front is floored, door frame is all drilled out,

first go at patching all the little holes, and a few not so little holes, closed-ended aluminum pop-rivets, working from the front to the back,

now it’s time to rip out the ass of this project.

previous owner covered the floor with chipboard, that did not go under the shell, not even all the way to the edge even!

the whole back end of the trailer is held together with the galvanized sheet floor cover and a few rivets in the steel side trim piece.   there is no wood connecting the shell to the frame, just this galvanized finger trim.

at least it will be easy to remove!

there’s something to be said for momentum, something like “if you keep pushing at just the right time…” at least get half the new floor installed.

nothing bolted down, still nudging and budging (technical term for “bigger hammer”) but within 1/4″ all around.

still need to deal with the wheel covers, they are galvanized steel, and completely corroded away at the sides.  another reason not to bolt down yet, i’ll slide some new steel under and then bend and rivet to the original.

second sheet in,

and third sheet (of six) in.

not sure what, if anything, i’ll cover it with, for right now it starts to feel like a workshop.  can you see it yet?

on the longest day, i finally got over the halfway point with the project fondly named “Two”.  i am now officially “putting back together” more than i am “taking apart”.  There is still plenty of floor to remove in the back still, but here is the first and hardest sheet of new plywood floor installed.

but first, the torn swing out step frame had to be fixed.

one of those things easier to work with on a bench, so cut out the whole thing, along with the frame pieces it was attached (sorta) to.

i could see making this a lift-gate door now, or a drop ramp…

but no, lets go with sturdy box tube door frame that i can add a step to later.

sorry, no closeups of the flux-core 120vac welds, you can just imagine yucky gross blobs and splatter. will hit it with gas mig when i do the step.  after its rolling again.

tomorrow, weld a brace at the 2/3 seam, sheet #2 then goes in, and #4 can come out.  this project is Zen forcing my “lots of littles” discipline game.