Thursday, April 3, 2014

Painting and Beginning to Install Hardwear

After sanding the fiberglass, it is time to paint. The paint is pretty standard latex which has been chosen for several reasons. First, the only practical purpose is to protect the fiberglass and prevent the epoxy from UV degrading. Second, The latex is flexible and won't crack from the trailer flexing. Last, glossy finishes make it incredibly obvious if there is any defect in the surface.  No issues with painting whatsoever. Also worth noting, the bottom has been painted with roofing paint, around 5-6 coats. The bottom ply really isn't structural at all, but it protects the insulation and interior framing so it is worth a few coats of paint to help it last. The galley hinge has been added, too. Teardrop use a special kind of hinge called a "hurricane hinge" which is rumored to be completely waterproof. It is made out of two pieces of extruded aluminum which sort of nest inside on another, making it removable by sliding the hatch laterally. To prevent this when not intented, I drilled and tapped a hole on each overlapping end and put a stainless machine screw through. I've been scared to death that I'd bend the thing and make it useless, but it seems to have survived. The outer portion sticks out about 3/4" on each side when installed to prevent any water from coming in the side and going between the two pieces. Also it is the door striker, which is a peice of 3/16" 316 stainless through-bolted to a beefy stainless backing plate.




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