Atomic's 1968 Tradewind Twin Renovation

[Atomic_13]

That's a good idea, David. I might consider removing that locking feature as well. Installed some baby moon hub caps last night. They sure look nice.

[68 TWind]

Atomic,

Did you use original baby moons? I have them on my 68 and one is in really bad shape. Thought of trying to have it rechromed but it is really thin in some spots. I have original wheels with the clips on the wheels to secure the caps. If you have source for original type hub camps I'd love to know. I don't want to use the newer style replacements.
Thanks and great work, brings back lots of memories. I wish I had know then all the things I know now, would have done a couple of things differently on my 68. Nothing major as I tried to keep it as original as possible.

[Atomic_13]

Originally Posted by 68 TWind

If you have source for original type hub camps I'd love to know.

Here you go: http://hubcapmike.com/airstream-trailer-hubcaps.html

[Atomic_13]

Checked off the last few items I wanted to accomplish prior to reinstalling the interior skins.

The center ceiling vent was removed and patched closed. This creates a 59” (fore/aft) roof section between the AC and the front fantastic fan. This area should be enough space for two 180 watt solar panels from AM Solar. Hoping to fit two 100 watt panels behind the AC to total to 560 watts.

4 AWG welding cable was routed through the fridge vent using Blue Sea Cable Clams. The wires were secured to the roof near the AC which is where I’ll install the AM Solar combiner box.



With the exterior work complete, I moved inside to secure the wiring to nearby ribs and the exterior skin. I used zip ties and Commercial Electric 1”x1” exterior grade mounting bases to do so. Whenever possible, the 12 volt wiring was twisted around each other to reduce electromagnetic interference with electronics.



Short videos were made that traced each 12 VDC and 110 VAC wire run from their respective distribution panel to their terminal destination. These videos might be helpful when adding on a new electrical device or if a wire short needs located.

Lastly, a thermal break was created between the ribs and the internal skins by installing 1/32”x3/4” polyethylene foam tape (Scapa SR532V) to all the ribs and panel stiffeners. I’m not sure if this will make much difference, but it’s unlikely to hurt anything. I considered using 1/16” thick foam but decided against it due to concerns with the inner skins dimpling around each rivet.



Feels pretty nice to be ready to install insulation and the skins. I’ve opted to use Roxul Safe-n-Sound in the walls. Thinking I’ll need to hold it in place with masking tape and contact adhesive until the walls are in. Anyone have suggestions here?

[dbj216]

You are making great progress! It's fun to watch it all come together.

David

[TheGreatleys]

We have made almost identical insulation choices.

Spray glue works very nicely for holding up the insulation until you get the interior skins in.

If you're using 3-1/2" batts and cutting them in half for proper thickness, an insulation knife is well worth the few dollars' investment.

[Atomic_13]

Originally Posted by TheGreatleys

We have made almost identical insulation choices. Spray glue works very nicely for holding up the insulation until you get the interior skins in. If you're using 3-1/2" batts and cutting them in half for proper thickness, an insulation knife is well worth the few dollars' investment.

Thanks, Dan/Leanne! I trialled spray contact adhesive last night and agree this is the way to go. Looked over your blog/insta as well and found it helpful. I've been using an 18" serrated cake knife to split the insulation which works well. Curious, did using the 1/16 foam thermal break cause any dimpling around the rivets on the internal skins? I was worried it would, which is why I opted for 1/32.

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by Atomic_13

Thanks, Dan/Leanne! I trialled spray contact adhesive last night and agree this is the way to go. Looked over your blog/insta as well and found it helpful. I've been using an 18" serrated cake knife to split the insulation which works well. Curious, did using the 1/16 foam thermal break cause any dimpling around the rivets on the internal skins? I was worried it would, which is why I opted for 1/32.

No obvious dimpling, but we didn't make an effort to hit the original rivet holes, so it does look less perfect than it could. I think @reniergirl used some skewers to mark her original rivet holes for reinstallation.

It seems to make a HUGE difference in insulation performance. If I'm parked in direct sunlight with the windows open, and possibly a single fan running on exhaust, it's about the same temperature in the Airstream as under a big shady tree.

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by Atomic_13

Thanks, Dan/Leanne! I trialled spray contact adhesive last night and agree this is the way to go. Looked over your blog/insta as well and found it helpful. I've been using an 18" serrated cake knife to split the insulation which works well. Curious, did using the 1/16 foam thermal break cause any dimpling around the rivets on the internal skins? I was worried it would, which is why I opted for 1/32.

By the way, don't run the exhaust fans or the AC when you're spraying glue. That stuff hangs in the air for a while, and will sticky anything that's moving air around. Probably a good idea to wear a mask, too.

[Atomic_13]

Good news regarding your insulation’s efficiency. Sounds like the 1/16” thick thermal break is the way to go. Good call regarding spray adhesive and a mask.

[Atomic_13]

Built a jig to split 3” Roxol insulation into 1.5” thick batts. An 18” serrated cake knife works well enough to cut the insulation. In retrospect, I would have preferred a 20” knife but couldn’t source one. 3M industrial contact adhesive works well to hold the insulation in place. Four cans should be enough.



It’s been a long, but enjoyable road to get to the interior wall installation phase.



Thinking ahead to how to paint the vinyl covered interior walls and fiberglass end caps. Looking at ~460 square feet of interior walls. They’ve been degreased and power washed. I’m undecided between 1) rolling on primer (2 gal) followed by Zolotone Flex (3 gal) or 2) spraying on primer and automotive bumper paint.

Any suggestion?

Good info here:
http://63overlandermoonraker.blogspo...atone.html?m=1

[Bubba L]

Concerning the Zolatone, we used Kilz Adhesion as a interior metal primer first. We did strip the vinyl first, but either way. We rolled on the Kilz, rolled on the Zolatone Flex primer, then the final Zolatone topcoat. The Flex doesn't show the multiple colors as well as the spray on, but looks great as is. We couldn't find the Kilz Adhesion on the shelf, but had one of the box stores order it and picked it up. The Zolatone really holds up well. Good luck. Bubba

[Atomic_13]

Chiseling away...

[TouringDan]

Looks great.

Dan

[Atomic_13]

Thanks Dan and Bubba. I’ll look into the Kilz adhesion product. Sounds promising.

[dbj216]

I use my xray vision to look through that new subfloor at the new frame and all the plumbing and the like that you have engineered into your new Airstream. Keep banging on the chisel. It will be a super trailer when done.

David

[Atomic_13]

Pretty excited. Two panels in the ceiling remain uninstalled. Hoping to tackle those this weekend once I have a few extra hands.




The unfinished lower section in the rear bathroom was behind the tub and was cut too short by the factory. I’ll use sections of this vinyl coated panel elsewhere to patch other holes so the texture matches. I have some left over 5052 0.030 sheeting from the belly pan that will fit this unfinished area. This should be the only exposed wall section.

Also I was able to repair some significant cracking inside my front end cap storage compartment with automotive bondo. Opted to paint it black which hides most of the imperfections in the finish.



Had a warm sunny day this past weekend which permitted assessing the thermal break installed on the inside of the ribs. While i didn’t measure the temperature difference with a thermometer you could tell it’s going to do a great job reducing heat and cold transfer from the ribs to the inner skins.

[Atomic_13]

Big day for the Tradewind! All the interior skins are back in place. I’m relieved the original holes lined up with nearly all the holes in the ribs. I was worried that the new frame, floor, and moving the rear end cap inward would cause me trouble. No so!



On deck is patching some holes in the skin then on to painting. Leaning towards automotive primer and paint due to easy application and lower cost than Zolatone flex.

Question for those who have done extensive rewiring: what are good options to branch off my main 12 volt circuits that run along the center of the trailer front to back? For example, if I’d like to tie in to this main line and power something on one side of the trailer, what method do you suggest? Sounds like solder / wire nuts are not good options due to vibrations. Should I crimp rings to the three ends and thread a bolt through the rings and wrap this with splicing tape? Other ideas?

[J. Morgan]

Without getting the DC circuits way too long, I think I would daisy chain the wiring, that way all splices/connections can be accessed at each accessory to address future changes, troubleshooting, and service considerations.

By making all connections behind your devices, you can make your connection to the next device by crimping two wires in a single terminal end, one wire in, and another to the next device.

Oh, By the way, nice work! It looks great!

[Atomic_13]

Thanks, that’s essentially the approach I took for the circuits. I just hadn’t worked out the best/preferred approach to connect three wires: 1) wire from upstream power supply, 2) wire to the nearby accessory, and 3) wire to the next accessory downstream. Sounds like it’s ok to crimp two 12 gauge wires on one side and only a single wire on the opposite side. This is ok with standard wire connectors or are they specialty items?