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Old 02-25-2022, 04:10 PM   #41
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A little test of my geometry skills. I had traced the two curved sections of the cabover on to cardboard to serve as templates and to make measurements of the radius of the curve. A picture of the lower curved section is located in a previous comment. You can see it matches the lower curve in the metal trim pieces laying on the ground in another picture.

I've gone back and forth on just what I want for this and I've settled on using 2x4 pine to make the curved sections. I mentioned the geometry and pictured some of it above. I decided I would make the cabover 1.5 inches thick (1.0 on the bottom since it has to match the existing cab roof to sleeper board) and 1.5 inches wide at the top of each wedge (the outer wall). A standard 2x4 is 1.5 inches thick, so one 2x4 will make two of the wide wedged pieces I need. At almost 100 inches I will use studs for 9 foot ceiling construction.

I made some test pieces to prove my math and saw angle adjusting skills were up to the task. Picture is a 2x4 ripped with the dimensions and angles, then cut in short sections to stack like they will on the curved section of the cab over. I cut the template out and you can see the result. It's very close and looks like it should work well. So, I'll cut 3 - 4 pieces of ply wood to match my cardboard template, glue those to a straight 2x8 to serve as my construction form. The ripped 2x4's will then be stacke against those templates and glued together with Titebond glue, just like we make cedar strip canoes and kayaks. Once dry the edges will be sanded until the whole structure is round. This isn't that much work using a random orbital sander and 80 grit discs. Then 2 layers of fiberglass cloth gets applied inside and out. The result will be an extremely strong and reasonably lightweight curved part. repeat for the upper curve which is a different radius and not nearly as great a distance. Those will get epoxied to the existing side frames with screws also holding it all to the aluminium tubing already there.

The picture shows the short test wedges stacked around the cardboard template.
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Old 02-25-2022, 05:40 PM   #42
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That's an approach that I didn't expect but it's genius. I've never built one but I've always been fascinated by cedar strip canoe and kayak building.

Several summers ago I rebuilt a brand new, wood and canvas canoe that had been damaged in shipping. I had to replace something like 28 broken ribs and re-canvas it. Fortunately I was able to buy original, bent to location ribs from the original builder, Rollin Thurlow of Northwoods Canoe Co. I can't say it turned out as good as new but pretty close functionally if not cosmetically.
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Old 02-25-2022, 07:00 PM   #43
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I bet that is a nice canoe, Bob.

I've tried steam bending and it never seems to go well for me Probably my lack of patience.
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Old 03-05-2022, 12:38 AM   #44
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I have decided to make up a test panel of the 1.5 inch thickness I am going to use on the cabover rebuild. So. I purchased a 2x2 foot square of 1 inch thick XPS foam and 2 pieces of 5mm plywood in the same 2x2 size. The actual panels (2) will be nearly 100 inches wide, and will cover the flat zones above the bottom front curve, and then from the top curve back to the flat roof. They will be 2 to 3 feet wide in the longitudinal direction (in line with the coach lengthwise).

Each panel end has (the 100 inch width ends) has a 2x4 ripped to an actual measure of 1.5 x 3 inches. They lay flat and match up to the foam and plywood. Across the span on each side is an actual size 1 inch by 3/4 joist or stringer.

So, picture perhaps will explain -

Picture 1 shows the detail of the 2x4 material after routing. The long routed slots over the length are to fit the plywood, epoxied together such tthat the plywood and 2x4 become a single piece. The slots on the ends are so the stringer can fit inside between the plywood and be properly joined to the 2x4 material as well. Those 1 x 3/4 stringers become I beams when glued to the plywood, much stronger than the material by itself. Of course the whole composite structure acts like an I beam...

Picture 2 shows the plywood "skin" on the bottom, lying in the routed 2x4 slot, with the foam lying on top.

Picture 3 & 4 show the composite sandwich all together without the long 1 inch x 3/4 stringer that fits between the plywood panels. Of course I have not glued it up yet as I may not have enough epoxy for this test. And I still have to cut the 1 inch x 3/4 stinger.

The outside gets covered with fiberglass after installation on the Minnie. The glass will go across and over on the side creating a seamless cabover. Since I'm not actually installing this test panel, I did not route the edge with a radius to let the glass fabric make the turn. On the real panels the outer edge gets a radius of 1/2 inch.

When I get it finished I'll post pics of the test panel with a bit of stress being applied
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Old 03-05-2022, 02:23 PM   #45
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Parts are finished for the test panel. Well, except for one of the 1 x 3/4 stingers that I cut too short. Since it's a test panel and the stingers are not full width, I cut those short, matching the plywood panels rather than the extension on each end. I made one more but didn't have material to easily cut a 2nd one correctly. So. you might see the short on in place in the pictures, but I'll replace before getting the epoxy in place.

So, first pic shows the bottom ply, sides, and foam in place, along with the two stringers that span the width of the roof side to side when the full panel is made. You can see the short stringer in the upper left of the pic.

2nd pic shows another view where you can clearly see the construction, plywood bottom, foam, end pieces, and stringer, just missing the top ply.

3rd pic shows it all together, sans epoxy, and how it should look when glued up. On top there will be fiberglass fabric and epoxy to cover it all up and add the glass strength to the structure (quite a lot of strength). Once it's all in place I'll paint it white to provide protection to the epoxy from UV and heat buildup. Easy painting on the roof, just roll on a polyurethane topside boat paint.
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Old 03-05-2022, 02:30 PM   #46
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My bet is going to be on it being incredibly strong, stronger than anything Winnebago ever built.
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Old 03-05-2022, 02:31 PM   #47
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I should mention -

That panel test is for the cabover panel which I am making with a 1 inch thick foam, resulting in a 1.5 inch thick panel when it's all done. The main roof will get a much thicker panel using 2 inch foam, which gives us another inch (and R10) of thickness for a total of 2.5 inch thick panel. The main panels will be 99.7 inches long to cover the side to side dimension* and 48 inches wide since that is the material width we can get (plywood width).

The stringers (or joists) that run from side to side get joined together with epoxy when one panel is butted up to the next, so the stringers end up being 2 inch x 1.5 inch every four foot along the length of the roof. Those stringers become I beams due to the construction, gluing them to the plywood skins top and bottom.
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Old 03-05-2022, 02:39 PM   #48
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Hello Bob,

Yea, it will be strong. I may calculate the theoretical strength at some point. It is going to be overkill But the construction of the parts is pretty much the same going with 1/2, 1, or 2 inch foam sheets. Same amount of epoxy as well. The only extra cost is the extra foam and a little bit of wood. The 2 inch foam is R10 rating. Not up to house standards but better than 1 inch R5.

Not previously mentioned, but I will put stainless steel studs in the center of each panel on each side, along with a SS crush plate (so tightening a nut doesn't crush the wood). I can then mount a frame without drilling any holes. That frame can be a roof rack, or used to mount items like solar panels, satellite dishes, etc without penetrating the roof. Somewhere I have to design a wiring entry point, probably the bedroom. Electrical is the one thing still up in the air.
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Old 03-05-2022, 02:41 PM   #49
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Now, If Carolina will just beat dook, it will be a good day
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Old 03-05-2022, 05:11 PM   #50
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Quote:
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Now, If Carolina will just beat dook, it will be a good day
That took me a minute.
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Old 03-05-2022, 05:28 PM   #51
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That took me a minute.

Carolina Guy. Halftime 41-39 dook. Playing at Hansbrough Indoor Stadium...
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Old 03-13-2022, 11:01 PM   #52
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Not much to report as I really haven't had time or cooperative weather the last week or so.

"The panel cost will be around $175 each, depending on the final design. I'll need 6 or 7 of those."

My original estimate is rather low. I changed a couple items, a bit thicker plywood at 5.2mm rather than the 1/8th luan originally used by Winnebago. Current estimate for each 4 foot wide by 99.7 inch wide panel is around $325, quite an increase. I had epoxy and glass cloth prices in my mind from several years ago. I'm still tinkering with the final design but I don't see it getting any less expensive. I've considered just building a "standard" structure, 2x4 joists across the span with fiberglass batt insulation and plywood covering. Due to the high price of plywood and the fact I would have to use a thicker sheet (1/2 to 5/8) on the outer surface, and still have to cover in epoxy and glass cloth it's not really any cheaper. I could use regular glues and save but it's not enough to make that big a difference in the grand scheme of things.

I did narrow down the exact radius of the curved section pictured earlier. By drawing a complete circle using the cardboard template I then used geometry and a right angle to find the center of the circle. Turns out it is 6.25 inch radius, not 6 as I originally thought. Probably doesn't make a great deal of difference since it will all get bedded in with thickened epoxy which takes up any gaps that may be present. But the closer the better.

Progress will be slow until the mid May I think. My schedule is such that I should have a bit more free time then and nicer weather to work in.
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Old 04-02-2022, 10:24 AM   #53
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Quote:
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Now, If Carolina will just beat dook, it will be a good day
And it would be another great day, today, if the same thing should happen again!

Go Heels!
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Old 05-18-2022, 09:47 PM   #54
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A short update just to let you know I haven't disappeared or been kidnapped by aliens

My original estimate of Mid May is off just a tad due to supply issues affecting my business. I hope to get started in early June. I've been so busy I have not even gotten my order for epoxy and glass in just yet.

And for the record, both days mentioned above were spectacular!
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Old 06-05-2022, 03:10 PM   #55
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Picture of the existing very dirty bedroom valance and the blinds. Members of the forum helped me figure out how it comes out.

We'll recover the valance or maybe make new ones entirely and I plan to clean the blinds as they seem to be in good shape and I like them.

There are three of these in the bedroom.
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Old 06-05-2022, 04:23 PM   #56
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My wife recovered our valances to compliment the new upholstery she did.

You can wash your blinds in the shower without damaging them. Whatever you do, don't undo the strings so be careful. It's possible to restring them (instructions can be found online) but it's not an trivial process. If there are stubborn stains, try using Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with bleach. If you're nervous about using it, try it on a relatively hidden spot.

I've read where others use OxyClean but we've found the Clorox cleaner to work better and easier. Our 2002 Suncruiser has a fuzzy fabric headliner that had a couple of black stains from old water leaks before we bought it. Spraying the stains with the Clorox cleaner completely removed them to the point I'm hard pressed to find where they were. We didn't even rinse and that was back in 2017.
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Old 06-05-2022, 07:49 PM   #57
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Thanks Bob. I've got some oxyclean so I thought I'd try soaking them in the bath tub. Unfortunately 2 of the 3 will need to have the strings fixed. One was like that when I brought it home and the other one I messed up not realizing how they worked.

I have some wall work to do. The right back corner has some interior delamination that needs to be fixed. Then I need to fill some holes in the walls. After that I'll get the walls painted and will rehang the blinds and recovered valances. I have paint coming to paint the cabinets since I don't like what's there. I have to build a new platform for the bed as the previous owner changed the original to something that I don't want to keep. I'll replace the flooring last when I do the rest of the floor.

Really not that much work and I can do that before or during the upcoming roof work.
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Old 06-08-2022, 10:58 PM   #58
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I did clean the blinds from the bedroom. Soaked them about 30 minutes in the oxyclean in the bathtub. Pretty dirty given the change in the water color. Picture of one drying in the sun on the back of my Avalanche. I may give them another soak this weekend. They are pretty clean now.

The pair in the slideout are much longer, right at 60 inch in length and will not quite fit in the bathtub so I'll need to figure out some way to soak those with spending a fortune on a trough of some type.
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Old 06-09-2022, 07:35 AM   #59
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The pair in the slideout are much longer, right at 60 inch in length and will not quite fit in the bathtub so I'll need to figure out some way to soak those with spending a fortune on a trough of some type.
Scrap wood frame and plastic will make a nice, inexpensive trough.
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Old 06-09-2022, 12:05 PM   #60
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Excellent idea, Bob. I'll do it outside and use solar heating of the hose for hot water Don't even need a bottom, just sides and ends laying on the ground.

Perfect, Thanks!
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