Want to talk me out of Tee Hinges for the doors?

[IraRat]

From what I've seen, just looking at the offset hinges, they appear to be better designed against leakage right from the get-go

I finally got my hatch on this weekend sans handle/lock, and I still have to do some trim work to hide my imperfections here--but I'll be ordering those hinges for the doors this week.

[doug hodder]

Ira...here's what I did...when you get the hinges..measure them against the opening on the tear body...cut to length...crimp the bottom or top of the hinge so that the pin won't drop out....install the hinge on the body first, shoot a screw in the top and the bottom...then install/ trial fit the door..you may need to trim the hinge side so that it will close without hitting on the latch side...trim the hinge side of the door as it is a lot easier than the latch side...at least that is the case on a door with only 1 straight side....put in some shims to hold the door in place, especially for your clearance on the bottom, then shoot the screws into the door itself....I only did top and bottom on the door also, then checked out to make sure it swings ok without hitting anywhere..After you're sure it is ok...shoot the rest of the screws into the door and the tear body...I would think that you don't want to committ to a whole bunch of holes with screws in the wood on the door or the body from the get go as you won't have a chance to adjust...The hinge you will get from Grant will require you to drill your own holes in it...not an issue, it's aluminum...I did 1 hole 1" from the top and 1" from the bottom...then drilled the others spaced equally. I also shot 2 screws into the tear body and the door at the top parallel to the sides as when it is all said and done, there might be some movement here and it helps to hold the hinge to the body...I also sealed the hinge on both with a small bead of black silicone... This is just what I did and I had good luck with it...others may have another approach...You'll be fine....doug

[Nitetimes]

I finally got my hatch on this weekend sans handle/lock, and I still have to do some trim work to hide my imperfections here--but I'll be ordering those hinges for the doors this week.

You got your hatch on I'm impressed, I somehow missed the screamin' and hollerin thread
And you said you were dreading that, it must have went ok then.
Imperfections, what imperfections? Those are just the things you added to give it character

[IraRat]

Thanks. Doug. I'll remember your post when it's time to get cracking on it.

And Night--there WAS a lot of screaming and hollering, but I did it all in my backyard, and not here. It was simply a virtual parade of screwups, miscuts, and bad judgments.

First, I lay my long strip of rubber between the roof and hatch, and seal it down with 3M 5200. I made a total mess, and it gooed out to a part of the roof that I will now have to cover with more rope. No problem--I can live with rope on both sides of the hinge.

I screw the hinge into the body hatch spars, but because of the placement/curvature of that TRIPLE spar I did, after placing the hinge so the center pin sits just off the roof, on a 1" hinge (2" flat), the other half of the hinge doesn't even reach the hatch! I had to add a THIRD spar at the end of the hatch to make it work!

So it opens and closes, although it has a tendency to veer a little to the left and not close perfectly on its own. It requires just a tiny nudge to the right for it drop right, so it's not really a big problem--for now. Let me get a little warpage in there and I know this is going to be a BALL to play with in the future.

Of course, the left and right edges of the hatch skin don't look too beautiful because they don't look too much LIKE each other at all.

More rope, please.

All in all, a pretty poor job, but as long as it works and doesn't leak like crazy, it's a major accomplishment for me.

I also wired my trailer running lights, and after spending 20 minutes trying to find the small hole that HF says exists in the frame to screw/attach the ground wire, I gave up and drilled a new one.

Also, of course, when backing up the truck to test the lights, I knocked the front jack stand down. (I haven't put a swing-away leg on it yet.)

I'm a really small guy, and man--it was HEAVY to lift it back up. It was a good test for my AC installation though--once or twice I had to just drop it down hard, and the AC didn't seem to budge. But with that axle moved back, and nothing in the galley, HEAVY!!!

[Nitetimes]

I was just jerkin' yer chain, didn't mean nothin' by it. But at least you got it on and already sounds like you have a plan for any problems that sprung up so that sounds good to me. You are heading in the finished direction and I don't recall you mentioning the wife removing the jewels yet so all-in-all I'd say you are doing pretty well.

[IraRat]

Hey, Nite--I DIDN'T take anything bad from your post. Sorry if YOU got that idea!

Anyway, I have an extra sheet of that ply for that hatch skin, and if I can't find the proper trim/molding to cover up the bad spots (rope alone might not do it--depends), I can always reskin it to make it cleaner.

Just don't know, because right now, I really want to see doors on there. I have so much more to do and the longer I get into the build, the less eneregy and motivation I have. I'm leaving final galley configuration for last, because I still have to urethane my interior, build the two cabin cabinets, install my outlets and lamps--after those doors get on.

By the way, on those HF trailers, I thought it was kind of weird the way the tail lights are set back so far, like not flush with the rear of the trailer.