Bertha's Tease Continues

Bertha's strip tease started several weekends ago and has continued nearly every weekend since. Covid-19 has kept us home bound, and Bertha has definitely benefited.

Removed but NOT discarded -

• bow and stern end caps
• banana wraps
• remaining belly pan
• rear tool box & bumper
• water tank
• spare tire hang
• battery box
• awning
• vents

Not all can be reused, but some can. Most of the belly pan is rotten, but we kept it for patterns. The banana wraps are thankfully in good shape, as is the rear tool box and bumper. The vents are suspect, so I expect we'll go new. The awning needs new fabric but is definitely a keeper. The old water tank appears to be fine and new ones are rather expensive, so right now we're planning to reuse it. It definitely needs a good cleaning and new fittings. If this is a bad idea, someone please let us know!

We're holding onto the battery box for now, but I doubt we'll re-install it. We want to do an extensive battery bank under one bed, so the existing box (which sits half above the floor and half below) complicates the layout. We still have the spare tire hang, but I don't see using it, as the spare could easily go in the back of the truck and the belly pan re-install will be easier without it. The fiberglass stern end cap is in good shape and will probably get reused. The plastic bow end cap is brittle, cracked and (quite frankly) ugly. We're considering an aluminum or birch forward end cap. Lots of work, but either would be nice!

Removed and discarded -

• AC unit
• TV antenna

The AC unit came apart during deconstruction, and the TV antenna was just a hole in the roof we don't need. The roof will need some repairs before a new AC and vents are installed, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Lots of lovely natural light without the roof installs, but I guess they're necessary🙂.

We've considered painting the roof area with spray-on bedliner to help seal it and add grip, but we still need to do some research to determine if that's a good idea or not. Luckily we have two high cube shipping containers to store everything in because we've kept far more than we've thrown away!

Bertha looks a bit naked now. 

You can clearly see her rear end issues and all her outriggers are now exposed too. 

Most of the outriggers look fine, but her body and floor need to be removed 

before we can properly assess the structural integrity of the metal trailer.

Scott came up with a great method for removing the bolts in the C-Channel using our Makita Oscillating Multi-Tool. Check to make sure you're not on top of a metal cross member, then drill a hole near the bolt with a hole saw.

Using a metal bit, go under the channel into the plywood with the Oscillating Multi-Tool.

Here's a quick video to show how it works.

We removed several old corroded bolts in less than 30 minutes using this method. 

Next weekend we plan to give Bertha a good wash and set up our gantry system. 

Hint, hint, those containers may come in handy for more than just storage.

Thanks for looking and stay safe out there!