Work has gone very quickly. As of last Friday, all structural elements of the job are complete. That went very fast! We did get one big surprise. When finalizing the interior, the team removed the black tank to prep for other work and discovered that even though the tank didn’t leak, something else did, making [...]
Frank Yensen started work on our trailer this week and invited us up last night after hours to check out progress up at his shop, Frank’s Trailer Works (in Baltimore, MD). We were quite surprised to learn that after welding on the rear bumper, he felt that structurally, things were in good place. He’d blasted and [...]
Structural projects are on hold right now as we wait for orders of clecos, scaffolding and an axle to arrive. While waiting, I decided to dig into old projects that I had on hold. First in priority is making the last set of curtains, which I failed to finish three years ago. With all supplies [...]
This is a view we’ve wanted to see for two years! We still have a zillion bolts and screws to drive down (isn’t that what Sundays are for?), we have lots of other things to attend to (including the very dead battery in our tow vehicle) but our front end floor is in. Ironically, it [...]
Rick was out tonight, at a late business meeting, so I was on my own. My assignment: prepare a replacement panel to cover the hole left when we took the furnace out two years ago. Since then, we’ve covered the hole up with plastic–which isn’t really a roadworthy solution. Today, I used a new tool [...]
Today after work, we attended to the right side of the front panel. I drilled in an access hole (so Rick can pass wiring through to the tongue after it is welded), drilled in pilot holes for self-tapping screws.Then, after considerable pounding, the board slid in. It has a slight gap towards the front, but [...]
Two years ago, we started this job by cutting out flooring sections. Today–after putting down insulation and trimming–we set in our first flooring section back in. But I must digress here. Insulation. Easy to cut. Annoying as all heck. Despite wearing full coverage clothing, a respirator and gloves, it left me feeling so itchy I [...]
Rick’s fall ended up being a blessing. We came to realize that we attempted too much without providing compensating structural support. The upper shell was attached to the chassis by a couple of clecos–but we’d left the belly pan detatched. But as we pulled out wood, critical points of support got removed. It seemed manageable [...]
There is a deep satisfaction from recognizing that I have gained an atypical skill…that I am becoming proficient in something that isn’t retiring and girly. For me, that seems to be grinding. After cutting bolts, bar stock and flat steel…I don’t feel much hesitation at all in putting on the goggles, whipping out the grinder [...]
Winter improvements have been tough, due mostly to work that keeps me 130 miles away from home on weekdays (and a life that has kept me spending most weekends attending funerals)… But things are shaping up (and thankfully fewer people are dying). My biggest token victory came Saturday morning. An incipient leak was finally blocked [...]