is what I was expecting. That puts the X-Cubed at 79-1/4" tall. Since Fantastic Fan is no longer offering low-profile bases, my high-profile base with flat dome will sit a towering 3-1/4" above my roof line. Doing the simple math gives me 82-1/2" of overall height. Solar panel will only sit about 2" above the roof, so no worries there.

The head of my garage door opening just happens to be 82-1/2" tall (ignoring the flexible weatherstrip that hangs down about 3/4"). Adding up the weights of my various larger parts, (pair of doors 50lbs, two batteries 100lbs, acrylic sheets 35lbs, and solar panels 48lbs) that ~233lbs (plus the weight of all the remaining building materials and paint) should help settle the suspension enough to give me another 1/4-1/2" of clearance. Guess we'll see. Otherwise, it looks like I'll have to let some air out of the tires.

Also, I sent my registration off to Maine yesterday. Should have a license plate in the next couple weeks!

 

[Kharn]

The married person approach would be to declare that it absolutely won't fit in the garage like that, and you'd have to buy a 1/2" impact gun, high CFM air compressor, fancy mechanic's jack, metric and inch impact sockets, jack stands, etc, so you could swap the tires in <5 minutes before/after every trip. Then after 3-4 trips, just start letting the air out and enjoy all the new tools. Not that I've ever done anything like that, I swear.

Or you could look around for a low-profile fan on ebay, RV salvage yards, etc.

 

[zkengle]

I already have everything but the impact gun. Even the impact sockets.

The problem with most companies that sell the fantastic fan is that they don't tell you what base or what lid your getting. The guy that I order from tells you exactly what you're getting. I've emailed a few places and still waiting for replies.

 

[Esteban-TNT]

Zach, did you contact rvvent.com/ aka Adohen Supply Co.? They might have some old stock with the low profile base. 1-440-937-5694

 

[zkengle]

Zach, did you contact rvvent.com/ aka Adohen Supply Co.? They might have some old stock with the low profile base. 1-440-937-5694

Yeah Scott's my go-to guy for fans. Had a talk with him on the phone and I don't think he's too happy with the changes being made in the company.

 

[zkengle]

A lot more progress over the past few days! My galley latches came in the other day. Same ones I used on the X-II, but this time in a satin chrome. Southco V7 over-center latches....

Finished the upper galley...

Which also happens to be the upper bulkhead on the interior....

The torsion axle has much more "give" to it than the leaf springs I'm used to, so I decided that stabilizers were necessary on this build. Picked up 4 Domar drop-down stabilizers which were fairly inexpensive, simple to install, and will get the job done. Just have the rear's installed for now. Still makes a big difference.

Started the base of the electrical compartment...

Then primered the interior with Kilz Premium.... looks so much larger inside with the white walls and ceiling!

Getting soooooo close

Having and early Easter dinner with my parents shortly, and then I hope to get the galley primered and maybe get the first finish coats of paint on the interior

 

[jbyrd-TNT]

Wow you are moving right along!!!! loving it

 

[zkengle]

Didnt get any more painting done today. When I was about to put primer in the galley I noticed a few more spots that needed touched up with wood filler. While that was drying I decided to get to work on the hatch. Decided to try building it in place, so I had to cut a bunch of 1/4" thick spacers and tack them in place first.

Then started with the vertical hatch stringers.

And after chopping up quite a bit of wood, I was staring at this.

I'll add a couple more pieces of wood where the tail lights go, but at least the main framing is done.

Only things left to build yet are the fenders and the roof hatch. Hopefully I can bust those out this week!

 

[Kharn]

With the thickness of your wall at the hatch, I assume you're putting your seal directly on the interior face of the hatch's exterior skin?

I don't think you will be anywhere near the width to legally require them, but it might look cool to put yellow and red clearance lights on your fenders.

 

[zkengle]

Its basically the same weatherseal design i used on my other builds. The weatherstrip will be on the end grain of the side walls (3/4" frame and 3/16" interior skin). When closed, the hatch will sit between the outer skins, with 1/4" clearance on each side to allow water to drain down the narrow channel between the weatherstrip and the exterior skin.

Based on.... http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/standar ... rpstr.html

@ 80" wide, you're supposed to have fender clearance lights and also a high-center mounted light. If I make my fenders each 8-1/2" wide then my overall width will be 79-3/4". The bulge of the tires may protrude slightly beyond that. I need to measure the bulge of the tire, but regardless I'm not planning on running lights to the fenders because I want to make them removable.

 

[Kharn]

Oh, I forgot about your new tires and was thinking of the skinny stock ones.
You can buy two conductor wire that has a boot/connector design similar to a normal 4-conductor trailer harness if you decide you need lights.

 

[Esteban-TNT]

Zach, Great progress. At this rate it looks like you'll be soon be camping.

The Southco latches look nice. I've tried locating a source in the past. Where did you, and can I, buy them? It would help to know their part number.

Are they Southco part # v7-20-111-20?

edit, found the part number from one of your TearJerkers posts. I ordered two of them from All-West in Seattle, WA. $31/each (ouch).

 

[KCStudly]

Zach, when I went to have The Charcoal Briquette (my resurrected UT) inspected for a VIN I thought I wouldn't need the 3 light bar at the rear because I was only 79-3/4 wide at the fenders (maybe 80 inches with the tire bulge). I watched the inspector measure across the fenders and he wrote down 80 inches, so I asked, "gee I was thinking it was only 79-3/4..." and then I opened my big mouth and said "...otherwise I would have put the three lights on the rear." He said, yeah, but if a cop pulled me over he would measure and call it 80 inches, so the inspector was doing me a favor by listing it as 80 inches (putting the blame on some mythical cop, not him). Then he proceeded to tell me that I didn't pass because I didn't have the three lights on the rear. How do you argue with the guy? You want to, but you can't. So my 79-3/4 wide trailer is listed as 80; I had to put the 3 light bar on the rear; and I had to take more time off work and drive another 2 hrs round trip to get reinspected. I didn't say anything about not having fender lights, nor reflective tape across the rear and sides, and neither did he.

Lesson #1: Keep your mouth shut.
Lesson #2: If it is more of a hassle to get inspected twice than it is to put the stuff on in the first place... well, I guess you can decide that for yourself.

 

[zkengle]

Zach, Great progress. At this rate it looks like you'll be soon be camping.

The Southco latches look nice. I've tried locating a source in the past. Where did you, and can I, buy them? It would help to know their part number.

Are they Southco part # v7-20-111-20?

edit, found the part number from one of your TearJerkers posts. I ordered two of them from All-West in Seattle, WA. $31/each (ouch).

Thanks Steve! Yes, the latches I ordered are the V7-20-111-20. I was just about to send you a PM... I ordered a bunch of latches and have a few extra I could have given you a good price on. Sorry I didn't see your post earlier.