Ecomotorhome/Tour Bus

[freebeard]

Ratted-out perforated metal with RGB LEDs. It would look like cr@p until you turn it on.

Retractable disco balls?

[benfroggg]

Nice idea on the RGBS, but Maine's laws on vehicle lighting are strict. Only amber, white, and red are allowed on vehicles and they have to be amber up front. Even ground effect lights are a no no unless you are parked.

I do have to do something special, I just don't know what yet. Retractable disco ball sounds nice...
I've been considering hauling a flatbed trailer to outdoor venue locations as our portable stage. The load in/out would be pretty sweet....

[benfroggg]

Finally, some new video progress:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pr...ature=youtu.be

[freebeard]

RGB LEDs are amber, in jurisdictions as applicable.

Two words: Gusset. Plates.

What do you plan to skin it with?

[benfroggg]

Amber are good, definitely going with some of those.

Gusset plates-
It's tough to tell, but there are lots of gussets in the frame already. It doesn't flex with those in place... so I'm confident that even without strong sheathing that it will be strong enough. It's already way stronger than the original camper frame ever was.
I'm going to skin it with Luan first. That will be riveted and glued in place, thus stressing the luan along with the steel.
Then I plan to use trim coil in 24" wide for the outer skin. Marine adhesive along the joints and fasteners. Then a bucket of henry roof coating for the top.

[pete c]

We don't need no stinking welding mask!!!

Looks like something I would try. Just turn your head and squint.

[benfroggg]

Limited exposure to your skin isn't a bad thing, particularly in January when I'm lacking vitamin D here in Maine.
I do try to keep it to a minimum and not put it in the videos, but its a part of fabrication. It's a problem of holding a part stable while welding. While keeping a heavy piece of metal in one spot, lifting the gun with the other hand, and the jerking motion it takes to close the mask, (and clearance to do so) its easy for the parts to come out of alignment. Turning my head and closing my eyes is the result.
You really don't need to see it to tack it after you've done it a while.

[freebeard]

I saw some square tubing braces in the corners. A gusset can be as small as a 2-3" triangle let into the crotch.

How stiff (and what) is trim coil? I bought aluminum sheet to reskin a 1952 Silver Streak trailer and what they sold me was not tempered adequately, and it wrinkled.

[benfroggg]

The square tube is acting as a gusset. Plates would be stronger I suppose. To my backyard engineering skill, it seems plenty stiff. But I'm open to ideas.

Trim coil is used to go over wood trim on houses. It's PVC coated soft aluminum. Unlike flashing, it's thicker and when you bend it, it holds it's shape better. It's also rated to be outside in the sun/exposure/temperature changes.
I anticipate some expansion along the long dimensions, but I'm not all that concerned about a little rippling. I plan to rivet the joints all the way along them as well as use the adhesive.

[ennored]

There is amazingly little structure in a modern RV. They rely on the laminated construction, more than the actual tubes in the walls. (And on the fact that they don't have to be crash tested!)

Here's a Winnebago:





The bunk area is just fiberglass.

[You can Google "Winnebago SuperStructure" (their marketing term) for more info.]