BYE BYE BACK DOOR
With the new side door installed, we were able to remove the back door of the FM2 Zeppelin-shelter. This door is too big and heavy, not insulated and badly located; thus needed to go. After getting rid of the boxes around the door, we closed off the entire back with 2mm aluminum plates, using Tec7 adhesive and waterproof-rivets.
Tip: When using Tec7 it is best that you wear old clothes. We were wearing some of our good outdoor clothing since we had to work outside in cold weather. After the job was done we had white stripes from the Tec7 all over, which can’t be removed.
Boxed-in
Our shelter is almost “boxed-in”. In the front wall we removed the last part of the gigantic heater that originally was build into the shelter, making room for the shortcut/crawlspace to the driver’s cabin. It is temporally closed-off with a left-over Dibond plate until we find a reasonably priced solution to create this passageway.
Side note: Elmer and I were discussing what to do with the tiny gutter that was installed on the front wall. He didn’t like it and I saw it’s practicality. We came to the agreement that it would be removed for further inspection and potentially cleaned and repaired where needed… The gutter however experienced a grueling dead. In 1982, every box, gutter, etc. has been attached to this shelter with the notion that it should never come off. Aside from being bolted down with more than enough rivets or screws, it has been sealed with extra powerful glue. I still suspect that Elmer was fully aware that you can not remove the gutter without completely bending it in all directions and making it impossible to ever use it again. He had in fact already removed the one on the back a week ago, with the same result … 1-0 for Elmer.
