Mike's 1973 D22 Complete tear out. From the Roof down!

[Berlin-Tioga]

@ Rick
Yes, regular food grade sugar. The crystals reduce the sliding.

[TerryH]

Great tip! Thank you very much.

[RockwoodMike]

@ Rick
Yes, regular food grade sugar. The crystals reduce the sliding.

Not buying this story about sugar..It would act as small ball bearings..making it even more slippery during the laminating ..

[Rickf1985]

Sugar crystals are sharp edged, like salt but salt crystals are rectangular where sugar is multifaceted. Then again, it is processed sugar so I don't know. Have to get my magnifying glass out at morning coffee. Easiest way to find out is the next time you are gluing just try a small sample piece.

[RockwoodMike]

sprinkle a little sugar on your kitchen counter top and set a dinner plate on top of the sugar..slippery!!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

sprinkle a little sugar on your kitchen counter top and set a dinner plate on top of the sugar..slippery!!

It would still be something worth experimenting with.  The author of the suggestion is from Germany, and those Old World craftsmen might know a trick or two that we don't know about here across the pond.

Kev

[RockwoodMike]

What I am going to do next time on laminating a big piece like that is use dowel pins to locate the piece..First lay the 2 pieces together dry..no glue..Drill maybe 2 locations for a 1/4 inch dowel wood pins..Then they would act as locators for the exact position of the piece..Sort of like what is used on cylinder heads when you are reinstalling them on the block..Steel dowels that must drop into the holes on the block..Perfect positioning that way..

[Rickf1985]

A day without a post?! You are slacking off here Mike!

[RockwoodMike]

Hey Rick,I got caught up in the world series..but I am working on it..Here is the rear panel frame work and I was trying a stain system for the wood..Went to Lowes and found some product to try out..I will be needing to figure out a wood color to stain all the new wood that will go into the walls..to finish them nice..Thought this piece would be a good test bed..This first can is some sort of primer to help the stain smooth out on raw wood..It was easy to apply..Sucked it in like a sponge.. 

[RockwoodMike]

And then used this stain..finish in one stuff..Way NOT dark enough..But that is one coat..maybe 2-3 coats or just get a darker color..This piece of plywood used here is only .2 of an inch thick..It was .125 originally to the coach..Finding that thickness 1/8 is hard to do..In essence is is door skin that you need..But here it isn't available..And 1/4 ply is not available..It is this 5 mm thick import wood..So I guess that is what I will be using to skin the ceiling and walls..

[RockwoodMike]

I am going to try and fit this frame up today to complete the rebuilding of the back panel..I hope it all goes well..

[Rickf1985]

I love the look of real wood, all these people that paint the interiors................ Eh. You don't want to go to dark or you will have light issues inside, it will look like a cave. Unless you are into that. I personally like dark wood but not in a vehicle with little natural light. It gets gloomy after a while.

[RockwoodMike]

Yes I know what you mean about paint..White..light turquoise or something..Reminds me of a hospital room!! I laid on another coat of stain.  This color is not gonna do it for me..Too Yellow..I need a medium brown..Go back to Lowes and see what other colors they have..

[RockwoodMike]

That staining (second coat) was this morning..So this afternoon is was dry enough to handle and I tried a test fit install..Just using a floor jack..couple blocks of wood..slowly just jacked it up into position..At the top there is a lip of foam that interlocks with the wood..went right in..and everything else did well too!! I need to make new metal for the lower skirt of the wood..The side that faces forward and glue it on the stained wood..Then I think I am ready to install!! Drill some holes to run new screws into the flooring..I am going to run the screws where the flooring hasn't split open from the original install..Showed you that earlier..It is hard to show you with pics but it fits GREAT!!
Now for those of you with a good eye..Notice the lower cut out of the new panel..Those measurements of it show that it is centered ..The coach was made about 1/2 inch off center..I checked and rechecked..Its off..Oh Well!!

[LJ-TJ]

Said it before and I'll say it again. WOW! Great stuff. Your doing an amazing job and I'm sure are an inspiration to many of us out here. Showing us that yes maybe I we can do some of this stuff our selves. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

[TerryH]

Question for you Mike. Does your unit have those Type WDR AC electricity outlets - the very dangerous ones that connect by forcing the wiring onto V-blades that cut through the insulation to effect a connection. If so, are you upgrading them as you go?

[RockwoodMike]

I am replacing all the electrical..except the main fuse box..It seems to be in good shape..But here is a close up of an original plug..with the push in connector..Worst way you can do it but it passes residential code or they wouldn't be available..What happens with a circuit put together like this, especially a circuit with heavy use, such as being plugged into with a hair dryer (1500 watts ) or a space heater, is the connection gets fatigued, making resistance, making the plug itself get hot..
Using the screws on the side is much better because there is so much more contact with the wire..stronger with more surface area..But for a typical electrician, making a loop at the end of the wire and then having to loop it around the screw ..takes too much time..time is money and they want to make more of it..
I plan on replacing all the outlets and with as much as I am going to be reworking these walls, all the wiring too... I am so deep into the thing, I might as well!!
here is a little update on the back wall..New metal for the skirt below the floor line..The area that gets road grime thrown at it..Glued and screwed in place..

[Rickf1985]

Those outlets are not the ones Terry was talking about, those there are fantastic compared to the blade type. I had those in my mobile home! The first time I had one fail and I got a look at it I went to the hardware store the next day and bought replacements for the entire place. They were all replaced within two days.


Here is one of those outlets, You just push the wires into those v notches as they pass by. The notches are visible in those center sections that bulge out to the sides. You can also see the plastic tabs that rotate out to grab the wall since they are not anchored to anything but paneling. Now think about that with all of the movement in an RV!


https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiZTSMcp-ErON9qpMgB2AV6aPhr1uaG1CgwH39xk9Fl2x_uCIU1lA4fOF3U4r_lYtHn-gYD4xr7fQfun0BGuhW-naRmamQdA&usqp=CAY

[Rickf1985]

Mike, Do you have aluminum wire in there? If so either replace it (best idea) or make sure you get outlets rated for aluminum wiring. Otherwise the connections WILL come loose.

[TerryH]

Those outlets are not the ones Terry was talking about, those there are fantastic compared to the blade type. I had those in my mobile home! The first time I had one fail and I got a look at it I went to the hardware store the next day and bought replacements for the entire place. They were all replaced within two days.


Here is one of those outlets, You just push the wires into those v notches as they pass by. The notches are visible in those center sections that bulge out to the sides. You can also see the plastic tabs that rotate out to grab the wall since they are not anchored to anything but paneling. Now think about that with all of the movement in an RV!


https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQiZTSMcp-ErON9qpMgB2AV6aPhr1uaG1CgwH39xk9Fl2x_uCIU1lA4fOF3U4r_lYtHn-gYD4xr7fQfun0BGuhW-naRmamQdA&usqp=CAY

The Type WDR were dangerous enough when originally installed, but if removed and reinstalled the danger was highly compounded.
An electrical fire is difficult to completely extinguish and often reignites, sometimes an hour later.
I know of two boats that were destroyed that way.
Anyone with these should seriously consider replacing them. It is not difficult, other than those - such as galley outlets - that are installed in an exterior wall.

[RockwoodMike]

Mike, Do you have aluminum wire in there?

No aluminum wiring..All of it copper..but I have to replace it all because of the rework of the walls..

[RockwoodMike]

I was going to mount the rear wall this afternoon, but this brought me to a screeching halt..This is just below the plywood ..below the storage area in the rear..The grounding lugs for the 12 and 110 volt systems..All rusted and loose..When the back wall is on, there is about 2 inches of space to service this thing..Now is the time to fix it while it is all open like this..So why not get something new and install it inside the storage area..Where it is nice and dry and doesn't have road mud and salt thrown all over it..Run a bolt straight down through the plywood and that 2x2 steel floor support piece..Nice and tight and accessible..

[RockwoodMike]

Then I found these special screws that will be perfect for mounting the wall back on..With a special head that is flat to keep from splitting the wood like a bugle head screw can do..All of this was at Home Depot

[RockwoodMike]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Self-Contained-Outlet-Receptacle-Snap-Plug-w-Plate-WDR-Mobile-Home-Camper-/153319102873
Looks like that plug can still be bought even with the stories of them being so bad..I have never seen this type of plug..

[yellowrecve]

You can not get a good ground going through wood and steel. The bolt will lose it's tightness because of the give in the wood. Find a spot clamping only metal or weld a tab onto a frame member. Your doing a nice job.