First She Had to Take a Ride on a Boat | 1957

[pbearsailor]

Thanks, Marcus. Glad you mentioned JP and I don't know why I left him out (all those memory issues around here, I guess) 'cause A-Merry-Can and his thread has certainly been one of that group of three for me too.

-steve

[tallytwo1994]

Looking beautiful Steve!

Carol

[pbearsailor]

I thought I was done day before yesterday, but wasn’t happy with the shape of the last panel. Recut and refinished those two panels and put them up today. Still needs trim around the window, but that'll come much later.

Pam has her two teddy bears in her hand in that one picture and that’s a definite sign that she’s ready to call it a day and head back to the boat. The Tundra has a pretty decent sound system and she just loves to go back to the 60’s and listen to the Byrds on the trip back home. Turn, Turn, Turn.

I’m happy with the way it looks and can’t wait (but I will) to see what it looks like with all the upper skins in place, polished aluminum in back and birch in the front. Getting the aluminum back up is the next phase. I have a new center piece still to be cut out and possibly some more stripping of old zolatone to do before the panels go up.

cheers,
steve

[soldiermedic]

Looks great Steve.

You are just plugging along while some of us just can't move as fast!

Steve

[ASwifey]

Looks beautiful! I'm really looking forward to seeing your finished trailer.

[nmbosa]

Steve, that looks great. Nice work.
Norm

[Silverfoxrae]

Wow. I was able to take the time and start from the beginning.. really really super progress. A very close friend's Dad has A's and it's challenging, but also very humbling too, as you are more aware of the good things every day. I wish you the best and will watch in earnest of your progress!

Rae

[SilverHoot]

Steve,

I think you are pretty amazing and hope to meet you one day. Great progress.

Michael

[pbearsailor]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

I've got a battery box on order from West Marine that'll hold the two 6 volt golf cart batteries I'm planning to install all the way forward in the new cabinet tied to the recliners. I've used golf cart batteries on the boat for 20 years with really excellent service, so I don't plan to change.

I'm wondering about venting. Everything I've read says that my battery vent should exit to the outside higher than the battery level since whatever off gassing is done will be lighter than air. I'd like to use the type fitting commonly used for fuel vents on boats like these. The logical short tubing run would have them mounted near the midline on the front of the trailer. They'd be sitting behind the two 30# propane tanks and mostly out of the wind heading down the road. Question is: should I be concerned about the vents pressurizing the battery box instead of venting when we're going down the road?

Can't really think of a better place for the vents without having a long tubing run and it sure seems to me the vent needs to be above battery level. Any thoughts on this?

cheers,
steve

[3Ms75Argosy]

I dunno Steve, I don't think you'd have to worry too much for a couple of reasons...
1) Being behind the tanks, and in the slipstream of the truck, might actually make for a low pressure zone, pulling the gasses out.
2) Everytime you stop, whatever high pressure there was would release, and proper venting would occur again.
3) I doubt the pressure would build with the vents pointing down, a ram effect wouldn't take place.

You might want to make a gasket to seal between the bronze and the aluminum to keep galvanic corrosion from occurring.

I love the work you've been doing, the cap looks great!
Marc

[pbearsailor]

Thanks, Marc, I'm sure you're right. Not likely an issue.

Good idea on a gasket between the bronze and the aluminum. Not sure if I'll use those exact vents--they're pretty pricey.

Is it axle time for you yet?

-steve

[3Ms75Argosy]

Yup! I got a run around with the local dealer they raised their price $100 from their phone quote when I came in to order within 2 days time... refused to honor it. So I went to my friend Uwe, who I should've gone with in the first place, and ordered my axle. I went back / forth over having a disc brake axle or drums... I decided to go resto-mod and ordered some disc brakes. I have a electric - hydralic actuator already, so that made it kinda an easy decision. Besides, those huge calipers on the Dexter's look kinda cool!
Marc

[pbearsailor]

In the fall when we moved from the shady but soon to be muddy spot to the drier location for the wet winter, our original tongue jack failed. I got a replacement quickly, but cold and wet soon set in and that job was put off in favor of the inside jobs I did during the winter.

I had all day to work on the trailer today and the temperature hit 60 for the first time this year, so it was a good day to tackle the jack. As it turned out, I needed nearly all day as the old one was a bugger to get out.

It was fastened with 4 3/8” steel rivets. I ground off the heads hoping I could then drive the rest through, but no go. I drilled them out, but it still wouldn’t budge. I then attacked the thing with my trusty old Makita grinder and a couple hours later, just as the grinder went up in smoke, the jack finally gave up and came out.

The new one slid right in and fastened with grade 8 bolts. Nice to see the trailer sitting on a jack instead of all blocked up like it’s been.

I was sure I’d stripped the Zolatone from both of the upper interior panels that will hopefully go back in this week. I was sure but I was wrong. One panel needed stripping and it’s the usual fight trying to get the Zolatone off. This picture is after three coats of stripper. Clearly more to go.

Got an email from the son of the original owners of Island Girl when I got home from the “jackfest” and that really made my day. Lots of info about the trailer and it’s tow vehicles that I’ll be going through tonight. She went from Chicago to the Seattle World’s Fair!

[utee94]

Lots of work there, Steve. What are you using to strip? To remove the zolatone (and the multiple coats of latex house paint over it) on my interior panels, I used the Citristrip and it took multiple applications and a heck of a lot of work with plastic putty knives.

Same thing for my aluminum interior light, three coats of Citristrip and a couple coats of regular-strength Kleen Strip Stripper, and all that came off were the multiple coats of thick latex house paint, but the original baked-on enamel finish wouldn't budge. Then I went to an auto paint supply store and told them I wanted the nastiest stuff they had, and they sold me some of the Aircraft Remover (not the spray-on, the brush-on). It took off that tough baked-on enamel in about ten seconds.

Anyway, keep it up!

-Marcus

[pbearsailor]

Thanks Marcus. Same method here. I've been using CitriStrip and the Kleen Strip. I've looked for the Aircraft Remover several places, but haven't found it yet. Should go to an auto paint place like you say. Probably, though, I'll just stubborn it out since I've got quite a bit of the various types around to use up.

Quite a bit of deep etching on this panel, much worse on the parts that were exposed Zolatone, as opposed to the areas inside the overhead cabinets. Not sure why, just more exposed I guess. Anyway, here it is after 5 coats of various strippers and sanded in spots with 320, 400, 500, and 800 papers, followed by G6 and the compounder. Not perfect, but it'll work.

I keep thinking of wires I should run, too, stuff not directly connected to the electrical system. Ran coax and Cat 5 for the computer earlier and today remembered to run some wire to the likely speaker locations. I'll have to stop remembering stuff when I get the interior skins back on.

-steve

[airdoxy]

Originally Posted by pbearsailor

Thanks, everyone. I'm definitely excited about her.

I've been kicking around ideas on that front window. Most important thing, here in our rainy Pacific Northwet is to get something in there pretty soon. Like the thought of plexiglass for resisting rock damage, but I've lived with it a long time on our boat and sure hate the crazing. I'll probably see what's available in safety glass first.

Belly pan outwardly seems to be in good shape other than one bad spot by the door. I want this trailer to last another 52 years, so I'm sure I'll do the whole subfloor, but won't decide if it's shell off or not until I see what I have for a frame. I suppose I might cut the belly pan off, leaving a healthy lip so I can get it back on if I do the floor with the shell on.

Anybody got any ideas on the fridge? I absolutely love the look of that Marvel that's in there, but it's 110 volt only and I'm sure I'd be much better off with a 2 way. I've done some searching but haven't found much. Wondering if there's any way to replace the guts of the compressor system with those of an gas/elec type. Or I wonder if I might be able to modify a gas/elec unit so it could give up its door and live behind that original Marvel door. Really want to keep that look if I can, but the ability to boondock will be very important to me. I dunno, down the road decisions anyway.

Thanks again for the welcome. Many questions to follow.

cheers,
steve

Hi Steve,
I have a 1958 Caravanner with the same cunundrum, I am doing every thing possible to restore the old Marvel refrigerator (which still works even if I have to use it only with 110v and not Boondock with it. Let me know your process if you go two way. Good luck!

Jim

[pbearsailor]

Originally Posted by airdoxy

Hi Steve,
I have a 1958 Caravanner with the same cunundrum, I am doing every thing possible to restore the old Marvel refrigerator (which still works even if I have to use it only with 110v and not Boondock with it. Let me know your process if you go two way. Good luck!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Yes, I'm still planning to go with a modernish 2 way and keep the Marvel's door. Probably be cold weather time again before I get to it. Boondock capability is really important to me. I'll probably face the new fridge with the Marvel door and it's existing frame.

-steve

[pbearsailor]

When I had the three big interior panels polished, I brought them inside the trailer and started to rivet them together. Buck riveted as far as I could reach by myself and clecoed the rest. Charlene was here for six hours today to watch Pam and I recruited some of my friends from the marina to help get what would be one large panel flipped over, lifted, and installed. My buddy Jim, who has bucked way more rivets at Boeing than I ever could on this trailer, shot the rest of the rivets while I bucked.

Just as we finished, John, Tom, and Karen arrived and, with the help of a couple of 2x4 T’s and some clamps, we were ready to flip the panel and lift it into position for clecos. We pushed and pulled for an hour or so and then clecos started lining up with holes at the back end. Pretty soon the panel was pop riveted back up. Big big difference in the way the trailer looks on the inside and it’s really satisfying to start getting some projects done.

Nice to have a great bunch of friends too. Really good day.

Meanwhile, back here on the boat, Pamela has decided to be compulsive about where my mouse sits on the mouse pad (for some reason, she has decided that it must always be in the middle). Windows sends me back to the desktop every time Pam touches the mouse, so I’ll admit defeat and wrap this post up.

cheers,
steve

[Silverfoxrae]

It's an all hands in the air- woo-hoo- party :-) Looking great!!!!

Rae

[Jezibels]

Absolutely beautiful Steve! Way to go!

The addition of the polished aluminum on the inside really sets the tone, and feel, of high end richness.