POD: Homebuilt foam core fiberglass skin pop-up camper build thread

[MrBeast]

Damn that thing is looking good. Keep the updates coming!

[pods8]

A little fine tuning and the flip up walls are ready to be glassed. Bought a roll of plastic piano hinge to try out on these as an extra weather/wind stopper after the weather seal I'll put on the bottom edge of the wall.

Door up next.

[pods8]

One funny thing I've noticed is dust naturally accumulating on the painted areas with wood blocking underneath, you can see it in the above photo (look at the white lines around the window, etc.). It dusts right off as its just loosely sitting there but for whatever reason its getting drawn there when in the air.

Anyways chipping away at glassing those flip walls now, I did the side of one yesterday and will hopefully knock those out over the week in the evenings. Its sometimes nice just to do a small piece and not push to do more as you don't get worn/sloppy.

Look ahead at figuring out a door. I think the original jamb profile I had put into the frame is a recipe for a PITA to fit up. See below but basically I had only left a gap for a door lip on the outside, I think trying to fit up a door to that is going to take way to dang long. I'm thinking instead of cutting out that projection entirely and just fitting a door into a straight walled cutout (with some amount of reasonable gap for swing clearances), then for the gasket surface add a ring on the interior face that projects over the edge of the door (with an offset for gasket). This would make fitup and glassing all the components much much faster I think. Also I would think it should seal well still as nature has to funnel through a say 1/8"-1/4" gap for 2" of depth to even get to the gasket surface, then hook 90deg and cross over the compressed gasket.

Need to start on the door soon, taking all insight under consideration:

[riveroceanandmountain]

wow... a double door.... very cool solution to getting in while the top is down!

[pods8]

Gotta do something to get access for the times you just want to toss some gear in and also even if you could actuate the top from the outside there are maintenance instances you'd want to be able to get in. I originally was thinking a split door but that just seemed a big pain in the butt. A access door in the main door will only loose a little space for passage and be so much easier to do. At the size it is its big enough to throw gear through, including coolers and such. We'll see how comfortable it is to crawl in but that'll be what it'll be. Lift the top if undesirable.

[DanoT]

I like the idea of a door within a door a lot more that a split door/dutch door that involves the upper section. The door within a door should be very stable and anything else not so much.

[pods8]

I like the idea of a door within a door a lot more that a split door/dutch door that involves the upper section. The door within a door should be very stable and anything else not so much.

Yeah I'm settled on that part for sure, no brainer when I think about it. Just trying to figure out door jamb design now, I think the sketch I posted would likely be the easiest and work but the floor is open for suggestions over the next few days.

[indiedog]

Pods, for the door jamb, could you not just use some alum angle/flat/Z shape fixed to the inside? There are a number of seals around which will then slip onto the edge to seal against the door when closed. Bit like the old pinchweld with a rubber bubble on the side. Means you aren't trying to build something too fidly with fibreglass, just a simple square edged cutout. Bit like the one below from an Australian site.

[pods8]

That's a good suggestion for consideration to stew over. First blush the lip I was thinking could be painted to blend into the inside more and would hide the gasket from inside view as well (my first envision of your suggestion I would see the edge of the clip seal). I'll toss that into the tumbler of ideas I got rattling around.