Dale and Terry get a '66 Tradewind

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I hear ya. Maintenance, awareness, and mor maintenance. If ya dont like that, you got a wrong hobby and lifestyle.

That's why we all got into this lifestyle, right? A shared passion for preventive maintenance in exotic locations?

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by TheGreatleys

That's why we all got into this lifestyle, right? A shared passion for preventive maintenance in exotic locations?

Uhhhhh, yup...

[rmkrum]

Sounds very familiar. Joined the Navy, went all over the world going all kinds of corrective and preventative maintenance on all kinds of complicated stuff.

Hm. I thought I got out of that business, but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary even now....[emoji30] and I thought I had retired.....

[Slats]

Not much to report of late. Got all the Reflectix in, but re-wiring has me mildly baffled at the moment. Although I have done minor wiring repairs over the years, I never have had much of a grasp of how it all fits together. Looks like I'll be subbing this part out.

[dbj216]

I'm not making much progress on my project either. Too many summer activities including rebuilding my son's 2nd story deck. I did finally get my new shower wall installed. What a pain that was for me. Now onto the tub.

Our Airstreams mainly run on 12vDC as you know. That wiring scheme is a bit easier than the AC stuff.

David

[Slats]

All the wiring has been run and the Roxul is in place in the front, awaiting reinstallation of the end cap, likely Monday. Boy, has it been hot here lately. But as you can see from the pic, the Coleman Mach 8 is thankfully on hand to meet any cooling needs.

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by Slats

All the wiring has been run and the Roxul is in place in the front, awaiting reinstallation of the end cap, likely Monday. Boy, has it been hot here lately. But as you can see from the pic, the Coleman Mach 8 is thankfully on hand to meet any cooling needs.

Looking good!

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Airstream Forums mobile app

[dbj216]

Fire up the generator and run that new AC. We're sending more hot weather your way. We even have an extra wildfire or two if you would like one. Colorado is way too hot and dry.

I remember taking a temp reading on the exterior of the Airstream in the Colorado sun. I got 130F. My black pickup exterior was even hotter. I'll take a Minnesota blizzard anyday over this weather. Your new insulation will help prevent that heat from getting inside your Trade Wind.

David

[Slats]

Yeah, when putting in the Reflecitix one day I pulled the trailer out into the the summer sun. While standing inside, I put one hand on the section with Reflectix and the other on the bare section next to it. It was a simple (and very convincing - ouch!) test that clearly demonstrated the heat reducing value of the Reflectix. The layer of Roxul should be icing on the cake.

[Slats]

It took only three tries to set the end cap in place before getting it right. My assistant, Elliot, a sophomore engineering student at K.U., was a big help. He not only assisted in the heavy lifting, but also reminded me that my collection of clecos might be of use in holding the end cap in place.


Now, if only I had thought that the rivets going into the rib (as well as through not only the end cap but also the trim piece) had to have 3/8" heads instead of 1/4" ones, I'd be further along. Just ordered more rivets.

[dbj216]

Is the front end cap fiberglass (like the bath end cap) or molded plastic. Seems like I recall it was molded plastic where the overhead cabinet was molded into it all as one piece (except the wood doors of course.) I wonder what that big end cap might weigh. And I'm sure it is floppy as all get out.

Nice to have a helper.

David

[Slats]

It is fiberglass, which I neglected to consider in trimming a small corner of it with a dremel it to get it to fit over the window. Got a slight case of itchy arms from that, something I had hoped to avoid altogether by using cellulose instead of fiberglass for insulation. The end cap was more floppy than heavy.

[Slats]

Today, again with Elliot's help, the rear end cap was hoisted into place, held in place with clecos and then riveted. Went pretty smoothly. As with the front one, the Roxul made us use a good deal of pressure to get the rivet holes to line up. At one point, when I stepped outside the trailer after the air conditioner had been running a while, there was condensation along the rivet lines where there was only Reflectix on the inside, but none where Roxul covered the Reflectix and where foam tape had been applied to the rib before the end cap was riveted to it.

[Slats]

....... and, speaking of the air conditioner, I am really happy with the Coleman Mach 8 13,500 BTU unit I and the condensate pump I added to it. With the bottom still exposed I can watch the condensate trickle down from the pump into the vinyl tube that I ran through a grommet in the refrigerator duct ceiling outlet and down through the refrigerator vent hole in the floor.

[TouringDan]

Slats

The end cap looks great!

Glad to hear that you like the Coleman AC unit. That is the one that I will recommend that my son and DIL use in their 78 Caravanner (Texas heat).

Dan

[Slats]

The thought occurs that it may seem strange to install the end caps before the middle sections. But I wanted to wait until I get together with my electrical guy before covering over the wiring with Roxul, just in case he has any suggestions on running additional wiring for anything. But getting the end cap in gives me a tangible sense of accomplishment.


On another matter, I stumbled onto a great little trailer parts supply place in KC this morning, K.C. Home Trailer Co. Inc. on the Kansas side. It is about a half mile down the road from Airparts Inc., where I get aluminum and related stuff (rivets, bucking bar, clecos, etc.)



I wish I had known about K.C. Home Trailer when I first started down the full Monte path. It is a seventy year old family owned business situated in a relatively modest sized building in a light industrial area of town. It has shelves stacked to the ceiling with all manner of rv parts and narrow aisles in between the shelves. Dusty boxes of stuff abound. Toilets, tanks, refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces, vent fans, electrical supplies and much more are all there in a semi-organized fashion. The owner is very personable and is an amazing fount of knowledge of all things rv.


Reminded me of my axle adventure, when I realized after getting ill-fitting Dexters from an out of town supplier that I could have gotten ones with custom brackets from an overlooked local company that also happens to be a Dexter dealer, staffed by extremely knowledgeable and very helpful folks.



Don't get me wrong. The internet is a wonderful tool and it offers great communities of like-minded folks with common interests, but there are ways in which it simply never will be a satisfactory substitute for good old brick and mortar one on one in person human contact.

[dbj216]

You found a great little business. Very nice write up on why dealing with real folks seems to work out better. I get my aluminum from Airparts and the nice folks that work there. I really like my local hardware store. So much more helpful than the "big box" outfits. Actually, Vintage Trailer Supply does a good job too. I've had good luck getting help on the phone with them.

There are better sources than just "Amazon" point and click, and hope for the best.

David

[Slats]

Today's prize, to be announced, goes to the kind soul who can tell me what these things are before they get stuffed with Roxul and covered over.

[dbj216]

I'm at a loss. Loser I am! David

[Slats]

Well, as I recall they were just empty open-ended rectangular boxes hanging there when I removed the ceiling and exposed them. They were a mystery then and they remain a mystery still. So be it.