So I finally got a moment to take a few pictures to update this thread. I'm embarrassed to say that I never did paint anything and it now has a pretty solid "patina" on the frame and suspension. I had grand plans of stripping it down for a full sandblast and paint this spring, but work and other projects took up all my time, so it will likely go another season as is.
The first two pictures are of the mechanical closet. This houses the battery, air compressors, water pump, power inverter, air manifold, fuse block, switch panel and water heater. It took a bit of brainstorming to get it all to fit and be somewhat organized, but I think it came out relatively clean. I do still need to tidy up the wiring a bit, but a lot of that was last minute or even during the trip last summer. I'll be digging in over the next month as we get ready to go to Wyoming in August.
The next picture shows the front of the cargo area where the air tank and the fridge slide reside. The air tank is going to be relocated so that it's not vertical and takes up less room. That will allow me to build a clean simple cover to encapsulate everything and make it more weather resistant. If you look closely you can also see the junction box where all of the chassis wiring is terminated.
The 7-pin RV plug is routed to that junction box through the tongue tube and comes out through a handle I made.
The safety chains are attached via 3/8" cold rolled steel rod I bent into 90*s and welded on.
That's about all I have for now. The kitchen is the next major area of focus. On our trip to Colorado I was constantly worried about preparing food on/in a trailer that we were also sleeping on top of. Being from the east coast I don't have the greatest sense of security around the larger predatory animals of the west. As a result we did a lot of our cooking/food prep on campground tables. I'm still not sure whether I want the stove and other cooking tools attached to the trailer or if I will keep them modular and just create storage areas for them. In the meantime I'm going to finish up the sink and plumb the water heater in so that it will serve both the sink and the shower. While I'm doing that I intend to add an accumulator to the water system so that it doesn't pulse so badly.
Feel free to hit me with questions, I'm happy to share my triumphs and mistakes :smiley_drive: