Carbhán build begins

[EvilScotsman]

its 12:45EST and I have finally began to clear out and repair the interior of my CargoTrailer. There are some spots of rotten wood [though it all seems watertight so I think that came from when the previous owner puller her Cycle inside] that I am removing and some bolts I am gonna repair. I figure make sure the "foundation" of the trailer is solid before adding things like beds and such. So it is official the build has begun.

As a side note I despise torque bolts [that require those little star shaped bits to losen/tighten]

[Ageless]

Remember; lots of pics.

If the wood was never treated; your normal humidity is the culprit. Wood's normal cycle is to decompose; it seeks to be moist so it can rot. We can slow this by sealing with various finishes.

Good luck!

[BigAl]

Hiya, from One Scotsman to another.

I don't know what the extent of your rot problem is but you might be interested in this technique from boat restoration.

It involves the hydrophobic and anti-fungal properties of ethylene glycol. Essentially painting anti-freeze on the rot.

However before you go for something like this I recommend that you test on some scrap wood to make sure your glue or paint adheres when the glycol dries.

Congratulations on making the leap into trailer ownership.

[EvilScotsman]

Well,...snag #1 has occured ,... seems that the starbits that I own are incompatable with the screws on the trailer. So I borrowed a GripIt bit that is supposed to remove stripped screws,..figured it would remove the screws and I could then replace them with different screws. Well seems the GripIt does not work ,...I could not remove the offending screws and further it failed to remove the stripped screws I have on a small wooden box [which I was gonna use for storage]. So I got one screw removed from the trailer [it was holding rotten wood so I was able to pull it out with pliers] and took it to Lowes to see if maybe they could figure out what the heck kind of bit I needed. Well between the 2 of us we tried starbits of all sizes and shapes,..hex bits,.... allen wrench style,...we tried every bit he had and nothing worked. The Counter Guy told me he thinks my trailer was made overseas and uses "overseas measurement",..I wanted so bad to explain to him they use Metric overseas and we have Metric tools here too but decided to leave it be . So dejected I came home and mulled over the issue,...called the previous owner who told me where she bought the trailer,..called the Trailer company [which turned out to be owned and operated by a girl I went to school with and her family] and after reminising with the girl found out it takes a square bit to remove [even though the hole is star shaped]. So I dilligently returned to the trailer with the square bits I had ,... removed a 2 of them with ease,..the third stripped and it was pull a few then strip a few till I gave up totally. Oh by the way thje GripIt also failed to remove those stripped screws.
So as it stands now I am gonna call it a day and tomorrow I shall take a powersaw and cut away the rotten wood and patch it with new wood [that I have treated ofcourse] and hopefully that will remove the mold issue.

We shall see what happens upon the morrow.

[Shadow Catcher]

Trying to remove philips screws from my 72 Sonett using the squirt it with penetrating oil wait a week, and still failing to get a number of them out, I went to HF and got an impact screwdriver (hit it with a hammer). I have only had to drill out couple that were so totally rusted it was hopeless (they snapped off).

[EvilScotsman]

Oh I tracked down the issue with the GripIt Bit [supposedly] ,...seems that while it says it will work on all types it is mainly for Philips and side with the trStandard types,..and then only if the screw is not rusted in or otherwise heldfast. So I will adjust my complaint of the item [and my subsequent claim of it being useless] until such time as I run into one of those type issues for which it is supposedly ment,..for now I will say that for the issue that I have the GripIt bit is a waste of time and money. I did spend a few more minutes outside with the trailer today and have removed [via a crowbar and a hatchet] most of the rotten wood, so tomorrow when and if I can I shall replace the ruined wood with new wood and hopefully completely reseal the whole door.

[EvilScotsman]

Well,...I have returned to the build with renewed vigor,..and with a drill

Today come Hell or Highwater I shall remove and replace the rotten wood and fix the back door [and hopefully the side door]. More to come later.

[EvilScotsman]

As the workday ends I have replaced the rotten wood on the back door [there is a small possible area of rot but we will spray that with mold killer] and have added some insulation to the back walls. I had a few sheets of foam that I cut and placed between supports. Tomorrow should involve installing more insulation after double checking the structural stuff and insuring the backdoor seals properly [I am gonna place the trailer under the sprinklers and make sure no water gets in].
As for pictures unfortunately I left my camera back at the RenFest booth and have no way to take any till next week.

[Prem]

EloquentScotsman,

Screws screwed up? Rot? Par for the course in restoration. Not to worry. Good prep is time consuming and sometimes one step forward, two steps back. You will hardly remember it when you're camping in the rig!

Best wishes,

Prem

[EvilScotsman]

Seems that the Screwup Fairy has visited me again,... but sometimes she can leave gifts instead of pain. I have some of the foam insulation up aready inside the trailer so decided to attempt to put up some of the paneling, that my father bought this past weekend for me, to see what it would look like.



Well I placed a few crossboard 1x2s across the ribs and screw them down,..added a few other small support pieces and laid the paneling over the crosspieces. I used plenty of screws to insure it was tight and snug and would not vibrate too much.




Now can anyone tell me what I did wrong,....yes thats right my intrepid investigators the paneling is on backwards,.... the side that is supposed to be facing the interior of the trailer is instead facing the insulation and cannot be seen.



This is the side thats supposed to be seen,..the side specially made to appeal to the eye and make the interior look like you used a pretty hardwood to panel it instead of cheap paneling bought from the local discount harware store. But, since I am as anyone who has ever met me and as I will proudly admit,...CRAZY I think the backside of the paneling looks alot cooler than the "correct" side so i will keep paneling it thus. And for the record tat is te extent of what I did on the trailer today,...1 single panel,.... I spent most of the day getting the oil changed in my Xterra as I was well behind on that.

[Prem]

How come you made your interior space narrower by putting 1x2s on the metal wall studs? Did you want 1 5/8" foam insulation in the walls?

[EvilScotsman]

It seemed to be easier to put the crosspieces in and screw the panels into wood. Also when i add te shelves and such I have option to screw them into both wood and metal.

[Prem]

More insulation behind the walls could be a big plus. Additionally, filling the space with more rigid foam will stiffen up the wall paneling so it can't be pushed in or trap moist air, thus warping the thin paneling. Just a thought.

[chorizon]

Interesting screwup. I admit the other side looks unique for sure. Kinda reminds me of an incident that happened the other day. One of my fellow machinists had a massive bearing failure on his boat trailer. He took the time to remove the axle and brought it in to work with the intent of cutting off the spindle and making a new one.

He kept telling me how bad the damage was and we went to inspect the axle after he'd already brought it into the plant. I took one look at it and realized the damage was on the inner bearing race still stuck to the spindle, the spindle was OK, all we had to do was drive the damaged race off, and the axle was fine.

He should have never taken it off the trailer in the first place. His face looked of disgust, and his only verbal response was something like "GD, I need to stop drinking while a do this kind of stuff."

I agreed with his assessment, fun was had by all at his expense! Except, of course, by him!

[EvilScotsman]

Well I got both walls insulated now,..plus have most of the paneling on them. Tomorrow I will cut out the area around te other window and put some sort of border piece over the edges. Sadly the pics look the same as the old ones,..seems that it just does not look like alot was done though I did work all day.