At the last installment we had finished insulating, installing furring strips and were ready to install parts that penetrated the trailer's shell. With some good weather, this has finally happened. We've been working weekends on the trailer, while the owner also spends a few additional week nights after work on the project

The AC unit and bath vent fan both use a 14" cut out. The hole for the AC has to be exactly sized for the waterproof seal to fit correctly. Making a template ensured accurate measurements. By marking and cutting from the outside, it was much easier than working overhead within the interior. I have an pneumatic air (zip) saw that made easy work of the aluminum. It left very sharp edges, which we sanded and covered with masking tape until we were ready for the final placement of the vents.

The AC unit was first to install. We put a piece of scrap luan in my Kubota's bucket, set the AC on top of it, and with the owner on the roof and me driving, it was lifted on top. Sliding it out of the bucket into place, we never had to completely lift its full weight. The most critical part of the job was ensuring that the seal was not rolled and was properly in place. Bolting it down with the four fasteners was easily accomplished.

The bath vent fan was screwed and sealed into place, and then we started on the emergency egress vent. It came with a paper template and we quickly realized that it was wider than the roofing joists which we didn't want to cut. After calling many RV dealers, we sourced a slightly narrower one that fit between the factory joists.

The side access hole for the water heater was slightly more difficult. The hole is larger than you might expect and we used a factory made external panel to cover things. Fortunately we were able to look at my trailer to see how it was accomplished and fitted. The panel that allows access to the back of the fridge was also cut out as well as an access hole and cover for the external power. We only have one more small roof hole to cut for the black water stack vent. We'll do that when we install the tank and plumbing.

We are deviating from how the shore cord is installed. In my trailers is a box that contains about 10' or 12' feet of shore cord. Rarely is this enough to reach an outlet, and requires quite a bit of internal space for the storage. We are going to run his entrance cable from the power distribution area to a male plug mounted inside the trailer at the external power port. Using a 30 amp, 25' extension shore cord, the owner will plug one end into the trailer and the other into the outlet. When not in use, the cord will hang in the tack compartment, where it normally is placed anyway.

The trailer owner and I both enjoy and own muscle cars. In the late 60's and early 70's, GM made a soft vinyl headliner that had holes in it with a thin foam backing, that was installed in their Pontiac automobiles. This is reproduced today, and in a cream colour, will become the ceiling material for the owner's weekender. This is manna for the nostalgia buff.

The owner has rough wired the LQ and started making ceiling panels out of Luan. These will be sealed and covered with the headliner before the installation. The bathroom walls are installed, hopefully the holding tank and toilet will arrive this week.

This week I'll starting to build the cabinetry. It will be solid Cherry with an interesting change. The owner's wife saw a TV show that had a kitchen do over. On it, the cabinet doors were fitted with opaque acrylic panels that looked like stained glass. They want this look in their LQ. It will reduce by almost half, the amount of time it takes to fabricate the doors, so I'm pleased as well. The cabinets will be built in groupings instead of individual units. The backs and top will be open for weight savings and ease of fabrication. The wardrobe and corner cabinets in the bathroom will be complete with raised panel doors.

With this work accomplished, the interior is coming together quickly. The owner has a ride planned during the second weekend in May and will use that as a "shake down" to see how everything is working.

BOL  Gard