Compact family camper Build - Always something...

[Metalhead]

Your build looks great!

I love how you did your AC and have been debating how to do the same on my build. I thought about doing a slide-in/out style but the way you incorporated yours into your tongue box is very impressive. Hope you don't mind if I borrow some of your ideas .

[ryuandwings]

Your build looks great!

I love how you did your AC and have been debating how to do the same on my build. I thought about doing a slide-in/out style but the way you incorporated yours into your tongue box is very impressive. Hope you don't mind if I borrow some of your ideas .

Thank you.
Like you, I went back and forth on the AC location and the way to mount it. I wanted AC to be "inside" and mounted permanently because I did't want more moving parts especially in area that could leak. But for it to work properly, rear side needed to be "outside". To me best solution was to make a hatch to expose the rear side of AC. All of these design parts are proven designs.

As for borrowing ideas, I am honored that you want to use my solution. I hope it is allowed to borrow ideas, otherwise I'm in violation. I've been borrowing most of my designs from someone.

[Gunguy05]

Can't wait to see that aluminum. We are most likely ordering from SAF as well, as we need 5 ft pieces and the free shipping looks good too. I'm guessing you went with .040 mill finish?

Looking great, and getting closer! Keep up the great work.

[ryuandwings]

Can't wait to see that aluminum. We are most likely ordering from SAF as well, as we need 5 ft pieces and the free shipping looks good too. I'm guessing you went with .040 mill finish?

Looking great, and getting closer! Keep up the great work.

Well, this was another debate before I settled on my aluminum type.
I decided to use anodized aluminum because I'm really bad with keeping things polished and maintained. I wanted a material I could use for a long time. Now the problem was I needed 5' wide for the roof without any seam. The only anodized aluminum 5' I could find was 0.060. I know it's gonna be heavy and tough, but It's been done here before, so I hope it will be ok.
Walls are anodized 0.040 4' wide.

[ryuandwings]

It has started!! Aluminum skins are starting appear into my build. This is getting very exciting!
I'm going to float the skin using 3M 4200 like many people have successfully done. I went back and forth between it and contact cement, but floating should work better since my wood surface is pretty rough. Floating the skin should provide enough contact surface without needing whole surface to contact.

I decided to locate the bottom edge of 4' wall panel 2" below door. I used aluminum bracket I made for window mounting to hold and align aluminum. I screwed toggle clamps to hold/ clamp aluminum.




2x4 leaned against aluminum was enough to keep it up while I traced outline and door opening.
I cut oversized a little, router and flush bit should clean it up once I adhered to the wall.




My aluminum is 0.040 clear anodized, and I had no problem cutting it with jigsaw with metal blade and multisaw. I only had about 1/4" clearance at door opening and door panel. So I started to cut door opening with multisaw then finished with jigsaw.

All aluminum are still held with clamps right now. I am trying to get as many aluminum ready as possible before I using 3M 4200. Off course I need to get more clamps if I'm gonna glue up at once.

[Gunguy05]

Looks great. I think you will be flying through it from here on out!

[ryuandwings]

Looks great. I think you will be flying through it from here on out!

Thanks.
It does feel it is moving much faster since aluminum covers a lot. I'm sure it will slow down once I get to the details though.

[rebapuck]

Another milestone is always good.

[chriskoebb]

Great looking work! Super craftmanship

Did you leave the axel on top of the leaf springs as in the early photo's?

[ryuandwings]

Another milestone is always good.

Sorry, Judy.
Looks like I missed your post.

It is good to see some finishes going up.

[ryuandwings]

Great looking work! Super craftmanship

Did you leave the axel on top of the leaf springs as in the early photo's?

Thank you.
Yes, my axle is still on top of the leaf springs. I wanted to keep the trailer as low as possible.

[ryuandwings]

OK, time to post some updates.

First and biggest is the gluing of the aluminum skins. Walls and roof were glued up using 3M 4200.
Since I have a limited number of clamps, I had to come up with a way to maximize the use of clamps and other ways to hold the aluminum while glue dries. Direction states, 3M 4200 has working time of about 1 hour and dries in 24 hours. The wood frame is there to use with straps. Galley area is held with blue tapes. I was amazed how 3M 4200 initial strength before it dried. Tape was enough for me. Off course my aluminum is 0.040 so it is stiff.



Here is passenger side glued up.

Here are doors.

I tried to have as many item ready to glue up once. 3M 4200 is great glue, but one down side is, once you open, you can't stop. I used one 10 ounce tube for 2 walls and 2 doors.

Then, I glued up roof and tongue walls. Front section of the roof will bend and cover roof of tongue box, so I had to cut and bend that section.

Bending 0.060 aluminum is tough! It was almost impossible to bend it manually without some kind of heavy duty brake. Not the best job I was hoping for, but I managed to bend it to the angle I wanted. Here is the roof sitting on the trailer. Middle sections are held with 2x4 and clamps, and front and galley area ends are held with screws.



Once glue is dried, I trimmed with router and flush bit. But before I could trim, I had to add some edging so I have a correct profile to trim.
Here is the top of galley wall where hurricane hinge will be attached. There a aluminum edging covering inside, then I added 1/8" aluminum bar on top. I added this because I cut too much off the galley wall. I will trim flush with this bar, then same aluminum edging will go to cover wall skin.

I also work up sill of galley, too.
I wanted to bend aluminum to cover some areas, but I could not bend aluminum, I opted to use galvanized roof flashing. It looks a bit different from aluminum, but I'm OK with it.

I used 90 degree bend area and opened up the angle to about 120.



Now that I'm ready to trim, I put on my goggles, gloves and long sleeve shirts and went to town. Once I finished, aluminum was everywhere!





I also managed to get one door edged.

Again, I edged interior side first, used the edging to flush trim aluminum skin, then finally add outside edging.

Here is how window and latch will look.

Here is everything somewhat completed.

I screwed up one thing on these doors. (at least one thing I noticed) I for got to add holes for the hinges. I will have to some how find the holes without missing.

That's all for now.
Thank you for following.

[tony.latham]

You're quite the fabricator with the aluminum. The one task I dislike about teardrop building is trimming the stuff with a router. Yes, what a mess.

On your hinge holes, after stalking your build journal, I'm confident you'll triumph over this challenge. I think you used contact cement to glue it down, right? I believe I'd heat-gun the edge of the aluminum so I could peel it back and at least see where they are. I'll be curious to sit on my couch and watch how you fix this issue.

T

[KCStudly]

I might try tapping gently with a dowel and see if you can hear where they are (assuming you have a pretty good general idea). If you get close you might be able to pierce thru with a sharp prick punch and get the resulting hole in the aluminum to self align, as it is being formed, with the hole in the wood below. Maybe do a test on some scrap before attempting on the real deal.

... but Tony's idea is probably a safer method if you have totally lost track of them.

[ryuandwings]

You're quite the fabricator with the aluminum. The one task I dislike about teardrop building is trimming the stuff with a router. Yes, what a mess.

On your hinge holes, after stalking your build journal, I'm confident you'll triumph over this challenge. I think you used contact cement to glue it down, right? I believe I'd heat-gun the edge of the aluminum so I could peel it back and at least see where they are. I'll be curious to sit on my couch and watch how you fix this issue.

T

I used 3M 4200, which looks like caulk and in a way acts like one. Except it is very strong when cured.
Unlike 3M 5200, 4200 supposed to be semi-permanent when cured. So perhaps there may be an option to try to remove some to exposed hinge hole.
One thing I need to find out before I try is what heat may do to the anodize finish on the aluminum. I played with heat gun when I was bending some piece, I thought heat left some hairline cracks on the finish. I need to try on some scrap piece.