[faithie999]

Home Depot has the 1/8″nap Tiz yellow foam rollers (7″long, which is actually easier to handle than the normal 9″ rollers) for $2.34 for a 2-pack.  my local HD doesn’t stock them but i ordered them for free ship-to-store.  only took a few days for delivery.  there is no place you can beat that price.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wooster-7-in-x-1-8-in-Tiz-Foam-Roller-Cover-2-Pack-00R7300070/204330448

ken

[faithie999]

15 inch wheels will be much gentler on the bearings than 12 inch wheels.  I did the same thing.

[faithie999]

was the leak in the area of the top corners of the hatch?  I think that is where mine is leaking

 

[faithie999]

editorial comment–the headliner kit is the weakest part of the entire CLC offering.  hard to fit, the surface scuffs easily, and I find (as have others)  for some unexplainable reason the tiles shrink over time.  I now have about 1/8-1/4 inch gaps between each segment.

[faithie999]

the 1/2″ foam floor tiles from Costco will work just fine.

[faithie999]

if you don’t get any offers from teardrop owners closer, I’m in Zionsville (just northwest of Indianapolis, about 90 minutes from you) and would be glad to show you my teardrop.

ken

[faithie999]

I would contact the manufacturer (Fan-tastic Fans, now called, I think, by the name of the parent company, Dometic).  I had to contact them to find out about the fan that was installed in a sprinter van my son bought that was without a manual or remote control, and they were very helpful.

 

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/climate/ventilation/vents

 

 

[faithie999]

I had the same situation and had no problems cutting out the doors.

[faithie999]

mike–nice job!!  I decided to forgo the Li battery for now, and instead bought a 100Ahr AGM battery.  my tongue weight is already 120 lb so decided to mount the battery under the floor, just aft of the axle, as friz did.  I, too, fretted about drilling more holes in the floor (4 for the carriage bolts to suspend the battery, and 2 for the power leads) but I went ahead and used the drill-fill-drill technique for the holes.  the holes and the heads of the bolts will be hidden by the mattress.  most of our outings will be to state parks where there is power available, but if we end up off-grid more than I expect I might swap the AGM for Li so I can use nearly 100% of the capacity rather than 50%.

however, finding campgrounds with acceptable shower facilities (as determined by SWMBO) almost always include 30A power!

[faithie999]

venting:  you will most likely want/need some venting.  we took the TD out a couple of times last fall, when the overnight temp was about 40, and I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and needed to crack open the roof vent.  there was enough convection due to the temp inside the camper  so that there was a bit of a draft coming in from the mushrooms so that it cooled things down enough to get back to sleep.  if you decide to forgo the roof opening altogether, I would think a pair of computer fans exhausting out of the front or rear mushrooms would set up enough crossflow to keep things cool.  the CLC insulation package really does its job!  but don’t be tempted to leave out the insulation, else you’ll get rained on due to condensation during the night.

[faithie999]

friz–i ordered an AGM battery and will mount it under the camper.  could you pls point me to the thread where you have pictures of your mounting arrangement?  also, did you find any kind of nifty weathertight fitting for passing the battery wiring through the floor?

thanks

ken

[faithie999]

nice job on the glassing!!  as for a small circular saw, I DEFINITELY recommend the Dremel UltraSaw.  you can hold it easily in your hand.   their blade is somewhat of a hybrid between an abrasive disc and a saw blade.  it makes a lot of fine sawdust so be sure to wear a good mask.  but the cut is very smooth.

the blade is forward of the motor, like the old-school Skil worm-drive saws, so you can see the blade relative to the cut line.  you can rest the front of the saw’s “foot” on the shell, then very slowly pivot the saw down so you can plunge the blade into the shell exactly at the cut line.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-Ultra-Saw-7-5-Amp-Corded-4-5-in-Tool-Kit-with-2-Accessories-and-1-Attachment-for-Use-with-Metal-and-Wood-US40-02/206360408

good luck!!

ken

[faithie999]

I think the strip of fiberglass tape inside the cabin (the “outside” corner of the failed joint) is more important than the inside corner, at the rear of the galley.  but I would do both.

[faithie999]

I had the identical problem on my maiden voyage, a 300 mi one-way trip to see the eclipse last august.  I had not even thought about bolting my lead-acid battery down, and I paid the price.

I fortunately had a scissor jack with me along with a few short pieces of 2×4, so I was able to jack the galley flat back in place from inside the cabin for the return trip (I also removed the battery).

for the repair, I put a strip of fiberglass tape both on the “outside corner” of the joint inside the cabin, and the “inside corner” inside the galley.  I have a battery hold-down arrangement in mind to try out, but since I am using my trolling motor battery I will likely spring for a lithium battery.

slightly off topic, but I helped my son outfit a sprinter for living off the grid, and on the recommendation of others who had done the same thing, we purchased a 100Ah LI battery from battlebornbatteries.com.   all they make are LI batteries for off-gridders.  they are roughly Group 27 size, and as has been noted by others, they can safely be discharged to almost 0% charge, so you get the full use if 100Ah, instead of discharging only to 50% with a lead-acid deep-cycle battery.

[faithie999]

fantastic!!

if you bought the kit from CLC, there may not be enough fiberglass cloth for your stretched TD.  maybe  you can order some from somewhere that will let you return it if you don’t need it but might be nice to have on hand so you don’t have to stop glassing to wait for more to arrive.

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