Just as beginning the first steps on finishing interior woodwork, or beginning to sand the exterior sheet metal were learning curves, and getting my head around what to do and how to do, putting metal back up onto the camper frame has had its own challenges.
In the factory, several workers who have done the same thing day after day, or at least time and time again - with new materials - have reached that stage we are all familiar with in our own lives of "just what goes down".
Not so in a first attempt at a project such as this. For me, there have indeed been challenges to getting this right, and it isn't helped when you're working with previously used materials - factory mistakes and all - with a goal of such intended outcome, e.g. the uneven/unmeasured placement of clearance lights, and the occupation with trying to determine a new functional use for existing out of place holes in the skin.
But I'm making it work, slow and sure. The next several posts will show that process, hopefully in a somewhat organized fashion.
I'm using staples to attach the metal to the wood framing. The framing varies from small plywood and 1x2 pieces placed around the round roof, or the ends of the original 1x2 ribs, as well as new plywood, both edges and main surfaces, as was used in the original design. There are also places where simple screws are used to hold the metal against the framing surface directly, or seams where you can staple first and place the next segment of metal over the stapled edge.
I may go to 3/4" staples for the second sheet (where it overlaps the first metal edge), but to start with, I'm using 1/2" staples. These are pneumatic small crown (1/4") staples, a style as used elsewhere on the camper, and are coated so they have a real good grip (I know, I had to pull some). And I had to drop the pressure way down to 10 PSI to prevent the staple from sinking through the metal.
Today I'll start with the first piece to go up (based on the original, and the necessary metal overlapping), the floor of the bunk and front wall of the camper box. This is the piece that curves behind the truck cab.
Here's how it ended up.
This piece required DW's help. My first step was to place the V-point edge into the front point of the camper cab-over. I stapled in a few spots along that front edge to hold it. Then we placed the garbage can on top of the work table under the bunk floor (that happens to be the correct height if you remember when I pulled the bunk floor out of the camper), and that supported the metal. Then we slid the table and garbage can forward so I could work near the curve area.
During this process I was too busy so didn't get pictures.
Next I used clamps to hold the window openings in alignment (metal to framing). It was very difficult to align the openings; soon I discovered why. The roof metal (lower surface of the bunk floor) was buckled! There was too much metal and I started thinking I had placed the curve backing board improperly. But quickly reasoned that was impossible without making the board bigger - which I hadn't done.
Then it dawned on me - I had cut about 1/2" off the front edge of the roof/sidewall paneling due to rot and other damage. In essence, the cab-over bunk bed (east/west bed) was 1/2" narrower than it had been when it started life. Therefore I had too much metal at the V-point. Doh!
The critical metal placement was of course, at the window opening. I removed those first staples from the V-point and aligned the window. Then I drove surface wall screws (existing holes and original method) nearby to hold it in place. The screws I used were 3/4" lath screws (the flat washer is part of the screw and makes for an excellent choice in pressure sealing against the metal).
Then I had to lay backward and use my feet to press the metal into the curve properly while DW drove screws. Soon we had three or four rows of screws holding the metal securely and we removed both the table and garbage can. We placed screws from center outward, verifying edge alignment and flat fit as we went.
Then I had a moment to think about pictures. Here are shots of the extra metal along the V-edge. You can see the original angle break-over crease in the newly flattened metal edge and how much further forward it was hanging.
You'll also start seeing three holes on either side which were caused by a PO installing under-cab rear-view mirrors.
They don't look much different at first glance, but the following shots are after I trimmed excess with tin-snips.
The rear-view mirror holes are now (with the exception of one on the passenger side) right along the edge and can be covered by trim molding. That exception might simply get a screw to fill the hole.
Then it was a matter of using a hammer to make the new bend around the V-point, keeping it more rounded than sharp, and fastening from center outward.
This shot shows that rear-view mount hole that is outside where angle would cover. Maybe. Unless I decide on a larger angle here.
And here is the driver side.
This shot shows where I was able to cut out the multiple points of damage on the original V-cut and make a new cut with drilled hole that shouldn't tear.
I also added the lower metal segment (below the window). In stapling all the edges, again I fastened from middle areas outward, and stapled in the pattern's low spots, coming back later to secure the higher pattern portions.
The corners are messed up. That from the first (and subsequent attempts to rectify "initially and eventually" in-effective) corner jack mounting. Did I mention "don't put corner jacks on a Travel Queen"?
The other left and right mess up spots are where the front angle of the under wing jack grids screwed to the camper front wall. See here?
That again is one reason why you shouldn't use that grid as a tie-down. Not only does it pull that angle OUT of the wood, rubbing on and binding under the skin to eventual cause these holes, but it pulls the whole WING down and out! Bad plan. My jack and tie-down solution is already engineered, but now is the wrong time and place to discuss it.
I don't yet have a solution for covering the holes (the inboard holes), but if I can't determine a functional covering, it will be a decorative one.
The jack mount holes are another matter and I'll be covering them with angle as both a covering, and a corner jack-prep, should the camper ever receive corner jacks - which are not in my initial plan.
Finally, I cut to size the end cap boards and stapled them into place with 1 5/8" staples into the plywood backer-board edge, and to the end of the bunk shelf cleats.
By the way. I left the end caps un-primed so when somebody says "You primed every piece of wood in that CAMPER!" I can say, "I did NOT!"
First sheet, check!
