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rasmuw · 08-09-2018, 05:09 PM

I found five people to help slip the chassis under the shell. It took about 15 minutes. That was Sunday.

On Monday, the man who built the new cabinets and helped to lay the vinyl floor helped lower the shell onto the chassis. It was relatively easy to get the 36 holes in the shell to line up with the vertical steel plate at the front of the chassis. What wasn't as easy was to get the shell behind it to shift as far back as it thought it should be. I had drilled three of the ribs at floor height to use some 2x4 to keep the shell spread as it was originally. Using them and a pry bar, we gradually worked the shell backwards but still ended up with a little "bubbling" of the skin when the banana wraps were added. This is a bit confusing since we were able to line up the holes in the skin, C channel, and banana wraps. I ended up having to snip off about 1/4" of C channel behind the wheel wells. Of course, since the wheel wells were new, maybe they were a bit larger than original.

All is bolted down to the chassis except for the rear end. I am awaiting a shipment of aluminum from Airparts Inc. so that I can fabricate two pieces at the bumper, rivet to the C channel, and bolt to the chassis. In the meantime, I reattached the Fantastic fan parts that I had removed to access the beam used to lift the shell. I finished painting the brushable ProFlex RV Sealant on all the seams and rivets on the inside of the shell. Insulation and electrical is next.

rasmuw · 08-09-2018, 05:14 PM

I seem to have omitted pictures of the gray tanks prior to laying the plywood floor.

rasmuw · 08-10-2018, 09:15 PM

The subfloor near the door was replaced at some time before I purchased the Trade Wind, so I don't know what the plywood looked like originally. When we dropped the shell back onto the chassis, it became apparent that we needed to cut out about 3/8" of plywood to allow the door jamb bottom to recess in properly.

What type of hardware was used to secure the door jamb to the plywood subfloor? The pieces I retrieved at disassembly looked like #14 screws that were 1/2" long. Those screws do not exist, but maybe they did 50 years ago. My pictures show that there were three holes beneath the plywood, suggesting either self-tapping screws or stove bolts. I'm thinking the latter.

dbj216 · 08-12-2018, 08:02 PM

I favor the clamp of the bolts over screws. You may have room beneath the subfloor at the step for longer screws or the bolts.

David

rasmuw · 08-19-2018, 06:09 AM

Thanks, David. Bolts it was, and installed yesterday. There was plenty of room underneath the step for a washer and a Nylock nut.

rasmuw · 09-16-2018, 07:39 PM

Today, I moved the trailer out of the hangar I was renting, back to the heated space at my school where I replaced the floor. When I tried to store the step, it hit the nuts below the door jamb. I should have checked the clearance before installing them. I'll take the nuts off and remove the bolts and see how much clearance I really have. Maybe some low profile jam nuts will fit. Any ideas? I guess I could use screws if I glued in some dowels and re-drilled the wood.

Slats · 09-17-2018, 08:35 AM

I used self tapping screws that went into the frame below the door. I'm not sure how far down they went, but have not had any clearance problems.

It is refreshing to hear that someone else has had a "duh" moment, even though I firmly believe I still hold the record.

dbj216 · 09-17-2018, 07:30 PM

Sorry to steer you wrong on the bolts and nuts. I don't remember my step folding that close to the bottom of the threshold. Gee, I think of the elevator bolts through the subfloor and C channel all penetrating into the frame space.

Stick some plumber's putty on the step, fold up the step, and get a clay impression of how much room you got. Then maybe some fastener will come to mind that would work.

David

rasmuw · 09-17-2018, 10:39 PM

David--you didn't steer me wrong. I like the clamp of nuts and bolts as well. When I looked at where the bolts would come through and felt I had enough space, I was thinking to the sides of the nuts since the holes from the threshold are so close to the side of the frame. I never considered the space between the frame and the step when it is stored. I'll do some measuring with plumber's putty or clay and figure out the vertical space--good suggestion.

rasmuw · 09-23-2018, 08:18 PM

I've begun replacing all the aluminum 12 volt and 110 volt wiring. Since I didn't take enough pictures of the ceiling of the trailer when removing the interior, can someone tell me how many of the original square ceiling lights there should be in the '67? I think that there is one for the living room, one for the kitchen, one for the bedroom, and one for the bath. There is an additional unit under the street side upper cabinet next to the fan. For some reason, I have restored six of the lights but think I only need five.

dbj216 · 09-24-2018, 07:40 PM

Hi Wayne: There were five square overhead light fixtures in the former 66 Trade Wind. There were changes in 67 making the trailer nicer. So I don't know about a 67. Here is the wiring diagram for the 66 out of the owners manual showing five lights.

Hope you got your threshold bolted down and your steps folded up. All at the same time.

David

rasmuw · 09-24-2018, 09:25 PM

Thanks for your response, David. From the 1967 wiring diagram I have, I believe there are five square lights as well, in the same position as your 1966. I'm not sure how I got it in my head there were six square lights. I'll have an extra to sell! The problem is that I cannot quite trust the diagram as my trailer wasn't wired exactly to spec. I'd blame a previous owner, but the cables are all aluminum and look equally old. I'm going to change the routing of the cables anyway since I'd like to mount a 12 volt fuse box or breaker box in the closet in the kitchen.

I haven't solved the threshold/step problem yet but I did put down two nice safety treads with a yellow stripe in each.

rasmuw · 09-30-2018, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbj216

Stick some plumber's putty on the step, fold up the step, and get a clay impression of how much room you got. Then maybe some fastener will come to mind that would work.

A friend of mine made a great suggestion--T-nuts. I'll use the kind without the prongs. This will require a little drilling from underneath with a slightly larger bit and and a right angle attachment for the drill. Some Loctite will keep the nut from loosening.

rasmuw · 02-15-2021, 07:42 PM

It's hard to believe that more than two years have passed since I've updated this thread. As often happens, life gets in the way. After having renovated a home in Maine, which distracted me from working on the trailer, my wife and I decided that it would be too remote for us. We purchased a home in New Jersey, about a mile from the school I had worked at for 43 years, so that we could be close to long-term friends and our church. The "home" we bought was a foreclosure, and hadn't been occupied for most of seven years. It's been quite a project, and once again the trailer was left sitting. We are in the home and I have retired, so I am able to get back to the Trade Wind.

Despite all the upheavals, I did get to work on the trailer from time to time. It has been my intention to polish the Trade Wind, but the process did not go as I had anticipated. The top was very much oxidized, and I ended up wet-sanding with 600 grit, then 1000, then 2000. Rather than beginning with Airbrite #2, I have used #1 and, once getting the hang of the process, have begun to make some progress. Filiform corrosion has not been my friend, along with some scratches that just aren't going to come out because they are deeper than the Alclad. I've had to accept that this won't be perfect, but it will be much better than the condition in which I purchased the Trade Wind.

I will be losing the space in which I've been keeping the trailer in the late spring. My hopes are to get the lights, symbols, exterior outlet, and fridge and exhaust vent covers installed so that the trailer is once again water tight prior to taking it back outside.

Bubba L · 02-15-2021, 07:47 PM

Good to see you back at it and looking forward to following your progress. Sometimes life gets in the way of projects. Good luck and post the progress.

dbj216 · 02-16-2021, 06:41 PM

Very happy for you. Being back in your old neighborhood and close to your church friends is very important in retirement. Seems like you are now well positioned to work some on that old Trade Wind.

Polishing is a bear, but certainly does add value to a vintage Airstream. I've got weeks of polishing to do one of these days, but I keep making excuses and not getting on with it.

So keep your project thread going. Us retired gawkers like to watch others work. Heck, I used to go down to the highway project close to me, lean on the fence and watch the scrapers, dozers, graders, dump trucks and the like work. Fun for me.

David

rasmuw · 03-30-2021, 05:08 PM

I have completed polishing the roof, at least to the standard I have set. It was an awkward project to accomplish with a scaffolding on the street side, two ladders on the curb side (leaning against a wall), and two planks between with a piece of plywood on the planks. I tried kneeling on the plywood and lying down on it. Neither positions were particularly comfortable. Since my roof was very corroded, I used two applications of #1 Airbrite (very coarse) followed by one application of #2 Airbrite (coarse). Unfortunately, I ran out of the #1 due to all the work on the front and rear end caps, the spaces under the front and rear windows, and the areas above the tops of the windows all around the trailer. Airbrite is currently out of stock at VTS, so I decided to buy Nuvite F9 after contacting VTS for a recommendation.

I felt I had developed a good technique with the Airbrite, albeit using more material than I think is recommended. I was pleased with the amount of shine and smoothness of the aluminum after three applications of the #1. Using a similar amount of Nuvite didn't work well. Nuvite is runnier than Airbrite and no matter the length of time I tried to remove it with the wool pad, it just seemed to remain greasy on the surface. Using less Nuvite improved the operation but the aluminum didn't polish up as well. 1600-1800 rpm is suggested on the Nuvite container, but I found 1200 rpm to work better. I am hesitant to be too critical of the Nuvite as I'm not sure if my technique was the best, and the roof had the absolute worst of the corrosion. Few will ever see the top of the trailer!

Now it's back to working on the remainder of the trailer with #2, #4, and #6 Airbrite. With my available time, it will be slow going.

dbj216 · 03-30-2021, 05:47 PM

Let's just say you are on top of it.

I can't imagine polishing a roof laying down, but that is what is required. I was on the roof of the Globe Trotter installing a MaxAir vent fan. I had to remove the old fan housing, clean up all the 50 year old hard caulk, do a little aluminum trimming, and install the new unit. I built a "platform" so I could get up there without caving in the thin aluminum roof. It worked, but I'm glad I'm done. The roof of the Globe Trotter is not a pretty sight.

Well, the top of your Trade Wind sure looks better. I wonder how many hours holding that polisher while stooped over or laying down.

David