4500 Camper/Jeep Hauler Build

[Pearce]

3M 4200 may be an option. Works great on everything boat related to keep water out.

 

[gprguy]

I ended up ordering some Sikaflex 221 since it comes in "aluminum" and I've had good luck in the past. What I had on hand was the wrong color and old enough to be suspect.

 

[Dave01]

3M 4200 may be an option. Works great on everything boat related to keep water out.

More of an adhesive than a sealant.

 

[gprguy]

Pretty tedious stuff today but it needs doing. I traced out the frame bars on the inside of the panel:



So I could spend a while laying out lines and nicely spaced dots for rivets.



Then, all the drilling.



And here we are, after putting it back on the frame and drilling a hundred more holes.





Hopefully I can get some aluminum sheared up tomorrow so I can start experimenting with trim. Probably won't be any actual work to update on till the weekend.

 

[Scooter29]

Wheeling was fun, went with some folks from a local club to Tahuya forest.

View attachment 70686

And yes, that Ram Rebel went with us the whole way. She was a great driver even though we ended up on some trails that rig didn't belong on, and unfortunately she did not escape without some cosmetic damage.

Climbed up Yellowjacket which was a blast. There was a puddle at the bottom before the first set of slabs that made things a bit tricky at first. The Ram did not go up Yellowjacket.

View attachment 70687

Got hung up a few times but made it top the top with no winching or straps.

Back to work today. I made the other bottom panel out of the .125.. And apparently didn't take a photo, that seems to be a theme. Anyway it looks the same as the other side.

Then it was on to the first bent panel. I am pushing my brake too hard with this .063.. Hopefully it holds together. I'm definitely going to have to make the corner trim out of something thinner.

After a lot of measuring and some test bends, here's the panel.

View attachment 70688

Was a little tricky to make - I kind of screwed myself on that inside bend, there are fillet welds there so I couldn't just do an easy 90 - had to do two closely spaced 45's. But it fits.

View attachment 70689

View attachment 70690

Now I need to make the same for the other side and then get it pinned in place with some clecos. Still waiting for my order of rivets to show up, they are late..

Tahuya is a fun spot, we take our Samurai there and cruise around the trails with the kids. We usually park and watch the built rigs climb up the big obstacles. The last weekend and up to Tuesday were nice weather to go out.

 

[jsalbre]

Have you considered putting a bead of sealant on the frame before riveting on the sheets? I’d think you’d end up with a better seal than just putting a bead from the outside.

 

[gprguy]

Have you considered putting a bead of sealant on the frame before riveting on the sheets? I’d think you’d end up with a better seal than just putting a bead from the outside.

Oh definitely, that is my plan. I mainly want to make sure no moisture makes its way into the inside of the steel frame via the rivet holes. I am debating whether to also put a bead under the corner trim, there's probably no real point and it may end up causing more mess/lumpiness than it's worth.

 

[jsalbre]

Oh definitely, that is my plan. I mainly want to make sure no moisture makes its way into the inside of the steel frame via the rivet holes. I am debating whether to also put a bead under the corner trim, there's probably no real point and it may end up causing more mess/lumpiness than it's worth.

Hmm, what about butyl rubber tape like you use on rv roof vents?

 

[gprguy]

Hmm, what about butyl rubber tape like you use on rv roof vents?

Too thick IMHO, I'm just looking for a gasket like smear on the frame before I lay down the panels for the last time and rivet them.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Friend that does RV repairs swears by his Milwaukee cordless caulk gun. Beautiful beads and super controllable.

 

[gprguy]

Friend that does RV repairs swears by his Milwaukee cordless caulk gun. Beautiful beads and super controllable.

Can confirm, I have the same gun. The "auto backoff" is nice as well.

 

[gprguy]

Ended up stuck at work most of the day, but I still fit in some garage time. Started by making some test trim pieces out of some .032 aluminum I sheared into 2" wide strips.





Seems ok to me, might as well dive in. First couple pieces bent up and test fit.



Marked up, drilled:



And "done":







I'm pretty happy with that. Need to do the same for the other side tomorrow and then figure out my next move. Probably finishing up the vents.

 

[Great White North Eh]

HOLY CLECO……Batman!!!

 

[gprguy]

Another beautiful day in the PNW, got a fair amount done.

Started off by locating, drilling and then cutting out the vents that will be hidden on the front of the box behind the cab.





The cutouts are offset slightly due to the uprights, so the rivets can grab those as well.



Looking pretty decent. The louvers are from rodlouvers.com although I actually ordered them via Amazon.





Then it was on to duplicating those trim pieces for the other side, I'm happy with how they came out.







Next on the to-do list is probably a trim piece that goes all the way across and then making a panel for the inside of the driver's compartment where I plan on mounting various electrical things.

After I get those done, unless I find something else that needs doing it may be time to start riveting these panels on for good so I can tip it up and get it back on my fabrication table.

 

[gprguy]

Back when I was building the frame I added a couple of bars on the driver's side to hold a panel above the inverter to mount things like fuse centers, Victron Orions, or whatever else I can fit there. So now it's time to make that panel. A couple quick cuts and bends later:



Used that panel as a template to drill the cross bars and add some stainless rivnuts.



Looks good.



That'll come in handy later. Last big project before attaching some of these panels for real is to build the cover trim that hides the joint going across the front.



Ideally I'd either make this out of a continuous 7' strip, or maybe even two 4' strips, but I only have easy access to a 36" shear so 3 pieces will have to do. It'l be hidden behind the cab anyway.



Good enough for me.



Now it just needs to all come apart, clean up sharpie marks, deburr and then start riveting.

 

[Units]

I take it the rivets you needed came in?

 

[gprguy]

I take it the rivets you needed came in?

Finally. Not the USPS's finest hour, but Bolt Depot's customer service is top notch.

 

[gprguy]

Spent the afternoon cleaning things up and getting ready, should be able to start riveting tomorrow afternoon.

I also finished a few odds and ends and mounted a couple of components that will be much more difficult (but not impossible) to mount once the box is skinned.



That included drilling a hole for the water separator drain with an grommet to help seal it up.





Long way to go but mounting some of this stuff makes it feel like I am getting somewhere. Tomorrow should be fun.

 

[gprguy]

I didn't take too many in progress pictures since I didn't want to get Sikaflex on my phone, but here's a couple.





And the finished product (so far).





Ran out of time to do the big sheet tonight, that's the plan for tomorrow.

 

[Ramsomair]

Sika Flex!!! That’s what we assemble wind turbines with!