Cut high density urethane foam blocks for floor support during habitat assembly
Bonded terry cloth to top of foam blocks with 3M 77
Removed clamps and temporary bolts from bonded hardpoints
Chamfered and cleaned lower edge of habitat floor panel
All panel edges had a lot of gel coat build up that needed to be removed and the edges needed to be softened. Previous fit checks show that this was a required step to get the panels to fit well in the extrusions.
Flipped, leveled, and positioned habitat floor panel
Chamfered and cleaned upper edge of habitat floor panel
Chamfered and cleaned all edges (including passthrough cutout) of forward panel
Rearranged panels and extrusions in shop space
Chamfered and cleaned all edges (including all cutouts) of left and right side panels
Dry fit checked all lower extrusions
Measured all panels and extrusions (again)
Checked flatness of floor on support blocks
Masked floor panel with heavy paper
Bond prepped and bonded forward lower extrusion using Korapur 140
One of the main reasons that we decided to make a new habitat for our truck was that we really wanted to incorporate a passthrough into the cab of the truck from the living area. Honestly, we’ve been a little overwhelmed by the logistics of designing and building a passthrough for a while. We figured that now would be the best time to finish the passthrough details before we start assembling the habitat box.
We designed our passthrough to have a frame assembly on the cab side and a frame assembly with door opening into the habitat side. The frames are connected with a water tight EPDM rubber bellows / accordion seal. The cab side assembly is made of 3 steel frames and can be disassembled to disconnect the bellows from the cab if future engine or transmission work requires that the cab be tipped up. The primary cab side frame is welded to the back of the cab.
Wabi-Sabi Expedition Truck Passthrough
Wabi-Sabi Expedition Truck Passthrough Section
The habitat side frame is made of 2 steel frames and 1 aluminum frame. The aluminum frame incorporates the door hinge and lock strike plate. The door opens inwards into the shower/bathroom/entry area of the habitat. The door is made from a 1 1/2″ thick insulated RV door panel. The hab side steel frame is bonded to the forward wall of the habitat prior to habitat box assembly.
Talked with vendors about passthrough bellows material
Finished design of passthrough
Cut steel for passthrough frames
Cut aluminum RV door frame extrusion material for passthrough door frame
Welded habitat and cab side steel pasthrough frame
Milled slots for passthrough door hinges in aluminum frame
Milled steel corner fillets for bellows connection
Wabi-sabi Overland 