Revcon Rebuild: Part 6

I'd love to say that the cap is completed.  But it is not. Yet.

Body work is hell.  Sand down old, textured paint.  Remove loads of sealer and adhesive.  Primer.  Sand again.  Epoxy paint.  Sand again.  Paint. 

But it has color.  We stayed tan, just went a different shade.  It is actually off of a 2009 Toyota FJ. 

So the cap has color and about 60% of the roof.  The new Maxx Fan has been installed, as well as the new front marker lights.  

We were attempting to install the windows in the cap when we realized that the way they're made means that the interior walls need to be installed in order to get a solid seal.  Well that isn't practical right now.  75% of the Revcon still needs to be sanded and painted.  Which means huge windows will be out for a significant amount of time.  With monsoon season starting on the 13th, we can't risk putting walls up now.  So...at some point soon, it will be entirely windowless.  For the shortest amount of time possible, but still. 

Revcon Rebuild: Part 5

Sometimes no matter how fast you run, you still feel like you're standing still.  We're in that place with progress.  We're constantly working, but it is hard to see the fruit of our labors right now.

We're prepping really hard for paint. And it is tedious work.

If you need me, I'll be on the roof.  I live here now.  I've spent most of my time removing sealer, adhesive and sanding.  Then removing more sealer.  And then more of it. 

Meanwhile, Mike has been working hard on finishing up the fiberglass work.  The front cap required more layers.  We tag teamed it last night and added five more layers.  Then today, he finished it with epoxy body filler.  Additional holes on the rear of the Revcon also needed to be filled today but weren't ready for filler today. 

Once the cap is sanded, it should be ready for primer and paint.  Mike removed all the old sealer, filler and whatnot from around the truck and cabin, so we're inching closer to starting paint on at least part of this behemoth.

Revcon Rebuild: Part 4

How is it Friday already?  Part of me is pleased with all we accomplished this week, and part of me wonders what we actually did.

Wednesday (I think) I sanded the excess fiberglass insulation off of the panels.  

Mike wanted to spray Lizard Skin on the walls before we insulated.  It is typically used in car builds to keep heat and sound down.

It was pretty noxious, so I didn't hang outside.  He was out til about 10PM, knocking it out.

This is the final product:

It was our first time using it, and we actually noticed a difference.  Under direct sun, the aluminum roof panels were fairly hot to the touch.  Not so much anymore.  

Not surprisingly, we noticed the adhesive they used to marry the skin to the studs had solidified and began to fail.  Mike scraped it all out, I drilled holes for new rivets, and he backfilled with new adhesive before riveting the body to the walls.

While he was riveting and messing with wiring, I spent the better part of two days installing foam insulation panels.

All of the cavities that can be filled, are.  We can't tackle the bottom until we rip up the rotten subfloor and replace it.  But with 75% of the camper done, it is noticeably more temperate inside than it was.  

One thing that happened today was unexpected: a microburst.

Right as we were getting started to work, a microburst blew through and took our awning off the side of the Revcon and twisted it.  We were able to get it upright again, but mechanisms are bent beyond repair and it will have to be replaced at some point.  A huge hit to the budget.  Much cursing and sweating was done to try and save it, but we don't think it is serviceable beyond acting as shade while we work.

Such is life with B.O.A.T. (Bring Over Another Thousand)

Revcon Rebuild: Part 3

We took the week off work to get as much done before the heat arrives.  During demo we decided to eliminate a lot of things that originally came on it, including lights, the refrigerator vent, and the front window.  Patch, patch, patch.

Original paint was revealed.  Purple.....

 

The front window fiberglass was interesting.  Working on a 45 degree angle in a tight space was....we only shouted at each other once.

But we're really happy with how it turned out. 

Once that was done, we moved onto patching holes in the roof and securing the sides with new rivets.  We noticed that the original adhesive had failed connecting the body to the interior frame.  So new adhesive was added, along with loads of rivets.

Today's agenda: insulation.  Mike sprayed Lizard Skin inside last night, and we'll be adding foam insulation today.