Cool McCool's Garage

Home stretch.  It was rainy and cooler here today, so I decided to play electrician.  Seen at left is the galley, and the plug over the counter.   In my layout, this was to be at the left side of the counter, exactly where the range is now.  Since the wiring is part of the pre-fab wall assembly, moving an outlet is a big deal.  I managed the task by putting junction box under the counter where the wires poked out of the wall, running a wire to the new location, and “Viola”, a correctly placed outlet. 

I had to do a similar job with the breaker panel, but only because when I ran the wires, I didn’t take into account the location of the wheel well box, which meant the leads were too short.  So, ANOTHER junction box hidden under the cabinets to get the wires to the breaker box.  Duh.  A hassle but it worked out fine.  Actually better, becasue I then relocated the breaker to the front of the wheel house box, behind the small door under the two drawers.  Wasted space, but just right for easy access to the breakers.  There is a 12v lead in the bulkhead cabinet, I’m thinking of using 12v “hockey puck” lights for task lighting under the cabinet.

Above, we can see the 110v wire poking out of the wardrobe back panel over the bed.  There’ll be a 12v light above the small window on the side, over the head of the bed.  and on the other side is the A/C plug-in its cabinet.  That will be a  nice spot for a clock, or some little illuminated chochkee.   Up front,  there are  110v lights flanking the window on a dimmer, and I’m putting an outlet under window below the table in case we want need to plug something in on the table.  Toaster, leg lamp, whatever.  

There is also a 12v wire in the ceiling for the little exhaust vent fan, and a really cool LED 12v illuminated grab handle outside.  I’m going to wire up exterior running lights to a switch so we can illuminate the trailer at night.  New coaches have that feature, I like it and wanted it in this trailer.  It was challenging for me to figure all that out as everything had to be run before the insulation went up and exterior sheeting on.  Once it’s in, it’s done. 

In other news, I figured out how to support the roll of “Filon” composite sheeting.  I simply ran a 12′ length of pipe thru two 12″ trailer wheels/tires, and supported each end of the pipe on my “Workmate” benches.  It’ll roll off  a giant, silvery roll of toilet paper, ready to be installed on the now completely prepped body.  All paneling edges are prepped, screws countersunk, and high spots leveled. 

In talking with our friends Bob and Doreen (follow their Alma build on the “Traileritis” link), I have abandoned the idea of bonding the Filon composite sheeting to the Luan skin, and will simply stable and screw the edges, using the really GREAT Loctite construction adhesive I used on the rest of the trailer.   I’ll run a bead at the edges, around the door and window openings, and the trim will cover all the fasteners.  I think it’ll work.

Kim, seen above with Ari, our new puppy,  scored some really cool vintage stove knobs on eBay from a high-end O’Keefe and Merritt  ’40’s era range.  They fit our cheap camp stove perfectly, and really dress it up.  Combined with the Marvel fridge latch, the galley looks perfect. 

Tune in again next week to see the wiring completed, and maybe even see it turn into a small, “Silver Palace”!