One Small Step, And Another, And Another, And Another...

The past few days have been spent doing somewhat smaller projects on the camper. They're just as important on the to-do list, just not as glamorous or interesting. I've patched a few more holes using the leftover roofing sheeting and rivets, put on new reflectors on the sides of the camper, trimmed excess putty tape from the door, etc. Like I said, not that glamorous. :)

Our new trailer tires and complete wiring kit are scheduled to arrive in a few days, so hopefully this weekend we can knock-out those two projects among others. I'm kicking around wheel/brake drum color ideas... they need painted before the new tires are mounted. I have two main thoughts in regards to colors:  "plain" and "coordinated". Plain would be something like a gray brake drum with a black wheel, while coordinated may be something like a black drum with a green wheel (to match our planned green vinyl striping and new Frolic decals). I'll probably play it safe and go with the plain scheme. :)

This weekend we discovered that our toilet was broken beyond repair and that our shower drain wasn't even connected! I'm glad we didn't plan on using the shower! :)  For the time being, we're going to take out the toilet (done already) and shower pan and re-plywood the floor and leave it. We're going to try and find a good deal on a camper toilet and are okay waiting a little bit for it. We have a porta-potti from our Civil War Reenacting days that will work as an emergency / middle-of-night solution. :)

So for now, we're going to plumb in the sink and drain... nothing fancy, no hot water (right now), just plain cold water supply. While it's not conventional camper, it's what we're going to do right now. It's already July and we are chomping at the bit to go camping a few times this summer.

In addition to the above items, I received the exterior door / hatch from ebay and was very pleased with it. I installed it and it fit like a glove, seating between the two wall studs. Photos of the install are below.

 

If you look closely, you can see the outline penciled on the siding to cut out.

Working my way around the outline with metal shears.

Dry-fitting the door.

All done!  These exterior photos remind me of how much work is still ahead with the Goo Gone. :) The majority of the marks on the camper are from adhesives during the major renovation and duct tape.

The good news:  the new door looks great!  The bad news:  it's about 1/4" too narrow and too short for the A/C to slide in/out of because of how the A/C is "stepped" in the bottom (it drops down for a condensation catch). After dis-assembly of the A/C case, it was discovered that we could not alter the shell at all. We had hoped for some wiggle room, but it wasn't there.  So... the A/C design will be far less magical and amusing:  I'll pick it up, walk around to the outside of the camper, and set it into the doorway/hole.  Oh well... at least it will work and when not in use will be stowed safely. :-\

I think that pretty much sums it up for now. My wife is nearly done with the curtains, and we devised a clever curtain rod system, but that'll be another post.

All for now,
Sam