'65 GT 20' my winter project

[rmkrum]

Oh, missed that. If the sealant has been painted over, and the paint is sticking well, it's NOT silicone. Paint won't stick to it. It's still tedious to remove...


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[thumbelinadj]

Silicone is on outside

[rmkrum]

Ugh. Tedious to the max with some corrosion under. Sigh.


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[dbj216]

Your doggie does not look happy being a reindeer! But cute and amusing for us people. Your dog will find a way to get even, like chew your phone up.

I didn't shed many tears over the loss of my fiberglass bathroom pieces. I wasn't planning on a "restoration", I just wanted a functional bathroom. The shower was the hardest thing to fabricate, and I now wish I had given that more thought. Most campgrounds have a bath house. My trailer is small and the extra room consumed by the shower stall could have been better used. I don't plan on a boondocking trip across Africa.

Wait until you drop your belly pan. I think you will see access to your drain connection. I'll bet it just dumps into the drain manifold "downstream" of the black tank. Way back then, folks just dumped their gray water on the ground. The roof vent pipes you will need. The drain pipes you will re-plumb. There is nothing very valuable about 1 1/2 diameter ABS plastic pipe. Saws-All time!

The black stuff may be seam sealant Airstream used in a futile attempt to stop seam leaks. See if it doesn't follow exterior seams.

Silicone sealant on my trailer was picked off a little at a time. Maddening and time consuming. Some trailers have it worse than mine, but I sure got the taste of the removal process. The pictures show 30 minutes of pick'in and grin'in.

David

[thumbelinadj]

While reading up and watching videos in windows I learned my 65 windows slide out horizontally from the outside. Ugh. One by one they al are coming out. Just a mess. Deciding my containment and work space to set up a station for that work. The stripper residue containment below the sawhorse table and disposal conundrum.

[thumbelinadj]

Ceiling panel. So is this seamed? How to remove by myself? Same with end caps. Do they really go out the door

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by thumbelinadj

Ceiling panel. So is this seamed? How to remove by myself? Same with end caps. Do they really go out the door Attachment 228778

The "seam" strip stays up there when you take each ceiling panel down. Just drill out every pop rivet you see & lower the panel on the curbside, then do the same on the streetside. Yes everything fits out the door, even the endcaps. Both of these jobs require at least one extra pair of hands.
Colin

[thumbelinadj]

The PO really loved to paint the panels and the seam was tough to pry off. That seam strip is so shiny pretty. Leaving the end caps on until I am forced to remove them with help. The one in the rear bath is just hanging on via a few rivets and those plumbing pipes. My Sawzall gave out because I forgot to charge the battery, but I am so close to getting that #%* base off the toilet sat on. I needed an IMPACT driver for the screws on that toilet ring!

The garage is really filling up. Have the wood to build the gantry as you see on the floor. Axel and brakes, the flooring MDO. Hehr supplies are all here. Two big tables on saw horses have the window frames and the panels laid out. I forgot to check the size of bolts for the gantry on the plans I found on the forum. At least I have the wood! Do I put wheels on them? Need to read up and determine what to order for the proper rivets.


Tested the rivet removal tool from VTS on the underside. Works great with the ones with the holes. The capped ones I ended up YouTubing a video. Found a punch. Carefully tapped on them. Love to slide off that cap. sucks.

Managed to slide out my rear window. Not too easily. Used PB Blaster and a mallet. It felt good - six more to go.

I am learning so much. Rivet removal and window removal over the weekend is planned.

My friend thanked me for treating his shop with respect. I do like a clean workspace and he appreciates that. Being that I have never tackled anything like this, I am calm and ready to keep going. I feel accomplished every time I drive away.

[dbj216]

I have the "rivet removal tool" also. The tool is designed to locate around the base of the 5/32 diameter rivet head. The tool is spring loaded. Tighten the tool in your drill. Pull on the tool and see how it gets longer and extends beyond the drill bit. Now locate the tool over a rivet. Push the tool down around the rivet head and hold it tight with one hand. Now start the drill and drill out the rivet right on center. The drill will spin inside the tool. The outside of the tool does not spin. No need to center punch the rivets, which is hard to do as you have found. The tool locates the drill right over the center of the rivet. Presto! Rivet be Gone! Booohahaha!

The pop rivets have a hole in the middle. You don't need the tool for those. They are used a lot in the interior of our Airstreams, and the belly pan. Pop rivets are "blind" rivets. Buck rivets are solid, strong, but take two people to install. One on the outside with the riveting tool, and one on the inside with the "bucking bar".

You probably knew all this already. Just trying to be helpful...

Yes, a clean shop is a safe shop. There is less chance of slip or trip. Think safety all the time. "How can I get hurt doing this activity?"

I'm scraping the sealant off my roof vents. I think it was factory original in 1966. It wasn't silicone, but a good old fashioned calk. Now I can seal them up again. I really like the vents in our old trailers. It's neat the way they work.

David

[thumbelinadj]

Most of the insulation is out as well as the old electric. All copper is gone and we are ready tomorrow to begin working on the underside to take rivets out. Have two workers coming to assist. Today I was able to ease my bathroom end cap down by myself. Storing the caps are my worry Suggestions on how to lay them on my floor? On wood or towels or what?

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by thumbelinadj

Most of the insulation is out as well as the old electric. All copper is gone and we are ready tomorrow to begin working on the underside to take rivets out. Have two workers coming to assist. Today I was able to ease my bathroom end cap down by myself. Storing the caps are my worry Suggestions on how to lay them on my floor? On wood or towels or what? Attachment 228897Attachment 228898Attachment 228899

Just lay them on the floor. They'll be fine.
Colin

[dbj216]

Wow! You're making good progress. Your subfloor doesn't look too bad. It won't be long before you reach the magic "milestone" when you actually put the first thing new and improved on the trailer. What will that be? Usually it is a new or repaired piece of the frame.

David

[thumbelinadj]

Thank you! I'm ready for the weekend.

[thumbelinadj]

The hire I made was awesome. Ron took a chisel and made a nice edge for me on the grinder and taught me how to pop the rivets. I was a machine. Every window and all around the bottom I went to town. Removed a few. It's going to be interesting cleaning these windows up.

He then dug into the belly pan. The man likes to get dirty. Guess what he has an Avion he restored!

In addition a young man (32 is in my world) showed up to "apprentice". We will see if he comes back. I'm excited for his plan to quit work at Amazon after 8 years and travel with his wife and five year old for a year in their airstream ( yet to be bought)

I saw the frame!

Received many nice gifts for my 52 years young birthday tomorrow as well. I had a good day.

[thumbelinadj]

Can't make a final decision and need input.

Shell lift via chains or straps?

Do I run chain and wrap towels though vents or my windows?

Do I attach a 2x12 to ribs and fashion something with that?

Thank you,

[dbj216]

Happy Birthday! Yes, there is a frame down there somewhere. I like that the factory paint is still on a lot of it. You can sure see where the frame has sat in water. Some folks, including me, drilled small drain holes in the belly pan so the water doesn't get too high and may find its way out. My 86 must have had 2" of standing water in the rear of the trailer judging from the rust line on the frame.

I've never lifted a shell off so I am of no help. Inland Andy talks about the timber and jack method where no hoist is used. Others lift through the roof vents. Either chain or straps would be enough strength to lift an Airstream body. It isn't all that heavy.

David

[thumbelinadj]

Thank you had a nice day

[thumbelinadj]

I'm struggling with making the cuts on the front panels. They are curved under. So I destroy them and have them remade? Please advise next steps to remove them.

[Aerowood]

Don't destroy them, those are in good shape believe it or not. Drill out the rivets and remove them

[Aerowood]

Just drill out the rivets at the seem. After you get them off Cleo the skin back to the "C" channel