My Foamie Build--Updated --Jul 3 I'm eating an elephant

[GPW]

BUB That just needs a good decorative paint job ... and another door ...

[bonnie]

BUB That just needs a good decorative paint job ... and another door ...

Got the door. Well, almost.

BUB isn't finished on the inside top. I'll have to fiberglass the remaining areas. I am looking at how I might redo the top to work with my current build plans. I really like the pivot top idea. Plus, one of my design priorities was to be able to get into the trailer, even when the top is in the down position. BUB's current configuration doesn't allow that. Well, without a door, it does. We'll see when I get it home. I am anxious to get things moving. The bottom box is fully fiberglassed. It will need finished and that means filling and sanding prior to painting. I am reading up on that now.

I am working to get the garage cleaned out a bit more, so that BUB can fit in there and I will still have work space. I have a steep driveway, so I need to keep things organized. BUB will pull out onto the flat part just fine. As long as I can push/roll it in and out of the garage I will be able to work on and around it. Pretty darned exciting from my view.

One thing about the current confiuration is that it fits in the airstream of my Sentra. That should make towing much easier. Weight as BUB stands is about 350#. That's well within my tow limit. Can you tell I'm excited?

[GPW]

Bonnie , we were aware of that build for a Long time , and he did put a good amount of work and expense into that trailer ... You got a Super Deal !!! Just a nice finish and a little Bling and it will be very Cool !!! You might just do a fabric roof inside ... Easy ...
Looks like you’ll have to be “creative “ getting a door to work , split like that , but then you’re our resident Door expert now ... so should be no problem ...

Of course , you know we’ll want to see lots of Pics ...

[Wobbly Wheels]

Glad to hear you pulled the trigger and gave BUB a new home. It looks like a lot of attention (and beer !) went into his build.
Fortunately, fairing is easy to do (though monotonous) and you'll pick up a feel pretty quickly. Those are all flat panels, so a long sanding board, some epoxy, lots of microballoons and you're off to the races. Those cheap yellow plastic putty knives work great for spreading and leveling the goo.

As far as your door goes, if you drill the #8 holes out to say 1/4" and glue in dowels, can you then use screws to hold the hinges rather than bolts ?
Or maybe threaded rod with nuts on both ends if you can't find 8-32 long enough ?
Normally, you would go to a bigger (thicker) bolt if you need one that long: #10-24 might be available that length, but I know that 1/4"-20 are easy to get in 4" lengths. I use a lot of them (stainless) for securing equipment to the decks of boats.

Just want to add one thing to norm's post about cutting bolts down: if you thread a nut onto the bolt before you start, you can back the nut off to restore ('chase') the threads that get distorted.

Just a though as far as the door goes...looking back a page or so, GPW posted a drawing of the round door filled in and squared on the bottom as sort of a 'false' round door. Something like that might let you mount your round hobbit door in the top part of the shell and have a 'filler' door in the bottom part. A couple barrel bolts and they're locked together. The lower door could use takedown hinges so you can remove it when you're folding it down to make it accessible through the main door will collapsed.
These are polished stainless marine ones and retail for a little over $100 a pair, but they ought to be available for cabinetry as well.



Poison ivy...ugh.
I picked some aloe gel that has lidocaine in it: it works great on all sorts of burns and bites. We've had such a cool wet year so far the mossies are eating me alive so I'm going through quite a bit of it. I blame Noah for bringing mosquitos onto the Ark in the first place.

[bonnie]

Giving that some thought. I will have to order the epoxy and microballons. Would a long sanding board be made or bought? 2x4 with a lot of sand paper? The door is a bit over 3" wide. I will wait to see what can be adapted with the upper piece of BUB, before I make a final decision on what I will do. I may just add a 2" piece of foam to the back wall and fiberglass the entire thing together and mount the door in it. We shall see.

Reduce, reuse, as they say. I am happy to recycle a really well thought out and built project. I don't know that I'll ever try putting it on the water again, but it's nice to know it's very waterproof.

Waiting is hard. Would like everything done now.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Waiting is hard. Would like everything done now.

I hear that !

A sanding board is easy to make out of a piece of scrap 1X4 and some spray adhesive. Here are a few of mine:

The sandpaper goes on with spray adhesive. The two on the right are 3"X21" sanding belts slid onto a scrap of 3/4" ply.

The idea to float the trailer seemed to create a whole pile of problems on its own: it's probably just as well to keep it 'on the hard'.

[GPW]

“ Waiting is hard. Would like everything done now. “ ... for we Old Timers , that’s especially important ...

Bonnie we make our sanding bars out of straight 1X4 and a long belt sander belt cut open and glued flat to it (common rubber cement) One side coarse , the other side fine er ... The idea is to make it as long as you can so all surfaces are sanded perfectly flat ... But nothing says you have to sand it at all .... with the right paint job , you’d never see all that ... Something you don’t like , disguise it ... Like women’s makeup ... or you can do like I did , Camo it and then nobody will see it at all ...

Oops , I see W2 just posted the same method .... Great minds and all ...

[bonnie]

Great minds and all that. Thanks for the explaination. I will pick up the parts soon.

I'm in a benedril fog right now. It itching is getting better, I have only a few places driving me crazy. I'm really sensitive to the stuff, so it takes off and spreads.

GPW, haven't seen the updated news, but I am praying TS Debby stays mild. Good to know you're ready to vamoose.

WW, I haven't smoked anything in a long while. Love the taste. Got out of the habit when the girls moved out. Seems such a waste to fire up the grill for one person. I'll have to talk myself out of that soon, cause I miss playing with fire.

[Wobbly Wheels]

I'm in a benedril fog right now.

WW, I haven't smoked anything in a long while. Love the taste.

You ARE in a purple haze: you're getting the threads mixed up !

That little charcoal smoker I've got is just right for my wife and I and, if memory serves, it was only about $120.
I tried a small turkey in it at Xmas but it's WAY too small, perfect for one or two people though. It also works as a charcoal bbq.

[GPW]

Bonnie , you sure you haven’t smoked anything ...

Purple haze is in Bonnies brain
These threads, just all seem the same ..
asked that question , and we don’t know why .
Excuse me while I bake a pie ...


Apologies , I’m getting Silly now .... need more coffee !!! ... or a nap ...

[bonnie]

Wow. I am confused.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Mmmmm....pie......

[bonnie]

I found the correct size screws! My local Sears hardware store had them. I took along one of the hinge pieces to test. Oddly enough the 1/4 bolts were too fat.

Other news is I'm headed to MI to get B.U.B. this weekend. So looking forward to having this part of the adventure completed. Please pray, send happy thoughts that the trip goes well. I've never towed with the Sentra. I have towed with a Jeep Wrangler, so that part I understand. I invited a friend to ride shot gun. The door isn't quite done, but it sure is looking pretty. I need to do some rearranging in the garage so B.U.B. will fit. Lots to do.

[bonnie]

At HF to buy a tongue jack. Where's B.U.B. ???? Look close.



I can back! I can back!

[bonnie]

So, here I am in the great state of MI to pick up B.U.B. We get into packing the bearings tonight so I can wend my way back to St. Louis, tomorrow, and the locking pin thingies (they hold the castle nut in place) are broken and one is actually missing. Bummer. All RV and Trailer shops are of course closed and TSC didn't have them. So I'm putting out a request for anyone who might know where I can get a this repair done. If not BUB lives at my friend's house until I can get back here in three weeks. PM, if you have any ideas. Thanks!