[VAC] Re: Having trouble getting the shell back on my 58 Traveler...

["Robert Townsend" <rctowns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

i left the forward section of floor attached, and put a couple of 30" pieces
of 2x8 lumber between the inner and outer skins at the wheel-wells (screwed
into place through the existing rivet holes around the wheel-well),
cross-braced with 2x4 lumber.

When i got the thing, the sheetmetal 'outriggers' from the pipe/keel had all
but given way from the door on towards the rear, so the shell was pretty
racked about six ways from sunday... the inner and outer skins attached to
the ribs are holding the basic monocoque shape, so i wouldn't remove all the
inner skin panels at the same time -

The big idea is to keep the front end (from just forward of the door
opening) rigid on the original attachment-points. When the new
truck/frame/sub-floor are ready, i'll roll it under the shell, and lower and
raise it while making the fine adjustments... keeping the door frame square
seems do-able, this way. I'm thinking that keeping the whole shell's
'footprint' square is a matter of taking frequent diagonal measurements
before and after every adjustment.

Rather than just removing the crude 2x4 cross-braces, i'm planning to
replace them with adjustable cross-braces so i can spread the shell or pull
it together at each of the ribs, as i move forward and back, lowering the
shell onto the subfloor 'U'-channel attachment points.

Tuna