Pro-Rig V2.0 - Home Built Compact Composite Pop-up
- Thread starter CoyoteThistle
- Start date
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Most progress in the last few days has been on sanding and fairing, which is basically done :wings:
Today we did a re-pour on the counter top epoxy. The first attempt wasn't great to start with and then a bunch of tiny fly things decided to entomb themselves in the epoxy, leaving a bunch of little bumps. This time we set up inside the house (instead of the garage) and it's looking better.
Not perfect but it'll do. Excited to get the stove and sink mounted now.
Been putting off finishing the entry door for a while because I didn't really like my plan. I was going to do the aluminum trim on the edges to hide the core (like the cabinets) but it was going to be a pain due to a bunch of reasons. Also, I didn't really have a plan for entry stairs since I went to the two-piece door. So, over coffee a couple mornings ago I stared at it for a while
Came to two conclusions: 1) aluminum trim is out and 2) the lower half of the door will swing down and have a step built in to it.
I used 1/4" plywood to hide the core. Glued it in with thickened epoxy and lots of gorilla tape to keep it in place while it all dried.
This will be a cleaner look ultimately.
Lower door gets the same plywood and a neat little step.
Scariest part of the process was chopping off a half inch of each side of the door to allow for the extra width of the ply. I'll fillet the corners around the step and glass it in for a smooth look and strength.
I'll add some beefier hinges and some stainless cable supports to (hopefully) make it strong enough for step duty.
Other piece of progress was adding some aluminum angle to the roof for the canvas to attach to.
I found that tri-grip rivets hold pretty well through one layer of the plywood skin on the panels. I also used thickened epoxy so these should be on there pretty well. Looks like I need to do some clean up on the 5200 still.
Also made the mounting brackets for the gas struts that will lift/hold up the roof when in the “up” position. (Just noticed in the upper left of this shot is the "back" of a tri-grip rivet in some aluminum angle - I pulled this out of a test panel to test the strength.)
I once read someone on this site describe the sizing/angles/etc. of gas struts as “something of a dark art”. Based on my research, that seems about right. Trigonometry, force vectors, converting Newtons to pounds – what could go wrong?:sombrero:
Today we did a re-pour on the counter top epoxy. The first attempt wasn't great to start with and then a bunch of tiny fly things decided to entomb themselves in the epoxy, leaving a bunch of little bumps. This time we set up inside the house (instead of the garage) and it's looking better.
Not perfect but it'll do. Excited to get the stove and sink mounted now.
Been putting off finishing the entry door for a while because I didn't really like my plan. I was going to do the aluminum trim on the edges to hide the core (like the cabinets) but it was going to be a pain due to a bunch of reasons. Also, I didn't really have a plan for entry stairs since I went to the two-piece door. So, over coffee a couple mornings ago I stared at it for a while
Came to two conclusions: 1) aluminum trim is out and 2) the lower half of the door will swing down and have a step built in to it.
I used 1/4" plywood to hide the core. Glued it in with thickened epoxy and lots of gorilla tape to keep it in place while it all dried.
This will be a cleaner look ultimately.
Lower door gets the same plywood and a neat little step.
Scariest part of the process was chopping off a half inch of each side of the door to allow for the extra width of the ply. I'll fillet the corners around the step and glass it in for a smooth look and strength.
I'll add some beefier hinges and some stainless cable supports to (hopefully) make it strong enough for step duty.
Other piece of progress was adding some aluminum angle to the roof for the canvas to attach to.
I found that tri-grip rivets hold pretty well through one layer of the plywood skin on the panels. I also used thickened epoxy so these should be on there pretty well. Looks like I need to do some clean up on the 5200 still.
Also made the mounting brackets for the gas struts that will lift/hold up the roof when in the “up” position. (Just noticed in the upper left of this shot is the "back" of a tri-grip rivet in some aluminum angle - I pulled this out of a test panel to test the strength.)
I once read someone on this site describe the sizing/angles/etc. of gas struts as “something of a dark art”. Based on my research, that seems about right. Trigonometry, force vectors, converting Newtons to pounds – what could go wrong?:sombrero:
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Congratulations on the new rig! Look forward to the build.
Nothing new on the battery set up - been focused on building. But, good news is I might only be a few weeks away from getting it on the truck. At which time I'll be doing more testing related to charging off the alternator. Really eager to do that, will report results for sure!
guidolyons
Addicted to Gear Oil
Busy weekend pro-riggin'
Lots of cutting aluminum, more painting and, what else, more sanding!
Roof is getting close to completion. Aluminum channel all the way around the inside and Al end pieces to cover the exposed core.
Al channel will hold the bulb seal like so
Hoping this will be sufficient to keep the water and dust out.
Interior is getting close to being kind of complete.
Bathroom side
Potty will go at right under the medicine cabinet.
Kitchen side
Good news is I'm done with the cabinet doors. Hated that part of it. I like the overall look though and it should be functional.
Pink spot in the floor in the last photo is the shower pan. Need to figure out a low profile shower grate - I've got about 3/4-inch of height to play with. Preferably something that can be pulled out and used for outside showering and is durable enough when the shower is used as the "mud room" - taking off ski boots, muddy shoes, etc.
Only one more piece of paneling to cut - need to make the floor/cover for the shower area.
Then the flooring can go in. I think we settled on vinyl planks - TrafficMaster Allure - Teak. Seems like there is some concern with using vinyl planks in non climate controlled environments (shrink-swell with cold and heat) but many seem to have used it successfully. Any experience here?
That is looking awesome!
For the shower area, how about a teak insert? Lots of different sizes and styles.
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
I hadn't thought about a pre-made teak grate - good idea. Those are pretty nice, need to look around and see if I can find one with the right dimensions. Something like the second one could be trimmed to fit I imagine.
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Been mostly focused on the door re-design.
Got the lower half of the door reinforced and the step glassed in. Ready for paint.
Step may need to be deeper but went low profile for the first iteration.
Big accomplishment today was cutting and installing the aluminum z-bar around the inside of the door. Here's the view from inside.
Used the rivets and thickened epoxy again. Seems really stout. Here's another look.
The little doohickey is one of the anchors for cables that will support the door when folded down in "step" configuration.
Here's a look with the sample bulb seal installed.
In the category of "things that are taking much longer than expected", got a fourth (I think?) coat of tung oil on the table. The pores are finally starting to seal up. Will probably need a couple more. Turning in to quite a little side project but it is looking good.
Attempts two and three on the epoxy for the kitchen counter failed. Still getting divots and irregularities. Sanded it down flat again and will try brushing on a thinner layer instead of pouring it on.
These wise words are haunting me this last week or two:
So true, so true...
Got the lower half of the door reinforced and the step glassed in. Ready for paint.
Step may need to be deeper but went low profile for the first iteration.
Big accomplishment today was cutting and installing the aluminum z-bar around the inside of the door. Here's the view from inside.
Used the rivets and thickened epoxy again. Seems really stout. Here's another look.
The little doohickey is one of the anchors for cables that will support the door when folded down in "step" configuration.
Here's a look with the sample bulb seal installed.
In the category of "things that are taking much longer than expected", got a fourth (I think?) coat of tung oil on the table. The pores are finally starting to seal up. Will probably need a couple more. Turning in to quite a little side project but it is looking good.
Attempts two and three on the epoxy for the kitchen counter failed. Still getting divots and irregularities. Sanded it down flat again and will try brushing on a thinner layer instead of pouring it on.
These wise words are haunting me this last week or two:
So true, so true...
scott7022
Nobody
Great Build!! Awesome, truly awesome. I will also state, that while I am not an expert on vehicle charging systems, and Lithium. I am an expert at researching these topics. The link you posted was probably one of the best overview write ups on the topic that I have seen in years. It should be tagged by a sticky or something to make it easy to find for people THINKING about lithium! Seriously, great read, ACCURATE and with zero FANBOY crap. I have been going back and forth for years doing the should I change should I not... The little side article I spotted on the FireFly batteries, carbon foam just made the decision I whole lot more difficult. LOL! But in a good way. It will be fun to watch this build (subscribed) and see what your alternator does and doesn't like. Great info contribution!
In regards to the alternator could it be Regenerative Braking control giving you the issue. This was on the Sterling site. I don't know if US Metrics have it installed yet as they have a greater penetration in international markets? Not sure when North American manufactures will be adapting it for local sales, apparently they are for Eastern Europe export. Just an off the cuff theory, but? DC to DC or Batt to Batt is great if you can stay under the Amp rating of the controller. Easier with single alternator systems but dual...?
In regards to the alternator could it be Regenerative Braking control giving you the issue. This was on the Sterling site. I don't know if US Metrics have it installed yet as they have a greater penetration in international markets? Not sure when North American manufactures will be adapting it for local sales, apparently they are for Eastern Europe export. Just an off the cuff theory, but? DC to DC or Batt to Batt is great if you can stay under the Amp rating of the controller. Easier with single alternator systems but dual...?
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Thanks! Yeah, I don't know how many times I read through that article - new little pieces would make sense each time. Just looked up the FireFly carbon foam - interesting! Wonder if it likes standard charging profile? Looks impressive at first glance.
Really interesting thought on the regenerative braking. Good read too. I'm pretty sure my truck doesn't have that. I do think that it "chooses" times to charge - i.e., mostly when the engine is not under load (coasting or going down hill). I seem to be able to bypass this by removing a fuse (the horn uses the same fuse!?!). The other "smart" thing it seems to be doing is limiting output current based on the actual current draw (measured through a sensor on the ground cable). I think I can cut the wire going to the alternator that controls this. Don't know if that will trigger a "check engine" light and screw me for emissions testing though. Also, could fry the alternator if it doesn't have another protection built in. Yeah, should be interesting testing coming soon!
I agree on the batt to batt - that's probably the best way to go but I'm hoping to avoid the extra cost and I could never be sure that the charging profiles they use are appropriate for LiFePO4.
Using something called Super Glaze. Tried heat gun and torch. Both got the bubbles out but not the pits. Seems like some pits appeared during curing process too? I think I might try warming up the resin a little next time (bottles in a warm water bath) to make it thinner and flow a little better. If that doesn't work, I'll live with the imperfections.
Anton2k3
Adventurer
My two pence on the above; the battery to battery chargers are all limited in terms of current abilities. I think ~50a (max for 24-12v which I had) -100a. The great thing about lifepo4s is that they can, when required, charge at much greater rates (healthy rates depend on bank size). So if you size you bank appropriately, you can make the most of the ~200a an alternator could theoretically kick out.
CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Pretty thick. Basically until it flows over the edges. It's like some spots are hydrophobic (epoxyphobic?) and just don't want to stay filled in.
java
Expedition Leader
Weird, I wonder if it's the paint used. I've always made a dam out of tape around the edge and done 3/16" ish deep. Then add a bit on the edges
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CoyoteThistle
Adventurer
Took a few days off from Pro-Rigging, back at it today.
The re-design on the door led to lots of work but both parts are essentially done. Got some paint on the inside of the upper piece
and the lower
I wound up adding a 1/4" lip to the inside edges to get more compression on the bulb seal. Still gonna be tricky getting a good dust-proof seal with this design.
Also made another attempt at the epoxy on the kitchen counter. Warmed it up in the sun and painted it on with a foam brush. Much better but still not great.
I'm gonna live with it for now and get it installed.
Got a bunch of sample swatches of different types and colors of canvas. Need to settle on one and find someone to sew the sides of the pop-up. Leaning towards 10 oz. cotton or maybe a 10 oz. cotton/polyester blend. Seems like the most breathable choice. Any thoughts on pop-up material?
The re-design on the door led to lots of work but both parts are essentially done. Got some paint on the inside of the upper piece
and the lower
I wound up adding a 1/4" lip to the inside edges to get more compression on the bulb seal. Still gonna be tricky getting a good dust-proof seal with this design.
Also made another attempt at the epoxy on the kitchen counter. Warmed it up in the sun and painted it on with a foam brush. Much better but still not great.
I'm gonna live with it for now and get it installed.
Got a bunch of sample swatches of different types and colors of canvas. Need to settle on one and find someone to sew the sides of the pop-up. Leaning towards 10 oz. cotton or maybe a 10 oz. cotton/polyester blend. Seems like the most breathable choice. Any thoughts on pop-up material?