Epoxied on the bottom fiberglass skin of the utility compartment on our coach. Actually, the glue up was last night and the finish up was today. Most of you probably thought this was done a long time ago... But I finally finished all the preparations I could do and decided that it was ready. What a job! It was the most physically demanding part of the project yet. Once you start, you can't stop! Because that glue is setting up, and thank God for slow setting hardener. I'm so glad that I decided to do this part ( about 4 1/2' X 8') first rather than the larger 8' x 14' section to come. Most of the difficulty is the sheer area of adhesive that needs to be applied combined with the fact that you're going against gravity. Anyway, I'm happy with the outcome... Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. ::) Made you even more glad that you're not me, didn't it? ;D
Don
Don,
I'm dead tired just looking at the pictures. What a great looking job you've done on this coach. Keep it up and before you know it, it will be ready to enjoy for many more miles.
Peter
Beautiful job! Gives new meaning to the old woodworker's expression "you can never have enough clamps."
Excellent work (as usual).
Brett
Thanks guys! Makes me tired to look at the pictures too... Yeah about the clamps, that's an expression I live by and you can bet that I rounded up every single clamp that I could find for this job!
Don I have a few more clamps you could have used. I have a tip for you, turn the coach over it makes it a lot easier!!!
Well done, looks good. Leave the bay doors off so your workmanship can be viewed.
John H
Looking good Don ! Looks like it's all starting to come together.
Richard B.
Don, When you get all this work done it will be a shame to drive it and get it all dirty. Maybe you should exhibit it somewhere. But then you would not have the fun of using it. Great Job.
Gary B
Gary,
Thanks, but all things considered, I can't wait to get it dirty! ;D
Don
Thanks Richard,
Yes it really feels like it's starting to gel. Putting the skin on represents a commitment... because from that point on, god willing, I'll never have to look at that part of the coach again and so it is as done as it's ever going to get!
Don
With the quality work you are doing Don I doubt anyone following you on the highway will have a big piece of Fibreglass flying into their windscreen from under the coach !
I noticed the strip of flatbar bolted across one of the box sections, did you put that on first or did you secure it after you jacked up your plywood "press" as I was thinking that making a "frame with 2x4 sides as well as cross ones instead of all the clamps, may have been easier for you. You can still put a few clamps along it. You did a great job, and I bet it was a hectic 30 mins or so making sure it was square and flat before the panel started sticking?
John H
LOL! I don't think anybody will have a big piece of fiberglass flying into their windshield from under my coach... But if they did, I would surely be able to see it in my high definition backup camera ;D The flat stock is 1/8" thick stainless steel that I'm basically using as a giant washer to distribute the clamping force of the roloks. The wider piece of flat stock is 4 inches wide and covers the seams where I have to join the new skin with the old skin. I think the hardest part of that aspect of the project was getting all of the holes accurately drilled in the new skin and in the stainless flat stock. The good news is that with so many holes, the placement of the skin is not open to question. When the bolts go through, the skin is on square. The two plywood platforms that I made to use as clamping cauls fit between the stainless steel flat-stock/washer and I didn't want to use cross pieces of 2 x 4 because it would be difficult to keep it flat and I figured that keeping the plywood flexible in one direction would allow me to compensate for any warping of the plywood, since the basement framing is quite flat and square. Also cutting it into 2 foot wide sections made it a lot easier to handle then a big 4 x 8 piece would have been. I wrapped the tops of the plywood platforms with polyethylene plastic to keep the epoxy from sticking the platforms to the bottom of the coach.
Don
Today I bolted the bulkhead together. Hopefully for the last time ever! I had previously fabricated the trim piece out of 1/8 inch aluminum angle and today I installed it in the bulkhead joint with polyurethane roof flashing sealant. I laid a bead inside the angle between the fiberglass and the aluminum as well as inside the compartment between the bulkhead and the transverse frame member. I got a nice squeeze out of the polyurethane sealant when I torqued the bolts down lubricated with an American Racing Product called Ultra-Torque. Pictures below...
Don
I wonder if there is support for creating a separate forum topic for Don's (Acousticart) bulkhead project. It is so interesting and complex and I think a single thread detailing the project would be great. I can imaging many searches on different aspects of the job.
jor
Here are a couple of earlier topics for anyone who needs to catch up
Before, During, After (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=16653.0)
Chassis construction photos from Don and welding on your FT (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=14530.0)
Don & Tys,
This is super!!!
What's the chances you can join us for the pair of California Chapter Spring Rallies:
05/02/2013 - 05/05/2013: Gold Country Rally
and the
05/06/2013 - 05/09/2013: 'Stuck in Lodi' Rally?
And I though Norm Abram was the King of clamps. Looking good. What's that under the bolt heads?GAM
He probably does have more clamps than me... ;D I'm not sure what picture you're referring to Joseph, but in the picture of the bulkhead joint itself there are reflections of the bolt heads on the shiny paint (POR-15) on the angle iron. In the picture that's taken from underneath utility compartment, there's a piece of stainless steel flat stock underneath the rolok screws.
Don
Very Impressive!
Factory will be looking to employ you.
Keith
That is impressive. Well done.
Thanks Harvey! I wish we could, but it is just not in the cards this year. As soon as I can get the plumbing working (I.e., put the tanks, pump, water heater, etc.), I will be staying in the coach while I prep the house to sell as soon as practical (before the market tanks again...). So even though I believe with all my heart that the coach will be capable of a trip like that, we will be limited short local excursions until the house sells. We are looking forward to our first real FT rally (one where we have the coach with us!), I just don't know when that will be. Maybe Quartzsite if there is a rally next year... Sigh ::)
Don
Thanks Michelle! I'll use this topic for further posts as I proceed on the project.
Don
Don,
I just followed the links that wonderwoman Michelle put up of all your work done before I found this forum. It is truly impressive to see the high quality, extensive work put into your rig. It should last forever. Thanks for answering my PM last night also. You are a big encouragement for myself and others here. Keep up the great work.
Larry
Made some more progress in the last few days... Here are pictures of some of it. I installed the aluminum plates which I fabricated much earlier in the project and bedded them in polyurethane roof flashing cement. Messy business that! After the polyurethane cement cured, with the help of Richard Bark from the forum, rolled Epoxy mixed with extra slow hardener and filler and installed the top fiberglass skin (actually the floor of the compartment) in the utility bay. Since the compartment divider was still in the compartment and the bulkhead was already bolted together, this was easier said than done. Once again, most of my clamps of all descriptions were put into play! I will leave it clamped for a day or two before I remove all the clamping cauls. I was very happy to note that all of the holes drilled in the fiberglass skin lined up nicely with those in the framing and presented no alignment issues. Using the bottle of Jack ;D to push the plywood platform down in the middle was Richard's idea. Thanks Richard! I am confident that I will never have to see that basement framing again... almost a shame, but I can live with that!
Awesome work.. ^.^d
Looks like your hard work continues in all its excellence. Are you starting to feel warm and fuzzy? Congrats on this superb job.
One observation... I would have put THE BOTTLE OF JACK in another location . :) :) ( like inside the installer )
Sorry had to say it.
Gary B
Clamps come off... Now to clean up all the seams for final caulking.
Better than new. Really nice work Don. Very impressive. ^.^d
I just noticed that my last post made it 666... ::) Not that I'm superstitious, but I thought perhaps I should add another post to get past that milestone quickly! Anyways, I've made a bit of progress since the last posts and have a few pictures so I guess I will put them up there. I made a large clamping platform (caul) out of a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood that has holes that lineup with the bottom of the coach using the bottom skin as a template. I have tested it by bolting it up to the coach and it looks like it will work just fine. I'm contemplating doing this job by myself, so I've been trying to work out a way of managing the skin and the platform and get everything to lineup while the glue is setting up. I decided I need a couple of locating pins on the platform itself to keep the skin in alignment with it so that Will stay in alignment as I raise it to the coach (where there are four descending all thread dowels using the diesel tanks threaded mounting holes). My tests so far seems to indicate that I'll be able to raise the platform into place using a couple of ratcheting straps with the skin attached and install all of the roloks and other fasteners to hold it in place (with little help from a jack) while the epoxy sets up. The last two pictures are where I have glued in the rest of the polyurethane insulation and used jacks and various clamping cauls with polyethylene sheeting on top to hold the insulation in place while the glue sets up.
Don
Don, absolutely stellar work. That coach will last forever. I know you can't wait to see the finale.
Thanks! That makes at least two of us who will be very happy to see the finale!!! I know Tys
will be is more than ready to see it finished... ;D
Don
I have made good progress over the last few weeks. In fact, reached a major milestone... The bottom skin is now fully glued in place and ready for action. There is still some detail work to do down there, but no major gotchas lurking... I'm going to keep the narration of this post down to the bare minimum so I can put it on here, because time is a harsh mistress (with apologies to Robert A. Heinlein). I have plans for a future project to go through my pictures and notes and create a document which has the salient points which might be of interest to all Foretravel owners. Of course I will endeavor to answer any questions forum members may have... :D
And a few pictures of the gluing and prep...
And finally for today, most exciting part for me. The clamps come off! ;D
An ATTA BOY and karma points to you. ^.^d
Don,
Great job. I bet you will be glad to be done with the laying on your back under the coach thing. Hope you get to do some traveling soon.
Mark