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

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Got quite a bit done tonight. Made a taillight template from scrap wood...



Brad nailed it in each place and routed out the openings in the hatch...



Took a little sanding but the taillights fit great! Then I made the base for my high-mount center brake light.



Finished painting the underside with the Black Beauty Fence Post paint and sealing all the joints with Loctite PLS30 Roof & Flashing Sealant. I also smeared the nasty black sealant on all the bottom edges to seal up the endgrains. Ugh. So glad thats done with!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Entire trailer is primered!! I also cut, trimmed, and drilled both hurricane hinges so they're ready to be installed as soon as the final coats of paint are on the camper. And the frosted spray paint is drying on the acrylic panel for the front of the trailer.

Feel like I just rounded third base and am heading home!

Primary to-do list before the maiden voyage:

1. Final paint (Valspar Anti-Rust Professional Enamel)
2. Clearance lights, tail lights, license plate
3. Install the 5 acrylic panels
4. Weatherstrip for roof panel and galley hatch
5. Hatch and roof latches
6. Power inlet
7. Fantastic fan
8. Solar panel on roof
9. Connect interior lighting and stereo to PD4045

And once those are done, theres still a long list of other things!

15 days until the maiden voyage!

[Kharn]

10. Install curtains, or be awakened at 5:30am by the sunrise.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

10. Install curtains, or be awakened at 5:30am by the sunrise.

Hmmm... I have really thick eyelids so the sun is no worry, but yep curtains are definitely needed to keep any peeping eyes at bay!!

Added to my written list

I'll have to lock Sheryl in a room with a sewing machine and not let her out until they're finished.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Woooohooo! Primer is finished and the first top coat of gloss white is on everything!



Hope to get the second (and probably final) coat of gloss white on tomorrow after work. That will make two coats of Kilz Premium and two coats of Valspar Anti-Rust Enamel. Then on Saturday morning I can mask off the bottom of the camper to add the flat black trim and maybe mask off the sides of the trolley top to paint them gray.

[jonw]

Then on Saturday morning I can mask off the bottom of the camper to add the flat black trim and maybe mask off the sides of the trolley top to paint them gray.

Zach - wouldn't it be easier to just paint it all grey and then mask and paint over the section you want for the black trim?

Just a thought...

[absolutsnwbrdr]

The gray and the black don't meet. Gray is just on the sides of the trolley top. I want to get a second coat of white all over the main sides before the black trim gets painted along the bottom edge.

[lfabio]

ESTA QUEDANDO BUENISIMA !!!!!!!!!!!! THIS VERY CUTE!!!!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Thank you!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Its amazing what one can get done over a 3-day weekend! (Okay, I had a little help from the GF and my buddy)

Prepped the roof panel to install the acrylic windows. I used DAP ALEX Plus to seal the acrylic panels in place. The paper backing will come off the acrylic after all the caulk is dry. I did trim back 3/4" of the paper backing prior to installing so the caulk had something to adhere to.







Also installed the frosted front window using the same method.



Had to tape the inside face to protect the frosting spray paint.



On Saturday morning, it seemed like as good of a time as any to start the exterior design. Flat black went on first.





While that was drying, my GF and I made a trip to Lowes to pick out a shade of gray for the sides of the trolley-top.



No, you aren't seeing things. The plan changed. Decided that it needed some color to liven things up a bit.



We took in a small bumper plug off the Crosstrek and had them color match as best they could. Impossible to match an automotive color in regular paints, but its close.





Did I mention we got the galley hatch installed?

With a pair 100lb gas struts. These feel a bit strong right now, but I still have to install the solar panel on the hatch.



Saturday night my friend came over and helped attach the rooftop solar panel. By the time he got there I had already installed the Fantastic Fan.





On Sunday morning I installed the Southco V7 latches on the hatch, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to maneuver it in and out the garage since the hatch struts were installed. Some orange pinstripe also made its way onto the camper, followed by the side marker lights.





Then the rest of the day was spent wiring. All the wires were already run up to the electrical compartment, but no connections to the PD4045 had been made yet.



The 4 similar black boxes (labeled A,B,C,D) are the control units for the 4 channel RF remote switches for all the trailer lighting. Then the 5th box is the RGB controller,which has a mode that changes the colors of the LED strips based on the beat of the music.

Warm white interior light pods and rear RGB LED strip....



Front RGB strip and reading lights.



Some of the galley lights (still in progress). Its really hard to see in this pic, but the light from the RGB strips projects down into the galley via a small acrylic window. Better pictures to come....



And finally, the front roof panel is installed! It still needs the struts and latches.

[KCStudly]

Nice work and very good progress!

Is the pin striping tape or brushed on? The reason I ask is because it looks like a good color match to trolley paint.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Thanks KC! If I had to brush that pinstripe on I'd lose my mind! Its just a roll of vinyl automotive pinstripe that I picked up from ebay. The oranges don't quite match, but they're far enough apart that you can't really tell.

[mallymal]

Fabulous work, and what a superb finish you got on your painted exterior. Looks a real pro job.

[Kharn]

Looks great, I'm bummed I won't get to see it at next month's gatherings.

The walls and hatch are just screaming for a design of some sort.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Fabulous work, and what a superb finish you got on your painted exterior. Looks a real pro job.

Thanks!

The walls and hatch are just screaming for a design of some sort.

The sides will get something.... I just don't have the time until later this summer. June is already booked solid every weekend, and July is getting there.

The hatch gets a solar panel.