fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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After coating the wall steel framing with Por 15, now we turn on the grinder and remove some of it at the ends, so they can be welded into place.
This will allow the weld to be cleaner than trying to weld with paint on the steel.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/driverssidefront29.jpg)
If you want to do something, you will find a way.
If you don't, you will find an excuse.
-------------------------------------------------
Good judgement comes from experience.
A lot of experience, comes from bad judgement.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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This is the bottom section, and I "glued" the aluminum to the steel framing at the bottom.
As you remember, there are 3 steel "arms" here, and the top 2 will need to be sprung just a little bit when welding in, so I only "glued" the aluminum to the bottom with Por 15 being used as the glue.
So, this is ready to be welded in.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/driverssidefront30.jpg)
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cm2785
So Cal
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Joined: 10/07/2017
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You’re doing some amazing work on such an old rig! Curious though, are you worried about all the added weight? Also, are you in the rust belt? Curious as to why you are Por 15’ing so much of the framing that will be covered up... guessing we will all be dead here before that stuff would rust through.. then again I’m from So Cal..
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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cm2785 wrote:You’re doing some amazing work on such an old rig! Curious though, are you worried about all the added weight? Also, are you in the rust belt? Curious as to why you are Por 15’ing so much of the framing that will be covered up... guessing we will all be dead here before that stuff would rust through.. then again I’m from So Cal..
First off, thank you.
Secondly, those are good questions.
As far as the added weight goes, the short answer is that I am actually removing weight, not adding any.
Now, I realize any normal person's first reaction is - yea, right! I am not stupid. I can see there is more steel in that wall than there was.
Now, let me give you the long winded answer, why I said that, and I will use a few visuals to explain it.
In this first pic, of the left wall from a long time ago, before I removed and added steel to the left side we have this.
The red circle indicates a stud that runs from the floor all the way to the top of the wall.
The 2 yellow circles show 2 studs that do not quite run all the way to the ceiling, which is shown by the yellow lines at the top. If those 2 studs were complete, we would have 3 full studs in the front half of this wall. Also, notice the window inside the green rectangle.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe.jpg)
On this next pic, which is the green rectangle in the prior pic, is a window that is being removed.
Looking at the steel framing around it, if we remove that steel and straighten it out, we can create an additional stud, as well as finish the previous 2 studs that don't go quite to the top of the wall.
So, that would give us 4 total studs in the front half, now.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe2.jpg)
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Now, let's move to the rear half of the left wall. As you can see, this has 2 studs that run from the floor to the ceiling, indicated by the yellow circles.
The 3 red arrows point to another window and frame that is being removed. If we take that steel from around that window, and straighten it out, and add just a few inches from the steel on the right side, also red arrow, we can now make another stud.
So, that gives us 3 studs in the rear half, not including the crooked one, all the way at the rear.
So, now we have a total of 7 full length studs, from the original wall steel.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe3.jpg)
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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So, now looking at the new wall pics, we have a rear half that shows 6 new studs, that run from bottom to top, or top to bottom, if you are so inclined.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe5.jpg)
Now, we can move to the front of the wall, and we can see we have 3 full length studs, indicated by the 3 yellow circles. We also have a 2 partial studs, both under and above the window. The yellow lines were later replaced by steel.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe6.jpg)
So, that gives us 9 full studs.
But we only have 7 studs from the original wall steel.
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fulltimin
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Ah ha. I knew it. You added steel! Just a sec there.
Look at the following picture.
Remember the bottom of the wall. The red line indicates a piece of wall steel, that is connected to the floor framing.
The red arrow indicates a second piece of steel, about 4 inches above the bottom one, which runs the entire length of the coach area, which is 19 feet long, plus a couple inches.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe4.jpg)
So, looking at the new wall framing, you can see that, the original piece of steel which was above the bottom one, is not there. (yellow line). Nor will it be added.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/leftframe7.jpg)
So, that means we have an additional 19 feet of steel, with which to make 2 more studs, and have enough left over, to cover the partial studs above and below the window.
So, we have 9 studs, plus extra, of original steel, in the wall.
From a standpoint of the lengths of steel we now have in the wall is about identical to what was there originally, but is just arranged in a different shape.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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So, that gives us the same amount of steel, how is it that we are removing weight?
Remember this?
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/driversdoorweight.jpg)
That is the drivers door, which is not going back in. That sucker weighs 85 lbs.
I weighed the window that came out of the door, and it only weighs 12 lbs.
So, we just saved about 73 lbs, on the left wall.
Also, the overhead pull down bed, the one above the drivers and co-pilots seats, is also removed, and will not be going back in.
That weighs about 50 lbs including mattress, frame, and steel arms and springs that operate the bed up and down.
So, that gives us about a 150 lb saving of weight. Yee haw!
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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cm2785 wrote:Also, are you in the rust belt? Curious as to why you are Por 15’ing so much of the framing that will be covered up... guessing we will all be dead here before that stuff would rust through.. then again I’m from So Cal..
Actually in central Pa.
The aluminum that Fleetwood used in the coach was coated underneath with black undercoating, so I figured it would be easier to use Por 15.
Contrary to popular opinion, aluminum can and does rust, and will disintegrate over enough time, with enough water intrusion. So, I figured a little extra protection can't hurt.
The steel I bought for the framing was covered with a coat of oil to keep it from rusting after it is shipped from the steel mill. That is not good for trying to either paint or glue anything to it.
Since I have no real good way to glue the walls together like the factory, (don't want to anyway), I figure lets do something that will stick, and actually protect it.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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I could buy another motor home, but then that's what I would have. Just another run of the mill motor home.
I agree with the wife, who wants the inside to look more like a house than an rv.
Besides, where can I find an rv with a stove like this in it? Or, how can I modify one to make it fit?
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/stove.jpg)
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