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moogie32 · 03-14-2005, 08:19 PM

Hi everyone. I thought I just posted a new thread but it seems to have disappeared into thin air so here goes again. The weather up here has risen to a balmy 40 degrees and it's time to start pulling apart the Safari, starting with the bathroom since that's where the floor rot is. I began pulling out the toilet, a Sealand 910, which I believe is original to my coach. Got it down to it's base and 4 screws which after an eternity came out (one had to be encouraged by drilling) and now the toilet still seems to be firmly in place. It was getting dark so I tried wedging a screwdriver under it and wiggling it back and forth but I didn't want to push it. Is there something not visable from the top holding the base in place? I have a nice photo of it which I'd love to post but I can't seem to figure out how to post photos. I got it into my member photo file with no problems but when I try and insert it here all I get is a box with an x in it, so if someone could enlighten me on that too I would greatly appreciate it.....Thanks!!

moogie32 · 03-14-2005, 08:20 PM

As you can see I figured out the file attachment issue. I had nice arrows pointing to the holes, but I think it's fairly obvious where they are!

moogie32 · 03-19-2005, 01:43 AM

I'm resurrecting this because I'm hoping I can get some advice by Sunday when I'd ideally like to yank this thing out. I've been going through the archives and noticed that in most cases that threads came out of the floor and that the toilet is attached to the floor by nuts...mine is the other way around screws (one missing) held it in but the P/O may have done that...Am I correct in assuming that these screws also serve to hold the black tank flange in place? (not sure if flange is the right word) . Appreciate anyones thoughts here

moogie32 · 03-21-2005, 10:22 PM

Yesirree! I got it out and all it took was a little persuasion from a large screwdriver...and then I saw the wax donut...and what appears to be a home-made foam gasket. Truely scary and not at all correct looking. Which might explain the strange screw set up with their heads up as opposed to a nut. Since I still have a drilled out screw sticking out of the metal flange which didn't seem eager to come out I decided to abandon the toilet for now and move on to disassembling the bathroom. Many, many rivets and screws later I have come to the humble opinion that when Airstream assembled these things they started back and then proceeded to attach everything thing to it's neighbor right up to the door. Well, I'm hoping not quite up to the door because I just want to do the bathroom for the moment. So the question for this week is how far up do I have to go before I can start fully being able to remove everything? I am thinking it will have to be at least the main partition, bathroom side because there's no way the show will come out otherwise.....I would treasure anyone's opinion. I don't mind rambling on by myself here, honest I don't, but I love to hear what you all think.....

thenewkid64 · 03-21-2005, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogie32

Many, many rivets and screws later I have come to the humble opinion that when Airstream assembled these things they started back and then proceeded to attach everything thing to it's neighbor right up to the door.

This is a correct assumption. The bathroom originally went in first. Then they installed the rest of the trailer interior. Makes it a bear getting the bathroom out without tearing apart the rest of the coach

If you can somehow disassemble the bedroom, without removing the kitchen, you would then be able to remove the bathroom in reverse order of installation.

Good luck!

moogie32 · 03-21-2005, 10:32 PM

Hmmmmm....That's not what I was hoping to hear!

I guess if everything does have to come out I can make sure there's no more rot. It'll make the wood easier to refinish too. Thanks for your reply (sure beats talking to myself!!) I'll keep you posted on my progress!

moogie32 · 04-02-2005, 06:37 PM

Hi everyone - I'm hoping one of you guys can help me here - I'm in the process of removing my bathroom and have hit several areas which I currently am unable to resolve preventing me from moving forward. The first involves the drain to the tub (and also the drain to the sink). I can get under the vanity to get at the large plastic hexagonal fastener (not sure what it's really called) directly under the sink drain but it won't budge. I seem to remember in a distant thread where someone said that to remove the tub you had to unscrew the drain by putting some sort of a object it it and then try to turn it in a counter-clockwise direction to remove it. I tried this and it doesn't want to move either. I don't want to put too much force on it and end up breaking things but first I need to know if what I'm doing is the right thing to do here. Will this method also work on the sink drain?

The other issue I'm having involves the removal of the wall between the bathroom and the gaucho. I have looked everywhere for an obvious way for this to come out and the only thing that seems to make sense is a screw which was covered with a wood plug. It's located about 3 or 4 inches from the ceiling on the gaucho side of the wall on the trim strip that runs up the wall right by the side of the bathroom door. I am hoping this will start the process of seperating that whole area above the sliding door - I can't think of any other way to get this wall out....I'd like to spend tomorrow dealing with this - is there anyone out there that can help with any of these problems? Sorry to have gone on so long!!!!

Diane

till · 04-02-2005, 07:30 PM

I know on the walls that the channel that the pannel rests in, it is criped at the top. For the drain, they can be a bear to loosen. I know I broke one taking it apart.

moogie32 · 04-02-2005, 09:30 PM

Hi Tedd! I drilled out all the rivets in hopes of loosening the panel on the shower side of the divider and came up empty because as you mentioned it's crimped somehow at the top. Will the panel slide out forward once I free up that whole area above where the door would be when it is closed? The big issue I'm having here is that the stupid screw that seems to be holding the whole thing together was buggered and I am in the process of drilling it out. Drilling aluminum rivets is one thing - drilling out steel screws is quite another, especially when it resides over my head. Oh, my aching arms! Is the way I'm going about screwing out the drain piece the right way to go? I tried to lubricate it with some penetrating oil tonight- hopefully it'll turn tomorrow (yeah, right!)

balrgn · 04-03-2005, 04:18 AM

Try heating up the drain area. Mine had a plumbers putty on it, I used the wife's hair drier to warm it up. (have nice heat gun now

) It turned easy once the putty got warm.
I used 2 screw drivers between the cross pieces. Once it was out I found a new one at Home Depot for cheap $$$ Good luck.
Take a look @ my home page for pics, I pulled the entire bath out of my '75

till · 04-03-2005, 07:54 AM

Balrgn,
Now you tell me about the heat thing......

I should have remembered the "heat it and beat it into submission" quote I have heard before.

It sounds like your well on your way to getting the wall out.

balrgn · 04-03-2005, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by till

Balrgn,
Now you tell me about the heat thing......

I should have remembered the "heat it and beat it into submission" quote I have heard before.

It sounds like your well on your way to getting the wall out.

The wall was a bugger! The top of the closet door took a good hour to persuade out, Once that was out the wall needed to be flexed just a bit to remove it from the track. All in all it went real well! Slow and steady, if you start to get frustrated, move on to something else. It will be there when you get back!

moogie32 · 04-03-2005, 08:23 AM

Hi there Balrgn (and you too Tedd)
Totally forgot about using heat. It's so frustrating because you just can't get under it and the fiberglass tub seems fragile. I was trying the one screwdriver approach (using a hammer to encourage it) but the 2 method seems better. I'll give it a whirl and let you know what happens. Nice to know if I break it I can get a replacement cheap! Thanks Diane

balrgn · 04-03-2005, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogie32

Hi there Balrgn (and you too Tedd)
Totally forgot about using heat. It's so frustrating because you just can't get under it and the fiberglass tub seems fragile. I was trying the one screwdriver approach (using a hammer to encourage it) but the 2 method seems better. I'll give it a whirl and let you know what happens. Nice to know if I break it I can get a replacement cheap! Thanks Diane

Even if you don't break it, you might want to get a new one. Don't forget to use Plumbers putty when you put it back in! That and the rivets is the only thing holding it in place

moogie32 · 04-03-2005, 09:03 AM

Balrgn, So that screw on the top part of the partition is the key to getting the wall out? Was yours buggered too so that you had to drill it? I tried so hard to get it to unscrew but it seem buggered from the beginning.....

balrgn · 04-03-2005, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogie32

Balrgn, So that screw on the top part of the partition is the key to getting the wall out? Was yours buggered too so that you had to drill it? I tried so hard to get it to unscrew but it seem buggered from the beginning.....

Top one came out, The track above the door refused to behave! I did have to drill out one of the bottom screws to the Black tank cover.
If you have access to "LEFT" handed drills, quite often a screw will back out when you start to drill the head off....

moogie32 · 04-03-2005, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balrgn

Try heating up the drain area. Mine had a plumbers putty on it, I used the wife's hair drier to warm it up. (have nice heat gun now

) It turned easy once the putty got warm.
I used 2 screw drivers between the cross pieces. Once it was out I found a new one at Home Depot for cheap $$$ Good luck.
Take a look @ my home page for pics, I pulled the entire bath out of my '75

Balrgn, You're a GENIUS! I applied heat and used the two screwdrivers criss-crossed as you suggested and I was able to get both Drains out with no problem at all. Wish the buggered partition screw was as easy...did more drilling on that but I'm not there yet. Can't thank you enough.....Di

pinkflamingoes · 04-04-2005, 12:14 AM

stubborn little buggers! Keep us posted, moogs...

moogie32 · 04-11-2005, 08:21 PM

Seems like despite my best intentions I can only work weekends on this and this particular weekend only afforded me about 5 hours total. I guess I'll take what I can get! Lessee.....the partition wall is...STILL IN! I have been drilling and drilling and drilling some more on that @#$@!! buggered up screw and finally wised up and went out and got some Cobalt tipped bits which, while better than the ones that I was using (carbon? - can't recall) still haven't gotten it out. This is going to take awhile, so what I have been doing is drilling a little and then working on something else for awhile and then I come back to the drilling so it doesn't get so frustrating. The good thing is that there are plenty of other tasks to keep me busy! I am at an impasse with the bathroom progress until that wall comes out. The other problem I am having in the bathroom is the bathtub faucet brass nuts refuse to come free. It's hard to just put force on them because the tub flexes with any pressure applied. The brass nuts are now starting to round so that my 3/4" wrench won't stay tight on them. Any suggestions? Heat? Mallet? SawzAll?

I am anticipating the arrival of my 3 corning glass windows soon so I spent some time with liquid wrench and WD40 freeing up screws and the window winding mechanisms on all windows. Now they open and close freely. I almost dissected my front window (which will be replaced first because it's missing) but ran into 2 stuck screws so I added more lubricant and left them alone.

I have also come to the sad conclusion that I am most likely going to have to remove the interior to make sure the floor is totally sound. I see soft spots by the door and am guessing the front gauchos might have their nasty suprises underneath them as well.

So, as you can see I have plenty to keep me occupied. I removed all the floor tiles which are free from things on top of them and have had very good luck getting them up intact. I am thinking I might want to reuse them - I know they're asbestos but if I don't grind them I should be okay, right? Has anyone reused their tiles? Would you do it again? Okay-this is long enough....any and all suggestions are very much appreciated!

Diane

eljay · 04-11-2005, 08:32 PM

I would not reuse the tiles due to the asbestos. They tend to break pretty easily due to age. If you are going to do the full monty then replace the tiles. We used Armstrong Commercial tiles. We cut them to 9 inch (the original tile is 8 7/8 or some such nonsense). You can see our results in post number 43 here: http://www.airforums.com/forum...t=14357&page=3