Leaderboard

There's a reason to build with plywood. It's fast and very efficient. I might be done my project by now if I'd used plywood. Instead, I'm working with walnut lumber I had milled from a tree over 20 years ago. It takes a little longer when you start with rough-cut lumber and need to join boards to form a panel you could have just cut from plywood. I cut off about five inches of the big foam blocks that are under the seats. Near as I can figure the foam made up the support for the second row passenger's feet, so it must have some structural value. I sliced the foam to match the profile of the side-to-side beam and laid it on the bottom to support my floor boards. I'm going to stuff the empty spaces with foam peeled off the floor padding. With sound deadening mat, it's already getting quieter. I debated reusing the front-of-deck beam. I would have had to cut off the deck flooring and would be left with a jagged metal edge flange. The way Ford spot welded that beam, I would have needed to retain a one inch flange, because that's where the welds are. I decided to build a wood beam instead. It should look nice if I ever get around to varnishing it. I sandwiched a piece of oak lumber I had around between two pieces of walnut. That oak was very heavy, which is why the beam weighed 22 pounds! So, I am progressing, slowly. I left 3/4" lips on the beam and the rear side of my foot-well, so that I can add sheets of wood to span the opening. That way, if I want a full deck, I can have it, and I'll build in some grips for picking up the lid and getting to the under storage. I was planning to reuse a piece of the floor mat to cover the center hump (exhaust pipe tunnel), but found that the material was hard to work with. I ended up just putting a layer of 10mm insulation and carpet over the hump. Photos: 1. joining pieces of walnut to for the new floor 2. the opening with sound-deadening mat installed 3. Ford's beam and attached flooring were fabricated in a way that would have left an unwanted flange 4. Glueing up wood for a replacement beam 5. Current status Work remains to install a footstep entry and finish from the floor to the footstep. Also, make pieces to form hatches over the top.

Honey bees are very rarely aggressive and only become defensive if you are careless. The only thing between me and the bees is the headboard, which,as seen in the above photo,is just a bit higher than the headrest so I am out of sight. I wear no protection driving other than long pants. All of my bee yards are South of me and I generally work S to N. Bees are attracted to light so most of the time they cluster on the rear windows.There has been times when I will pull over to open the doors and brush them off of the windows. Unlike the person in this picture,I ride with the window open so any stragglers up front can be tossed out.You can tell she/he is driving west because the bees are on the sunny window. (To me this is stupidity,not because of the bees on the windows,but because the hive is not secured. In the case of an accident,I would not want to be anywhere near that car.)

Windshields are good till the next rock or hailstorm, so resealed, Re-seated or replaced it could be a short lived achievement!

Noted without comment

That is cool mine is not a camper, it is more like a toolbox!