View Poll Results: Guess the tongue weight
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under 250 lbs
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3 |
9.68% |
250 to 275 lbs
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1 |
3.23% |
275 to 300 lbs
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5 |
16.13% |
300 to 325 lbs
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9 |
29.03% |
325 to 350lbs
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2 |
6.45% |
Over 350 lbs
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11 |
35.48% |
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03-27-2011, 10:33 AM
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#481
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2 Rivet Member
1974 25' Tradewind
Ponchatoula
, Louisiana
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 76
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Excellent work Chris! I will be polishing ours after the floor frame repairs and interior goes back in. Maybe starting the polishing next winter. Thank you for your attention to detail and all of the pictures. You and many others on this forum have already saved me from a couple of bad decisions with your advice and experience.
Take care of those hands!
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03-27-2011, 07:46 PM
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#482
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4 Rivet Member
1973 25' Tradewind
Currently Looking...
Burnsville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 288
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wabbiteer
We are safe unless he has new clear-coat every two years
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ohhhhh so scary!!!!
__________________
Ann - The Constructor's scribe.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
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03-27-2011, 07:49 PM
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#483
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4 Rivet Member
1973 25' Tradewind
Currently Looking...
Burnsville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 288
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Chris, really amazing work! So impressed.
__________________
Ann - The Constructor's scribe.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
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03-28-2011, 07:20 PM
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#484
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Tell me if you think I'm taking this a bit too far.
Today I was polishing the banana wraps and the side section of the belly from the lower beltline trim down below eyesight. I decided to keep going.
It's kind of hard to see but I put the wardrobe mirror on the ground and the reflection you can see if the reflection of the floor coming from the belly pan and bouncing off the mirror. I know it's a bit much but couldn't decide where to stop. It just looks better to stop on the seam between the side pans and the center section of the belly pan.
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03-28-2011, 07:26 PM
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#485
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Always learning
1972 29' Ambassador
1962 19' Globetrotter
1951 21' Flying Cloud
Central
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,881
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Yeah I think so.
Hey nice write up in the TAC newsletter by the way. Kudos to you. Anything going on with the '61?
__________________
Lance
Work is never done, so take time to play!
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03-29-2011, 01:30 PM
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#486
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Rivet Master
2017 30' Flying Cloud
2008 23' International
Keremeos
, British Columbia
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 845
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Fantastic job, Chris. I've really enjoyed browsing through this thread.
Lisa
__________________
Lisa and Paul
2017 30' FC | 2002 Chinook Destiny | 2008 23' Int. CCD (written off: hail!)
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04-06-2011, 11:08 PM
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#487
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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With a Wing and a Prayer
Tonight I was compounding the area all around the curbside wing window and the front center window and decided to start preping the wing window for removal. I bought a NOS one a while back and have been waiting to get it installed.
The first step is to remove the spline bar that joins the wing window to the center window. Each window has a lip on the edge that the spline bar wedges over. The manual says to use a block of wood and a hammer to remove it by placing the block of wood on the bottom edge of the spline bar and hammer it up to remove it. Well it wouldn't budge. I had already removed the sealer around the bar before polishing which has to be done to free up the bar. I ended up using a cold chisel and a hammer to pound it up and free. This is where the prayer comes in to play as you need to pound the heck out of it to get it to move. I was afraid I would break either window in the process and lucklily it started to move and after about 10 minutes of tapping with the hammer on the chisel it came free. I did apply some mineral spirits liberally to lubricate the bar anf the edges of the windows which helped the bar to slide. You will slightly deform the end of the spline bar but you can file out the burs so it will go back on.
Here is the bar halfway removed.
Now here is the edge lips on each window once the bar was removed.
I polished the edges after removing the rest of the sealer that was under the spline bar.
Here is the back side of the spline bar after the sealer has been cleaned off and I polished the back of it to make it slide back on easier.
It does slide back on a little bit easier now that everything has been cleaned and polished. Once I reinstall it after the new window is in I will again soak it and the windows in mineral spirits to help it to slide.
Next step is to drill out all the rivets holding the window to the shell and go inside the trailer and remove all the vulkem sealing the window to the shell and then start gently prying the window free from the shell.
That's tomorrows project along with more polishing.
Oh yeah I also polished the frame work for the rock guard that covers all the front windows. I did this on the trailer as it held the guard in place for me. After it was polished it was removed so I could get at the windows for polishing.
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04-07-2011, 10:44 AM
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#488
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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Yikes, that project is not for the faint of heart, huh? Whacking on the window with a hammer and chisel? Not me!
You're a brave man, Chris!
__________________
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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04-07-2011, 01:39 PM
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#489
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4 Rivet Member
1973 25' Tradewind
Currently Looking...
Burnsville
, North Carolina
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 288
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Chirs. I will be so disappointed if you don't come to Florida this fall or winter. I want to see the finished product in person.
__________________
Ann - The Constructor's scribe.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
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04-07-2011, 02:05 PM
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#490
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Ann that's the goal but the trailer may have a different timetable than mine.
Hre's my plan for this summer.
April/May Compound & cyclo polishing
June Reseal the shell and install all exterior components including 3 new awnings.
July Insulate & rewire
August Plumbing & finish propane lines to appliances.
September Install interior skins
October Install Bathroom & Kitchen (Head & Galley for you nautical types)
November Install bedroom furniture & roadside wardrobe in hallway
December Install living room couches & new drapes & upholstery
There are a few things I left out like solar panels & satellite dish which I might be able to squeeze in before the insulation. I also need to install a spare tire carrier w/ spare tire and centramatic wheel balancers and new tires.
So as you can see there is quite a bit to do and with the park opening next week I won't be able to work at it full time until October.
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04-07-2011, 09:13 PM
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#491
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Wing Window Part 2
This morning I polished the new window.
The first pic shows the new window after polishing.
This pic shows the two windows side by side. You can clearly see how much better looking the glass is without the fogging from the failed seal in the old one. the new one is also tinted glass. I will be tinting it with limo tint to match the rest of the windows.
Next I went on to removing the old window. There are 39 rivets holding the window to the shell. Starting at the bottom by the center window and working towards the curbside and then up towards the roof and then back in towards the center window each rivet was center punched and then drilled out. Then moving to the inside and remove all the vulkem all around the wing window. Some was tough to remove but a lot of it came off easily. I did find the source of the leaks around this window. The top of the spline bar and the joint between the wing and center window was leaking. There is a sizeable gap between the curbside top edge of the center window and the shell and if the sealer fails this will leak for sure. The other leak was at the bracket for the rock guard lift arm. It is pop riveted on the the center window about halfway up.
Now I had to go back outside and gently pry the wing window loose from the shell. I started at the top edge between the center window and the wing window. The trick is to go slowly and only pry it out a bit. As it starts to come away from the shell a gap will open farther down on the window allowing you to pry towards the bottom of the center window. Once the entire edge between the center window and the wing window is loose you can grab it by hand and gently rotate away from the shell and the center window and the other edge of the wing window against the shell closer to the curbside will come free. Ther is two sided foam tape holding the window to the shell. Here you can see the remnants after the window is out.
Then the tape was gently scraped off and the area cleaned with mineral spirits in preparation for polishing. I was evident after the tape was removed that this window was already replaced at some time. There are extra rivet holes from the original window install. i'm not sure if this was done at the mothership or at a dealer because the second window was bucked on and they did not use olympic rivets. Here is what it looks like after polishing.
I then decided to play with the old window and see if it is repairable. The straight edge of the window frame is removable. It is attached to the curved part of the frame with two screws top and two screws bottom. The bottom screws came right out but the top ones wouldn't budge. I ended chiseling off the heads and then the straight edge of the frame was free to remove. Once the straight edge was out you need to gently flex the edges of the curved section to start to free it up from the gasket and the window glass. Slowly working it apart the frame will free up from the glass and then you can edge the frame off the glass and gasket.
The two panes of glass have the edges wrapped in a very thick foil tape which is reinforced with fibers.The tape can be peeled off exposing the butyl tape between the two panes of glass. I then set out to seperate the two panes of glass. I used a box cutter to slice into the center of the butyl and started to work it out. After a small section was out I sprayed the cutter and the window edge including the butyl with a rust buster. This let the box cutter slide in easier and I moved on to cutting the butyl free from the edges of the glass. Inch by inch switching between each pane of glass the butyl slowly came out. Care must be taken not to exert any force on the glass or it will shatter. Here are the two panes after cleaning up all the butyl and the remnants of the foil tape.
Here is the frame and the gasket after disassembly. I still need to clean up both the frame and the gasket. I did start the gasket cleaning with mineral spirits and I think it will be salvageable. The mineral spirits seemed to soften up the gasket and make it pliable again. Now the trick will be to find the right thickness of pre-shimmed butyl tape.
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04-08-2011, 02:17 AM
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#492
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Restorations done right
Commercial Member
1962 26' Overlander
1961 26' Overlander
Vintage Kin Owner
Currently Looking...
Baltimore
, Maryland
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 5,545
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good stuff Chris. Want a job?
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04-08-2011, 03:27 AM
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#493
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Thanks Frank coming from you that is high praise indeed. No thanks on the job though I have two already, the campground and my trailer. LOL.
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04-08-2011, 07:47 AM
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#494
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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You must also be busy now with the campground, Chris. Grass greening up, snow all gone now?
Blowing out the water feeds to each site?
I had a though just now. You could start a 1-month trailer refurb course at your camp; training people that want to do work on their own TTs. Month of August, 5 or 10 sites are reserved for people doing jobs, you are there to supervise them, and train.
The summer of '11 could be Year of the Plumbing...
__________________
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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04-08-2011, 07:55 AM
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#495
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aage
I had a though just now. You could start a 1-month trailer refurb course at your camp; training people that want to do work on their own TTs. Month of August, 5 or 10 sites are reserved for people doing jobs, you are there to supervise them, and train.
The summer of '11 could be Year of the Plumbing...
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Advertising that would violate the forum rules.
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04-08-2011, 03:23 PM
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#496
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Airstream Fanatic
1976 31' Sovereign
1959 17' Pacer
1965 26' Overlander
Bismarck
, North Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,035
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I'll be the first to sign up for the camp
Let me be the first in line for the camp WC is going to operate. Does it matter that we don't even have our frame ready yet? Hopefully you don't have any of those type of silly rules for your camp....
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04-08-2011, 04:16 PM
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#497
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ND10CentCan
Let me be the first in line for the camp WC is going to operate. Does it matter that we don't even have our frame ready yet? Hopefully you don't have any of those type of silly rules for your camp....
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Now that would be a sight to see, you getting the shell here without a frame. What are you going to do Sandy, strap it to your back and just hike it here. I would be willing to pay to see that happen.
You know of course that Aage was just joshing and I can't advertise any service I have for fear of the MOD squad shutting me down because I am not a commercial member. I casually mentioned about something once and got my wrists slapped immediately.
I also think if I ran a school I would learn more from the pupils than I could teach them.
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04-08-2011, 04:28 PM
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#498
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Airstream Fanatic
1976 31' Sovereign
1959 17' Pacer
1965 26' Overlander
Bismarck
, North Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,035
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Still going to sign up
I think I might want to have some video as well of the two of us (Fred and Wilma) moving our shell up to Canada to be the first people in line for your camp. Can you imagine that conversation at the border? "Do you have anything to declare? Yes, I want to declare that I am nuts...for thinking we can pull this off but WC is going to help us through this adventure." Do they give 59 year visas into Canada? That could be news but not the way I had hoped to ever make the news.....
I will try not to get you into trouble with the powers that be but at the rate you are moving and we are moving, we should be about 26 years behind you. I am glad you are making great progess...we are following every post. Thanks for all your efforts to help the rest of us understand what we will be doing or dreaming to do eventually.....
Sandy
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04-08-2011, 04:44 PM
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#499
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wasagachris
Advertising that would violate the forum rules.
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Not if you became a Commercial member.
__________________
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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04-08-2011, 04:56 PM
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#500
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x
XXXX
, XXXX
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,601
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aage
Not if you became a Commercial member.
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Aage you are dead wrong on that. No commercial member can actively promote his business in the open forums, can't quote prices or suggest links to their website. Nor is the PM system to be used in this way. You should know you are the one who slapped my wrist.
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