kempy Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Was wondering why the door step was a bit spongy and the door itself a bit loose Found out why when I pulled the cap off... You would be tempted to think that the sub frame itself is in a bad condition, Ironically it's not ans although it looks crappy, the paint looks worse than it actually is. The only rusty bits are on the draw bar and a couple of small supports that will both be replaced. I quickly folded up a replacement of the rusty bit above and a new cover as well Note the wooden bracing inside , didnt want the caravan to pancake while there were no windows or panels on the ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Still the R/H rear corner to deal to but I just couldn't help a trial fitting and marking out the new sides. Buying some decent L/H and R/H offset shears made cutting the curves much easier. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P_Star Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Jesus christ! Coulda just built one from scratch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Jesus christ! Coulda just built one from scratch Mate... Or just bought a good one. Oh well, in donkey deep now! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingbrick Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Where did you get that paneling from? Looks great! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Where did you get that paneling from? Looks great! Mahurangi Sheet Metals in Warkworth did the work. Couldn't rave about them enough really, they were really busy but still gave a toss even though they had some big projects on the go, almost down to 1/3 of the price of 3 companies I priced up in Auckland which really surprised me. Only downside was that I felt that I got ripped off by a previous company that was supposedly doing stuff at mates rates. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Did the last corner today, was probably one of the worst when I was expecting it to be the least corroded. Same scenario as before, Bottom of the Ali was like rice biscuits and the galv steel had more than 1/2 disappeared. Another close up for those that enjoy looking at rusty caravans The aluminium corrosion was really thick and to a degree had saved part of the steel underneath by encasing it with a thick (4-5mm) coating of aluminium oxide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Look Ma, no frame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Last corner dealt to. Only the door area to rebuild then it's time to complete the exterior panels and paint. Nice to have feedback from a boat builder who thought I was doing a great job, hard to know how well you are doing and what consequences you'll suffer later on when you attack one of these as a one off. Cheers to ThreeontheTree for the sand blasting garnet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Last lot of problems I know of (fingers crossed) is the door area and wheel arch, seems that it was previously a weak point and a wet area leading to severe corrosion Here's the guard, not a great photo but the door frame connects to it as well and the whole side just flaps around in the wind, the only thing keeping it there before was a few corroded rivets interfaced with some powdery aluminium. Pic of the Door well, what's left of it. Chopped the ply out, it was a bit average in that area and also cut the end off the rectangle tubing so I could get at the sub frame and start the side repair, tubing offcut is sitting on top of the angle iron. The angle Iron was supposed to support the front edge of the step, the fact that it was about 80mm too short could have been causing problems Oddly enough, on the guards they didnt cap off the sub frame tubes so they just filled up with dirt/sand off the wheels and rusted out, same on both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Here's the replacement bottom guard and door frame support once the new sub frame goes back in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 In place for a trial fitting, It's not completed yet as I'm going to spot weld it and remove the rivets/ corrosion treat etc.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63Ragtop Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Top job man! well done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoeddynz Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 This is awesome. You very brave and determined. That brunox stuff is good albeit bloody expensive. Can weld it too but the fumes.... Just don't skimp at any point when thinking about protection (paint..not condoms) you'll be so happy you went that extra mile when cracking open another beer at the beach in shitty weather knowing it's going to last. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Cheers Man, starting to think brave is another word for bonkers The paint issue came up today in fact, I had already purchased some spray enamel and 1k high build primer on the advice from the guys at the paint shop as I was going to attack it myself, it seemed sound enough but everyone else I spoke to thought I should go 2k. A bit if a re-think and decided to use a professional as I'm no painter. The advice to use 2k was firmly put across by the guy who's going to spray it for me, he paints Aluminium boats for a living so I reckon he should know his stuff.(thanks to nvmyvl for the contact, and Rustisize for offering to help) He's going to supply the primer and the paint shop swapped the enamel/primer and solvents back which was really good of them so I'm hoping for a finish I know I never would have had the patience nor skill to obtain. Had a chuckle to myself when I saw your caravan frame only remaining.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threeonthetree Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Thanks for coming down to the shed last night Kempy! Giving me a hand to remove the ignition from the Fairlane was much appreciated. I'll have to come and have a nosey at your shed too someday. PS - 745i, you know it's the right thing to do 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 The 745i.... tempting, although an 8.8l diesel does too Was an experience to visit the shed of wonders! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Wee bit more progress this week. Moved the caravan to under the shade of a tree as the heat was getting a bit much. Bottom panels for the right hand side ready to go They're a bit of a nightmare putting them on by yourself as they want to curl over and spring out, I also wanted to avoid buckles and ripples , so a couple of wood offcuts and some clamps came to the rescue 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Fresh cut top panel for the right hand side, I deliberately put a 50mm overlap on the new panels in case the seams ever leaked. ( bottom panel, bottom edge) Front panel back on now, this was a bit of a challenge as the caravan had to be exactly square for it to fit, it came right with the aid of a jack, some timber and adjusting the temporary bracing inside Apart from some tidy up work and the door area the right hand side is finished ready for painting prep. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 A few of the tons of profiles for window surrounds, each coated with a corrosion killing etch primer on both sides which the original panels didn't feature. Starting to find it's faster make new profiles than treat and repaint old stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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