Compact family camper Build - Always something...

[KCStudly]

That's looking pretty nifty!

You've reminded me that I need to plan for some blocking to allow for the attachment of the top of the diamond plate I plan to put on the front of TPCE, and I need to do it sooner than later.

That J-molding is a nice way to fasten and trim the top of the plate. Couple of questions: is it predrilled under the lip for mounting, and where did you get it?

[noseoil]

Ryu, looks like things are moving along very well for you. The diamond plate looks great and should be good for rocks, dings and general wear & tear. Excellent!

[ryuandwings]

That's looking pretty nifty!

You've reminded me that I need to plan for some blocking to allow for the attachment of the top of the diamond plate I plan to put on the front of TPCE, and I need to do it sooner than later.

That J-molding is a nice way to fasten and trim the top of the plate. Couple of questions: is it predrilled under the lip for mounting, and where did you get it?

I got my J-cap molding from here. http://www.eagle-aluminum.com/Aluminum- ... p_256.html
There are predrilled holes and slots for mounting I think every 4" or so.

I enlarged holes with counter sink to get the flat head screws away from the gap.

As for the blocking, that will be wise thing to do.
I'm not concerned at the wall since there are solid plywood there, but at the front of the trailer, I'm mounting the J-cap at the roof spars.

Thanks.

[ryuandwings]

Ryu, looks like things are moving along very well for you. The diamond plate looks great and should be good for rocks, dings and general wear & tear. Excellent!

Thank you.

It's funny, I feel like I'm moving and getting close to finishing, but that same time I'm finding more things to work out. I guess I'm being more careful since things I'm working on are finishing stuff and I will see all these details when I finish.
But all I can do is one step at a time. I hate to rush something and ruin the whole build.

[Johnysteam]

Looks very neat and professional. A very desirable trailer to own

[ryuandwings]

Looks very neat and professional. A very desirable trailer to own

Thank you very much.
It certainly been a blast so far, I just need to finish...

[ryuandwings]

I just wanted to share I did last night.
It turned out better than I was expecting. The diamond plate adds a lot of impact to the appearance!

[Nammy]

Great build! Can't wait to see the finished product

[lrrowe]

I cannot wait either. I like the box in the front. I want something like that, but bigger, for my CT.

[dales133]

This is a realy classy looking build.great work

[felixx]

WOW, just WOW!
I just read all 11 pages and am in awe

Well done

[ryuandwings]

Thanks guys.

Progress has been really slow lately due to the job's work load.

My wife want me to complete this before the New Year, so I need to find time to work on this.
Before the trailer becomes my permanent bedroom...
I hope to update some new progress soon.

[backstrap bandit]

How about putting the switch behind license plate out of sight it looks like a push switch then u just push corner of plate it contacts switch and turns on lights that way it's out of sight from passers by no worries on them turning lights on and running dwn battery

[ryuandwings]

How about putting the switch behind license plate out of sight it looks like a push switch then u just push corner of plate it contacts switch and turns on lights that way it's out of sight from passers by no worries on them turning lights on and running dwn battery

To be honest, I haven't put much thoughts into this yet.

I agree with your line of thought to locate it such that it is hard to see so no one can mess with it. But then on the other hand, what are the likely hood of someone actually seeing the switch on the license plate?
I would have to look at it when I actually get there...

[ryuandwings]

OK, here are some updates. This time, I'll document my experience about bending aluminum moldings and trims.
I'm not an expert in this so I can't guaranty what I did will work for you too. But I found all my techniques from this forum and Google, so I feel this should work for you too.

First the materials.
I'm using "M20 Corner Insert" by All-Rite. This has 5/8" leg. This comes in 16' long so the first problem is getting the material longer than 8' long if you don't have the source near by. I needed mine at least 12' so I strapped 4" PVC pipe on the roof of my car and traveled about 400 miles to get some. I combined my vacation, so it worked out fine. This was cheaper than freight.
This molding is used at edge of roof and wall, and hatch edges.

I'm also using "Regular Roof Edge Molding". This will be used mainly at base of walls.
Both types were able to bend with same method.

OK, here is actual bending.
I first try to bend without annealing. I haven't measured the radius, but I think it is around 6-8". And this happened.


So it's time to bring on some fire power! I think other type of torch will work too, but you need something that gets hot enough. I got BernzOmatic Mapp/Map torch.

Before I start annealing the piece, I made a bending jig.

There are rabbits on both sides of edge so that legs of aluminum can be recessed to clamp.


When I first researching annealing, this seemed very specific and technical. But the "Sharpie" method works so easily.
Basically you mark the area that you want to bend with sharpie (I don't think color matters, but I used orange and red), then heat the area with torch until the marking disappear. What I understand is that the whatever the ingredient in the Sharpie burn off at the similar temperature aluminum softens. I guess it depends on the ambient and material temperature, but it took me about 20-30 seconds.
Once you get the aluminum heated, start bending using the jig and clamps.



Here are some pointers
1. When you are bending "insert" type molding, put blockings in the insert to clamp so you don't damage the lips for insert.
2. You will have better grip and leverage to bend if you have extra length on ends. You can trim afterward.
3. When you make a jig, make it such that you count for the "bounce back".
4. Don't freak out if you see some kinks. If you annealed, you can hammer it back easily. Make sure you use wood blocks or rubber mallet.
5. I don't have it shown in the photos, but I used other clamps to hold legs from kinking.
6. Go slow. Only heat and bend small portion. For the piece shown in the photo, I probably heat and bent in 3 sections.
7. Wear heavy leather glove. It will get hot! Once you burn off sharpie marks, it's hard to see hot section. I burnt my thumb really good...
8. Go to Harbor Freight and buy a few more clamps than you think you need.
9. Make sure you follow instruction of your torch. I don't want to hear you blowing up your garage.

Thanks for looking.