As of yesterday, my wife and I have deemed "G&M's 'Drop"
complete. I spent the last few days checking the final few items off of my to-do list, most of which revolved around the exterior.
On the hatch, I installed stainless steel latches on both sides to secure it in the closed position. I also added a 1" D-seal to seal between the edge of the floor and the hatch. It sealed up the 3/4" gap nicely and acts as a nice shin guard when the hatch is open.
On the outside of the hatch, I installed a stainless handle, a license plate light, and embedded four hanger screws in order to mount the license plate. The hanger screws allow the license plate to be changed out without screwing into/out of the hatch.
Next, the third brake light was installed. I sealed the top, sides, and screws but left the bottom edge unsealed to allow for any water to drain out if it ever makes it in.
Moving forward on the camper, porch lights were installed on both sides above the doors. They came with a clear lens and and amber lens. I think we will stick with amber. I sealed them with the same logic that I used for the third brake light.
After that, we added a sheet of 16 gauge aluminum diamond plate to the front and wrapped the top and sides with aluminum trim. The bottom edge, similar to the lights, has no trim or sealant to allow for water to escape if any ever makes it between the paint and the aluminum. Once the sheet was in place, we added an aluminum diamond plate tongue box to match.
After everything was installed, I enlisted the help of my Dad to help me caulk the edges of everything on the exterior. We used black proflex and clear OSI, depending on where it was going. The Proflex was definitely easier to work with. We paid a lot of attention to sealing the bottom edge of the walls where they meet the trailer frame. Water intrusion in this area has been on my mind since the start and I wanted to minimize the chances of it happening.
Once the sealant was curing, I got the fenders installed and we got the mattress inside the cabin, officially wrapping up our build. My wife and I have both caught ourselves going out to the garage and staring at the thing with smiles on our faces throughout the day. It feels damn good to be ready to go camping.
I'm sure anyone that has finished their build is probably sitting back and chuckling by the fact that I referred to our build as being "complete" twice just within this post. I can certainly assure everyone, there will continue to be updates and improvements as time progresses. Giving the visible areas of the frame that got scuffed with the sander a fresh coat of black paint is one of the first things that comes to mind that has yet to be done. However, we are finally to the point that I feel I can take this project off of my list of priorities and begin focusing on other goals and some
leisure time in the woods and on the lakeshores with my bride.
We'll continue to post pertinent build updates as they happen. As for everyone here on TNTTT, I can't thank you all enough for the advice, support, tips and tricks that have so graciously been given throughout this journey. There are few internet forums with groups of people that express as much kindness and dedication to helping each other out. It's been a pleasure to be a part of it all so far.
by noseoil » Tue Aug 24, 2021 7:43 am 
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Next weekend, we're looking at doing a four night trip somewhere along the Lake Superior shoreline. 
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