Two 4 1/2" holes have been cut in the front (shown here) and two in the rear quarter-panels for "mushroom" vents. My good friend and neighbor, Joe Welch, helped me install the vents--one of several jobs I can't do by myself since I don't have 8-foot arms.
Next came roof rack installation. Paper templates are provided to make sure the holes for the racks are properly placed.
Here is one of four sets of holes that were very carefully drilled, guided by the template.
Four "bosses" were provided to use when attaching the rack brackets. The bosses are curved on the bottom to match the curvature of the shell. The bosses received two coats of epoxy, and here they are shown after three coats of varnish.
I skipped photographing a few steps, but here are the roof racks mounted in place.
Next came installation of the galley hatch. I simply had to install the hinge pins and the gas lifts, shown here holding the hatch open. The hinge pins are bolts, so heat-shrink tubing was placed over the threads so they don't chafe the holes in the hinges.
Finally a hasp was installed for locking the hatch.
And on to the doors. First step was to install the windows. The protective covering has been left in place on the outside for now. It had to be removed from the inside surface so sealant could be applied directly to the windows.
Here's a shot of the inside of a (mostly) finished door. There is supposed to be a rod extending from the handle to the bottom of the door, similar to the one going to the top but the one I had was too short. I'm waiting for a new one to come in next week. There is a webbing strap stretched from top to bottom. When the door is cut out, it flattens a bit and doesn't quite match the body. The strap pulls it back into shape and also serves as a convenient grab handle for closing the door. You can also see one of the installed mushroom vents just to the right of the door.
The closed door. A pretty good fit. Foam weather stripping is holding it out just a bit, but it is uniform all the way around, and I suspect will crush down and let the door in a little further as time passes.
I moved the camper outside for several reasons: To show it off to the neighborhood, and to get better ventilation when I'm gluing in the interior liner.
I also wanted to test the solar panel. It seems to be working great according to the lights on the charge controller and the readings on my battery monitor.
The panel is mounted with suction cups. There has been much discussion on line about where best to place the panel. Any permanent spot has disadvantages. It determines which way you park, and the sun moves, so do you keep moving the camper? I decided to solve the problem this way: The panel will be stored inside the camper when traveling (so it won't be charging then, but I won't be running any electrics either). When I camp I can quickly set it up. In hot weather, though, I don't really want to park in the sun, so I've ordered an extension for the charger line that will allow me to park in the shade and place the panel out in the sun. Oh, and there is a "hull-through" opening so I don't have to leave the door open when using the solar panel.
About all I have left to do is install the interior liner and add some "fairleads" for the door actuator rods to fit into. I may have missed something but it can't be much.
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