Looks good Ian...
I see quite a fleet of yotas in that yard... a red plow truck... a blue runner?... you been holding out on us? thought your red one was the only one you had lol...

Happy New Year buddy...

 

those are the welder's. both are auto 3.0's. the 94 pu has a 4" bracket lift, really beefy rear springs (no aal or blocks), and a 2-3" bl. the runner is a stock. the thing under the tarp in the center of that picture is a complete bolt-in 305 swap setup.

thanks mark! you too!

and i did some math, and found out i have 2' x 8' of .030 aluminum left over. sweet.

on a side note:
towing the trailer has its moments. obviously, acceleration is inhibited. once moving, though, you can't feel it. a sway bar is needed. and this trailer is going to be sweet.

 

another e-mail from e-trailer:

it was nice of them to let me know, but i actually had forgotten what i ordered. so i'll get a surprise package sometime late next week

and right now, i'm ordering the last of the hardware for the roof: rivets, some bolts, etc.

this weekend: cold & windy. i can start work on the lift post attachment points

 

I think it was the sway bar that was back ordered... or was it some lenses?

 

no lenses or swaybar. i get those locally and cheap.

quick connects and a terminal box, i think

 

found out i need a new camera. so for now, it's just my cell phone. oh well

parts! mcmaster-carr is quick to ship. i ordered this tuesday, got it next day



these are the good ones; aluminum in aluminum = no corrosion



got a bit done this afternoon.

marked where i needed to cut out



then cut / drilled them out





and they almost fit. just a hair too small. i need to file them down tomorrow, but the widths are correct as of now





plenty of clearance





more pics to come!

 

Looks good Ian... don't forget to protect against galvanic corrosion where the steel? uprights meet the alum. roof frame...
there is some goop we used to use in the elec. trade for that... IK there is stuff used on airframes also but I can't think of the name of either at the moment...

 

i have aluminum washers, and i'll paint the bolts. but from everything i've read, as long as i don't drench the trailer in salt water, i should be fine. it's galvanized steel, too, so that should help to some extent

 

Don't forget any driving you do in winter/early spring dragging the trailer... if you go where they use salt in the rain a fine salt water mist will get in everywhere...
the worst time for salt damage [rust] is not in the dead of winter as most folks think but the spring when all the salt residue is washing out of the roads/shoulders and it is warm enough to keep it "active"... also don't forget salt fog if you go to the sea shore...
IK it's not a major concern but since you've got her open now why not go the extra step?
+ it can be useful "training" in application/use of a product that you will come across in your A&P work.

 

DANG, ...... go away for a day or two and Ian goes Aluminuts! lol. Looks great, Ian, seriously! Can't wait to see you using this thing, all set up and some good pics of you on a trip with it, snow all around, you all toasty inside! lol.

 

heh, thanks mark. with the weather being soooo incredibly nice (mid-60's all weekend), i can get a bunch done without swatting bugs or freezing my arse off.

aviator: i'm not actually going into the aviation field right now (not yet, anyway). i have a sweet job lined up as soon as i finish school. i'll let you all know about it when it goes through.

and today's pics are uploading...

 

today's progress:

first, i needed to trim the openings. files don't work. dremel does.



dip it in some atf for lube and cooling



cutting done on one opening



this is what the bit looks like after all trimming was done. note the cleanliness!



fitment after trimming



now on to the "vampire bolts"...



(notice the "fangs"?)

i made a jig to hold the fangs in place while welding. made them nice and parallel





the post holes had to be enlarged. the originals were for 1/4" bolts. i want 3/8"





now it's stable at full height!





then i added nuts and washers



and trimmed the fangs for clearance



after that, i put on the trim (not installed, just stuck on there to make sure it fits)



that's all for today. tomorrow's supposed to be colder, and i have a bit of other stuff to do, so it'd be nice if i could maybe get the sheet metal at least started. one thing i need to fix is this wall. it's bowed out a bit (not the door... i already know it doesn't close)

 

Dude... fix the door! LOL... You can't have that hanging in the breeze while you're flyin' down the highway... think of the added drag. It;s going to make the thing trail all crooked and wonky...
Looks like a good job so far keep up the quality work...

 

now that i have rivets and a welder, i probably should look into that...

buuut- i can go camping with a broken door. i can't go camping with no roof. so the roof gets priority.

don't know how much i'll get done today, but i'll try to get some stuff done after lunch

 

Wow, nice work/perseverance, buddy! Looks good!

Oh yeah,..... did someone say, already, ........THE DOOR? lol. JK, how you gonna rig that up? (sorry if I missed that)

 

there's 2 arms inside that push outward when the handle twists. they were hanging down, and the handle was loose. i put some temporary rivets in and fished the arms up into place. it's a temporary fix until i get the roof done, etc.





that's all i think i'll get done today. i'm loosing sunlight, and i don't want to stay up on a sunday evening with work in the morning

 

e-trailer order shipped! finally!

now i remember what i ordered...

 

I Knew there were some tail lights in there some where! LOL

The door looks much better already... a little thick foam tape and your good to go.

 

just one tail light- the center one

thanks. it's only temporary right now. i looked at how much the handle costs: $60! heh, no. i'll make my own, thank you!

 

picked this up yesterday afternoon: