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Old 10-28-2017, 09:12 AM   #41
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1972 31' Sovereign
Silverton , Oregon
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Front Corner wing Rebuild

This is the latest project, one of our wing windows had a broken inner pane at some time, I assume water got in, froze and broke it, so I pulled it out, and I'm going to replace the pane with an acrylic pane. I started on this one, but the other side was an aquarium when we got it, so we'll pull it apart too. getting the old screws out was the worst part, several broke, and I had to get a carbide bladed oscillating tool blade to cut them out.
I've got them apart, and cleaned up the frames, and drill new holes for screws next to the old ones. I should be ready to put them back together as soon as I decide on a sealant to use. the originals look like they used vulkem, but I picked up a clear acrylic sealant that I want to try out. I also ordered a pneumatic caulk gun off of amazon to see if it will help with my bead consistency. that's the progress so far,
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Old 10-29-2017, 07:52 PM   #42
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2009 25' FB Flying Cloud
1973 31' Sovereign
Mt Angel , Oregon
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Great work!! And thanks for the informative posts.
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Old 11-21-2017, 01:53 PM   #43
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1978 31' Sovereign
Aumsville , Oregon
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Keep up the good work. We're just down the road from you a ways, and have picked up a 31' Sovereign project as well. I might have to pick your brain about some of your suppliers some time.
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Old 11-22-2017, 05:58 AM   #44
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Thanks,
Any questions you have let me know.
I buy parts from vintage trailer supply, the airstream dealer in Milwaukee, Amazon, and I make as much as possible at work. Also, Inca in California for the black tank
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:10 AM   #45
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Silverton , Oregon
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I got 4 more windows rebuilt a while ago, then the holidays came up, and I put it aside for a while. Here are those windows ready to go back in. I think they came out pretty well. I did end up putting in new tempered glass panes in the stack windows, so now they are glass inside and out. I re-used the old gaskets, because they fit the best, but I swapped them inside to outside so the more sun damaged ones are inside, and the ones that look like new are outside.
For the broken wing window, I made a new inner pane from some acrylic I picked up at the hardware store, it wasn't as nice as the stuff I bought for the vista views, but it looks nice installed.
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:47 AM   #46
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The other wing window, the one with both glass panes, had been worrying me.
with the broken one, I could use the oscillating tool and cut the screws where they go between the two frames. i wasn't sure how I was going to do this one.
the wing windows on the trailer are built as two frames. An inner frame that gets riveted into the shell, and an outer frame that gets screwed to the inner frame. when Airstream installed the frames, they drilled once through both frames and put in a steel screw. this means that the screws are threaded into both the inner and outer frame. The steel screws mean that at least the ones on the bottom of the window are going to be rusted in. I tried all the usual tricks except heat when I was pulling out the screws, but still the 4 or 5 along the bottom, and another one broke instantly when I tried to back them out. Because the screws are not in through holes, you still can't get the frames to separate. I tried a couple different things,
attempt #1
I thought I would be clever and I bought a 1/8" carbide end mill, and an adapter to hold it into a router, and clamped that to the frame. I figured I could drill the broken screws out. but it turns out my router isn't speed adjustable, turns to fast, and the plunge mechanism is kind of loose.
attempt #2,
mount the end mill in my die grinder, this might have worked except my end mill was trashed from the previous attempt.
attempt#3
The revelation.
the way my windows are built, they have a straight side on the frame and that straight side is pinned in place by a screw top and bottom that is sanded down to make the end into a dowel pin. the screw can be removed from the outer frame, but the inner frame screws are hidden inside.
one of my broken screws was in that straight side, and another one was near, so no amount of prying or wedging could get me to the inner screw.
so
I made a strategic hole.
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:48 AM   #47
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The hole is a bit ugly, and a definite case of "it'll be better next time". but it let me get the screw out. and none of it will show when it's installed.
after that the frame just comes apart.
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:49 AM   #48
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it turns out that the penetrating oil I use softens the original caulk a bit, and I could then slide the glass panes out of the frame to clean them up.
I felt so victorious at that moment. i had tried several weekends to get this apart.
after I got the glass out, then I could use the oscillating tool and the carbide blade to cut the screws and separate the inner and outer frame.
I highly recommend this Bosch carbide metal cutting blade. all the others I try lose their teeth against the screws, but this one practically falls through them.
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:59 AM   #49
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Front Rock guard 3 piece

When Burnside Bob rebuilt their trailer, they purchased a new front rock guard for the windows, and he generously gave me the barely scorched original parts. I've been modifying them to fit our trailer. I narrowed the center frame 3" each side, and I've been shortening the side frames to fit our smaller windows. A couple missing parts to replace, and some new dark acrylic, and they should be good as new. My wife and I prefer the 3 piece frame look over the original single piece anyway.
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Old 01-14-2018, 06:37 PM   #50
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2009 25' FB Flying Cloud
1973 31' Sovereign
Mount Angel , Oregon
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Smile Age of Aquarium...?

Does this mean that the aquarium is no more? I think you should post a photo, so that others can benefit from the creativity. Dave says Elizabeth has a photo. I sure hope so.

You are a much more patient, much more attention to detail kind of guy.
Looks like that trailer passed onto/into better hands.

MIL
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Old 01-14-2018, 10:11 PM   #51
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Can of beans Sovereign 1972

Quote:
Originally Posted by Can of beans View Post
Upholstery,
My wife did a magnificent job creating new curtains with new sliders to fit the tracks, in a fun bird on a branch fabric, with blackout backings to keep out the headlights at night. then she recovered the Gaucho in a waterproof commercial style fabric, that really cleaned up the front.
Later we moved the stops on the Gaucho slides to get another 8" of sleeping space out from under the front shelf. it made a lot of difference for me on the wall side, and it was a quick easy fix. for now we have jack stands under the rails for extra support, but now that we've tested it, I may make some drop down legs for it.


Yeah, the gaucho fold out bed in my 31' Landyacht is pathetic for such a long trailer. No way could two adults sleep comfortably. Wish I'd done a mod before the expense of new foam and fabrics. $$$
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Old 01-16-2018, 05:55 AM   #52
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In our case the modification was moving the slide stops, that way at least you gain the room back from under the shelf. That made a bigger difference than you would think. We just shove some extra pillows in there now , but we intended to get another piece of foam to fill the gap. It doesn't have to match, because it's not part of the couch when folded up
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Old 12-23-2018, 12:24 PM   #53
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1972 31' Sovereign
Silverton , Oregon
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1972 soverieign with 2005 rock guard

Here is the picture of the modified rock Guard,
I just need to purchase some Dark acrylic or plexi-glass to go in the frames
The near side frame in the picture is a bit wrinkled, I learned a bit about shaping them from that one. I happened to have some of the quarter turn fasteners in my pile or random, so both side latch down. the short happy hookers are buck riveted to the body. in fact I went back and bucked rivets into all the exterior parts I could. all the awning rails, the awning support brackets and so on.
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Old 12-23-2018, 10:09 PM   #54
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I took some time from working on the trailer to get some other projects done around the yard. We had been living here almost 5 years, and i hadn't yet put in the sprinkler system or power to the barn.
But both are complete, now Elizabeth won't have to drag hoses around the yard to water it. I'm pretty happy with how the power worked out for the barn. I put a 50 amp breaker in our main panel and ran out to the barn, so now I have all the power I need. I put in a 30 amp outlet for the trailer whenever it needs power again, lights in all the bays, and I even have enough power to run a little heater and a light at the same time. being able to have my air compressor out there instead of running hoses from the garage has been helpful also.
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Old 12-23-2018, 10:40 PM   #55
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1972 31' Sovereign
Silverton , Oregon
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List of accomplishments

Things I got done this fall

  • Finished buck riveting the shell back together. I still need to leak check
  • rebuilt the porch light over the door, now it's LED
  • replaced all the marker lights with LED equivalents and pop riveted them instead of steel screws
  • removed and replaced all the screwed on awning rails and bracketry with bucked rivets
  • rewired all the exterior lights with actual grounds. no more grounding through the shell, no more 1157 bulbs
  • replaced the tail lights with LED lights that fit the original cans
  • replaced the exterior outlet box and weatherproof cover
  • replaced the single battery box with a new aluminum double box
  • sealed in the new wheel wells, (so much Vulkem)
  • Re-wired the electric jack and new break-away switch. installed a Metri-pack fuse holder for the jack. I ran new wires to the front junction box to the tongue and to the axles for the brakes. with 10 and 12ga trailer cord.
  • I've designed a new fan fixture to replace the original light fixture. it will adapt the fantastic fan upgrade but keep the original metal vent lids. it should bolt in and have all the fancy features, multi-speed rain sensing, power lid motor, remote control.
  • fitted the front rock guard frame.
  • I modeled a new door cover for the water heater door. so I can cover over the white door with an aluminum cover. it should look a lot better, but be easy to attach and function like factory.
  • I've been adding wiring into the trailer, now the front and rear beds should have 110 outlets for each person, for phone charging and the like.
  • replacing all the fiberglass outlet boxes with new shallow plastic boxes, the fiberglass boxes were slowing disintegrating.
  • I added a new circuit to my larger main panel to directly power the charger/converter, and I'm moving it's outlet into the wall like the others. the new shallow boxes allow for some insulation behind them
  • I installed a new Furrion 30 amp SS power inlet through the side of the trailer, and added the plug to the cord so that can plug in the trailer and not have a hole for mice to come through.
  • I moved the water inlet to the same area right behind the water heater and mounted it through the side of the trailer for the same reason. I should be able to connect without having any spots for mice to crawl up and into the trailer.
  • I added bracing straps inside the wall for the rear power panel, so I can mount it more securely. I've re-routed some of the outlet wiring as well to free up some space.
  • we painted and repaired and reinstalled the vista view shade cover slides. they're now silver to go with the eventual aluminum interior. the parts were made from ABS, and ABS glue fixed the cracks and made them strong as new. we put some reinforcement washers where they rivet to the shell and attached them top and bottom this time. the heat might make them swell, but it should be ok.
  • I patched over the vent pipe holes except the one from the black tank. I'm going to tie the vent for the new gray tank into that stack and just have the one. I bought HEPCO valves to replace all the P traps in the trailer to accommodate that. my goal is to have the fewest points of entry into the trailer as possible.
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Old 12-23-2018, 10:42 PM   #56
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Pictures of some of it

Here are some pictures of the changes
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Old 12-24-2018, 06:31 AM   #57
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Heck of a completion list. Sounds like you’re putting a lot of thought into doing everything perfectly and only once. Merry Christmas and thanks for the informative posts.
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Old 12-24-2018, 10:00 AM   #58
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1973 31' Sovereign
Mt Angel , Oregon
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Looking BETTER THAN NEW!!

The rock guards look fantastic. But I have reservations about the plexi-glass or acrylic that Airstream uses. I noticed a new star break on Phoenix's center rock guard--so two of three plexi-glass panels now have breaks--which is discouraging given how few miles we've gone.

For the exterior, we've got both Acryl-R and Captain Tolley's for you.
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Old 01-26-2019, 03:46 PM   #59
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1972 31' Sovereign
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More Pictures

I've got some more pictures of the things I've Done,
Here's a collage showing the new exterior LED lights lit up.
The license plate light and the light over the door, have little stick on led panels I got cheap off amazon, each 2"x2" panel has something like 20 little leds, and I put two panels in each. I think they came out pretty well.

definitely enough light for what they do, and a super low power draw.

The new marker lights are all LED, a set from PartsAM from amazon. I wouldn't say they are great, but they'll do the job I think, and I couldn't find anything in a double bullseye that was any better.

The red LED tailights are a signal stat brand and use the original screws. the white lights I'm using for backup lights are a Grand General Cab back light in white. I'll admit they could be a lot brighter, but I haven't tried them out yet either. I have new stick on reflectors to go in place also, but I want to clean the surface a bit first. The scare light is one I'm still debating on. these grand general lights are pretty tall, and you have to remove the old bulb sockets and clearance the cans a bit to make them fit correctly. that's not going to work on the scare light. I may just get a new gasket for the old lense, and put a few of those led panels in there instead.
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Old 01-26-2019, 03:53 PM   #60
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Here are the new fender wells from the inside, they're the modern ones that Airstream carries currently, I got them from the local dealer, to save on shipping.
They fit very similar to the old ones, but the outside lip is several inches higher. I cut a strip of aluminum to make a backing on the inside, and added a new row of rivets higher up to hold them to the outer skin. I used bucked rivets, so it doesn't stand out, and lots of Vulkem to seal everything.
the finished effect seems to be a much stiffer fender well that should hold up well, and now the trim can be rivet on below the actual seal, so it wont cause leaks there. our old ones had tears, and lots of rotten wood around them so this should be a good change. I also lined the area over the tires with aluminum sealed to the frame rail and cross members front and rear. this should keep road spray from ever touching the plywood in that area. any trapped moisture from above can migrate out over the frame rails and into the belly area.
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