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Bambified · 08-26-2016, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxite

I'm enjoying your thread.
I've got a concern about your battery box....
Are you sure you don't want to put some sort of ventilation in the box? ...such as louvres on the sides? ... and perhaps incorporating the entry-points for the cables?

Batteries are now available that are completely closed cells, do not produce gas and do not need to be vented. However, we still plan to vent the box. I haven't decided yet where I want the cables to enter and exit. I am planning to provide charging via 112-volt shore power and portable solar panels while stationary, and 12-volts from my tow wagon while driving. It's a challenge.

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 07:42 AM

The completed aluminum frame and floor. We reshaped and lengthened the floor a little so that the back of the Bambi body would slope backward like the pre-58 airstreams, as I prefer that look over the perfectly vertical rear end of the 61-63 Bambi's. We insulated the floor with two 1-1/2 inch thick rigid sheets of airconditioning duct insulation we picked up our a construction site dumpster. Total of 3" of floor insulation. The insulation is covered by the belly pan. There will never again be "soft spots" in the floor of this Bambi. No more plywood.

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 07:50 AM

These are the cheap shocks we have retrofitted to the Bambi's original torsion axle. They are for an early VW beetle. They're adjustable. A new axle was just way over budget for this project, so this is our alternative. I like it. Its was cheap.

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 08:04 AM

The capsule is so light, we just hung it from the rafters. As I stated earlier, we are not replacing damaged panels on this Bambi. We're preserving its "patina". As you can see in the photos, the Alclad along the bottom of the shell is pretty ragged and even dissolved away in places. We're simply going to wrap new alclad right over the old around the entire lower shell, 2 feet up all sides of the shell, after mounting the shell to the frame. Minimal labor required.

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 08:29 AM

The shell on this Bambi was crooked from the factory. The rear and front windows were at an inch or so odd angled. So, we reinforced some of the aluminum framing and used a floor jack to tweak the shell just enough so that is was level to our (perfectly level and square) frame. It looks good enough to the naked eye now. We split a roll of 4-foot wide roll of Alclad and are wrapping and riveting it around the entire bottom 2 feet of the shell, right over the top of the old damaged alclad. The all-weather box you see on the frame tongue will likely house the batteries. We'll mount it later after we decide about placement of the propane tank(s).

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 08:43 AM

As I've stated before, this Bambi was in very rough shape when we bought it for a few hundred bucks, so we have no guilty feelings customizing it as we see fit. We lengthened the frame platform and tapered the rear a bit to achieve the "sloped" rear end look of the '54 through '57 airstreams, which I really like. You can see the slope of the rear of the shell in the photos. I also want a "door-in-a-door" like the early airstreams, so we are taking a trashed old door from a larger airstream and cutting it down to fit the Bambi. We also added the VW Beetle adjustable shocks to the original torsion axle (a low-budget choice), which required fabrication of a slightly taller wheel well because the shocks are an inch longer than the stock airstream shocks. You can see the shock mounting bolt on the side of the wheel well in the photo, covered with sealant. The aluminium for teh wheel well is 3/8" thick plate.

Bambified · 10-21-2016, 06:47 PM

As I've said before, this is a custom and I'm doin' it like I want to. I like beehive tail lights, so here they are. Temporarily mounted, but you get the picture.

TouringDan · 10-23-2016, 07:30 PM

Bambified

Pretty impressive custom work you are doing on your Bambi. I am sure glad that I stumbled across this thread.

I have a thread from 2012 on use of a 5,000 btu/hr AC unit for my Tradewind. I carry the unit in the bottom of a cabinet and then install it in a side window when I need it. This is not often since we prefer camping in the mountains. It works great. We can even operate it using our 1,000 watt Honda if there are no hookups.

Dan

Boxite · 10-31-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bambified

As I've said before, this is a custom and I'm doin' it like I want to. I like beehive tail lights, so here they are. Temporarily mounted, but you get the picture.

WHERE can we get them also?

Bambified · 11-01-2016, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxite

WHERE can we get them also?

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...ights&_sacat=0

ebay. Search: Beehive Mini Stop Turn Brake Tail Lights Golf Carts

Bambified · 11-01-2016, 10:58 PM

We are now installing a new 2-foot wide alclad strip around the entire bottom of the trailer, as the bottom of the trailer was significantly dissolved. Don't let anyone tell you alclad doesn't rust. It does. Its white in color when it rusts. Weather exposure rusted through several of the lower sections of the trailer. We are riveting the new alclad right over the old skin.

I also fitted up some late 50's style tail lights with chrome metal bezzles. I'm on the fence now as to whether to go with the beehive tail lights or the chrome bezzled style. The area around and beneath the original tail lights was badly corroded from water setting in the tail light lenses over the years. Worse yet, a prior owner had taken a circular sander or grinder to the area to try and remove the oxidation. They ground right through the alclad and into the aluminum alloy beneath it. As a result we fabricated new alclad panels for the tail lights and will rivet them over the damaged areas.

As I stated earlier, the early Bambi's sported early 60's 13-inch Ford rims. We blasted them, sealed with POR 15, primed with tie-coat, and painted them black. The one original rim was so badly rusted that blasting resulted in a pinhole and lots of deep pits. I am too cheap to buy a new rim, so I am looking into 13" inch beauty rims to go with my baby moon hubcaps.

Bambified · 11-03-2016, 10:09 AM

Progressing toward her beautiful rear end. We decided to go with the 50's style tail lights rather than the beehive style lights

rpenczek · 11-03-2016, 04:34 PM

Really like the aluminum floor. Another brand, Livinlite, uses an aluminum frame and aluminum tongue and groove floor. Then, as an option, they blow on that foam-like insulation on the bottom. Before we purchased Shelly, I looked very hard at this brand thinking no wood = last forever.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 05:58 PM

Finally got her rear riveted and bumper installed

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:02 PM

This Bambi came with a Jalousie window door, so we bought a junk door from a larger Airstream, cut it down, and rebuilt it.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:06 PM

The frame on this Bambi actually fell apart as we disassembled her, so we rebuilt the frame and floor, all aluminum. We lengthened the tongue so we can mount a cargo box and generator.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:10 PM

I don't like roof vents. They do nothin' but leak. This Bambi is going to have a birch interior, so definitely no vent. We covered the roof openings for the roof A/C and vent, then we sealed all the joints in the capsule with black gooey stuff. We'll water test her later, and maybe seal her some more.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:16 PM

We'll be installing an on-demand water heater, so no vent needed. We are insulating this Bambi with a radiant barrier and two layers of rigid foam. We'll just use a space heater so, again, no vent needed. If we really get too cold, we'll just turn on the gas burners on the cooktop. I prefer the look without unnecessary vents and hatch doors.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:25 PM

These are aluminum marine grade waterproof cargo boxes. We'll use them to build a cargo hold for three standard size LP tanks and whatever else. We want to be able to simply swap out LP tanks at any available convenience store, rather than have to refill and polish two tanks.

Bambified · 05-12-2017, 06:33 PM

Much to the horror of some Airstream enthusiasts, we are changing the layout of this Bambi, placing the dinette to the rear of the capsule and installing a vintage style birch interior. I hate roof A/C units because they spoil the beautiful lines of an Airstream. So, we are placing a unit inside the capsule beneath the dinette booth seat and venting it out the rear. We built this vent out of 5 marine grade vents, riveted together on a piece of 1/4 inch polished aluminum.