Monday Evening

Was able to get a couple of hours in this evening on the Carpe Diem.  I jacked up the teardrop and was able to bolt the storage boxes to the frame.  Then, was able to install the headliner on the wheel well covers.

I tried to make the 'edges' where they meet look as nice as possible.  I think I'll add some kind of black rubber trim on each of the 'seams' to make it look a bit more finished.  If nothing else, there is a neoprene seal that goes on the bottom of the garage door that I saw and think might work.  The bulkhead is all 'finished' and looks outstanding!

I glued and screwed the right galley side board in place.  I put a dab of silicone on each of the screw holes as I screwed them in.

Was able to finish the tray that the cooler will sit in.  All I need to do now on the galley is decide on the height of the 'counter' and begin blocking it out.  I found a design that I am going to replicate.  Here is an image of it:

It comes from the Tiny Trailer Company.  I like the way they incorporated the Coleman stove into a pull out drawer that doubles as a cook stand.  I also like the two pull out drawers.  Those could be used to hold utensils and cooking tools.  My design will be a little different on the drawers and lower cabinets; but the idea is sound.

Not going to have any time the rest of the week to work on the Carpe Diem.  Will have to plan and do 'virtual work' on the additional systems. etc.

Sunday

Today was a very productive day!

I started by making a trip to Harbor Freight.  I bought two jack stands for $21.00.  They allowed me, with the help of the jack from my Honda, to lift the teardrop about two feet off the ground. In doing this, it gave me the chance to properly mount the storage boxes.   I ended up using the jack to hold each box in place while I screwed the aluminum angle onto the frame.  I was able to slide in underneath and work easily.  Not a bad way to work by yourself, if I do say so myself!  It's a little hard to see in this image, but the jack is on the axle and there is about a foot of space between the wheel and the floor.  That was a very good purchase.

After mounting the boxes, I cut the aluminum for the storage box lids.  I am so glad I re-did the aluminum because I think it looks TONS better in its shiny finish rather than painted black like I had originally had done.  After cutting the aluminum, I installed the headliner and then glued the aluminum pieces in place.

 

Doesn't that look awesome?

The next project was to install the aluminum angle that originally held the aluminum to the frame.  The aluminum was pretty badly cut and bent, as you can see from the before images above.  I installed a 1" x 2" green treated board behind the aluminum angle and it pulled the ragged aluminum into place.

That front section looks 'finished' again.  I had originally planned a piece of aluminum diamond plate, or my rubber idea.  It looks so good that at this point, the 'cover up' will still look great, but it won't be hiding anything.  

I took a little time to figure out how the reading light fixture would be mounted inside the teardrop.  The lights swivel and thus have a 'ball' like feature that extends below the plate.  I found that mounting it on a piece of 3/4" plywood was just about the perfect amount of space.  I'll cover this in the headliner material and mount onto the styrofoam to give it a finished look.  This got me excited about how the finishing touches are going to look.  

 My wingman showed up with a present.  He had a cargo basket that he was not going to use anymore.  He made me an incredible deal on it and it fit perfectly on the teardrop's tongue.  I had originally thought I would just buy one from Harbor Freight, but the ones they sell are bolted together and do not have a mesh bottom like this one.  This basket is all welded steel.  The great news about it is that I will be able to easily remove the basket and use it on the tow vehicle's hitch if we ever need or want to use it.  It has a fold up hitch mount that easily slips onto the tongue piece.  I am going to add a couple of bolts and one or two 'U' bolts to hold it on the tongue.  Lastly, I'm going to add a couple of conduit clips through the teardrop to help it ride firmly.  What a great addition to the Carpe Diem!

This image shows how nicely it rides on the tongue and how cleanly the aluminum came together by mounting that strip at the bottom.

 The next project was to replace the aluminum strip that sits on the end of the hatch.  This is the piece that I 're-tooled' to get it as straight as possible.  You can see that I painted it with Rustoleum to protect it.  I installed it with stainless steel screws.

The hatch is off, that's why this image is vertical.

The next project was to try out the new lock sets I ordered.  Unfortunately, it looks like the inner locks are not going to work for my rebuild.  Unfortunately, I would have to drill new holes for the handle in order for the latch to hit at the appropriate spot on the door.  It's right now when I am SO glad that I did not pitch the original door hardware.  A quick coat of Rustoleum and I think the original door latches and locks will work just fine!

 

The original outside door handles were in bad shape.  One of them was missing, the other had been mangled and was beyond salvaging.  However, I ordered these new beautiful chrome handles.  I will only have to slightly adjust the interior latches in order to get these new handles to work perfectly.

I may end up keeping the original latch for the hatch too.  It's on the lower left section of the image above.

After a thorough cleaning of the garage and putting all my tools and materials back in place, I was able to close down the garage and head back inside ready for the work week.  If I have any time this week, I'll work on the galley cabinets.  All in all, it was a great weekend!

Nearly Watertight

I spent the entire day yesterday working on the tiny parts that make up the door frame inside the cabin.  These tiny parts had to be cut, sanded, pre-drilled, primed, painted, dried and then finally installed.  This, along with a multitude of trips to the hardware store for the proper stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts took up the greater part of my day.  I decided to spray paint all of the wooden pieces to seal them from moisture.  I also painted the interior surface of the door; I chose a soft gray, which looks an awful lot like the original aluminum color. 

Erica took some photos of me installing the interior door frame trim; fun to see me inside the teardrop!

 While I had all of the bolts out, I used CLR, Brillo Pads, soap, and elbow grease to remove the rust from the hardware that had been in place for 60+ years.  My goal was not to polish, but to simply remove the rust.  However, in doing so, there were a few patches that shone so brightly that it made me smile to think about how shiny this thing will be when I finish with all the interior restorations and can properly clean and polish the exterior!

I learned how to use my rivet tool.  I was able to re-install the window hatch. The earlier owner decided to cut the hatch on the passenger side to make more room for a hinge.  I installed new hinges and was able to cover the old holes using my rivet tool.  Not perfect, but functional and pretty nice.

Both doors were painted in preparation for the screen windows.  I love how the grey looks!  I applied the seal to the door frame.  I'll need to play with the fixture that opens the hatch.  It's a pretty simple, but ingenious design.  It is nothing more than a metal rod that is used to 'push' open the hatch.  When not open, it folds back onto the frame and 'locks' the hatch.  For now I'll re-install the fixture and live with it a while before designing anything different.

Once I finish both doors, I plan on spray painting the interior of the cabin, installing bulkhead doors and flooring in the storage area, and then re-installing the tail light wiring semi-permanently.  That will basically complete the interior until I am ready to begin installing the 12v/120v electrical system and start thinking about how to insulate the cabin.

The next big project will be removing and then installing a new hatch hinge.  I've decided to take George's, from The Teardrop Fix It Shop, advice and replace the hinge.  We'll use a block of wood to 'hold' the hinge in place and to give the hatch some heft.  This should be a permanent solution.  Then I can dismantle the galley and begin renovating it.   It will be fun to start planning the design in the meantime.

Today is Easter.  I have things I have to finish to be ready for the end of the semester at NLU and to prepare to go back to school tomorrow.  I don't know if I'll be able to do any work on the teardrop today.