It seemed so simple... at first.

[Felix_Esq]

Each stage seems to take more skills than the one before.

Mechanical stuff is my forte. I can fix most mechanical things. Trailer, lights, axle replacement, springs, all that stuff was easy.

Replacing the structure was an interesting and new skill to learn. But still simple. Replaced a bunch of structural stuff and had a great time doing it.

Wiring was straightforward, but took some time, and I had to re-do it once. Had to do some really interesting research about batteries, current, wire gauges,all that. Super fun.

Cabinetry has been progressively more difficult over time, and now I am starting work on the galley. I am really just -- stuck. As I try to visualize the galley, I then go out and try to map it out and it seems so hard to get it all to fit without (a) running into the hatch; (b) taking up needed counter space; or (c) gobbling up precious interior space.

Any suggestions?

[S. Heisley]

I used some painter's tape and taped everything out on the garage floor. I also used some boxes where the tape was and did a literal "walk-through" I also did some work with graph paper. Still, I ran into some head-scratchers. When that happened, I walked away and slept on it. Each time, when I woke up, I would have a solution in my mind and, most the time that solution worked! The brain continues to work while one sleeps and seems to love to find answers to problems. Relax and let it.

Keep in mind, you can make break-down-add-on counters/tables that help a lot. Also, you can put your stove on drawer slides. Another thing that I see people do is bring along additional fold-up tables to double their counter space.

[Felix_Esq]

Thank you for the ideas!

I drew everything up in a full-size plan.

'

My trailer came with cheap-ish laminate flooring as wall and ceiling panels. I ripped it all out of the ceiling, but I left it on the walls. Having heard from others that it is a good idea to cut slots for bulkhead panels for the galley using a router, I cut out the parts of the paneling that would be inside the galley (outside of the sleeping area).



Then I installed the first few panels.



I installed more, but I forgot to take pics of them before I left town for the weekend. I will post more early next week.

[working on it]

* Felix_Esq...Earlier, in this thread, we established that we had similar interests : cars, trailers, dragracing, etc. I just noticed another, having not previously seen the "Felix the Cat" sign in your avatar photo, nor mentally made the connection to your user name. I have a similar interest to those as well.

* When I was young, I watched all the Felix cartoons, and was a fan. So many years later, while dragracing, my best opponent/rival on another club/team had a full-size sticker of "Felix" on his rear window of his car. Since my favorite Felix cartoon character was the "Master Cylinder" https://felixthecat.fandom.com/wiki/Master_Cylinder, an arch-rival, I tried to find a full-size window sticker for my car, but couldn't. Nor could I find the "Professor" decal, though it wouldn't have been appropriate, as only Warren Johnson should have that name.

* A couple of years ago, long after my racing days were over, I did make a "Master Cylinder" sticker for my trailer (the images are now in the public domain), and attached them to each side:

beware the Master Cylinder.png (518.95 KiB) Viewed 1948 times

master cylinder sticker on side of trailer.jpg (90.16 KiB) Viewed 1946 times

[Felix_Esq]

Hey Workin'!

I just got back into town and saw your post! Your Master Cylinder sticker is incredible!

By the time I was old enough to remember Felix the Cat cartoons, they were in syndication. They eventually stopped playing on TV when I was about 7 or 8. However, literally EVERYONE sang the song to me all the time, so I have that well-memorized. My favorite non-Felix character was Vavoom!.

Of the collection I had as a kid, I only have the old Felix the Cat clock with the eyes and tail that move. My coloring books, stickers, and other things have disappeared over time.

One of the weirdest parts about growing older: When I was young and someone would ask me to spell my name (like a clerk, administrator, bureaucrat, or restaurant host, for example) I would say "my name is Felix, like the cat" and that would be enough. Now, I say that to anyone under the age of about 40, and I find myself looking at a confused bureaucrat. Younger people also want to spell my name with a Ph at the beginning, too. I don't know why that is such a problem with younger people...

I haven't put too much thought to the concept of decorating the exterior. The aluminum sheeting I have is mill finish, which I may polish. I want to put stainless fenders on it. I would love to figure out how to do a rally wheel, too. Everything that isn't polished will be black. That's as far as I have gotten.

Good hearing from you!

[Felix_Esq]

Since I have to wire everything up front, I figured I should put some sort of sound system in. I thought a bit about things and talked to my other half. Neither of us listens to the radio, we barely own any CDs anymore, we have some old cassette tapes from the 80s, but they are in a box full of high school memorabilia. That really only leaves music, podcasts, and video from our phones.

I figure a system that will stream bluetooth will be enough. And since we are not audiophiles, cheapness is goodness.

So I bought this:


It was on Amazon for $20 here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088B ... UTF8&psc=1

Then I got these super cheap speakers on Walmart:


Also $20.

I did a bench test, and the setup seems to work pretty well. I will figure out an install and post here.

Edit to add:

I just ordered an extension cord/jack for a 3.5 mm audio auxiliary port from Amazon.


-Felix

[Felix_Esq]

I may have a complication in my life that will slow me down.

Despite me being a Chevy guy most of my life, my youngest son has always had a thing for Mustangs. It goes way back: when he was in second grade he wrote a poem about himself for school. It said "My name is _____. I love soccer. I have a 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I want a Mustang when I grow up."

And so, I now have 1 and 1/2 projects in my garage. The full-blown project is, of course, my trailer. The half project is helping my son on his new (to him) 2006 Mustang GT five-speed. It is technically complete, but effectively a roller with an installed engine and transmission, since the list of stuff that needs to be done is gargantuan. The car, when complete, will be a little much for a teenager; however the time and effort it will take to make it run should add a layer of respect for the machine that may temper his use/abuse of it.

I will keep posting with my updates.

-Felix

[S. Heisley]

The car, when complete, will be a little much for a teenager; however the time and effort it will take to make it run should add a layer of respect for the machine that may temper his use/abuse of it.

[working on it]

The car, when complete, will be a little much for a teenager; however the time and effort it will take to make it run should add a layer of respect for the machine that may temper his use/abuse of it.

* Let's hope so, my solo building/maintaining of my teenage vehicles: '56 Chevy 210 4-dr sedan (at 15 in '65, from my Aunt's estate), and '67 Dodge Monaco 500 2-dr hardtop (my first purchased car, bought when 18 in '68, for my graduation and college entry), were very important to me, but I was still a leadfoot (friend's parents would ask me to drive them to the airport in order not to be late...I had a certain reputation).

* While I could avoid mishap (only two wrecks in the next 50 years, neither my fault, T-boned twice), both those cars were "stolen/borrowed" by my two younger brothers and totalled. I respected the cars, and didn't drive crazy or distracted, even then, but my brothers had no time nor money invested in the cars, so they didn't care. One brother "stole/borrowed" two more of my cars later on, also totalling both, a '64 VW, and a '73 Volvo of mine. Trust no one, especially relatives.

trust no one.jpg (40.95 KiB) Viewed 1742 times

* I hope your son respects his car, but if he's got the leadfoot gene in him (as I have, and maybe you do?), then maybe working on his own stuff will tame his urges that way. I only street-raced once, at 18, and turned to the drag strip, before quitting at 21. I resumed it 23 years later, and raced until I was 58, before I decided to save money, and turned to trailers/camping at 61 to "save money" (ha,ha,ha). Good luck on your shared projects; my father had no interests along those lines, and my grandfather was stuck in the old days (before the War), so I had no shared experiences with them. Wish that I had.

[featherliteCT1]

"

Trust no one, especially relatives

."

[Felix_Esq]

I started putting the galley together. I discovered more facts:

(1) I am truly bad at making cabinets; my lack of a table saw compounds that fact.
(2) The materials and tools to make good, square, drawers is beyond my interest for now. So are conceived access hatches!

(3) The reviews on the Camp Chef oven, combined with the mediocre output of the two stove burners and the size and weight, made me re-think my choice of cooking equipment. 10 minutes of research pointed me in the direction of the Coleman Classic two-burner camp stove. $44 and a trip to Walmart later. . .
(4) Walmart also has super cheap cast iron stuff from "Ozark Trail."
(5) Piano hinges are harder to install than one may think.
(6) PCMs (Engine Control Computers) for Ford Mustangs are super expensive.

All told, my trailer is looking more like a trailer. Good weekend. Lots done!

-F

[Felix_Esq]

Counter is pretty well done. About to install the faucet, sink, plumbing.



Next will be to finish the galley and storage.

Then...

Working on the hatch. I have much fear of the hatch. I read stories of struggle with hatch building.

[Felix_Esq]

Stereo installation is mostly done. I figured Bluetooth and auxiliary were the only things we need, since we never use CD, DVD, BlueRay or other physical media for A/V purposes anymore. If we want to watch a movie, we can download it in advance.




In other news, I managed to cut some 3/4 ply about half an inch too narrow, and it was my last piece big enough for the intended space... which means a trip back to Home Depot for another sheet of expensive plywood just to cut that one piece. Which sucks.

Still having a great time building my TD.

[featherliteCT1]

I managed to cut some 3/4 ply about half an inch too narrow,

I feel your pain!!

[Felix_Esq]

This week:

1. Finished the storage area and the bluetooth stereo installation.
2. Tested the electrics. So far so good!
3. Plumbed in the drain and water feed line for the galley sink.

and...

I STEAM BENT SOME PLYWOOD AROUND A ROUNDED FRAME!
I have very little space under the hatch and some plumbing that I want to cover. I decided to bend some thin plywood over a frame to fit it under the hatch. AND IT WORKED!

Sometimes I surprise myself.