| Custom Fiberglass Shell |
| The fiberglass shell is built onto the trailer. |
From "Trade School"
episode DTRS-313 |
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In this segment, apprentice Noah Gunn and his mentor Marty Weis continue to build his travel trailer by customizing the fiberglass shell that serves as the living space.
1. Formed offsite, the shell arrives at the workshop in two large, nearly identical halves.2. Working with fiberglass can be messy, so Noah gears up in protective clothing before scuffing the joining edges of both shell halves using a disc grinder (figure A). Creating a rough texture makes for better adhesion later. 3. With Marty's help, Noah stacks the top shell onto the bottom. After lining up the halves precisely, he uses clamps to hold the two shells in place (figure B).
4. To gain access to the interior of the shell, Noah scribes around a template to form the dimensions for the doorway (figure C). Using a jigsaw, he cuts out the segment of fiberglass (figure D). He then goes back to clean up the opening using a disc grinder (figure E).
5. Having created interior access, Noah moves on to permanently seal the halves together. Marty guides him through the process of mixing a liquid fiberglass resin matrix. Noah makes sure to wear latex gloves to protect his skin.6. Working quickly before the matrix sets; Noah removes the clamps and brushes on the matrix along the scuffed seam (figure F). He immediately clamps the shell back together--this time adding metal bars and wood blocks to squeeze along the entire joint (figure G).
7. To reinforce the seam on the inside of the shell, Noah first saturates a strip of fiberglass fabric matte with resin matrix (figure H). Inside the shell, he carefully smoothes the matte over the seam using his gloved fingers, adding matrix with a brush—as needed (figure I). Once the matte is spread over the entire seam, he uses a fiberglass roller to remove any air pockets (figure J). Later in the project, Noah cuts out side windows and installs fiberglass cabinets that house a sink, stove and cooler.
8. Noah and Marty transport the shell offsite to have the interior gel-coated to a smooth white finish. At this location, Noah tackles yet another skill; painting the exterior. With the shell inside a well-ventilated booth, he suits up in a plastic full-body smock and respirator. Now well protected, he scuffs the shell's exterior using a DA sander (figure K). Then, using a HV-LP spray gun, he applies a steady spray of blue polyurethane paint (figure L).9. To give this version of the "Little Joe" trailer road appeal, Noah takes time to observe a master graphic artist add custom flame decals over his paint job (figure M).
Next, Noah trims out the interior of the camper by handcrafting overhead storage cabinets.
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