M116A3 Build

[Padilen]

No ! thank you. I like the pics of our trailers being used the places gone.
Well I'm released form PT and my leg numbness is gone for now so I could get back into a KK !



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[lfhoward]

Today was more woodworking. First I installed the cedar paneling in the passengers side rear corner and under the window, so that I could reinstall the bench. Then, I built a corner cabinet that will be for clothes, towels, and bathroom kits.

Here is the skeleton of the cabinet as it is going up. I built it as a module then installed it in the camper.


The cabinet has a built in nook to hide all of the wiring and switches.


Here is the cabinet clad in cedar paneling.


The switch panel from top to bottom contains: Inverter remote switch for 120VAC, Solar charge controller remote display with battery voltage, and light switches. The one closest to the outside is for the porch light and the one closest to the interior is for the inside lights.


Here are a couple more shots of the completed corner cabinet. It contains three shelves that face the bed for easy access when inside the trailer. That stray wiring in the lower cubby has since been tacked up.

[KCStudly]

That's looking nice.

[lfhoward]

Thanks, KC! It is fun to work on it on the weekends. The push now is to get it ready for fall camping (with a finished interior and solar power) before it gets cold. I'd like to be able to sustainably run a pair of 12V electric blankets at night when I am off the grid. That space heater in a previous photo would be for shore power only.

[lfhoward]

Hey, I experimented this morning with ways to remove the sticky adhesive residue on the roof that was left over from the protective plastic sheeting. Goof Off wins hands down. It dissolved that sticky stuff on the first pass with hardly any scrubbing. I also tested it on a piece of scrap first and the paint is unaffected. (some automotive paints may be damaged but apparently not the paint on roofing aluminum) Now to find some solvent resistant gloves before I tackle the whole 8' x 6' roof area with the stuff. I hear xylene and acetone aren't too good for you.

[S. Heisley]

.
Please remember that Goof-off is meant to take paint off; so, anybody using it should be aware of that.
Years ago, when I moved into my last fixer home, I used Goof-off to remove cigarette burns from a counter top.
I always used Goo-Gone for adhesive removal. I never thought of using Goof-off for that! It's some good stuff!

[lfhoward]

Yeah, it's pretty scary stuff. I was worried about the paint but it doesn't seem to affect it in this case. However, automotive paint and latex paint can be damaged/removed using Goof Off. What I like is how easily the adhesive dissolves, considering I have such a large area to clean up (48 square feet!). I've used Goo Gone before but with that you have to be patient and use elbow grease. I thought in that case my arm might fall off before I finished!

[lfhoward]

Here's an interesting issue. Back in June when i skinned the trailer I found that the butyl putty tape worked best if I put it in the freezer first. It was a whole lot less sticky to itself, and it unrolled better when it was cold.

Fast forward to September. I am almost ready to install the edge moldings and my butyl tape rolls are frozen inside a big block of ice at the bottom of my freezer. Seems the freezer has an issue where it drips ever so slightly and over time has created a small glacier. And my butyl tape is fossilized inside!

[lfhoward]

Today I built the dashboard for the trailer that houses outlets and switches and serves as a conduit for wires.

Here is the front of the trailer's interior with all the wires taken down, ready to begin.


My materials on the workbench. It was a nice day to work outside today.


And here it is all finished. The plywood wall below it will be covered in cedar planks to match the rest of the interior later.


And some close ups. The right and left sides are alike. There is 120VAC, 12 volt DC, and a switch to turn the 12V outlet on and off. Right now it has a USB charger in it and is charging my iPad. Later it could power 12V electric blankets.


In the center are the reading lights. They swivel like on an airplane.

[lgatlin]

Love those reading lights! Might have to get something like that for my next build!

[noseoil]

Nice job on the close-out panel. Looks like it will work & still give access to the wiring if you decide to change things in the future or add to the system. Really turning out nicely, but it was a good plan from the beginning, so I'm not surprised.

Did you weigh that beast of a thing yet?

[lfhoward]

Thank you Tim! Your point about being removable is well taken. In consideration of that, I need to trim 1/4" from each end of the dash cover panel. That way, the 1/4" cedar wall panels will be next to it on the sides, not in front of it and blocking it in case it needs to come off at some point in the future.

lgatlin, let me know if you want to know the supplier for those reading lights and I can look up where I got them. They do spruce up the interior and are quite handy. They come with incandescent bulbs that provide a nice soft light for reading at night. Unfortunately the bulbs suck up almost an amp each when they're on, so I have some led replacement bulbs on order.

[lfhoward]

I thought I would post a couple of pictures to show the extent of the adhesive residue that I need to remove from the roof.





The sticky goo has to go before I can install edge moldings or the roof solar panels, because I must have a clean surface for the waterproof sealers (butyl putty tape and Sikaflex 221 caulk).

[lfhoward]

I went to work with Goof Off and scrubbed about 1/10 of the adhesive residue off the roof in about 30 mins.


The problem is, Goof Off is so strong that it eats nitrile gloves. A glove lasts 10 minutes before it starts to fall apart, getting chemicals all over my hands. These gloves came from the auto parts store and are supposed to resist solvents, but I think they have met their match with Goof Off.


Can anyone recommend a good brand of solvent resistant gloves? Thanks!

[lfhoward]

Did you weigh that beast of a thing yet?

Not yet! It is pretty heavy for my little V6 Jeep Liberty, but it gets the job done (slow and steady). I do want to weigh it but I think I'll wait until it's finished to go do that. The trailer was 1000# or so before I built on it, and has a 3150# GWVR. My Jeep has a 5000# tow rating. I'm thinking (hoping) the trailer will come in between 2000-2500# when it's complete.