Project 2k5

[C Johnson]

Hi all, I just wanted to post a thank you to Darol Ingalls for hooking me up with a new range. It is pretty dang cool.

Project 2k5 continues on !

albeit a much much slower pace .

Out with the old In with the new

[C Johnson]

Yesterday I was taking off the old WBCCI numbers and all the silicone that someone else put on there. I took off my Airstream placard above the rear window and found a lot of corrosion under it.

My question is, when I put this back on do I seal it around the edges or do I leave it open so the water can run behind it and off the trailer ?

Should I coat the affected area with something before I put the placard back on ?






Larger View

[C Johnson]

So I got this far with my corrision problem. I went over it with emory cloth and two passes with some polish I have. The pits are still there but it looks much better.




I also got another small project done today. I put on a stinky slinky storage tube.



I think I am in for it now. I started to polish on Saturday. I stripped the clearcoat off on one panel. I did two passes by hand with some polish I have. I am thinking I am going to get a right angle polisher to do the rest. My arms got a little sore . Doesn't look to bad eh ?



There are a few more pics here, at the end of the set.

[GreatPumpkin]

Chris - you know you've opened up a can o' worms you can never put the lid back on . It looks great - are you going to have it finished by Beverly Beach?

[C Johnson]

Originally Posted by GreatPumpkin

Chris - you know you've opened up a can o' worms you can never put the lid back on . It looks great - are you going to have it finished by Beverly Beach?

Depends on how much camping I want to do between now and then

I am hoping I will have the first pass done. I have a LOT of silicone to remove from the outside skin. I also am redoing my windows one by one.

[NorCal Bambi]

Chris, this is my 500th post. I just thought I'd put it on your thread because you were such an inspiration in my Bambi project. My whole life I have been a "Jack of all trades" and finally I'm a Master of something.
Thanks Don

[2airishuman]

congrats don on 500...

humble starts at 501...

chris, the polished segment looks fantastic...
but i like the logo only polish job so much better....
it was like a shinny deep hole....

don, i've read you got the new axle on...good for you.

next i suppose you'll start polishing...

see i like em weathered...how they natually grow....

someone walks up to a humble weathered unit,
invited in...
and there is this grand assembly inside

like a secret garden
all the effort and sweat...and new upholstery.

pretty like a woman that doesn't need makeup....

shine is fine... but they never looked like that, even brand new.

can't wait to see youse guys in calioregon...

i'll need your help...with the waxjob

2air'

[C Johnson]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Chris, this is my 500th post. I just thought I'd put it on your thread because you were such an inspiration in my Bambi project. My whole life I have been a "Jack of all trades" and finally I'm a Master of something.
Thanks Don

Thank you Don, You have done a great job on your Bambi. We both know our Airstreams VERY well now . We have been to the edge and back !

Thats one thing about these forums. I think I quit or wondered "what the hell am I doing" several times during the restore. I received a lot of support here and that kept me going as well.

Congrats on the 500th. It is all downhill from here !

[C Johnson]

Thanks 2air,

I actually like the patina from the original clearcoat myself but, 50% of it has gone south. The elements are taking their toll on the bare aluminum. I am shooting for a uniform "shade" on the skin. I have a good amount of filliform corrosion on the roof which I feel, I must at the very least, stabilize. I still have a good amount of silicone to remove and then I have to do a re-seal on the trailer. I still have a persistant leak over the rear window. I have located the culprits, btw.

This polishing thing is certainly not for everyone. It IS a lot of work, but not as much as replacing the floor .

Since I have pulled my thoracic muscle on the right side of my back I have to be careful not to overdo things in order for it heal. So the polishing will have to done in small doses.

[NorCal Bambi]

Does anyone know if anyone has tried to strip and re coat with contemporary clear coat. My son and I restored a Datsun 240Z 10 years ago and it still looks great. I know the Z is not aluminum. But if the clear coat even lasted 5 years, I think it would be better than polishing every year.
Don

[Stefrobrts]

there's a guy inOregon who is supposed to do a good job of stripping, polishing, and then laying on a fresh clear coat. That is what I'd like to do with my caravel, someday when a have a spare couple grand laying around to spend onthe project. Until then I think the unmaintained polish (the PO polished it before I bought it) looks pretty good.

[2airishuman]

hi cover up'ers....

so ya don't wanna keep polishing?

yes they can be coated again...

but the catch is it's the plasticoat that is applied....
better adhesion, and more flex/stretch and so on...
and it's thicker than most automotive clearcoat.

newer formula but still not auto clearcoat.
the place south of jackson center has been doing this for years...
as has that guy in cally forn ya.

i've heard that with careful living
and properly balanced running gear,
this stuff will last up to 5 years....
also if ya can get one of em to sell ya a jug,
touch ups are possible....

then repeat the process...

remove, polish spray....
of course the polish job at this point could be much easier...

wish shampooing lasted that long...

cheers
2air'

[C Johnson]

This weekend I decided to take out my 41 year old Dometic MC16c and give it a flip. I have done quite of bit reading about how others had revived their old Dometic by turning it over. I didn't do this when I put everything back together. I was in a hurry to get the AS done and the refer worked most of the time.

I flipped it twice on Saturday. On its top, back on the bottom, back on the top, back on the bottom. I left it upside down overnight and flipped it rightside up this morning.

I cleaned the fins on the back. I also took the burner all apart and cleaned it as well. Turns out the orifice was a little clogged.

I took the square heat stack apart to inspect the tubing and the flue. All in decent shape. No yellow spots or thin spots from rust, that I could see anyway.

So, I put it all back together this afternoon. I made a sheet metal baffle to nearly enclose the burner area, to protect it from wind and dust. I put it back in and fired it up. I got a nice fat blue flame from the burner. Never was like that before. It was a bit noisy, which I hear is a good thing.

1 hour later, even heat all the way across the top tube. Cool absorber, close to the same temp as the inlet to the flue.

2 hours later, inside temp had dropped 10 deg. and frost was beginning to form on the tubes in the freezer section.

Almost 4 hrs later, it is a crisp 29 deg. in the main box. ( I sure hope I don't have the opposite problem of it freezing everything now !)

This refer has never seen that low of a temp since I have had it. Always hovered around 40 and only made ice on cool days.

Since I did more than one thing while I had it out. I'll never know just what was the culprit as far as poor cooling. Maybe it was a combination of things being out of wack.

I know the previous owners never used it in the 5 years they had it.

I am hoping this little procedure will give me a few more years out of this old refer. Time will tell. I did have my doubts that all this work would do anything to make the refer work better. I am a believer now.

Just another update on the Caravel.

Cheers !

[bhayden]

Saw the pictures of your "shower pan". Skimming through it looks like you took the original and had new gel coat applied? I love the layout and would like to gut and redo that bath area in my '78 Argosy like this. Anybody know if someone is doing new pulls from a mold created from this set-up? What are the chances that the width and rear corner radii are close enough that this could be used in an Argosy? Failing that I suppose building a one shot mold might be the only option.

-Bernie

[C Johnson]

Hi Bernie, yes you are correct. I had the bottom re-glassed and the entire bottom half re-gelcoated. The shower/baths in the Caravels are a two piece affair. I am not sure that one would fit good in a newer Argosy. But, I bet one could take the design and tweak it a bit to fit. I am guessing that you would end up making your own mold. I think that the Argosy is a bit wider than my Caravel.

I sure like my shower in the middle though. It is one of the only vintage showers I have seen that you can actually stand up in and not hit the walls whilst taking a shower.

Maybe you could find someone who is tossing out their shower fiberglass and use it to extrapolate from. I think that Globetrotters used the same basic shower design for a couple years as well.

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by C Johnson

Hi Bernie, yes you are correct. I had the bottom re-glassed and the entire bottom half re-gelcoated. The shower/baths in the Caravels are a two piece affair.

Yeah, that would be the only way to get it in without totally gutting the interior. Even then the bottom pan will be a challenge. I need to remove the bulkhead that forms the inner shower wall and pocket door anyway. The bulkhead on the other side will likely have to go as well. I was thinking of moving the pocket door to that side but with the floor plan you have it doesn't look like a pocket door works anyway. Do you have a door or just a curtain?

I sure like my shower in the middle though. It is one of the only vintage showers I have seen that you can actually stand up in and not hit the walls whilst taking a shower.

EXACTLY!!! The shower in the Argosy is a nice place to hang wet cloths but that's about it. With the size and the carpet on the floor taking a shower just isn't practical. On top of that the bulkhead with the pocket door is wood veneer with wall paper; or what's left of the wall paper

Maybe you could find someone who is tossing out their shower fiberglass and use it to extrapolate from. I think that Globetrotters used the same basic shower design for a couple years as well.

Thanks, anyone with other insight and/or pictures please pipe up. -Bernie

[C Johnson]

Originally Posted by bhayden

The bulkhead on the other side will likely have to go as well. I was thinking of moving the pocket door to that side but with the floor plan you have it doesn't look like a pocket door works anyway. Do you have a door or just a curtain?

Bernie, I have my original vinyl accordion door. It is in pretty sad shape. I hold it together with duct tape. I have a better one to install, just haven't got a "round tuit" yet.

The accordion door works pretty well. It is tucked out of the way when un-needed. I have been on the lookout for a wood one, just haven't found what i wanted exactly. So the vinyl one works good for now.

FYI - In the Caravels you have to take the entire interior out from the door back to be able to remove both pieces of the shower stall. The baths went in first, then the closets then kitchen and couch. Believe me they are put together that way too. First in, last out.

[C Johnson]

Hi all, It has been a while since I have posted on this thread. It took me a while to find it ! I have just been using my Caravel rather than fixing it, which is good.

I finally replaced my front three marker lights. I have had them for some time. I also found out why I was getting water on my front shelf. There was no sealant at all behind the old ones. I guess the PO thought it was unnecessary.

All along I thought it was the front window that was leaking.

So now I have three leaks fixed and brand new vintage style marker lights in front.




I still have a few things to do, like re-do the name plate and remove the corrision from the old numbers. All in good time I say !

[65CV]

Chris-

Thanks for documenting your restoration so well. It has been very helpful in ours. I just found your update tonight while looking for pix and documentation of your bath reinstall.

Great job!

John

[C Johnson]

Well it took me a long time to do it. I finally put in a Fantastic Fan where the old A/C unit was. It took me longer to get the old plastic patch and sealant off than it did to put the new fan in. I bought it at Vintage Trailer Supply. I got the flat lid, smoke color, temp sensor, almond interior color without the Airstream curved trim. I love the new vent. I should have done this a long time ago....


Plus I finally bought a new pair of wedding cake taillight lenses to replace my super brittle originals. They are really nice reproductions. They come with gaskets and new mounting screws. Also bought @VTS



Just a quick update for an old thread.

I've just been using my trailer as much as possible with out fixing much of anything.

I will note that I an very glad I over built, double/triple checked everything during my restoration. I get it out of storage every year and every year everything works as it should with very little work aside from regular maintenance.