UK-Corlett TD2 - My short wife Standy ****finished*****

[noseoil]

Glad you're back and things are going well. It really does look nice, but I can understand what you're saying about a time consuming process. I guess if you were making your own plywood & chopping down the trees for the veneer it could be worse.... Looking very clean with the framework in place.

[UK-Corlett]

I guess being a goal oriented obsessive, I want it NOW!
My first took May/June to October just 5/6 months. I have put in 5 moths so far and no roof yet.

Each of these curves takes 4 days, so effectively one a calendar week each. Plus planing, plus sanding, plus soaking in epoxy to make sure of any cracks, plus sanding.

I hope its going to turn out as I want it to.

[KCStudly]

I hope its going to turn out as I want it to.

It will, just don't stop working on it until it does!

I definitely get it re: the feeling that I have bitten off more than I had planned for, but part of the destination is the journey. Enjoy the work and the craftsmanship that you put in and you will always be proud of the end result. Look at it this way, you will certainly have a very special and unique camper when you are done, and if the craftsmanship so far is any indication, it will be remarkable!

[3GKnight]

That looks very cool...and complicated! Makes my brain hurt but can't wait to see what it looks like skinned.

[UK-Corlett]

Hi

rebapuck
Hepcat
KCStudly
3GKnight
noseoil

Thanks for the interest. I will try not to let he forum down. Clive

PS The night is always darkest before the dawn.

[UK-Corlett]

Things are moving on as the front gets walls




And roof





I have detailed the foam construction technique here in a separate post.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=63411

Clive

[UK-Corlett]

Hi all

Again sorry for not posting but I much prefer building than writing.

I had a week off work and put in a stint to finish the roof and walls, something I promise myself I would do before winter. Winter is a problem for me because I am building outside in a place poorly protected from the rain.

My kitchen is a pull out afare with a drop down door. Curved doors are a TD thing so nothing new except the material is thin 1/8" and foam sandwich, as anyone who has read this far, is the big thing about this build.






Finished from the back she looks like this.
The frame you can see in the boot (US-trunk) is a pull out frame that the kitchen will be built in and so the whole kitchen can be pulled out for servicing but more importantly built on the bench in the garage through the winter. Its nut deep 300mm (1ft) but its wide 1300mm (4'-3") wide and 750mm (30") deep. I will need long sides to get the draws out but that's for next year.





I added walls and a roof in the now standard foam sandwich method.





The finished for the winter stage looks like this. The window is a low cost marine deck hatch. It still has its brown paper on. You can scale my 'short' wife and can see that she can just stand up inside stood in a small foot well. I will paint the whole outside this weekend, again to keep out the moisture through the winter. The paint is a marine undercoat, International's Pre-Kote. As my dad had a boat when I way young the smell of this paint takes me back to my youth.





Looking through the part of the wall not finished you can see inside, with a bit more sanding and varnish the inside should look ok.



Well that's it until aluminium cladding and the scary curves perspex windows.

PS
The bed is not missing I just haven't built it yet.

[KCStudly]

Looking good.

I sure hope you manage to keep all of your hard work dry thru the weather. It would be a real shame to loose any of it after you have put so much into it.

[UK-Corlett]

Well the weather on this side of the pond is consistently dry enough to work out side for a whole weekend and progress has been good.

The interior is fully varnished and the exterior is ready for the aluminium
I also got the false floor in and here my short wife is stood in it.



After the aluminium comes the small task of curved windows.

[Esteban]

Happy Wife Happy Life!

Short Wife has a big broad smile standing behind the door frame!

Keep up the good work. You know we like seeing photos of your progress.

[OP827]

Nice, your TD2 is going to be amazing!

[UK-Corlett]

Hi All

I have spent some time cladding the outside in Aluminium.
I have been at this TD build for a while and it was getting to the NO LIGHT AT THE END OF A LONG TUNNEL time but now its clad I can see the end. After all we build these to use them.

The eagle eyed will notice that the linish runs is two directions. This is difficult to pickup by eye but the camera shouts it out. The problem was getting the panels out of the sheet size I could buy. Aluminium on the roll is not easily available. I also ordered a big box of corking in Black which should have been clear but white turned up. I now regret not sending it back as the white put extra demands on getting it just so .

Jobs still to do.
Window frames, windows, number plate and wheel arches.
As its the UK I have to show it to the government to be allowed to put it on the road. VIN number et al.
Jobs for later
Some seat covers, a small cupboard, and the fitting out of the rear kitchen. But its been so long in the making that I think I will just start using it and save those jobs for the winter.

So any tips on bending Polycarbonate sheet welcome.







This was a light weight build but the rear door ended up quite heavy so its needed a gas spring to help it close.

[KCStudly]

You're in the home stretch now! Looking good and surely must be inspiring to get 'er done.

[UK-Corlett]

I have Polycarbonate windows to fit later next month. I have settled on 3mm thk (1/8") clear polycarbonate covered in a tint film.
I am building an oven to heat drape form the sheet into an approximate curve.
I had thought about tinted polycarbonate but its too expensive and only available in 5mm material, a little thick.

I intend to bond it on the surface as modern cars do. This way I get sharp corners. The rubber type of fitting requires 4" rad corners.

So below is me making and fitting the bezels for the windows.

I had a local supplier bend some sheet into a 'Z' section
I made a stepped radius tool to bend the section, however the three walking clamps did a better job.



However the tool did a great job in getting rid of wrinkles.



On the whole the result was OK

I used screws in the corners and VHB tape.



Holidays and other jobs mean that work stops now until wk3 Aug. So close to finising and I have to stop AGAIN.



I

[KCStudly]

Window trim looks awesome! Just like the rest of your build. You'll be done before you know it.