Dale and Terry get a '66 Tradewind

[TouringDan]

Looks like first class work on everything Dale.

If your Dickinson heater will keep you warm in 15 degree weather I’d say you are in pretty good shape for any weather you will be camping in.

Dan

[Slats]

Because I had to run my hot water supply and return lines at the same height as their connections at the top of the tankless water heater, they had to start from the water heater at 15 1/2" and 13 1/2" above the floor for, respectively, the supply line and the return line, and rise ever so slightly along the way back to the shower over in the curb side rear corner. For most of the run they are along the wall behind the cabinetry and closet space. After making a crude mock-up of my future bathroom sink cabinet and setting it in place, I determined that only the lines in the street side rear corner and across back, over to the curbside corner shower/tub area, needed covering. So I set about making a little curved plumbing wall about 20" high for the curbside corner out of 3/16" birch plywood. First I cut a 1 1/2" wide crescent for the top ledge of the wall, then glued cleats to its underside to screw it to the wall. The cleats were 1 1/4" wide, so that the inward curve of the crescent extended 1/4" over them, leaving a lip under which the curved plywood sheet to fit snugly. I then scored the back side of the plywood to make it bend into the necessary curve. As for the back wall, I plan to fashion a birch 1”x 2” box to cover the black water tank vent that runs along the floor and build a frame on it to reach over the water lines above, then make an upward-sliding door that I can pull up to give outside access through the rear compartment access panel. See post #524 for the similar sliding panel on my heater cabinet.

[Slats]

Here's a better shot of the plumbing wall. It was a bear to make.

[dbj216]

Hi Slats: Nice you have a pet bear to make nice parts for you. The plumbing cover looks very nice. Actually Airstream did a similar thing in the rear bath of their seventies trailers. But they used aluminum to do it. My 66 Trade Wind had a vent pipe box on the bedroom wall to cover that up. Heaven forbid we have plumbing exposed anywhere.

Your bear made a very nice background wall behind the toilet. I can only imagine the time it took to design and build such a wall.

David

[chrisetmike]

Wow your trailer is coming along great. It looks so warm and inviting.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Slats

Here's a better shot of the plumbing wall. It was a bear to make.

Nice work Slats. It is a shame that you have to cover up the nice grain in the plywood with a toilet. Good thing that you and Terry are nice and trim!

Dan

[ttbikes]

Looks good stats

[Atomic_13]

Nice job, Dale! That’s a creative approach to a challenging problem.

[dbj216]

No big butts in Slat's Trade Wind. Maybe he should design the bathroom door at the correct width that would only allow folks that fit the toilet space into the bathroom.

Actually, Airstream trailers are rather small in comparison to mammoth motor homes. Maybe vintage Airstreams were designed when people were smaller.

David

[Slats]

David -


Although I know the pictures make it appear to be a tight squeeze, the space is really pretty ample. I made that crude sink cabinet mock up just so I could set it in place and make sure the toilet space was adequate. The counter is 24" plus in width and could easily be cut down to 20" or 22" and still accommodate a 14" oval sink. If need be, the counter could hang out over the edge of the cabinet a few inches and still leave plenty of lower torso space. I'd just have to try not to gain too much weight in my neck. Actually, it is my head that should be the real concern. Although I don't see it in the mirror, people have from time to time said, behind my back of course, that I have a fat head. But I pay them no mind.

[dbj216]

I was just joking with you. The original Trade Wind and other 66 trailers has a "console padded seat" that covered the toilet. It was located under the window, and the sink was over the bathtub to save space. It appeared the bathroom was larger than it actually was.

The bath plastics were redesigned in 67 with a significant improvement in the layout. The toilet was fitted into the corner similar to your new bath.

Here is the best photo I have of my 66 with the old bath design. It is in the background of the photo. The black tank was about 3" deep under the toilet. Not good.

David

[Slats]

David -


No one appreciates a good joke more than me. The joke here may be on me. When I severed the bench containing the toilet from my tub/shower in the deconstruction phase, I only thought I wanted to replace it with something different. Something different is admittedly a vague notion, so now that the time draws near to actually do something different, I have to come up with an idea, which I do, after some thought, have. But it is only an idea. All I can say at this point is that it may involve some more 3/16" plywood, a frame, some more hidden plumbing, a shower faucet and possibly a bit of tile. Stay tuned.

[Slats]

Sometimes something gets done, other times not so much. But, in any event, here is a little progress report. I bought a 1"X6" board of African mahogany, ripped it into workable 3" and 2" widths, bought a couple of 4'X4' sheets of 3/16" birch plywood, glued and nailed the the whole mess together, slapped a coat of clear polyurethane on it and somehow wound up with the basics of a bathroom sink cabinet.

[TouringDan]

Superb work Dale. A beautiful custom vanity that, I imagine, is very light weight also.

Dan

[dbj216]

A vain vanity. It really looks nice. Much better than the plastic one the trailer came with. Being a cabinet maker is a useful skill for renovating an old Airstream.

Like the Kansas spring sun. We still have a bunch of snow around here. No spring until mid April at the earliest up here on high.

David

[Atomic_13]

Nice job, Dale! The cabinet looks great. What are you thinking for shelves and how to keep the doors closed in transit? Keep up the good work. Brian

[Slats]

Brian - I'm going to go with shelves much like the original ones I removed and kept for patterns. The further along I get, the more focused I have become on keeping stuff light. That is why I am using a lot of 3/16" birch and mahogany. The combination makes for light cabinets. I saved some weight by removing the old storage cabinet that took up the whole street side rear corner, along with the old tank-type water heater and the unbelievably heavy old converter that sat on the floor in that corner. My entire 12v/110v power panel/converter combo only weighs a fraction of what the old converter and breaker box came in at. The porcelain toilet (my traveling partner's preference) is only a little lighter than the old one and the new black water tank, (19 vs 13 gallons for the old one) adds a little weight (lomotil and diuretics can perhaps be used to offset that, I dunno). The new tankless water heater occupies the space where the old forced air furnace sat under the kitchen sink, just fore of the front axle. The Dickinson heater, as you know, is lighter than the old forced air unit.



As for cabinet hardware, I kind of like the original stuff, most of which is still usable. What I lack can perhaps be sourced on the forum. The latches seem pretty secure. One of my prior posts has pictures showing how nice the hardware looks after it is cleaned up and polished.

[Slats]

That post re the cabinet hardware is #500.

[Slats]

...... at p. 25.

[islandtrader]

Originally Posted by Slats

Sometimes something gets done, other times not so much. But, in any event, here is a little progress report. I bought a 1"X6" board of African mahogany, ripped it into workable 3" and 2" widths, bought a couple of 4'X4' sheets of 3/16" birch plywood, glued and nailed the the whole mess together, slapped a coat of clear polyurethane on it and somehow wound up with the basics of a bathroom sink cabinet.

The results are speak for themselves...good job!