Frame Welding

[Kenn]

Jbeech I will be using Kwikee electric steps (3 steps). If you go back to page 10 of this thread I have a couple of pictures of the steps mounted. If you have room to carry a small landing with steps that might be better than a ladder. The other option might be to cut and frame a door and steps into the side of the truck. It would be a lot of work but might be worth the effort in the long run. Good luck.

[jbeech]

Thanks for telling me which page Kenn. I'd seen that and promptly forgotten because cutting steps into the existing box floor isn't something I am keen on doing. Maybe a portable landing/steps set up is in my future because I agree, a ladder isn't really to my tastes. By the way, your mill, is it a Vectra? A friend has one, works nice. I've got a Bridgeport CNC mill, which I refurbished recently and am now putting a new brain on it.

[Kenn]

Jbeech my mill is an old Supermax that I got at an auction for $1200 a few years ago. Also on page 10 is a picture of a friend using it to make an oil pan for his race car. I finished with the corners on all the windows. I made a template that I can clamp in the corner and then use the flush cut router bit. I also used the router to round over the sharp edges where the stainless trim will go. Now I can start putting epoxy on all the bare edges. I am changing my method of holding the FRP to the frame. I sent all of the Sikaflex adheasive back and bought six rolls of 3M VHB tape. I will now have time to get all of the bolts started and not worry about the adheasive setting-up before all the clamps and bolts are tight. One step forward and one back.

[Kenn]

I have been spending time on the carport project. But I have been working at night on milling pins (2x2x22 solid) that will be inserted into the lower frame so the crane can use nylon straps to lift the box. I also made a guide for my skill saw to trim .461 off the top of the drivers side FRP. It worked great and now I have another tool to store. I am now sanding the frame and FRP getting ready for the 3M VHB tape.

[Kenn]

Yesterday my brother and sister helped me bolt the drivers-side FRP to the frame. I called 3M and talked in detail about how to prep the steel frame and the FRP. I sanded with 80 grit and then used air to blow off the dust and then whipped it all down with isopropyl alcohol. I then put the tape on the and used a small roller to press it to the frame. With the FRP 5" from the frame it was hard to see in some areas. We slid the FRP in on the guide pins and installed the 49 3/8 bolts. I used welding clamps in the window openings and rigged up some long strong-backs to us wedges behind. The long frame members had about an 1/8" gap between the frame and the FRP and the wedges took care of that. The 3M tech told me that the VHB tape takes 72 hours to get to full strength so I will leave it clamped until then. All in all it worked pretty good, but I did manage to cross-thread one bolt. When I tried to remove the bolt it spun the nutsert. I drilled out the bolt and drilled, tapped and installed 1/4 bolts on either side of the drilled out bolt. I think I made the right move switching to the tape because the time it took to get all the bolting and clamping done was longer than the Sikaflex glue would have allowed. Next up is to start prepping the passenger side so we can bolt it on this weekend. A side note, I got my variance approved for the carport and I ordered it on Monday. I should have the drawings next week and then apply for the building permit.

[Dragonslayer140]

Looking good Kenn! Still on schedule to drive it to the truck show? We have it on our calender to go down to the show.

[Kenn]

Dave I am still planning to take it to the show in 70 days. It won't be finished but the outside should be about done. I will get my drawing for the carport today and then apply for the building permit this week. I will lose a few days when I do the concrete for the carport. Yesterday my brother helped me get the passenger side FRP done and we are doing the underside of the bunk today. It is starting to look good.

[bushpilot]

STARTING to look good ??? are you kidding me ??
Its been looking GREAT for a long time !

[Kenn]

Thanks for the kind words. Yesterday my brother and I got the floor and front of the bunk tapped and bolted in place. We came up with a way to get the roof ( 8 x 25 x 3/8 & 360#) off my trailer and on top of the box. I flagged down three young men and they helped push it the last three feet. All in all it worked great. Now I need to trim it to size and start drilling holes for the 1/4 x 20 bolts.

[Kenn]

I finished drilling all 46 holes in the roof for the 1/4 x 20 nutserts. First I clamped the 1/4" drill fixture to the roof and drill the hole and then used a counter sink to get the head below the surface. After all the holes are drilled and countersunk I had to slide the FRP forward and to one side about six inches. The FRP is 360#. Next I clamped the 25/64 drill fixture with the alignment pin to the frame and drill the hole. I installed the nutserts on the back and one side and then slide the FRP to the rear and other side to repeat the clamping, drilling and nutserting. I am happy to be done with the 229 nutserts. Today I trimmed the roof flush with the sides and the three 14" square holes for vents and A/C. Tomorrow I will lift the roof up and put the 3M VHB tape on and then lower the roof and install all of the bolts. I still need to finish putting epoxy on some of the bare edges. Wednesday I picked up my windows and they look great.

[Kenn]

It took a while but all of the FRP is tapped and bolted in place. I finished the back without any drama. I still need to epoxy and glass over the roof bolts. I got a phone call from the county saying that my building permit was ready and now I can start doing the concrete work for the carport. I am not sure if I will be doing the concrete or having it done. The weather will be hot for about a week. With all the FRP on the box, my shop seems smaller and darker than ever. My printer died and the new one is giving me some challenges in trying to transfer pictures from my camera to the computer but I will try to post pictures of the back wall and the wedges I rigged up to put pressure on the center stud.

[Kenn]

I have been splitting my time between digging dirt for the carport and working on the motorhome. I decided to dig and do the forms myself and I will now pay to have the concrete poured and finished. It has been very hot 90 - 95 for the past few days. I don't like manual labor and the hot weather really kicks my butt. I had the inspector approve the forms and now I am waiting for the concrete guy to do his part. Should be done this week. The carport will go up about a week after the concrete is done.
On the motorhome side of things, I have finished with epoxy on all of the edges of the FRP (3 coats). I also used thickened epoxy to cover the roof bolts and then fiberglassed over them and then two coats of paint to protect the epoxy from the UV rays. Now I am starting on the stainless trim. I have drilled 16 holes for the clearance lights around the top and epoxied all of them. Today I made in-feed and out-feed tables so I can start punching many many holes in the stainless. I mounted my bench punch to the milling machine table and then used 12' 2x6's on each side to hold the flimsy stainless while punching holes every few inches. I am able to raise or lower the mill table to match the wood. I hope to have all of the trim and lights on in the next week. Next up will be to install the windows and then put the hole thing on the truck.

[Kenn]

The carport is done except for rain-gutters. I finished all of the stainless trim that will be done before the box is lifted onto the truck. I am now installing the windows and am waiting for the air conditioner and vents to arrive.

[Kenn]

I got all six of the windows installed. The small ones (12 x 18) went easy the larger (48 x 36) were a workout for this old guy. I mounted them without any inside wall plywood and the window maker gave me short pieces of the clamp ring material so I could mount them to the steel frame. In the interior picture you can see where I marked the location of the holes in the clamp rings. All of the windows fit great and the screens and glass open and close with little effort. I got all of the red marker lights installed and I am still waiting for the amber lights to arrive. Today I started preparing the truck for the big lift which will happen on 8-15. I am planing to enter the unfinished truck/conversion in the Brooks Oregon truck show on 8-24.

[jbeech]

What's the plan for finishing/protecting the exterior (corner) edges?

[Kenn]

I will be using more of the 3 x 3 polished stainless angle on the corners. I will wait until the box (living quarters) is welded to the lower unit. The corner trim will run from the roof to the bottom of the lower unit in one piece. I am using West Marine multi caulk sealant under the trim. I am using #8 screws every three inches. I drilled through the fiberglass layer of the FRP to prevent the sheet metal screws from cracking the gelcoat. In one of the pictures you can see the small screw holes and when I apply the caulk I run a bead over the line of holes. When I install the screws a small amount of caulk goes around the screw for a water-tight seal. The large (3/8 countersunk) bolts get covered with caulk. The last piece of trim will be what I call the belly band. I will screw a 4" strip of stainless around the box to cover the joint between the top and bottom. The belly band pieces will start and stop at the corner pieces. If all goes well it should give a finished look.

[jbeech]

While it costs considerably more, rather than use any silicone type product for the seal, I would opt for urethane body seam sealer instead. Source it at any paint and body supply place. Ask for seam seller. Use it in a caulk gun, pay a lot more, low to mid $20s, and get less but believe me, this is the stuff. Available clear, black, and white and it's paintable.

[Dragonslayer140]

Kenn, rig is looking good, and your truckport turned out really nice, imagine all the space you are going to have in the garage once you get the rig assembled and parked outside....Glad to see you are still planning on taking it to the Brooks truck show, only two weeks away...We are still planning on making the drive down to see the show, and look forward to seeing you again.. Keep up the great work.

Dave

[daddywoofdawg]

So the trim is just #8 screws or are the bolts involved too?

[Kenn]

The screws are all that hold the trim on. The bolts are holding the 1/2" FRP to the frame. The countersunk screw heads are below the surface of the FRP and they are not involved in holding the trim on.