1 Bored Clerk's Garage Built Camper

Of course!

 

Yes indeed.

 

Subbed. Fantastic work!

 

Thanks!

 

You're welcome!

 

Sanded down the outside of the door then flipped it over to put the first coat on the inside of the door.


Sanded all of the fixes I patched last time. Sanded the door opening. Sanded several other things...you know...made dust because I can’t get enough of it.


Second coat of fairing on the little stub wall here. I also went for a third coat on the inside of the door opening. And I had to patch up a few issues I missed last time I fixed issues on the interior. So many “issues”. Haha!

I also hand sanded a few exterior fixes. I’m going to clean off the exterior really well and go around it for a final hand sand/repair round this week.

I’m going to drill all the mounting holes for the ceiling fan as well. I’ll drill them oversized then fill them with thickened epoxy. Then, when it’s dry, I can re Mark the fan holes and pilot drill holes for some stainless wood screws. I tested this process on some scrap and the screws were wicked solid. The screws will also be in blind holes so I don’t have to worry about moisture working it’s way in through the screw hole. Screws plus the sealant/adhesive to keep it from leaking and it should be good to go.

 

Just curious, have you been keeping a tally on what you’ve spent on materials?

 

Now this is a good question.

 

HELL to the NO!

But if I were to guess, I’d say I’ll be in the $5.5k range not including time, tears, lost sleep, more tears, self loathing, disillusionment, and fear energy loss. The aluminum boxes were NOT cheap. They were the single biggest expense. You could do this same build without the aluminum boxes and save $1800.

 

For anyone unfamiliar with estimating hobby projects (before or after), I’m going to drop some knowledge.

Actual cost = 2x estimated cost.

Easy.

 

Truth. After I bought tools I needed my table I'm building went from $50 to $100.

 

FIFY

 

In all honesty, if it was all about the cost I wouldn’t be where I am with my build either...

 

For sure! DIY is not for saving time or money.

 

Sanded the back side of the door. Need to put a second coat on there but I ran out of gloves so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.


I also sanded this little area...


And this area...and a few others. One more round of fixing ought to see the fairing and sanding done. I may actually be ready to start priming this weekend.

 

2nd coat of fairing on the inside of the door and a 3rd coat on the little stub wall. Patched a spot or two elsewhere. I think that might be it for major fairing. I still need to hand sand all of the corners the sander can’t reach inside. That will be tedious but it shouldn’t be terrible. The exterior needs to be cleaned really well and a final hand sand of any sketchy areas and it should be good to go.


See the dots of epoxy?


There you go. Now you can see them. I drilled all the holes for the exterior mounting screws for the vent fan. I oversized them (1/2” drill) then cleaned out the holes of loose core material then filled the holes with thickened epoxy. I beat the roof like a drum to help settle the epoxy down into the holes, filled them back up then repeated the process. I’m sure there will still be plenty of air holes when it cures but I took every precaution I could. You trap an air pocket then the epoxy heats up while curing, the air expands and has to go somewhere. I’ll sand these bumps down flat tomorrow and see if I need to do more work.

Things are happening! The amount of stuff to do before priming is getting small. I can’t wait to get to priming. Hopefully it all looks good enough.

 

Bed mount holes are drilled!

Work has just continued to be brutal for weeks. Camper work has ground to a halt until this morning. Last weekend I took the opportunity to go play all weekend and I don’t even feel bad about it. Dirtbiking on Saturday and surfing on Sunday. This weekend is half camper, half dirtbiking. I’m going to fart around with the camper for a bit more today then go riding for a couple hours...more of the same tomorrow.

 

I have hand sanded all of the corners that the sander could not reach. I uncovered a few issues that need repairing but I’m SO PUMPED to be through this first round. It just gets easier from here with the sanding. A few divots to fill, re-sand then it’s full cleanup time.

I need to get in gear and order some stuff:

Sikaflex to seal the roof vent fan
Bulb seal for the door (1” stuff)
Mattress spacer (help reduce condensation under the mattress - I found some interesting stuff...I’ll keep you posted.
I need to go buy some primer and paint supplies too!

 

Okay, day is done. I patched all the flaws I saw. Let that cure tonight then finish sand it tomorrow. I imagine more issues will crop up as I start to prime it. A uniform color will show ALL the problems. I’m just shooting for ‘not too terrible’ so fingers are crossed! Haha