The U.S. Stock Market: “Eject!, Buckaroo, Eject!”

The massive injections of liquidity from the Federal Reserve for the past five+ years–created by artificially low interest rates–have clearly come to an end. Cheap credit “fixes” are no longer available, and the credit junkie is going to experience withdrawal symptoms. Recently, news of the sub-prime debacle and teetering derivatives hedge funds have registered with investors–at least at the institutional level. Collectively, they have come to the realization that the party’s over. So it was no surprise that Wall Street prices declined 4.23 percent last week. I predict that this is just the beginning of a major bear market cycle that will last several years, bringing the Dow down out of the stratosphere–perhaps to as low as the 9,000 level. I foresee that many trillions of dollars of “on paper” gains will be erased. This bear market will make the 2000 sell-off seem quite small, by comparison.

Sadly, the Generally Dumb Public (GDP) is the last to catch on to these macro-scale market swings. Long after the institutional traders have switched to bonds, TIPS, and other instruments, lots of individual investors are going to continue to stand fast like deer in the headlights, and consequently get splattered. Individual investors tend to be emotional and get attached to particular stocks, or hold out for price points that are determined viscerally. The big traders are down right dispassionate, by comparison. To illustrate: I have some close friends–a couple in their 40s–that had recently sold most of their stocks, but were still hanging on to some Sun Microsystems (SUNW) stock, waiting for it to touch a $5.50 price. (The wife had acquired most of it between $3 and 4 per share, from her stock options while working at Sun.) I strongly encouraged them to sell when Sun was at $5.41, just before Sun reported their quarterly earnings. I had advised them: “Sell your Sun stock within two hours after the earnings announcement, regardless of the exact price. It is only going to go down if you wait.” But they hesitated, because the stock didn’t jump to the $5.50 as they had expected. (Sun’s earnings numbers were good, but the entire market was sliding last week.) The last I heard, after last week’s mini-debacle, SUNW was selling at $4.93. So, presently, my friends are down about 10% from what “might have been.” By selling now, they would still realize a good profit. I have again urged them to sell, but I doubt that they will. Some deer just won’t budge.

For those of you reading this that that are still in the US stock market, my advice is now practically at shouting level. Get out now. Cut your losses. To quote one of my favorite movies: “Eject, Buckaroo, Eject!” You are driving straight toward a mountain, and your vehicle is not equipped with an Oscillation Overthruster. If you “stay the course” or “wait for a big rally” then you are probably going to be disappointed. To mix metaphors, the US equities market is now is a down escalator. Chances are that the Dow will continue to decline–at least until interest rates turn around. That may be a decade away.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Tom at CometGold.com flagged this piece: The Real Morons of Orange County Why America’s most reckless real estate investors come from Irvine, California. About a year ago, I coined a name for this crowd: contrapreneurs.

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The high bid is still at $300 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Big Berkey water filter, kindly donated by Ready Made Resources. They are one of our most loyal advertisers. The auction ends on August 15th. Just e-mail us your bid.

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Courtesy of our friends at SHTF Daily: Europe in fire and water onslaught

Three Letters Re: Advice on Generators?

Dear Mr. Rawles,
On the subject of generators, I was wondering what your thoughts were on fuel.
Recently, the municipality I live in equipped it’s municipal buildings with large generators powered by propane. My thought was that a wiser choice would have been diesel. My reasoning was:
Propane can only be provided by large trucks with specialized equipment or by smaller, but heavy, containers. In a situation where the roads may be blocked or impassable, a propane truck would not be able to get through.
It’s hard to convince a propane dealer to come out with his truck for a smaller delivery such as when you are looking to just ‘top off’ your tank From a re-supply standpoint, I sort of favor diesel.
If roads are closed or impassable, diesel can be delivered by something as simple as filling five gallon fuel cans and transporting them on snow machines [(snowmobiles)], horses, pack frames, etc.
In a true emergency, there are more re-supply points, as diesel can be found in the tanks of municipal vehicles, in storage tanks at the municipal garage, in private storage tanks at the bus depot and construction yards, etc. And again, in a pinch it can be man-portable by using smaller containers.Your thoughts? – RMV

 

Hi Jim and Family,
I wondered if you had heard the actual hard facts on the proposed ban on properties housing more than 1,000 gallons of LP? From what I understand, this will be a very large feat to register, prove need, and obtain such a quantity.
In my region, 1,000 gallons does not last very long drying corn. I understand that we in the agri-economy will still be able to obtain it. But, I guess we can add this to the ever expanding list of common items that are being made difficult at best to obtain. Maybe stocking up sooner than later is a goal. I sure don’t like your predictions. Time is starting to tell. – The Wanderer

 

James:
Having had the opportunity to run/install/maintain all sorts of generators. Propane is by far the easiest, and the cleanest fuel for standby generators, and the fuel never goes bad. To get any sort of quantity of diesel legally stored on your property takes an act of God and reams of paper: Rules, EPA regulations, containment systems, et cetera. And this country is set up for propane delivery, not diesel delivery.

While I won’t deny the longevity of diesel engines, I can tell you that propane engines last almost as long. And to get a 1,000 gallon propane tank delivered to my house tomorrow takes a phone call. No papers, no permits not anything but money. Try putting a 1,000 gallon diesel tank in your yard. (Legally )

If anyone is thinking of long term power ( TEOTWAWKI ) then they ought to be looking at [photovoltaic] solar panels and inverters, as getting diesel will be harder to obtain than propane. Mainly as they will reserve the diesel for trucks, military and police. But propane? It’s a consumer item mainly used to cook and heat with, so it will be available to you and me.

I am adamant with my clients to not look at diesel for all these reasons.

I have a 20 KW Onan water cooled genset at my house that has 80 hours on it now, burns 2 gallons per hour and I have 1000 gallons in reserve. That coupled with my large battery bank and solar would give me a very long time of independence and electricity. Plus my genset is very quiet.

What is my backup genny? A small tri-fuel from Northern Tool & Equipment that is loud but puts out 9 KW on gasoline, 8 KW on propane and 7 KW on natural gas…

When I moved into my house 12 years ago, I bought my first gennie to power my well pump during power outages. And later moved to the big one…

I am currently designing a large renewable energy setup on Lake [Deleted for OPSEC] and they are going with Solar (large array and batteries), Wind (10 KW Bergey) and Propane Generators (Onan) as backups. Regards, – Mel

JWR Replies: Parts of the United States have a home heating infrastructure that is geared more heavily toward home heating oil delivery rather than to propane delivery. In those regions, diesel generators might be better option, especially for those that live in farming or ranching country outside of city limits. There, large diesel tanks would not attract suspicion, and they are only lightly regulated. (At least in most western states.)

Virtually all diesel generators will run equally well on off-road (dyed) diesel, road-taxed diesel, biodiesel (including waste vegetable oil and freshly pressed oils), and home heating oil. The only significant difference between “home heating oil”, road taxed Diesel #2, and off-road diesel is the Federal standards for sulphur content and ash content. In fact, up until the recent introduction of Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) all three typically came from the same production runs at refineries. In essence, they are just marketed differently. And of course the portion that is destined for on-road vehicular use gets a hefty tax added–and it is left un-dyed. (The dye is intended to keep people from cheating on the road tax.)

I’m glad that you mentioned photovoltaics. There was recently some interesting analysis/commentary over at The Oil Drum from Robert Rapier: The Future is Solar. If SurvivalBlog readers want to get serious about making their own electricity with photovoltaics, contact Ready Made Resources. (Our first and most loyal advertiser.) They have the expertise, and great prices on panels, charge controllers, and inverters. They even offer pre-packaged systems up to 5.6 KW. Also BTW, lots of states now offer special incentives and rebates for people that install alternative energy systems.

Letter Re: M1 Garand En Bloc Clip Ejection–Modify or Leave it As-Is?

Jim:

I’d like you advice on buying the Holbrook “Thumb Saver” modification device for M1 Garand Rifles. Do you have any experience with this device or thoughts on it?

The following is John Holbrook’s description of his Thumb Saver Device. It has been advertised in Shotgun News for a long time.

The Device is a replacement for the GI op[erating] rod catch and it stops automatic bolt release when loading a clip. It also prevents auto clip ejection when the last round is fired.

With it installed, the Garand operates much like the M14/M1A. When a full clip is inserted into the receiver it will latch, however you must pull and release the bolt handle to charge the top round. It will operate in the normal manner until the last round is fired and the bolt will lock open but the clip will not eject. To eject the clip you
must push the eject button on the receiver…

With an empty clip latched in the receiver, single rounds can be loaded into the clip, 1 through 8. when you have as many as you wish, just pull and release and away you go…

The rifle is not modified and can be converted back to GI [specification/function] by replacing the Device with the original catch.

The maker of the Thumb Saver is
John Holbrook
2015 24th Street, #57
Bellingham Washington 98225
phone: 1-360-671-8522
E-mail: john.holbrook@comcast.net

Also see: Boston’s Gun Bible (post-2002 edition) page 11/30.

JWR Replies: The Holbrook device works fine, but it is primarily designed for target shooting. I recommend leaving a Garand’s action “as is” for defensive shooting situations. You’ll want automatic clip ejection in most foreseeable self-defense situations, because you’ll want to know when your rifle is empty, so that you can reload quickly. One exception would be if you have a scope-equipped and match-accurized M1Garand that you plan to use as a counter-sniper rifle. For those circumstances, a high rate of fire and rapid reloading are secondary to stealth. That would be where a Thumb Saver would be apropos.

The only real drawback to automatic clip ejection is that if you are operating solo, the bad guy(s) are familiar with Garands, they will wait until they hear “bang-bang-ping!”–the sound of the empty en bloc clip ejecting–and then charge your position. But luckily, as time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer bad guys that have been around Garand rifles.

Odds ‘n Sods:

DV forwarded this one: Goldman Sachs guru warns of war-debt failure — Is America becoming a global credit risk?

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Thanks to B.H. for sending us this: Ammo Makers Prepare for Drop in Demand

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J. from East Tennessee Sterilizer Service sent us what might be the answer to the honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) mystery: A Spanish researcher blames an Asian parasite

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The Army Aviator sent us this one: Economist: World Is One Hedge-fund Collapse Away From Crisis. The article begins:”The problems in the U.S. subprime mortgage market could spiral out of control into a global financial crisis, economist Mark Zandi said Thursday. With a “high level of angst” in the financial markets about who will take the losses from more than $1 trillion in risky mortgages, we could be just one hedge-fund collapse away from a global liquidity crisis, said Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity." – Ulysses S. Grant

Note from JWR:

Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Liberty Mags, in Casper, Wyoming. They offer a 17 round magazine for the Saiga .308 series rifles. These magazines work without any modifications to your existing rifle. They are based on modified steel HK91 (G3) magazines and retain the original feed lips and reliability. All the magazines are made with new surplus magazines and are completely refinished using zinc phosphate Parkerization. Their price is $35 each for each freshly-modified and refinished magazine, or $25 each with your steel 20 round HK91/G3 magazine supplied as a trade-in. These mags are guaranteed for 100% function in the Saiga rifle system and each comes with a full replacement guarantee. Presently, their “on hand” supply of completed magazines is limited to less than 100 pieces. Orders are shipped in the same order that payment is received, (“First come, first served.”) For ordering information, contact Liberty Mags: libertymags@hotmail.com

Five Letters Re: Advice on Generators?

Jim,
I have backup generators at my home and at my retreat. Both are propane powered. The generator at the retreat is a low speed (1800 RPM), liquid cooled generator. I have run it for up to 10 hours straight, with no problems.

The vast majority of us “off the grid” folks have low speed propane generators. They are very reliable and fuel storage is not an issue since propane does not go bad. Most residences that I have seen, run the house and generator off of the same 500 gallon tank. My generator has a dedicated 500 gallon tank, as does the house. Next year I plan on installing a 2,500 gallon underground propane tank.

I have started my propane generator at 10 degrees F with no problem.

I bought both my generators from Norwall Power Systems,. Regards, – PED

 

Jim,
George B. ‘s site is an excellent source of info for building your own diesel genset. I had purchased one of the Changfa 22HP single cylinder diesel engines before the EPA ruled against their sale here in the US.

The info alone on the Lister CS diesel (clone) engines is very valuable for all interested in off grid power.

I also bought a generator head (12 KW) from Georges friend’s store (Powerful Solutions).

This web page is a good example of a Lister CS diesel clone employed for power in hurricane prone Florida and the progress of the learning curve needed to keep power for the duration of four hurricanes.

I hope this helps your readers a good bit. – Tim P., on top of a wind swept ridge

 

 

Jim,
I have not yet gotten to the level of ordering one of the [generators from] Powerful Solutions, but want to. I did find the driving engine also for sale in Minnesota, I think. This same individual had 1,800 RPM generator heads for sale, they look like exactly what we should be getting for Schumer time. It is always Schumer time here, he is one of my senators. Guess who the other one is. Talk about depressing!! Check out his store: Powerful Solutions. He has practically a kit that will fix a retreat right up. – Sid in New York State

 

James:

Regarding Diesel generators, the diesel tractor with Power Takeoff (PTO) generator option is important to consider. Many people own a diesel tractor already, they are extremely handy if equipped with a front end loader in homesteading situations. They are sturdily built, and designed to run for extended hours. The PTO drive generators are available in a variety of sizes, as low as 7 KW, ($1,500 including trailer to carry it), and up to 75 KW, my personal unit is a 25 KW Onan. The other advantage is that the tractor is generally used on a regular basis, so fuel is kept fresh, batteries charged and the machine maintenance is kept in mind. Contrast this with a generator that often sits unused in the back of a shed until needed, will it start? For the price of a good quality dedicated genset, a multi-use tractor and a PTO generator is much more survival friendly. – DD

 

Mr. Rawles,
Thanks again for your very informative web site. I continue to enjoy my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. In my search for a good generator/drive system, I have run across a design that seems to be among the most durable. It is referred to as a “Lister.” One can do a web search on “Lister” or “Listeroid” to get started. These engines were designed by the British and have been known to run almost continuously for years and even decades, according to posted accounts. The Brits discontinued manufacturing new units in the 1980s, but there are enterprising folks in India that continue to make clones (hence the “Listeroid” name). One caution on the India units: many accounts I have read indicate that new units still have some (a lot?) of casting sand in the interior. If you purchase one of these units, be sure to tear it down before you run it and make sure that the sand is cleaned out. While this may sound daunting, it actually will illustrate one of the key qualities of this design – simplicity. The valve train itself is on the outside and the unit is intended to be owner-serviced and maintained.
In addition, these diesels are started with a hand crank. This is possible because there is generally a large, heavy flywheel mounted on the crankshaft. This flywheel develops the inertia to assist in overcoming the high compression that most diesels require to fire. So, again – simplicity due to the absence of electric starting. One other quality that David V. was seeking was low RPM. These diesels generally run in the 600 to 1800 r.p.m. (depending on size/number of cylinders) with most operating in the lower part of the range.

Now the best news of all – there is a company in the US called Old Style Listers that builds them – from scratch! They are located in Washington state. I have spoken to the owner and visited the web site. They don’t make many each year and they’re not cheap, but quality rarely is inexpensive. In my conversation with the owner, he told me that they are fitted with a [large] muffler for an automobile and, therefore, operation in a residential area results in little or no disturbance to the surrounding neighborhood. He said that they routinely run theirs in a residential zone and holding a conversation nearby is no problem while it runs. According to the web site, they have cylinder heads that boast a duty cycle of at least 100,000 hours – that’s almost 11.5 years. I hope this provides some food for thought for David V. and others. Thanks again for such a complete, informative site. I consider it required daily reading.
P.S. on another note I have used your rather thorough treatment of derivatives to inform my wife (a CPA) about my outlook and concerns regarding future large-scale financial problems. She found it quite eye-opening – something of a big “aha” experience. Thanks again for all that you provide for us on your site. – Rob in NC

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The number of deaths from violence will be far exceeded by deaths from cold and hunger. The total casualty list will include a remarkable number of deaths in hospitals. Some millions of people will die in the two weeks during which the crisis will last. With hygiene virtually absent, an epidemic will be the widespread new phenomenon causing more deaths. This will be the decisively lethal fact – half the surviving population will die of bubonic plague. Historians estimate that during the fourteenth century the plague destroyed half to two thirds of the population of Europe. We think of that as long ago and far away, and we cannot help thinking that the plague is one of history’s horrors, unknown in the modern world for about 170 years. But as Hans Zissner wrote in Rats, Lice and History, ‘We have no satisfactory explanation for the disappearance of plague epidemics from the Western countries and we must assume that in spite of the infectiousness of the plague-bacillus, the plentiness of rats their occasional infection with plague and their invariable infestation with fleas, the evolution of an epidemic requires a delicate adjustment of many conditions which have fortunately failed to eventuate in Western Europe and America during the last (nineteenth) century. The most reasonable clue lies in the domestication of rats. Plague epidemics in man are usually preceded by widespread epizootics among rats; and under the conditions of housing, food storage, cellar construction, and such that have gradually developed in civilized countries, rats do not migrate through cities and villages as they formerly did. Plague foci among rats remain restricted to individual families and colonies’.” – Roberto Vacca, The Coming Dark Age

Note from JWR:

I just heard that Ready Made Resources has almost finished building their new web site. I heard that they’ve already posted more than 1,000 different cataloged items, and they have 1,500 more that will be posted within the next week or so. Be sure to visit their re-vamped site and check out their huge inventory of photovoltaic power components, storage foods, field gear, medical supplies, intrusion detection systems, night vision gear, wheat grinders, water filters, just to name a few items. They have it all, at great prices!

Letter Re: What if The Schumer Doesn’t Hit The Fan? – Reasons to Prepare Anyway, by MB

Hello Jim,
I’d like to respond to MB’s article. In the Securing Your Castle section, MB wrote:
“If you have studied survival even a little, then you are aware that arming yourself ranks high on the list of recommendations. Perhaps some of you share my reluctance to build an armory in my home. I have children, and being married to someone who is strictly against guns makes security a particularly difficult element in my survival preparations. While I recognize security as an absolute must, I have reservations about keeping a device designed to kill in my home. Ironically the reasons not to own a gun are the very reasons why I feel I should own gun. The reasons are aged 2-11, not including the Mrs. In a volatile scenario that could spiral out of control; I would feel helpless without weapons to protect my family. All the stockpiling of food and water will be futile if some thug can easily take it from you (and maybe your lives with it). If you do decide to own a firearm (or firearms), don’t flaunt it and please educate yourself and practice. Keep a chamber or trigger lock in place and store the ammunition in a different location if necessary.”

Keeping a firearm with a trigger lock in place and ammunition stored in a different location renders that firearm useless in my opinion. In the city, once there is an unknown perceived noise in the house, the clock is ticking. You would have to go and get your firearm, unlock it, go get the ammo and load the magazine. If it is at night, reaction time to get out of bed and wake up enough to grasp the situation is additional time that will depend on the person. You might as well just go and greet your designated thug and let them in and save yourself the structural damage.
City people have to deal with the constant propaganda that makes them rethink the reason to have firearms in the first place where it’s always about the children and not about self defense. It reminds me of the book “Dial 911 and Die“. Here are the numbers: Five seconds to your firearms or five minutes until the clean-up crew arrives.

The solutions: Gun Safes, Educating your Family and Training.

Gun Safes keep children away from the firearms and keep you within 5 seconds of having a loaded and round chambered firearm that is ready to go. In larger houses, multiple locations are useful to keep one close by. There are many types of handgun safes that can be located thought a house that will keep children out. They should contain the gun and magazines or speed clips preferably in a pouch to make easy to grab and clip on to whatever you are wearing at the time. A holster would be handy to have adjacent to the safe so you can have both hands free if needed. There are other wall-mount safes for long guns and shotguns as well. I also know people who normally wear their firearms while they are at home or at least when they answer the door.

Educating your Family is the most important thing. The safes keeps young ones away from the firearms. When they are ready, they can be introduced to what a firearm is, its uses and to not speak to others about them besides immediate family members. The other major aspect is that they can ask to see the firearms at any time they want. At that time they are interested, they will listen and learn. I’ll drop what I’m doing and allow them to explore while teaching them further. This eliminates the mystery and “forbidden fruit idea” that leads to most problems.

Training can be broken into two categories, firearms training and planning for your location.

The successfully use of a firearm in self defense can be greatly enhanced by training and practice. If you buy a firearm, don’t get a false sense of security now that you have one. It does no good without being able to properly use it. Know the firearm you purchased. Read the manual, learn all the features and know how to manipulate it. There are a number of basic firearm training courses available from various organizations. If you don’t take a course, go practice with a knowledgeable friend. There are many resources available on the internet as well.

You’ve got a firearm, you know how to use it and now how will you employ that tool to your particular location? You wake up from a disturbing noise and now you need to take action. What will you do? Where will you go? Where are the children? If someone confronts me here and now and I miss, will I have a chance to hit a family member in the next room? Looking at your location and developing simple action plans will take the time consuming guess work out when you only have time to react. Plan and practice that plan so when the time comes you will naturally follow your plan without needing to think. Make the “what if” scenarios fun for the whole family so if the time comes, your family will be coordinated and have a greater chance to handle the threat. There are numerous resources on the internet for thinking about scenarios as well. – Paul.

Letter From David in Israel: On Bootlaces

James
I remember hearing an ex-army friend comment that he would always remove the laces from his boots and replace them with 550 parachute cord. His reason was that he could remove the laces and make survival stuff from the inner strands. If a person is in the military and has a steady source of 500 cord to replace their laces every other month in the field hen this is a good idea… Until they have to do real SERE and they are unable to replace the laces when they wear out.
A survivor has priorities than having seven tiny strings one yard long, they need longevity. Kevlar laces are available to places that supply forest crews and might just out last the boots that they are laced into.

Think about the consequences of “survival” modifications of your gear. To answer those that advocate 550 cord boot lacing: why not buy Kevlar laces and 50 meters of 200 pound test Spectra fishing line hidden somewhere in your boots or pockets? – David in Israel

Four Letters Re: Advice on Protecting My Home from Gunfire

Sir:
Regarding the question you received from a reader regarding protection from gunfire. Might I suggest a decorative planter made from poured concrete or concrete block? Brick would do in a pinch, assuming it was face brick (which has holes in them) with rebar and mortar or cement in the holes, although brick shatters easily. (Concrete block should have the cavities filled, with vertical rebar in the cavities and horizontal strengthening rectangular wire loops in the mortar every other layer). An inexpensive and attractive one or two tiered planter 16-24 feet long and 4 feet high can easily be built in a day, another day to fill with dirt and plantings. Building a foundation below frost line would add more construction time. The front and rear filled block thicknesses
plus the dirt filler will stop any shoulder fired projectile, and it can be dressed up further with a “thin brick” veneer on the visible sides. Built to window sill height or slightly above, it will provide
protection from the bottom edge of the window to floor level. Walls without windows, of course, can have higher planters. Pressure treated wood can also be used.

A similar structure can be assembled with interlocking concrete decorative block to build an attractive wall, and the wall can be built with curves, making a very attractive terrace structure. Another
advantage of strategically placed 3-4 ft high “planter terraces” is that they can stop vehicles without being an obvious anti-vehicle barrier. This would allow controlling the vehicle access path to a
house if they are built far enough out. If built close in, I’d suggest not using the house wall as the back of the planter or terrace due to moisture problems from the dirt. Regards, – H.

 

Jim:
In regards to the earlier letter from Denise about protecting a mobile home from gunfire, I would like to share something that might be in their realm of “do-able”. A lot depends on if the home is in a park or not. If it is, oops…. If the home sits on its own land, here is an idea that I have seen more than once here in the Pacific NW. Not the cheapest, but cheaper than starting over.
A mobile home is securely placed on a strong foundation and anchored against earthquakes, wind, etc. Then a six inch wide foundation wall, up to the same height as the bottom of the mobile home, is built around 7/8 of the home, leaving a crawl space access under the home. This foundation wall is along the outside perimeter of the home and extends the full six inches horizontally past the existing home walls.
Using standard 2×4 constructions, a frame is built on the new foundation around the home up to the roof line, and then a standard peaked roof is added. If one is creative, I have even seen second floors added with stairs added inside the home up through the old mobile home roof.
If one were to use some of the ideas from this forum and add 3/4 inch plywood to the in and outside of the frame and then fill with gravel, you will add immensely to the bullet resistance of the home.
A creative person could improve on this idea to maximize insulation values. Be sure to tie the outer shell down against earthquakes as well. You would also want to tie the inner existing mobile home walls to the frame. Where windows are, you would have to remove them long enough to build new sashes and will have windows that are recessed deep into the wall. This would be the time to consider shutters.
Basically what you are doing is building a frame and all the electric/plumbing/appliances etc. are part of a modular “drop-in” unit. You are just doing the drop-in first, and then building the walls.
I hope I have been clear on how this works. Details can vary from project to project and may depend on how your county building codes view this. Of course, if you live in a lenient area, you are already a step ahead.- TM

Mr R.,
Read the entry about making the casa bullet proof. Sand bags filled with a mix of earth and gravel ( or 2″ river rock – the landscape stuff ) will be better than dirt alone. Kinda like a poor mans’ Chobham armor.
If needed, I’d site them along the inside of outer walls, making sure to cover corner angles. [JWR Adds: Because of the tremendous weight of the filled sandbags, I would only recommend this if your house is built on a slab. The floors of most wood frame houses with crawlspaces cannot support that much weight.] I might .. or might not … have them ready to be emplaced at the roof lines of our flat roof SW home, of course having set up a “floor” layer. I did a minutes’ math and figured the double-deep linear runs needed and the height ( minimum 24 ” ) and ordered from Saddleback Materials in Lake Forest, California. Phone: (800) 286-7263. When I checked they were the cheapest for the polymer-composite bags. We xeriscaped 25 years ago, and have the raw material at hand. Three yards of rock will set you back a couple hundred bucks [as of] last year.
Make sure you have a wheel barrow, or a friend with one eyebrow and a build like an ape if your plan on carrying them..And gauntlet gloves. And the apes – MurrDoc

James:
In my part of the world, many mobile homes, single, double, and triple wide have been expanded with additional rooms and porches. Many of these additions are concrete block. Eight inch block or larger when re-barred and poured solid make a good ballistic wall except for heavy, concentrated fire from large calibers. Many of these mobile homes and additions have then been brick veneered with a new sheet steel metal room over the entire dwelling porches. The brick veneer alone would be good protection. The concrete block room addition with brick veneer even better. For window and door protection, could add Lexan storm windows and doors for most events and sheet steel window and door shutters mounted over heavy wood. When open, the wood side would be seen. When closed, the metal side would be seen. I would provide for openable firing loops. These must be well set with heavy duty hinges and locks. With kind regards, – Lame Wolf