Summertime Benroy Build- Finally named: The "Towster"!

[Babartlett]

So I am in the works of getting my Aluminum sheets! Fortunately for me I am located in a city with a long history in the steel industry, Birmingham Al, and finding a source for 60" wide aluminum was not to hard. I can even get 12 foot sheets! I plan to order 5052 at .032" thick.

I do have a few questions about the best way to install the aluminum and the respective trim:

I plan to float my Aluminum, meaning that I am going to rely on the trim, windows, latches, etc., to keep the Al on the trailer and not use any type of adhesive. I know this has been done successfully by many others and I hope that it will work for me to. Worst case scenario, I can always pull it off and glue it all down.. I am, however, going to use butyle tape under the trim on the front and roof. I do know that the rest of the trim (doors, hatch ect..) need to be sealed but that is just to tight for tape.

What type of sealants are known to work well under the trim in the more intricate areas? Just outdoor grade silicone or something else??

Also if anyone has any helpful advice about the aluminum skinning process please share! Id much rather learn from your mistakes on this one!

Thanks,

Brian

[Atomic77]

Great build! Your attention to detail is awesome! Keep up the good work it will all be worth it!

[Sheddie]

[KCStudly]

Awesome work! That is turning out very nicely!

First let me say that I've never skinned a TD, but I have read a ton of info here, and many build threads, so maybe that accounts for something; here's my advice on skinning:

When ever someone asks for advice on aluminum skinning and trim, I always refer them to aggie79/Tom's Silver Beatle. He did a great job with his aluminum, and an even better job documenting the process.

Another trick that makes a lot of sense to me is to form your aluminum trim over the raw wood first, before you skin it. That way you don't have to be so careful with the mallet/dead blow hammer and there is no risk of marring the skin during the process. The slight difference in thickness will not be an issue when you go to fasten the trim down.

One last thing, I'm pretty sure that even when floating skin, most people still use sealant under the edges of the skin, then more under the trim (be it putty tape or sealant). You kind of made it sound like you intended to put the skin on dry; I wouldn't. The 3M 4200 that Tom used is great stuff, but is a little on the expensive side. I would be tempted to use an exterior grade paintable latex sealant, such as those marketed for windows, not silicon. Silicon can be a pain to deal with in a repair situation, or if you ever decide to do modifications.

[Gunguy05]

First of all GREAT WORK! Nice to see some of the final details coming together. That is the stuff that really makes it look like a teardrop, and really sets it off!

I echo what KC said, Tom has outstanding work and documentation on his build. I find myself sitting down and rereading all of his thread at night sometime, when I just want to see good looking finished product (and all the steps to get there).

He actually recommended to me OSI GS 121 sealant. He said he used it on some of the follow up trim parts on his build and it was good stuff (and could be bought for a little less than 3M, and local).

I researched it some more, and found theOSI Quad sealant in my area. I have used it extensively on my aluminum work, just around the edges like he did, and at the seams. It sticks really well to the Al, and is rubbery even days after drying. Also, it comes in like 999 different colors, and I have use grey on my trim as I think it will be easier and cleaner to hide in the end if a little leaks out. Lowes and HD in my area carry it.

Keep posting pics. I love seeing them!

[aggie79]

Awesome work! That is turning out very nicely!

First of all GREAT WORK! Nice to see some of the final details coming together. That is the stuff that really makes it look like a teardrop, and really sets it off!

I agree with KC and Brian - fantastic work and great progress!

He actually recommended to me OSI GS 121 sealant. He said he used it on some of the follow up trim parts on his build and it was good stuff (and could be bought for a little less than 3M, and local).

I researched it some more, and found theOSI Quad sealant in my area. I have used it extensively on my aluminum work, just around the edges like he did, and at the seams. It sticks really well to the Al, and is rubbery even days after drying. Also, it comes in like 999 different colors, and I have use grey on my trim as I think it will be easier and cleaner to hide in the end if a little leaks out. Lowes and HD in my area carry it.

The OSI products are good products and are available locally...and are less expensive than the 3M 4200. I did run a bead of sealant around the perimeter of the teardrop and around openings before applying the aluminum and under all trim. Maybe this way was overkill but I can sleep better at night not worrying about water intrusion.

Take care,
Tom

[PubUltraStar]

Love, love, love your under floor storage. I'll be using your pics for building your own doors as reference. Great work.

[Babartlett]

It looks like I counted my chickens to early on the aluminum sourcing! While many of the local vendors all carried 60" wide 5052 at .032" and up to 12' lengths. It turns out none of those things were all available for the same product! Rookie mistake!
The best I could find locally is 5' by 10' sheets of mill finish 3003 at .040". This was not what I had in mind but pretty close! The 10' sheet will just not make the curve from the hatch hinge to the front of the trailer but I already had a back up plan for this case. I am going to add a 2' tall diamond plate rock guard to the front of the camper.

Thanks for all of the information about sealing up the aluminum! It has pointed me in the right direction and I am feeling much more confident about the process now. I definitely plan to seal the inside of the sheets, but I do have a couple more questions regarding the sealant itself.

Is there a significant difference between using OSI GS121 and the OSI Quad window/door sealant? Though I think that the GS 121 would be more appropriate I would have to drive two stores away to get it, and I believe they only have the small 5 oz tubes.
OSI GS121: http://www.ositough.com/en/products/view-all-products/gs121.html
OSI Quad: http://www.ositough.com/en/products/view-all-products/quad.html

I also ran into a couple Loctite products at the store that seem to be in the same ball park.
Loctite polyurethane roof/flashing sealer: http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/17/26/pl_seal_rf/overview/Loctite-PL-S30-Polyurethane-Roof-&-Flashing-Sealant.htm
Loctite polyurethane window/door sealer: http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/17/26/pl_seal_dws/overview/Loctite-PL-S40-Polyurethane-Window-Door-and-Siding-Sealant.htm

When I ordered my trim from Frank Bear, he added a bottle of TremPro 635, his sealant of choice.
Trempro 635: http://www.tremcosealants.com/products/trempro-635.aspx

From what I can tell, I need to be looking for a name brand polyurethane sealant. I do bet that some are better than others but is it worth extra trouble to track down a specific kind or color?

I would appreciate your insight on this! I am going to pick up the aluminum tomorrow, and hope to skin on this weekend!

Brian

[KCStudly]

I used some of the OSI gutter sealant (not sure of the specific variety... will check if desired) on my galley rear floor edge trim. I found it to be slightly rubbery right out of the tube, as if a little lumpy. It didn't apply or wipe clean as easily as other products that I have used that were labeled for use with windows, so I assumed that it was designed differently based on the intended application. I haven't used any of it since, that's why I suggested the window products. They always seem to have a smooth even consistency and are easier to work with (at least that is my admittedly limited experience).

That said, you can't go wrong following Frank's recommendation. Experience is key.

[Babartlett]

I picked up the four sheets of aluminum on Friday! I then spent the next two days getting it on the camper! After day two, everything is skinned except the hatch.

I ended up using OSI Quad window sealant underneath all of the edges of aluminum and trim. I chose clear which turns out to be very accurate. You can barely see where you put the stuff! I was a little confused about what sealant to use at first but was very happy with the OSI quad application and I am confident that it will hold up well over time. Thanks to those who suggested it!

The one problem with the aluminum application was how cold it was! Both days had highs in the 40's and which posed multiple problems. The OSI sealant was at the very low end of the allowable application temperature and it often took two hands on the caulk gun to get it to come out. After squeezing out 8 tubes, I definitely got a good workout! The bigger problem that I could not avoid has to do with applying the aluminum on a cold day. I know that it will expand on a warmer day and oil can some. Hopefully this will not be too much of an issue. From day one I wanted to skin on a hot day but my build schedule just didn't allow that.

Anyways, here are the pics:

Unfortunately the metal distributor would not deliver the aluminum to my residential address because I did not have a fork lift. So I borrowed a 5'x8' utility trailer from my neighbor and whipped up my own pallet to allow the trailer to fit the 5'x10' sheets. Just as a reminder I ended up with four sheets of 3003 at .040".

And then the aluminum just appeared! Just kidding this is like two hours later..


Instead of tying down the sheets with ropes I tried securing them with wooden blocks that I screwed into the pallet. This worked better than I could have hopped for!



I used wooden blocks clamped to the frame to initially hold the aluminum at the right elevation.


As most of you know, you need a partner for the big aluminum application day! My lovely wife was a big help! I don't know why shes wearing a dust mask..


To make the routing easier, I drew the outline of all of the edges on the inside of the sheet then performed a rough cut 1/8" - 1/4" offset from the line with a jig saw.



Running a bead of the OSI Quad sealant on the edges of the sheet. You can really see how clear this stuff is! Or can you even see it??



To align the top sheet on the roof without smearing it, I implemented the same method that I used to get the top sheet of plywood on: Aligning it on top of some boards, then carefully sliding them out.



For the edge molding, I ran a bead where the two sheets meet on the corner, then a second where the trim contacts the roof. I was originally going to use butyl tape on this molding but it was to cold and the tape was rigid and not very tacky.


The distance from the hatch hinge to the front of the trailer is slightly longer than the 10' sheets that I found, so I supplemented with a 2 foot tall diamond plate rock guard on the front.


Sealing up some of the seams.


Got the hurricane hinge in for the last time! I hope..


Trim on the edge of the galley.


I left a gap where I am going to put some rain diverters. I made some but wasn't happy with them, so I am going to make some more..


I used some "flush" insert molding to cover the gap between the wood and frame.




The completed rock guard! Well I may still add some trim on the seam. I just realized how reflective it is! Shiny


Installing the roof fan! I used the butyl tape this time.



Getting some aluminum on the doors! It was just easier to remove all of the plastic on the doors.

[Sheddie]

Hi Brian,
Looks like that went really well. Great Job.

[KCStudly]

Wow, you got a lot done in a short time, and it is coming out very nicely!

[Gunguy05]

Man! That looks great. You are moving right along and will be camping in on time.

Yeah, that OSI is tough when it's cold. I swear I still have briused hands from trying squeeze that stuff out, and it's up in the 50s here.

Great work!

[Junkboy999]

Super build so far.

I see 2015 is gonna be a great camping year for you two.

[aggie79]

Super build so far.

I see 2015 is gonna be a great camping year for you two.

I agree! That aluminum work looks fantastic.