Finishing up the shell work

So it's been a while again since I've posted. Too long, I know. We're at the mid point of the project and trying to keep the energy level up. Driving on the freeway, I'm seeing more snow birds coming home from winter in warmer lands. More RV's are heading out for weekend-long adventures. Our trailer is lagging behind, in the shop, begging for attention. There is so much left to do and the weather is getting really really nice outside. What we need is focus to keep at it and see it through to the end.

We're enjoying the process still - very much in fact. But it would feel really good to see light at the end of the tunnel. Even if it's just a little bit of light...



Now that the shell is back on, there is a little more weight to help get the axle seated. I torqued the bolts to around 150 ft. lbs. as the Dexter manual said. Since I was to be rolling around under the trailer, I might as well hook up the brakes too.






I installed new wheel well trim. The old stuff was plastic and had deteriorated severely, so I bought some new aluminum trim from the flooring and laminate place down the street. The old rivet line was too close to the edge, so I had to trim the skin -- old and new.



Once trimmed, I installed the trim. Takes lots of cuts of the back side of the trim. Heat from a torch gets the aluminum trim pliable enough to make the curves. Drill and Cleco the trim in place, then rivet. Using 1/8" rivets looks really good in this application.



After the trim is installed, I added the original stiffener to finish the job.