I aint going to hit my head on that stinkin' cabinet and a visit from the granddaughter

Today I finished the shower and tub installation and caulked up the seams.  It is much nicer than when we bought the RV new.  I caught the roadrunner watching me and admiring her reflection in the mirror.

Roadrunner checking on the progress

In the next picture you can see the wall that was replaced in the front of the shower.  I used a fiberglass reinforced panel over underlayment and ended up with a very smooth and strong wall.

Finished shower wall

It was pretty nice working inside the RV with the AC on.  When the bathroom was finished and cleaned I turned my attention to a wall cabinet meant for a TV that I have probably hit my head 50 times on it (I know, I'm a slow learner).  It faces the wrong direction for TV use and with the flat screen mounted on a swivel attachment has become a repository for remote controls, papers and lots of junk.  I was amazed at the number of screws holding the sucker on the wall and how they were hidden.  Never the less, brute force prevailed and the cabinet is gone.

Cabinet before removal - no more head butting on the edge that used to stick out over the couch.

Conne and I went to Lowes in spring hill and bought an unfinshed oak cabinet (30x18x12) that will be made to match the existing cabinets.  They matched Home Depot's 20% discount on "in stock" cabinets.  The savings were enough to pay for supper at Cracker Barrel - Yum Yum.

Today I also got out the tig welder and made some new battery racks out of 1" mild steel angle for the trailer tongue.  The original ones are too wide and the battery sits in at an angle with the battery tilted.  Can't be good for the battery.  I hadn't use the welder in a couple of years (Lincoln Precision Tig 275) but it fired right up and I still had a nearly full bottle of argon.  I will paint it tomorrow and install in the existing rack location.

Tonight the granddaughter came over to spend the night.  We went to supper at the Greek Orthodox church fish fry which was delicious.
When we got home she decided to make some Disney Princess window art "stained glass" to hang in the windows.

The first round of transparent colors drying.  The rest will be done tomorrow.

She says you should clic on the picture to see them (and her) better.

As always, thanks for reading.
Ron

Status update - before and now pictures

The going has been a little slow due to the heat.  Not too bad in the morning but after 12 noon the pace slows considerably.  In the past few days we have completed the installation of trim and clearance lights (led).  Today I finished sealing the transition to the rubber roof and the front is totally water tight (I hope).  Here is a photo from June 4 before starting the exploritory surgery.

"As found" photo before taking the front panels off.

Here is a photo from this afternoon when it got too hot to keep working.  I had just finished installing the ladder and putting the seam sealant along the top front edge where it meets the rubber roof.

The finished front cap.

We still have to trim the vinyl inserts on the edges and trim the sealant where it has squeezed out from the trim but it's looking pretty good in my humble opinion.
I still have to put a bead of RTV at the bottom of the wall where it meets the metal frame and paint the tongue and front frame gloss black.
A very significant benefit from the sealing of the roof is that we can now use the AC unit to make interior work possible.  Right now it would be like doing cardio in a Native American sweat lodge.

The weather man has chances of rain increasing tomorrow and through the weekend.  This would probably be a good time to scrub down the entire RV including the roof and get it ready to coat.  Also dependent on the weather we will turn our attention to the inside and put the bathroom back together.

The granddaughter is over today.  She and Connie went swimming this afternoon and she will stay for supper.  We are grilling big juicy cheesburgers and have ice cold watermellon for desert.

As always, thanks for reading.
Ron

So close I can smell it - and reflections on Fathers Day

Saturday - After a full day working on the RV we now have the roof and right side closed, sealed and trim installed.  Only the left side trim and sealing and installation of the clearance lights is left on the outside repairs.  When that has been completed I will reseal the entire roof and put the batteries and LP tanks back in place.

Panels in place and all but the driver's side is sealed.

The remainder of the work may push our trip departure a few days but what the heck - we have an RV that is road worthy and won't leak.  The top panel seems really plain to me and is crying out for some art work.  Suggestions so far have been:  The back of Mount Rushmore showing presidential hineys, A bluegrass jam and campfire scene and Connies favorite - a quilting bee.  I found a place that can make a large decal out of most any image we send.  Not cheap but pretty cool.

Tomorrow is Father's day.  We will be travelling to my sister's house to have dinner with my Step-Father and Mother.  It's nice of her to put this on where it is close enough for them to drive.
We are going down a bit early to put some flowers in the water at the boat ramp in Clearwater where Connie's fathers ashes were scattered.  We will also go to the National Cemetary at Bay Pines to put flowers at my fathers resting place.

Thats all for now - more on Monday.
Ron

Making great progress on the repairs - front panels installed!

It's been a few days since I updated the blog and a lot has been accomplished.
After much fitting, trial and error, the lower panel was glued into place on Wednesday.  The cut made at the metal supplier was perfect for the lower end.

Lower panel glued in place and curing.

The shims and 2x4s are to hold the panel against the wood studs while the glue cures.  The objective is to have a tight panel with no fasteners except in the trim strips.  Shortly after this picture was taken, the upper 10 inches was bent inward following the shape of the front panel.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

The next view is the finished lower panel shown by my lovely spokesmodel Connie.

Lower panel after curing 24 hours.

We went to Clearwater for some business on Thursday.  It rained heavily during the night and was starting again as we left - a good day not to be working on the RV.
Along the way I went into a Harbor Freight store and purchased two different power metal shears (electric and pneumatic).  Connie bought a quilting based novel at Barnes and Noble, "The Union Quilters" about what the women were up to while the menfolk were out killing each other in the Civil War.

Connie picked up a quilt that was being "quilted" at a shop in Hudson.  This was a "find" that was made of fabric from the 30s and in remarkable condition.  The pattern is a "Dresdon Plate" design.  I got to  watch the owner of the shop do the last row of quilting.  Pretty remarkable degree of precision for free-hand work.  It was put together without batting and has a flannel backing for use on our trip as a light summer quilt.

Quilted by Pat at "Quilt till you wilt" in Hudson Fl

Friday we got an early start on placing the upper pre-painted panel.  Good neighbor Gerald came over to lend a degree of precision to the process that might not have been there in his absence.  The darn panel was also too heavy for one person to glue up and fasten in place.
We started with the intention of using the old panel as a template for marking the new one for cutting.  It was still wet from the rain on Thursday and we decided we were men and didn't need no stinkin' template.  We took measurements of the roof to the where we needed the bottom of the panel to end up each foot and transferred the data to the back side of the panel.  The electric shears purchased yesterday worked great once we figured out to not run it at full speed.  When we slowed it down it walked through the metal in a controlled fashion leaving very little sanding and smoothing of the edge to remove burrs and sharp places.

Upper panel cut to fit and holes made for the clearance lights.

There are two amber clearance lights on the panel.  We used an electrician's hole punch (from Harbor Freight of course) to make the opening without distorting the metal.
Finally we glued the studs, RTV'd the overlap bottom section and placed the panel.  Looks pretty sweet to me.  We used the same method of bracing using shims and 2x4s holding the metal tight while the glue cures overnight.

Top panel fastened in place and curing.

After about an hour, we installed the lower and transition trim strips using the roll caulking bought for the purpose.  It took more of it than I expected but we have great coverage and a good water-tight seal.
Tomorrow we will fasten the rubber roof to the top and the side trim and finally have a finished exterior.  After that I still have to put the shower and tub back together.  More about that tomorrow.

As always, thanks for reading my blog.
Ron

Oh what a day - Stupid truck, stupid car!

Friday started out full of promise.  Work continued on the RV preparing to close up the wall.  The framework was belt-sanded to remove high spots and dried glue.  The upper section was stuffed with fiberglass insulation.  The call came in around noon from Bray's that the sheet aluminum had arrived and was being sheared to the desired width (at no extra charge).  This seemed like a good time to knock off and make a run to Ocala.

Gerald - without his knowledge and help this would be taking me a month to do!

Gerald had finished his morning manatee and dolphin tours and rode along with me.  About half way there, the "water in fuel" warning came in on the dash message center - not that unusual for diesels and relatively easy to correct by changing fuel filters and cleaning out the water-fuel separator.  The filters were due for changing and I had already bought them.
About ten minutes after that warning, the check engine light came on.  Hmmmm, the water warning is not supposed to set a code and cause the light.

We continued on to pick up the sheet metal and were surprised by the thickness - it was about twice as thick as the shorter panel I had looked at here in Crystal River.  This is good for the rigidity of the front panels but may present the need to have the metal bent to the angle in a brake.

Coming home I spotted an RV body shop and parts supply just West of I-75 on SR-40.  Real nice folks that are associated with Flagship RV in Bushnell and Clermont.  I was able to purchase a new side edge piece to replace the one that was two inches short at the top.

We got the goodies home and stored them in the Garage Mahal then adjourned for the evening.

Saturday morning I set out to fix the truck.  Since I had a check engine light reset at the Ford dealer a couple of weeks ago to the tune of $85 plus tax, I decided to purchase a code reader and do my own diagnostics and have the ability to take care of this myself.  A lot of research and I picked a fairly high end reader (from a home mechanic standpoint).  I picked the Actron CP9580 and found a 20% discount by paying online and picking it up at Advance Auto Parts.

Naturally I didn't want to get the truck all hot so I hopped in the wife's trusty Toyota Avalon.  It barely started turning over slowly - Damn - what now.  Well since it was running I put tools in it to change the battery if required and drove to the parts store to get the code reader.  When I came out, I noticed a shiny metal screw head flush with the tread on the LF tire - ugh!  Did the spit test and it was leaking.

Got home, sent the wife to Firestone to get the tire fixed.  The car was starting sort of ok.  The tire dealer told here she should get the battery replaced and that it was under warranty from Wally World. 

Got the truck filters changed and blew the debris and moisture from the water separator and water detector.  Managed to blow considerable diesel fuel on myself as well.
Cleaned up and hooked up the newly purchased code reader - pretty easy to use.  The check engine light was from the same issue a couple of weeks ago.  I installed a 60 gallon aux fuel tank and if cut in to the system, has to empty before the original fuel tank comes on scale and starts lowering.  It turns out that if the fuel gauge does not lower or goes up after a hundred miles or so it thinks there is a level indicator malfunction and does not want you to run out of fuel so hence the light.  I reset the code and the light went off.  Lesson learned - let the gauge go down a bit before letting the fuel refill the tank after the truck is shut off.

Took the Toyota battery to Walmart and got a replacement for 32 dollars.  The old one was 39 months old and out of the free replacement period.  It really spins over fast while starting now.

Got spiffed up and went to a pool party at our friends Russ and Sherrie's place.  He has a garage as big as mine but more toys.  Great party with lots of folks from the plant.

Sunday morning I treated the wood that I could get to in the front with a preservative that will prevent rot and insect damage.  It was hard to find but I finally found it at Nichols Lumber in Dunnellon.  It is made by Rustoleum and is pictured below.

Copper Napthate 9% solution

Here is a view of the final insulation installation.  We are now ready to fit the panels and close this baby up - tomorrow when it's cooler.

Insulation installed and ready to close up

As always, thanks for reading this blog.

Ron

Structural repairs are complete!

Today we started out cutting the underlayment panel to fit the shower wall.  This had to be completed before assembing and fastening the frame.  With help from Gerald, the panel was accurately cut and put in place.  I then assembled the frame with Gorilla glue and screws and tied the entire wall together and to the lower frame.  It really came out solid and I couldn't be more satisfied.

Competed frame and shower wall underlayment panel in place

Inside view of the shower wall underlayment.

After completing the wall, we cut the FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) shower wall to be glued to the underlayment.  I will wait on this until the exterior is finished and water-tight.  An added benefit will be the ability to use the RV air conditioner while assembling the shower and installing the tub.


I had to run to a phyiscal therapy appt and did not get a picture of the installed foil faced foam insulation that is about 80% completed.  I am using a double layer of 3/4" panels with a combined R-10 value.  You could really feel the difference in inside temperature with the afternoon sun hitting the wall.


The next (unexpected) challenge was getting the sheet aluminum to make the final closure of the front panel.  The two materials I want to use are bright tread pattern for the lower section and prepainted sheet for the upper.  I measured the width of the RV and need 102" or 8' 6" wide material.  The locally available size is 4 x 8' maximum.  A call to a metal supply in Ocala (Brays) found that they stock the sheets in 12' lengths at about $100 more per sheet than the 8 foot version.  I think the complete coverage without a center seam that could leak is worth the extra $$.  I will also have some neat material around in case I can talk Connie into the diamond deck tread pattern for our upcoming kitchen remodel (probably not eh!)

We took the Son, Daughter-in-law and Granddaughter out to supper tonight at a Mexican restaurant in Inverness.  Great meal and we ran into my banjo instructor and another banjo student in the restaurant.

Thanks for reading.
Ron

Construction in progress - Surprise visit by a QC inspector

The last couple of days have been very productive.  The shower wall has been removed to allow installation of the new wall framework and the new fiberglass panel.  Here is a pic of the shower with a great outside view.

Front wall of shower removed

From this point the replacement wood pieces are cut to fit with wider boards used for strength and to add attachment points for the finish shower panel.

Corner wall pieces cut to fit and in place for dry run.



I then turned attention to fabricating the corner framework for the other side.  The pieces were cut to fit and then installed using 3 inch screws and gorilla glue.  After the installation of the interior wall structure on this side, my work instructions had a QC hold point.  Imagine my surprise when celebrity QC inspector H. Simpson entered the work site.  He examined the repair quickly and signed of the step.  We then adjourned for donuts and coffee.

Inspection completed - Homer signed it off

The next step requires cutting the underlayment plywood to size and putting it in place then installing the remainder of the front shower wall and corner - that will be tomorrow when it's cooler outside.

After that the entire panel will be insulated with foil faced rigid foam.  The area where the wall joins the roof had absolutely no insulation in it from the factory.  It will be well insulated when I am done.

Thanks for reading my blog - comments are always appreciated.

Ron





Light At The End Of The Tunnel!

Nope - just a hole in the corner of the RV.

We made great progress on Sunday.  With the help of my good neighbors Gerald and Paulina, we quickly removed the rotted wood leaving the sound material to attach to.  With the bath tub out it was easy to get to the material to be removed.  A 16 x 16 section of the floor as well as the supporting material was removed.

Our goal for the day was to remove the rotted material and get at least the flooring repairs so that we could end the day with construction.  We accomplished this by piecing in the floor with new supporting wood on the side.  The thermometer inside the RV (with fans running) read 97.7 F at this point.

We finished by cutting the main front floor beam (if you can call a 2 x 2 x 97" stick a beam) to be installed on Monday.

Here is the floor patch installed.

We decided to celebrate the milestone by taking the team to Margarita Grill on the Homosassa river.  We had grilled octopus and blackened Mahi-Mahi - most excellent.

The goal for today is to install the lower wood in the front and re-attach the wall to the frame.

Thanks for viewing and commenting.
Ron

Best Laid Plans - A Minor Setback

This started out as what I thought would be a simple project to reseal and water-proof the RV before heading out on our big adventure.  I noticed that the front end cap upper section had some "ripples" at the sides and was not sealed very good.  After consulting with a few folks and a night of research on the internet I concluded that the original material (resin laminated to luan plywood) was delaminating as a result of minor moisture intrusion at the seams over the years we've owned it.

I checked on availability of replacement materials and settled on 0.063" pre-painted aluminum sheeting.  Knowing that the advertised construction of the RV was aluminum tubing with walls bonded to it, I felt confident that the front walls would also be made this way and it would be a simple swap out and seal.

As my pal Homer Simpson would say "Doh!"  I couldn't have been more wrong.  As you can see in the pictures below, the water leakage had rotted portions of both corners.



The damage at the side posts and middle should not be too bad to replace.  The material is readily available 2x2 (actual 1.5 x 1.5) yellow pine.  I can get this in PT as well but I'm not sure how well it will glue or epoxy in to the existing interior paneling.  I will have to remove the bath tub and replace right front corner of the floor as it is rotted at least six inches in from the wall.

This whole episode has me a little bummed but it is what it is and I have plenty of time to make the repairs properly.  If we leave a little later, we will get back a little later from our trip - not much down side to that eh!

In true Florida hurricane survivor fashion, The front is covered with a tarp as an afternoon rain shower is not unlikely.  It's 94 F outside and too hot to work on it any more today - must be time to clean up and pick a little bluegrass.

Thanks for reading our blog.

Ron and Connie