Compact family camper Build - Always something...

[KCStudly]

Sorry you had problems.

SS fasteners can gall and seize very easily. Lubrication is the solution. Anything is better than nothing, light mineral oil, anti-seize, wax.

BTW, SS can be drilled, but it takes a sharp bit and is much more sensitive to using the correct speed and pressure. For drilling out right hand thread bolts, a left hand drill bit turned in reverse is preferred.

A third option for the repair would be to make a small router template, square up your hole, fit a dutchman, put a new thread insert into the dutchman and epoxy the assembly into the routed out hole. Just a thought. Maybe not enough margin to get a big enough block that wouldn't be split by the insert, so maybe filled epoxy by itself would be better; just be sure to wax the inside of the insert (with a q-tip), maybe stick a foam earplug in there to keep epoxy out.

[Gold5one]

Wow, what a mess with that bolt! I have been bitten by broken bolts and screws so many times in 50 years, that it's not funny. 10 years ago I tried to save some money by changing the leaky exhaust gasket on my Piper Cherokee airplane by myself.- Well I failed to anticipate that the leaking gasket might have compromised the bolt I was removing. It snapped off flush with the aluminum cylinder head- opps! It only took a $2000 for the $100/hr mechanic to R&R those heads. I am no longer involved with aviation.

[ryuandwings]

Sorry you had problems.

SS fasteners can gall and seize very easily. Lubrication is the solution. Anything is better than nothing, light mineral oil, anti-seize, wax.

BTW, SS can be drilled, but it takes a sharp bit and is much more sensitive to using the correct speed and pressure. For drilling out right hand thread bolts, a left hand drill bit turned in reverse is preferred.

A third option for the repair would be to make a small router template, square up your hole, fit a dutchman, put a new thread insert into the dutchman and epoxy the assembly into the routed out hole. Just a thought. Maybe not enough margin to get a big enough block that wouldn't be split by the insert, so maybe filled epoxy by itself would be better; just be sure to wax the inside of the insert (with a q-tip), maybe stick a foam earplug in there to keep epoxy out.

Well, problems are part of the build. As long as it problems don't force me to alter too much, I somewhat enjoy working out problems.

Thanks on the lubrication tips on the SS fasteners. I was actually thinking about how to make it tight.
I figured I could drill out SS, but I didn't have the right tools nor the patient to do that. I guess I have to balance out time and cost vs. end result.

As for the fix, I'm thinking about embedding another t-nut into epoxy. If I close the threaded end of t-nut (with tape or something) and add a sleeve (with straw or something) for the screw hole, I think I can get it back to almost what I had before. I need to wait to warm up a little to use epoxy, though. I guess I can bring the door indoor, if my wife allow me...

[ryuandwings]

Wow, what a mess with that bolt! I have been bitten by broken bolts and screws so many times in 50 years, that it's not funny. 10 years ago I tried to save some money by changing the leaky exhaust gasket on my Piper Cherokee airplane by myself.- Well I failed to anticipate that the leaking gasket might have compromised the bolt I was removing. It snapped off flush with the aluminum cylinder head- opps! It only took a $2000 for the $100/hr mechanic to R&R those heads. I am no longer involved with aviation.

Wow, I don't have guts to work on an airplane myself, especially if I'm going to fly that later.

I've crossed my competence level on a lot of DIY projects thinking I would save a few bucks and ended up costing more, results not being satisfactory, and sometimes never finished.
But I try to stay positive and at least I learned something from that process.

[Gold5one]

Wow, I don't have guts to work on an airplane myself, especially if I'm going to fly that later.

an old pilots saying:
Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing! If you can use the airplane again, then it was a great landing!

[ryuandwings]

I must be getting close to the "finish line" since I started to think about the cabinet doors.

Since the last post, here are things I managed to complete.
J-drip above doors installed.


Porch light installed. I modified these long time ago to LED and directed to shine mostly down.


Hinge spacers caved out of aluminum bar.




Both doors installed with spacers.


Windows installed.


Interior wood window trims installed. Still need to plug screw holes.



Almost finished with tail lights, backup lights and license plate.


Made panels to cover inside of galley hatch. Still need to varnish.


Covered cabin floor with foam mat. Again, thanks to Tom for the idea.


Installed roof vent fan. I decided to go with 2 PC case fans. I added a fan speed controller also from PC. For some reason, only the right fan works. I need to troubleshoot to get the left fan to turn. I might change the switch to different color LED. Red is a bit annoying...



Then started on small storage shelf door under the cabin door.



List of things to do.

1. Install galley hatch struts
2. Finish under door storage
3. Install galley dome lights
4. Seal for doors and hatches
5. Cabinet doors
6. Finish 12v and 120v wiring
7. Install hitch and wiring on TV
8. Figure out hold for tongue hatch.

I hate to put a date to my build (since I missed previous dates...), but I need to vacate garage for my wife in 2 weeks... Otherwise this may become my permanent bedroom
At lease weather should be better for next week or so.

Thank you for looking.

[KCStudly]

Awesome work you are doing there.

You should be proud of those hinge spacers, they came out nice.

[tony.latham]

Gawd... I sense another retiree! Almost unbelievable. You can't Photoshop craftsmanship.

That damn bolt was a real B@STARD! Two-bits it chewed into a night's sleep or two. Like KCStudly's build log, that scene threw in a bucket of stress like a nail-biting mystrery novel.

Finding those T-nuts with magnets was brilliant!

Perhaps I missed it in your thread, but in looking at your interior, I see something hinged and mounted on sliders. What Houdini trick are you hiding there?

Tony

[dales133]

Nice work! The only good thing about stainless bolts is they don't rust. Everything else about them sucks!

[ryuandwings]

Awesome work you are doing there.

You should be proud of those hinge spacers, they came out nice.

Thank you.
I actually enjoyed filing, sanding and polishing these spacers. Shaping aluminum was a lot easier than I anticipated.
Of course I knew I only had to do 4 of them.

[ryuandwings]

Gawd... I sense another retiree! Almost unbelievable. You can't Photoshop craftsmanship.

That damn bolt was a real B@STARD! Two-bits it chewed into a night's sleep or two. Like KCStudly's build log, that scene threw in a bucket of stress like a nail-biting mystrery novel.

Finding those T-nuts with magnets was brilliant!

Perhaps I missed it in your thread, but in looking at your interior, I see something hinged and mounted on sliders. What Houdini trick are you hiding there?

Tony

Thank you. It is becoming more and more pleasure to work on this as I start to see the end result.
"Retiree"? I wish I was. I still got 20+ year before I can get there. Actually, the hinged thing you are asking is for the reason I still got 20+ years to go.

That thing is a slide-out, flip-out, hanging bunk bed for kids.

[ryuandwings]

Nice work! The only good thing about stainless bolts is they don't rust. Everything else about them sucks!

Thank you.
I really didn't know how easily SS screws could strip or break off. I was thinking since it is rust resistant and so hard and expensive, I though that was good all purpose fastener.
Oh well, at least I learned that.

[Gunguy05]

Looks great! Getting closer every day!

Do you have a goal for having it complete, or at least campable?

[S. Heisley]

It gets more beautiful every time I look!

http://s1025.photobucket.com/user/Ryu_F ... 5.jpg.html

[dales133]

Nice work! The only good thing about stainless bolts is they don't rust. Everything else about them sucks!

Thank you.
I really didn't know how easily SS screws could strip or break off. I was thinking since it is rust resistant and so hard and expensive, I though that was good all purpose fastener.
Oh well, at least I learned that.

Don't feel bad I work with stainless screws all the time and still I break them out of impatience.
They need pre drill g the entire lenth and machine screws or bolts like kc said need lubrication.
Don't tackle stainless fasteners in a hurry or if your having "one of those days" no good will come of it....having said that I'll break some I'm sure on my build

P's can you show me a bit more detail on the drop down bunk, I have been toying with the same idea myself for resale value