Been a long time

It has been a long time since I updated Lucy's progress. A lot of work has been done and she is beginning to look like herself.  This blog entry covers about 2 months work. 

After the floor was completed and fit to the frame, I removed it and put the wheel wells back on. Thankfully I didn't damage them when i removed them. Some primer and black paint and they were good as new.  Thanks to all the helpful people on the NSSO Facebook page, I decided to coat the floor with Herculiner.  This is a roll on bed liner product.  Many people recommended covering all of the wood with it but I decided to only cover the framing and edges.  My reasoning for this is that I think the plywood needs to breath.  The top will be completely covered with glue and vinyl flooring.  Leaving patches of un-coated plywood will allow it to dry out if it gets wet.  

I added a new wire harness and then bolted the floor down. I have also removed the wheels and re-packed the bearings.  This was necessary because one of the hubs did not spin easily. However, once the job was finished, the other hub does not spin well.  I have not repacked that bearing again yet.

We attached the outer walls on both sides, paying close attention to put them back where they go.  All of the openings were cut small so that I can adjust them to the aluminum skin when I put it back on.

To give Lucy some extra strength, I am laminating a second layer of plywood on the inside.  This will make her 1" smaller inside but I believe it is worth it.  I staggered the joints and used two different layers of 1/2" plywood.  I have used Heavy Duty Liquid Nails between the layers along with countersunk stainless steel screws on the outside.  These walls are sturdy now.

Once the glue dried, I used my router and a follow bit and trimmed the interior panels to size.  The exterior is a OSB grade and the interior is a Birch paint/stain-able grade.

Laminated Layers

Flush Trimming with Router

The cabinetry is coming along too. We found a refrigerator that replaces the old icebox perfectly.  We are not going to put a stove back in because I can't imagine cooking in a 70 sq ft camper.  This gave us some extra room for a bigger fridge.  On the opposite side the cabinet went floor to ceiling before.  We shortened it to make the camper feel bigger on the inside.

The flooring is in now and I have ordered flexible wood for the ceiling and I expect it in anytime.  I can't wait to get her under roof.

Cheers!