Fridge Install and Early Electrical
This was my third weekend with the rig. The previous weekend was spent making the left portion of the forward bench and applying a finish to the left side cabinet. I used DEFT Satin Clear, it seems to be OK. I didn't sand between coats so it actually feels rougher than before I applied the finish. The important part was getting it coated with something because I would also be using the camper during its build. I figured I could sand later.
I should also point out that the truck was having a number of issues at this point. This might just be how things go when you purchase a vehicle with nearly 200k miles sight unseen. The truck barely made it home from Tulsa. From the first turn and then every turn thereafter the power steering pump made horrible noises. I spent the 2,000 mile trip home trying to assure myself that the noise was the power steering pump because the noise would also occur when not turning. After some research on the second night I learned that the brakes are also powered by the power steering pump. The next day I called a repair shop near home to setup an appointment to replace the power steering pump and replace fluids. On the final stretch, about 70 miles from home I stopped for a final pit stop. When I was returning to the cab I noticed a small puddle forming under the truck. Thinking that the leak only occurs when the engine is shutoff and manageable, I continued on towards home. I drove a bit slower to keep temps and pressures low while monitoring the engine temp. I was pretty confident that if I kept the temp under 205F or so I wouldn't lose coolant or damage the engine if I was wrong. This worked and I was able to make it home, thankfully without getting stuck in traffic or running out of fuel. The shop also addressed the leak the next week, it turned out to be the water pump.
The week after that the truck threw a check engine light code for a crank case ventilation (CCV) filter. So back to the shop it went to change the CCV filter and a valve adjustment for good measure. When I got the truck back it had about 10 check engine codes. I think they leave the key in the on position when working on the truck and the codes on newer cars apparently can't clear through the use of a code scanner. Fortunately, the codes disappeared after a day or so of driving.
Back to the third weekend and camper build... I selected a Dometic CRX-65 fridge, but didn't have it on hand to verify that what I had in mind would actually workout in real life. The tricky part was knowing where the front feet of the fridge would end up because that dimension is not defined in the installation manual. As a result of this, my fridge platform is a little longer than it needs to be, but it is still covered by the fridge.
Routing out the fridge vents:
The fridge instructions imply through various pictograms that there should be 2" of space under the fridge platform, behind the fridge, and above the fridge. This space should also be vented to the rest of the room.
Fridge Platform:
The fridge platform is a 3/4" piece of plywood supported by more 3/4" plywood on the edges.