Undercoating and Re-wiring the Underside of the Trailer

Well, I can't wait any longer.  I need to get the bottom of my teardrop protected.  I've been thinking that I would take it to a place that does underbody spraying, like Line-X.  Unfortunately that has proven to be a lot more expensive than anticipated.  I've also read a lot of conflicting information on whether or not I even need to do anything to the pressure treated plywood bottom.  Personally, I'm all about over-engineering when and if I can.  It seems pretty easy to apply the spray on undercoating.

I purchased two different types of Rustoleum spray; one cost $4 and one cost $11.

 I'll give each a try and see which seems to work best.  The area I'm mostly concerned about is the wheel well; I replaced the aluminum wheel wells, when I replaced the galley, with plywood.  I treated the plywood with Thompson's Water Sealer and then painted over that, however, I think adding the undercoating on top of that will be a little bit of extra protection for very little investment.


I also want to cover the storage boxes.  Even though those are also treated and painted, the rubber coating will add additional weather resistance.

I will jack the teardrop up and then put it on the jack stands to allow me a bit more access underneath.

In addition to applying the undercoating, I'll re-do the marker lights and LED fixture wiring.  I tried using some wiring that I had and it turned out to be WAY TOO thick.  This was great for getting through my improvised conduit, but it made it very tough to pull through the holes I added for connections.  I purchased some auto wire that will work perfectly for these two applications.  Additionally, I purchased some water tight connectors for the wiring that will be under the trailer.  This will make the connections last a lot longer.  I don't want to have to climb under the teardrop more than I have to!

In addition to using the conduit for under the teardrop, I'm thinking that I can improvise a water tight connection through the wheel well; the wheel wells are super 'tall' on this model.  If I were to use a small junction box in the 'hidden' bottom part of the interior teardrop shelf, I could safely bring in the wires and then use plumber's caulk or a rubber washer or two to 'close up' the opening both in the well and in the hidden shelf area.  I think this will work well.

Galley Work

Very busy family weekend.  Only had time to put in some of the headliner in the galley on Saturday.  I think it looks awesome!  However, I'm not sure if it is the right material to have there.  It cleans easily, is mildew and rot resistant, but I am going to think on whether or not it is the best for this use.

As I said, it was a very, very busy family weekend.  I did get another section of headliner installed; the section where your feet rest is now insulated and carpeted.  It looks terrific.  My camera does not do well in the low light conditions in the cabin right now.

We had lots of the burnt orange paint left over from our basement remodel, so I decided to paint the plywood.  I had treated the 'back' sides with Thompson's Water Seal, and had originally 'stained' the wood in natural stain.   I was hoping for the nice 'color' that comes with birch plywood.  Because I only used 'pine,' I was unhappy with the grain and color with the natural stain.  I 'anchored' the wood to the aluminum using 3/4" stainless steel screws from the inside of the cabin.

I also completed the installation of the insulation and headliner at the 'foot' of the cabin.  I've discovered that if I 'wrap' the fabric over the insulation, it looks really nice.  Also, the insulation, when installed, hid all the screws. 

Another project that I did complete was making the 'box' to hold the cooler.  This box will be mounted with a full 'pull out' drawer slide.  It's coming together nicely.

Half Day

Today I took the Illinois certification test for the Library Information Specialist position I have been working to complete.  I have one more class after this semester and then I'm done.  The test allowed for five hours and began at 7:15 a.m.  Not the way I usually like to start my Saturday, but it did get me up and moving.

After a refreshing nap, I crawled under the teardrop and marked the dimensions of the frame's support beams.  I did this with the intention of creating two storage areas in the floor of the teardrop.  Ultimately, I had hoped to store the spare tire, jack, etc. in them.  In the end, the darn spare tire would not fit.  I guess I'm glad I've spent the time, energy and money to make the storage areas, but I was very frustrated that the tire did not fit.

My first attempt at the storage bin was 12" deep.  It seemed too deep even before I installed it.  I ended up taking it all apart and trimming it to about 6".  That seemed visually to look a lot better.  Below you can see it as a 12" bin.

Here are the two bins after being coated with Thompson's Water Sealant; the back bin was created on an angle to make room for the axle.  Both bins are about 6" deep.

Tomorrow I will caulk and install the two boxes, make their lids and install the aluminum flashing around them.  I think the spare tire is going to end up being mounted in some way up on the tongue like you can see in this image.  Another project I want to get done tomorrow is installing the green treated wood in the bulkhead area and measuring and making a template for the mattress.