Interior framing, polishing Aluminum and removing vent

Last weekend we worked on the Pearl.  My husband removed the vent to prepare for removing the roof skins.  We got a price from Falmouth sheet metal - $2000!  Yikes!  That is $1000 more than we had budgeted to redo the roof, front and back panels.  The sides aren't that bad, so we are keeping those.  The labor was reasonable, but, we were told, the price of aluminum "fluctuates".  Apparently, right now it has fluctuated through the roof.

Removing the vent turned out to be quite a job.  Years of tar, gunk, and sealant had formed an impervious barrier.  Good if you are trying to stop water, not so good if you are trying to remove the vent.

We are replacing the original vent with a Fan-Tastic 6000 from Vintage Trailer supply.  Soooo, if anyone wants the old one....



Dave also installed nailer strips on the edges of the trailer so we will have something to nail the wooden plywood to.  Originally, this would not have been necessary because the inside ceiling panels were applied before the aluminum skins and went on top of the walls.  We are delaying taking off the aluminum roof skins until the new ones are ready to be installed.

           Wood nailer strips on edges of ceiling








On another note, don't underestimate the power of those thin sheets of aluminum skins!  When Dave took off the front panel so we could get a price for re-fabricating, the trailer started to do the hokey pokey.  He braced the front and back to keep thinks from getting ugly.

I worked on polishing aluminum....

Removing old putty tape so I can get down to business.

       The drip cap on the left is before polishing
       The one on the right - after polishing

Here are the wings after polishing.  Now, many of you will notice that these wings are not original.  Nope, I think they came from a later model.  The size is right - but they have a diamond shape pattern between the lines and the holes aren't lined up with the holes on the trailer.  However, they are wings and I'm going to fly with them.

More drip caps polished.  (Never noticed how many drip caps are on this trailer till now)










Here are the products I used.  The goo gone was used to remove the gunk from the putty tape.  I ran out of Mother's mag and aluminum and the hardware store only had small jars so I bought the Nevr-Dull.  This has a wool like substance in the can with a solution on it.  I liked working with it.  The Rust remover (naval jelly) I did not use.  I bought it to help remove some of the rust spots on the aluminum (where the old rusted screws had been) but read the back when I got home..... "Do not use on aluminum".  Not sure why, didn't want to find out.

We got an order from Vintage trailer supply (not the last I'm sure)

We ordered:

Code	Item	Qty	Price	Grand Total
VTS-838	Round Cabinet Welt (25' Length) [Round Welt Color:Almond]	4	$14.98	$59.92
VTS-396	Propane Tank Rack	1	$23.45	$23.45
VTS-372	Two-Tank Regulator	1	$39.99	$39.99
VTS-373	Propane Regulator Cover	1	$2.99	$2.99
VTS-419	3/4" Butyl Putty Tape	4	$5.73	$22.92
VTS-567	Progressive Dynamics 4045: 45 Amp Converter + AC/DC Distribution Panel	1	$179.99	$179.99

Also, on a more fun note (fun for me - not hubby):

I bought these (enameled tin) from Etsy: