Atomic's 1968 Tradewind Twin Renovation

[Atomic_13]

With the weather warming I’m back at it. Over winter I tinkered on the trailer here and there sealing various minor leaks after each storm. I found AcrylR and Airstream’s applicator to be quite helpful. I also coated all the inside seams with Trempro 635. I'm fairly sure I applied and re-applied Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure to every rivet on the trailer.



I was pleasantly surprise to learn that Vintage Trailer Supply (VTS) carries the round gasket (with an attached T) to reseal the rear and side access panels. If you tackle this be sure to cut the gasket long and compress it to allow for linear shrinking with age. You can install the gasket without disassembling the panel frame if you use a plastic chisel to insert the rubber T into the frame slot. I noted the factory added a dime sized dollop of what looks like AcrylR to the inside of the mitered corners. I did the same.



I was able to source some 1/8” ABS sheet to replace my weathered vista view pull down shades. I transferred the aluminum handles from the old shade to the new ABS sheet.



I removed and resealed the lower stack windows. The smaller of the two windows had been replaced with a piece of glass 1/2 too short so a crack was present alongside one of the side walls. I had a local glass shop temper a new piece of glass 1/2 inch longer. No more leaks! Here is what the original gaskets looked like from 1968. I applied a bead of Trempro 635 to the outside and used the VTS recommended gasket to the inside.



With the trailer sealed up and water tight, I moved on to the AC wiring. This required installation of the 30 amp power cord inlet on the outside of the trailer. I also installed a 30 amp breaker box and wired it RV style with a floating neutral (not connecting ground to neutral). The ground BUS bar is attached to the frame with an 8 gauge copper wire.



I added the following breakers:
1) 30 amp breaker which feeds the breaker box rales with power from the campsite pedestal (protects the 10 gauge wiring from the trailer to the shore power).
2) 20 amp breaker / 12 gauge BX wire routed to the AC (I added grommets for added protection against chafing and shorts, though with armored BX cable it likely isn’t necessary)
3) 15 amp GFI breaker / 14 gauge BX - exterior outlet and the interior outlets near water
4) 15 amp breaker / 14 gauge BX - microwave
5) 15 amp breaker / 12 gauge BX - hot water heater
6) 15 amp breaker / 14 gauge BX - remaining outlets, refrigerator, and converter

Next up is to:

Add a layer of Reflectix alongside the inside of the shell. I should have done this prior to routing all the AC BX wire but I can slide it behind them.

Following the Reflectix I’ll install the 12 volt wiring (making sure AC and DC wiring are not routed through the same grommet). I’ve purchased a 500’ spool of 12 gauge stranded white white to home run as much of the 12 volt wiring to the 12 volt fuse box as possible. I know you can ground to the frame but this will hopefully avoid ground issues later. I also purchased several different colors of stranded wire for the positive wire to have multiple different 12 volt circuits. The converter, batteries, and 12 volt distribution/fuse panel will be located under the front window.

At some point I want to install the following electrical gadgets and therefore need to pre-run the following wiring:
- Solar - red and black 4 gauge welding cable routed from the roof, via the fridge vent, to the battery
- TV - audio output to stereo, RG6 coax to connect campsite cable to the TV, HDMI to connect a DVD player to the TV
- Stereo - 16 gauge speaker wires to speakers, RG58 antenna cable to roof via fridge vent
- WiFi booster - requires 50 ohm / low resistance coax with with male N connectors from AC on top of the trailer (location of the WiFi antenna) to the WiFi repeater (inside trailer above fridge). The repeater is connected to a mid ship internal antenna with the same type of cable.
- 4G cell booster - will install factory antenna on exterior roof and route cable down refrigerator vent to internal booster once purchased
- AC drip cup drain tube from AC to grey tank
- Water pump control switch (8723 control wire from cabinet switch to relay next to water pump)
- LED light switches (needs wires ran from lights to switches and then to 12 volt distribution panel)
- Marker light switch - route black and green wire from the 7 conductor box to a switch area to power LED marker lights while camping

Following the routing of the 12 volt and accessory cables I’ll install the Roxul fiberglass insulation and then install the interior walls. Then on to interior paint, flooring, bathroom parts, cabinets, plumbing, etc.

So when so I get to go camping?

[dbj216]

"so when do I get to go camping?" When you get it all done! Hang in there, you're making good progress. I thought I'd whet your appetite with this photo of our 66 Trade Wind out camping with our granddaughters. There is a reward at the end of the journey.

David

[Atomic_13]

After some summer fun trips, I'm back at the renovation.

Over the past few weeks I:

1) finished up the 120VAC system

2) ran eight 12 VDC circuits (used 10 or 12 gauge stranded wire depending on application and voltage drop; grommeted all rib pass throughs, and home ran all grounds back to where the DC distribution panel will be)

3) added a conduit in the wall from the fridge vent to the floor for future wires (wifi/LTE booster antenna)

4) ran various other non electrical wires (thermostat control wire, RG6, RG58, HDMI, speaker wire, 4 AWG welding cable for solar)

5) added reflectix to the inner walls (affixed with spray adhesive and aluminum tape)

6) installed the AC (this involves an improvement of the support brackets, painting the shroud silver, and added dometics' drip cup system to catch condensation)

7) installed the end caps (adding a layer of Roxul safe and sound insulation to the top of the cap prior to lifting it into place, used spray adhesive to hold it in place, up sized to rivets to 5/32 for extra strength)

Next up is the remaining fiberglass insulation and interior skins. Then on to cabinetry.

[Atomic_13]

progress photos:

[dbj216]

Well hello again Atomic13. Your going to have a brand new 1968 Airstream with all the modern amenities. You have thought of everything I believe. It will be a very special trailer indeed.

Thanks for the very informative posts. It may be next spring before you get to go camping in your Trade Wind. Sorry...

David

[Atomic_13]

Might have to sleep in an aluminum tent this fall.

The goal is having the Tradewind functional by this time next year to cycle around the fine state of Wisconsin. We plan to pedal 80-100 miles each morning, fly fish in the afternoon, and enjoy the comfort of the airstream each evening. Nice way to spend a week, I believe.

[dbj216]

Wisconsin is a great state. Similar to Minnesota and Michigan. The Great Lakes. It is a worthy goal for your new Trade Wind. It takes me about 7 hours to ride a 100 miles (way back when). But I don't have that Atomic factor. You have 13 of them. And don't forget swatting mosquitoes in the evening. There are plenty in Wisconsin.

David

[Atomic_13]

Replaced a side panel today. Required removing the door. Big project, but it turned out well. While I was at it I replaced the door catch and door handle bumper. The vintage trailer supply replicas are nice. The old catch (and the new one) must be steel. Lots of galvanic corrosion under it. I separated the two different metals using splicing tape.

[dbj216]

I never did replace the one on my 66 Trade Wind. The old one was a rusted mess. I figured a bungee cord worked well enough. I don't want to get too fancy.

I did buy one of the VTS door holdbacks for my son's 69. He didn't like my bungee cord idea. But I did not insulate it with tape. That's a good idea. The holdback is stainless steel, so rust shouldn't be as much of a problem.

Excellent work on that big side panel. My son's 69 has the street side panel replaced when he bought it. I've made a couple of patches, but never replaced a panel.

David

[Atomic_13]

Enjoyed meeting a fellow forum member, Dale (aka "Slats"), today at the Roasterie coffee shop in downtown Kansas City!

[Slats]

Ditto. The difference between reading stuff here and an in-person conversation over a cup of coffee is hard to put into words. Suffice it to say that meeting up with and sharing stories with Brian a/k/a Atomic 13 made my Saturday.

[dbj216]

It's great you two creative Airstreamers got together to share ideas. I've met a lot of nice Airstreamers on the road.

David

[Atomic_13]

Let us know when you are in town, David. We'd love to meet you in person. Seeing your beautiful '66 Tradewind would be a bonus.

In addition to an excellent visit with Dale I checked off the following this weekend:

- installed the exterior belt and fender well trim
- removed, cleaned, and reattached the window drip caps (eliminating several olympic and a few pop rivets)
- removed, cleaned, and reattached the emblems and doorway handrail
- did a bit of polishing prior to reinstalling the above

[dbj216]

You did a great job on those old emblems. They look brand new. Actually you are building a brand new Airstream. I'm a big fan of drip caps. I think the mid sixties are the only year Airstream didn't use them. I think they are a significant reason the corning windows are prone to leaking. If you can direct some of the rain water away from the leaky glass bar to seal joint, then you likely will have less leaks. I have some drip caps for my trailer but I have not installed them.

David

[truckasaurus]

All your work looks great, what plans do you have for the interior?

[Atomic_13]

It's timely you should ask. I've been putting some thought into what the trailer should look like inside.

Think of a rustic but cozy cabin. Red cedar on select walls, dark cork floors, and white painted cabinets distressed by time and use. It's a trailer for fishermen, not for show. Fly rods will hang from the ceiling, and as William Wordsworth said, they'll be "true symbols of the foolishness of hope."

A front dinette will have a topographic map epoxied below the surface of the table. It will have space for myself, my closest friends, our fly tying vices, and whiskey. If one looks closely at the map, they'll notice handwritten notes about the number and length of our fish from that backcountry trip so long ago. These scribbles will undoubtedly contradict our recollections and stories.

Bunks on the curb side of the trailer will convert to a couch made for napping when the storm front has moved in and the fishing slows. The dinette and couch will be covered with brown leather upholstery and brightly-colored wool blankets.

The galley opposite the bunks will have a gas cook top with a copper tea kettle kissed by blue flames below. A filet knife, passed down from prior fathers, will sit by a cutting board and trout-sized sink. A side-by-side refrigerator across from the entry door will be stocked with freshly smoked cheeses and meats.

A heater made for sailboats will sit midship. Its smoke will rise above the trailer on cold fall evenings. The flickering flames behind the glass and its radiating heat will be welcomed after a long day casting for illusive steelhead on the Hoh River in Olympic National Park. Wet fishing flies will be drying near the stove. The air will smell of pine trees, campfires, and mountain streams.

A cedar Z-framed door will separate a rear bathroom containing a stock tank shower basin, exposed copper plumbing, and waxed canvas for the shower curtain and window blinds. Somewhere on the wall, perhaps across from the toilet, an old picture frame will display this quote on weathered paper:

"All America lies at the end of the wilderness road, and our past is not a dead past, but still lives in us. Our forefathers had civilization inside themselves, the wild outside. We live in the civilization they created, but within us the wilderness still lingers. What they dreamed, we live, what they lived, we dream." - T. K. Whipple, 1930

[rmkrum]

Love it! Make it so! Pictures or it didn't happen....

[Atomic_13]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Love it! Make it so! Pictures or it didn't happen....

I will indeed!

[Atomic_13]

I am amazed by all the little steps that need completed prior to installing insulation and the interior skins.

The prior weekend I installed the drip caps. A strip of butyl tape was sandwiched between the exterior skin and the aluminum drop cap. This weekend I taped off and added a thin bead of Trempro 635 to complete the seal.

The exterior outlet needed replaced, rewired, and resealed. I ended up purchasing some DIY 1/16 thick gasket material from NAPA. Between this and the Trempro 635 it should be water tight. For good measure, I sealed behind the shallow box in the interior wall and potted the BX cable entry points. The skin was polished prior to reinstalling the outlet.





While I was on a roll, I also disassembled the Bargman L100 lock, cleaned and greased the internal components, fabricated a new seal using the above NAPA gasket sheet, polished the door, and then reinstalled the lock.



Finally, 50' of 18/5 sprinkler wire was routed through grommets from the water pump area to the kitchen galley and bathroom vanity. This 18/5 wire bundle will be used to activate a 30 amp automotive relay to turn the water pump on or off from these locations.

Side tips - It would probably be preferred to use stranded 8723 wire but sprinkler wire was cheaper and accessible to me. Also, use a step drill bit to drill holes for the grommets in the ribs. It works great! Also use caution to not torque the ribs too much or you'll cause the nearby rivets to leak. Once the grommets and cable are installed I place a dab of Trempro on the grommets, the adjacent rib and the wire to keep them all in place.

[dbj216]

The list of steps needed to rebuild an old Airstream does seem endless at times. This is why it takes many times longer to reassemble than it does to tear it apart. There are a lot of threads written by excited new owners with great aspirations talking about gutting their Airstream only to go silent.

I spent an afternoon rebuilding my Bargman lock. I did remove the interior locking feature that can get a guy in trouble. Move the interior lever up accidently when leaving the trailer, shut the door, and find out you just locked yourself and your pet dog out of your trailer in your pjs, in the rain at 4am. We just use only the deadbolt for locking the trailer.

David