Sawtooth XL Build

[DanCooper]

Final Post for a Few Weeks-Part 2

The profile is looking pretty much like a Sawtooth XL should look.



Thought I should put the tongue box on to see if it fits.



There is a little bit of room . . .



And enough room to open! I thought I would have another inch, but this is enough.



Final two shots today. The awning is gone now, and I will keep it out of the weather with tarps. If the weather is going to get miserable, I will pull it into the garage.





The first things to do when I return are to finish taping the seams, pull the wheels and install the fenders and the correct wheel studs on the wheels, then return to the hatch and galley area. Since I also have plenty of 1/2-inch birch plywood left, I think I will make some cupboards for the interior rear wall. I can use them to stiffen the roof a little. Since I foolishly modified the plans without thinking them the modifications through, I caused a weakness in the framing that allows the roof to sag. This is because I did not run the galley wall all the way to the roof. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. But by building boxes that go across the rear wall, I can take them to the roof, and bolt them to that shortened galley wall. That should fix the sag.

Then there is the rest of the build including all of the fairing and filling and smoothing and final coating and electrical and on and on. Still having fun!

 

[Zeiderman]

Looks amazing. Yes 800 pages is a lot, it's been several years since I've looked at it, I didn't realize it was that big.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[twiisted71]

i didn't see it until today, but this may help others.....for making the curved outer sections you can also use strips of board (not plywood). Use strips 1-2 inches wide, bevel edges to approximately match as they go around the curved framework. then go over the blocky edges with a belt sander and shape as needed using a piece of wood cut with the desired contour as a buck to check progress. You can then glue on a piece of laminate to make it appear as one piece if wanted. Obviously any gaps should be filled with wood putty as needed.
Also a tip for fiberglass weave print-through...for nice finish work you should use a couple layers of chopped strand mat over the woven. Also just like other cloths f'glass comes in different thread counts and you can buy very fine woven mesh that will have very little texture when wetted out. Also spend the little bit of money on a couple of f'glass rollers. they are either plastic or aluminum rollers available in a variety of sizes and profiles with circumferential grooves that ensure all glass is fully wetted (no air bubbles) as well as making it lay as smooth as possible. They can be disassembled and cleaned with MEK or acetone just like your brushes, gloves, and scissors.

 

[mrnurse]

there is a UV activated f'glass resin that does not require you to mix in the hardener. you can apply it, in your garage, and then roll the trailer out into the sun. In just a minute or less the resin will start to cure. this will allow you plenty of time to glass then entire outer shell with one coat at a time instead of sections at a time.

 

[stomperxj]

there is a UV activated f'glass resin that does not require you to mix in the hardener. you can apply it, in your garage, and then roll the trailer out into the sun. In just a minute or less the resin will start to cure. this will allow you plenty of time to glass then entire outer shell with one coat at a time instead of sections at a time.

SMD Sunflash

 

[Taylor1982]

I'm sure it's very similar to SMD but I use Solarez for everything needling fibreglass or carbon repair. Same principle, roll on, roll out into sun. It's solid stuff and can get the low fumes version in case you are in a garage or similar.

 

[DanCooper]

i didn't see it until today, but this may help others.....for making the curved outer sections you can also use strips of board (not plywood). Use strips 1-2 inches wide, bevel edges to approximately match as they go around the curved framework. then go over the blocky edges with a belt sander and shape as needed using a piece of wood cut with the desired contour as a buck to check progress. You can then glue on a piece of laminate to make it appear as one piece if wanted. Obviously any gaps should be filled with wood putty as needed.
Also a tip for fiberglass weave print-through...for nice finish work you should use a couple layers of chopped strand mat over the woven. Also just like other cloths f'glass comes in different thread counts and you can buy very fine woven mesh that will have very little texture when wetted out. Also spend the little bit of money on a couple of f'glass rollers. they are either plastic or aluminum rollers available in a variety of sizes and profiles with circumferential grooves that ensure all glass is fully wetted (no air bubbles) as well as making it lay as smooth as possible. They can be disassembled and cleaned with MEK or acetone just like your brushes, gloves, and scissors.

With respect to the various methods of making curved sections, all the proposed solutions will work. But keep in mind that the structure is meant to be a boxed section. That is, it gets most of its strength from the two outer members being attached to the internal ribs.

 

[DanCooper]

there is a UV activated f'glass resin that does not require you to mix in the hardener. you can apply it, in your garage, and then roll the trailer out into the sun. In just a minute or less the resin will start to cure. this will allow you plenty of time to glass then entire outer shell with one coat at a time instead of sections at a time.

Hmm. Interesting. But since I am building outside at this point, I don't think it is a viable option for me now. But I will certainly keep this in mind when I build whatever StomperXJ comes up with next.

 

[DanCooper]

I'm sure it's very similar to SMD but I use Solarez for everything needling fibreglass or carbon repair. Same principle, roll on, roll out into sun. It's solid stuff and can get the low fumes version in case you are in a garage or similar.

See above.

 

[DanCooper]

Got back yesterday, ready to rock and roll. But no power! So I messed around a little, and spent time researching getting a title in Washington State, ordered new tires for the Subaru, prepared a flat of peaches for canning, and napped (guess I wasn't really ready to "rock and roll"). But today I am back to taping the seams, getting that hatch done, pulling the wheels, changing the studs, and installing the fenders. Hopefully, I will have a status update later today showing progress.

 

[DanCooper]

I did not get to do any fiberglass work today, as the weather was against me. I did get the wheels off and the spacers, and changed the spacer studs to the correct size (that is, the same size as on the Subaru so all lug nuts are the same). I am glad I did because I noticed that some of the nuts holding the spacers to the wheels were not torqued properly (by me, of course). Now they are all on and torqued to 90 ft/lbs.

I also mounted the fenders, and I have a bad case of gaposis between the fender and the sides. Hmmm. Open to suggestions for filler to fill that gap. I'm thinking an epoxy putty might work. but perhaps Sikaflex would do (but only of the Monstaliner will adhere to it). Bondo will certainly fill the gap, but since it cures hard, I'm thinking the vibrations will just spit it out somewhere down the line.

Also found that while I was gone, some rain blew in under the tarp and got on the floor inside towards the rear. I had not put CPES on the interior floor yet, and now I can't until it dries. Mold is just starting to form, too, and I will apply bleach to that in the morning and put a fan on it. Dang it.

I have to get the oil changed first thing tomorrow. That is the third oil change this trip, which has been over 10,000 miles so far. That will mean a later start than I would like, and time keeps passing by.

If I remember to take the camera tomorrow, I will post some pictures of the fenders as they are mounted.

 

[DanCooper]

With the weather cooperating, I was able to get all the fiberglass cloth and tape that I wanted to put on the trailer actually on the trailer. I also cut out the front window and the roof vent openings



Started fairing in the door sills yesterday and the rear section around the light boxes and lower panel. Using the 207 filler from WEST (which has those micro-balloons mentioned above) and making it "soupy" produces a nice smooth finish that is easily sanded. I am happy with my first attempt and look forward to learning more about it.



Below is a poor photo of the door sill.



Then I got my brother to help me install the interior ceiling panels, using the bendable plywood. I need to fill the screw and staple holes, then finish it with a light golden Minwax finish. I like that product because it is a wipe on application, and it is awkward to work inside the trailer.





Some additional help showed up while I was sanding.





I am leaving the interior panels intact until the outer coatings are completed. Then I will cut the openings out before I install the windows. Also, I test fit the doors, and they look like they are going to work. Tomorrow will involve sanding, then filling/fairing, and repeat until satisfied. I will also (while the resin is drying) try and build that rear hatch and cut the plywood for the rear cargo door. The weather is supposed to stay warm, so I may actually get the Monstaliner on this weekend if I can get the body as smooth as I would like it to be.

 

[stomperxj]

Beautiful work Dan Good progress

 

[DanCooper]

Quick Update

Progress has been frustratingly slow. Saturday was spent getting new tires mounted on the Subaru. The BF Goodrich KO-2s are a major (and expensive) disappointment. The right rear wore down to the wear bars at a little over 8,000 miles, and the left rear had a little over 20% tread left. I couldn't drive them back to Alaska, so I fitted Yokohama Geolanders and put the two best KO-2s on the trailer.



I have been sanding. And filling. And sanding. The hatch is giving me fits, and I am moving slowly towards something that I will be satisfied with. After all is done, it must fit, and seal, or it is totally unsat. Looking forward to finalizing it today.



The boxes for storage and to support the roof are constructed and installed, and the roof no longer has its little sag. They kind of look like chicken nesting boxes up there right now, but some stain and finish, and cargo netting for content retention, and I believe they will look great.





Part of the sanding process has been that the air compressor I am using does not have enough volume to handle the pneumatic sander. So Mark (who calls himself The Plumber From Hell) built me this little expansion tank to add volume. It really helps, and I have hopes that it will speed the process.





At the end of the week, I must put this project in storage and on hold. I have to get back to Alaska for a number of reasons, not the least of which is hunting season starts on September 1. While I have always refused to hunt bears in the past (professional courtesy: you don't try to eat me, and I won't try to eat you), one of them has provided sufficient provocation to deserve attention, viz:



I know that bears are omnivorous, but really, eating SOS pads? That had to hurt the next day . . .

 

[DanCooper]

Yesterday I finished bolting the body to the trailer frame. I think it looks pretty good under there.



Then I finished the galley hatch (finally!) and set it over the galley itself for a photo op. This photo is before I trimmed off the bottom.



After its photo, I took it inside, trimmed it to length, and applied the Rot Doctor. It is ready for paint. By the way, that CPES the Rot Doctor sells is good stuff. The last few mornings there have been heavy fogs, etc. When I get to the work site, there has been a little puddle of water on the roof. It is just sitting there, not soaking in. I wipe it off with a towel, and I can start work right there if I choose.

I like the hen "nesting" boxes so much, here is another picture.



The rest of these pictures are just various stages of sanding. The final few are of the "last" coat of resin and filler. It should just need a light scuffing with a 3-M pad, then wipe down with M.E.K., prior to starting the Monstaliner coating.











Thursday it gets its winter house and final prep for the Monstaliner. Of course, I have been saying "final prep" for so long that it has little meaning anymore.

(I don't understand what is going on with attaching the photographs, so I am blaming it on the software)