Hey Guys!
This weekend we got serious about getting the darned endcap into place. We're tired of messing around with it ;) Saturday we used ALLLLLL the clamps and got it into a pretty good shape! We let it sit so that we could do some minor adjustments once it had relaxed over night :)
This weekend we got serious about getting the darned endcap into place. We're tired of messing around with it ;) Saturday we used ALLLLLL the clamps and got it into a pretty good shape! We let it sit so that we could do some minor adjustments once it had relaxed over night :)
In the meantime, we did another patch! This one was covering a spot in the shell that had corroded through. We used a wire wheel to remove the loose corrosion, then caulked the HELL out of it and patched it! No more leaks from THAT spot! ;)
On Sunday, we made some final adjustments and then riveted the endcap into place. As we worked our way around the front edge riveting and removing clamps and supports, we figured out why it had seemed to FINALLY get into a better shape for us - we cracked it. OOPS!
Here's a close-up of the crack. We've since drilled holes in the ends of the cracks to keep it from splitting more, but we're pretty sure we're going to need to cut the fiberglass a bit to allow it to lie a little flatter. Then we'll figure out how to patch fiberglass! We're learning ALL the skills along the way! LOL!
It was a pretty big bummer, but what's done is done and we'll make it work :)
It was a pretty big bummer, but what's done is done and we'll make it work :)
After the mixed results of the endcap, we decided to do another project - we needed to deal with this cargo door that has been one of our biggest leak sources. We got it all pulled apart and as we were trying to figure out how to bend the door and frame back into shape (somewhere along the way, it had gotten hit and bent out of shape, thus the massive leaking), we started thinking. The opposite side of this door is going to be shelving for herbs and supplements, did I really want or need cargo storage there? Turns out the answer was, "No, not really." So we changed course and decided to patch it. It would be easier, quicker and more sure not to leak!
Since it was a rather large hole that we now needed to patch, it took a while to figure out what shape to patch it with! I settled on the silhouette of Mt Hood :)
And here's the patch all installed! I'm not quite done with it yet, though! I'm going to add some purely aesthetic patches - some trees in the middle of this patch. :) After all of those rivets, we were pretty tired though, so the prettiness will happen another day ;)
Just for fun, here's a picture of all of the patches on Maude's curbside :)
On Sunday, Mike took this photo as we sat in our backyard with a little propane fire. The fire cast some neat light on Maude, plus there was a mostly-full moon above her! Very Halloween-y! :)
Until next time! <3 Becca
Until next time! <3 Becca
