Rexford D. Billings 3-15-05.
In several weekends I finished the frame structure for both sides of the camper. I decided to fasten the 1x2 clear pine members with decking screws. I pre-drilled all members with a dremal prior to assembly. I then glued and screwed all members. After this my wife chose an interior paneling. I cut the interior paneling for the sidewalls and glued and air nailed the interior paneling to the sidewalls. I decided to shorten the sidewalls and the box to fit my short box truck. Since the short box is only 6 1/2 foot long I shortened the sidewalls and box by approximately 1 1/2 feet.
I have completed the box and fastened the front wall. I then fastened both sidewall and completed the front cabover section. Installed the roof crossover members and the roof paneling. I am now installing the interior cabinets and exterior insulation. I have also installed all wiring for the interior. I decided to wire the unit for 110v. All my lights are 110v as well as the microwave and refrigerator. I also have decided to install an inverter in case I do camp where there is no electricity. My fluorescent lights only draw 15 watts each. Since I have four 18" lights this totals 60 watts. This will only draw approximately 5-6 amps off a 12 volt battery. If I decided to operate the refrigerator which draws 2 amps this equates to 220 watts. With this added to all the lights it would total 280 watts. This would only draw 23-25 amps. This is not ideal for my 600 cold cranking amp battery. This battery is rated to deliver 100 reserve capacity minutes which equates to 30 ampere hours. This battery would deliver 30 amps for 1 hour before the voltage drops too low to operate the inverter. As a result the refrigerator could not be operated too long with the inverter before the 12v battery goes dead. I might have to carry a bag of ice in the refrigerator if we stay where there is no electricity.
I have just recently installed the exterior lighting for clearance lights. I have also just recently installed the Styrofoam insulation. I am close to installing the aluminum RV siding and roofing. I have not purchased it yet because it is so expensive. At $2.00 a square foot that equates to around $800.00. The reason I decided to build this unit is because I thought it would save me money. I am not sure it is going to do that. I am going to have approximately $2,500 or more in this unit. I think I could have bought a fairly nice used camper for this price. I have enjoyed the project and have learned allot.
