in the beginning
The previous owner had a catwalk attached to the roof and it was holding water and creating rust and leaks. My father-in-law and I decided to pull the catwalk off and repair the roof. Notice in the photo above, the streak of rust above the sliding door and the rusted seat base.
riveting work!
I had never worked with sheet aluminum or done any riveting before. My father-in-law found a source for a very large roll of aluminum; enough to ‘skin’ the roof with one singe piece. We quickly discovered the need for a pneumatic rivet gun and were pleasantly surprised how easy it is to do quality rivet work with the right tools.
sheet aluminum, 300+ rivets, silicone caulk, a 'warm' day and "voila!"
It is certainly rewarding to learn a new skills like sheet metal and riveting work, but the most rewarding part has been observing my father-in-law’s resourcefulness and his work tricks; the man is genius.
the look of things to come
This is a rough draft of the graphics package that we’re developing for the van. Jim Horton of Horton Design is a mega talent and he has the ability to create the look that we’re envisioning.
Next we’ll tackle cleaning and painting the interior.