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View Poll Results: Guess the tongue weight
under 250 lbs 3 9.68%
250 to 275 lbs 1 3.23%
275 to 300 lbs 5 16.13%
300 to 325 lbs 9 29.03%
325 to 350lbs 2 6.45%
Over 350 lbs 11 35.48%
Voters: 31. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 02-28-2011, 07:07 PM   #401
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1973 31' Excella 500
Spring Green , Wisconsin
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However long it takes, Chris, it looks absolutely great.

We often camp at Baraboo Hills campground near Wisconsin Dells and they have about a dozen of those cabins. I believe they have the on on this page. (thanks Top)
We have an anual weekend with about thirty friends and families, and we're the only ones with a camper. It's a great way for folks to enjoy camping (well almost camping) without the cost of the equipment or camper. I'd be interested to know the costs.

I'll have to take another look at the awning cover and how it's attached. A brief glance the other day and it looked like the awning would slide out and the cover remain in place.
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Old 02-28-2011, 08:09 PM   #402
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Len & Lew I'll post the cost here once I hear from the company.
Daniel I dome mo about that idea. The snow load here can be very heavy and I really doubt it would stand up to a branch strike. I would hate to spend all this time on the polish to have it ruined by a branch falling on it. The park is almost all cedars and we lose quite a few branches all the time.
I've got a few days rest while I'm away but will be back at it on Friday.
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Old 03-01-2011, 08:29 AM   #403
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can someone point me in the direction of blueprints and manuals and diagrams for a 65 overlander 26
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Old 03-01-2011, 08:57 AM   #404
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Jeff Airstream sells owners manuals. They list manuals for a 1964 and a 1966 overlander but not a 1965. $30 each. Here is the link.
https://store.airstream.com/product_...roducts_id=383
Unfortunately they do not offer serivce manuals until the 1972 model year but here is a link to they floor plans pages for 1960's models. 1965 doesn;t show much but look at 1964 and 1966 they may show more plus lots of other information there.
http://service.airstream.com/custome...pecs-1960.html
The owner's manuals will be pretty generic and won't have too much exact information.
I don't know of anywhere to get blueprints. What information do you need and what are you trying to do?
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Old 03-01-2011, 07:20 PM   #405
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Ive been reading this thread for the last couple evenings and just finished up with it.

All i Can say is WOW! good write up, good pictures cant wait to see the rest of this and how the trailer looks when your done
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Old 03-02-2011, 06:13 AM   #406
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thanks
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Old 03-04-2011, 12:04 AM   #407
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Marabou I'm not quite sure what you mean by"straight pads" rather than "flat ones"
Here is what I am using for the first cut using the black compound.
Ca swell Inc. - Denim Buffing Wheels
For the second cut again using the black compound bar I am using this pad.
Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheel
The third cut using the brown compound bar uses the same wheel as the second cut.
Spiral Sewn Cotton Wheel
The fourth cut using the white compound bar uses this pad.
Ca swell Inc. - Loose Cotton Wheel
After all that is done I will be cycle polishing everything with Invite S. I have ordered it but it hasn't arrived yet.
So did you use the bars they sell at Caswell to polish? What size wheels did you buy? I have a Dwelt 849.
Also I noticed that you may be heading toward the Redding Ca area. I grew up in Red Bluff about 30 MI South of Redding on I 5. You should stop by my dads spot for Mexican food and the best chips and salsa you will ever have. Its called Francisco's Pronto Market on Antelope Blvd 530-529-0707.
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Old 03-04-2011, 01:15 PM   #408
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osolow Thanks very much. You aren't the only one who can't wait for it to be done. I relly want to get moving forward on it but am stuck on the polishing phase of it.
Jeffneck you are entirely welcome. I hope you found what you needed there.
Marzboy Yes I am using the compound bars from Caswell. Black,brown and white.
I started out using the denim wheel with the black,then switched to the sewn cotton wheel with the brown and then the loose cotton wheel with the white. I have experimented with many different combinations and have found that since most of my skin is in good shape that the loose cotton is the way to go. Loose w/black, switch to another loose w/ brown, switch again to a third loose w/ white.
The denim was just too agressive a wheel for my skin, even the sewn cotton was leaving too many scratches on the skin.. I didn't have any corrosion at all before I stripped off the clearcoat which was almost intact.
I use the denim on the roof as there are some serious scratches up there and some corrosion where the clearcoat had failed.
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Old 03-05-2011, 12:47 AM   #409
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So did you use the bars they sell at Caswell to polish? What size wheels did you buy? I have a Dwelt 849.
Also I noticed that you may be heading toward the Redding Ca area. I grew up in Red Bluff about 30 MI South of Redding on I 5. You should stop by my dads spot for Mexican food and the best chips and salsa you will ever have. Its called Francisco's Pronto Market on Antelope Blvd 530-529-0707.
I had lunch at your Dad's place... we were on a motorcycle ride from Shasta Lake to Bear Creek, thru Shingletown to Manton, than Red Bluff for a late lunch. I think we made one more stop for a cold beer at the Cottonwood Inn. All day ride with good friends, good food, and cold beer.


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Old 03-05-2011, 08:17 AM   #410
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I had lunch at your Dad's place... we were on a motorcycle ride from Shasta Lake to Bear Creek, thru Shingletown to Manton, than Red Bluff for a late lunch. I think we made one more stop for a cold beer at the Cottonwood Inn. All day ride with good friends, good food, and cold beer.

@ Rex that is a beautiful ride! I love that whole area, especially Lassen. Chips Salsa and Cold Beer!!!
@ Chris I have a fair amount of crosion on my rig and a few nice sized scratches. So why did you choose the bars over Nuvite?
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Old 03-05-2011, 08:35 AM   #411
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Marzboy I was recommended to do it this way. It is supposed to be faster but now that I'm in to it I have my doubts although I have no frame of reference as I have not used the Nuvite and the other type of pads where you polish on the face. I will be going over the whole thing again with the cyclo twice with different grades of Nuvite finishing with S.
To answer your other question I am using the 12" wheels but I also got some smaller ones for the detail areas like around windows and doors etc. The small ones also work well for doing the interior of the window frames.
If yours is very corroded then start with the denim wheels and the black bar. Second pass can be with the sewn cotton wheel again with the black bar. Then the loose cotton wheel and the brown bar and finish off with the another loose cotton wheel and the white bar. After those four passes is should be mirror image with very small swirl marks from the wheels and look a little cloudy(just a little when seen from an angle). I have tried the cyclo with Nuvite S and it doesn't quite get rid of the swirls and the cloudiness. I am going to get some Nuvite C for the first pass with the cyclo and finish with the cyclo and Nuvite S.
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Old 03-05-2011, 01:07 PM   #412
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Marzboy I was recommended to do it this way. It is supposed to be faster but now that I'm in to it I have my doubts although I have no frame of reference as I have not used the Nuvite and the other type of pads where you polish on the face. I will be going over the whole thing again with the cyclo twice with different grades of Nuvite finishing with S.
To answer your other question I am using the 12" wheels but I also got some smaller ones for the detail areas like around windows and doors etc. The small ones also work well for doing the interior of the window frames.
If yours is very corroded then start with the denim wheels and the black bar. Second pass can be with the sewn cotton wheel again with the black bar. Then the loose cotton wheel and the brown bar and finish off with the another loose cotton wheel and the white bar. After those four passes is should be mirror image with very small swirl marks from the wheels and look a little cloudy(just a little when seen from an angle). I have tried the cyclo with Nuvite S and it doesn't quite get rid of the swirls and the cloudiness. I am going to get some Nuvite C for the first pass with the cyclo and finish with the cyclo and Nuvite S.
Thanks for the info. I think I am going to go with the Nuvite. I know it is more $ but it seems to be eaiser to apply. As far as the pads being rough on the hands. have you concidered the extention bar to keep the wheel further from contacting your fingers?
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Old 03-07-2011, 12:13 AM   #413
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Adhesives and sealers

Can you go into detail about the sealers. Why parabond and not just vulkem. Is the docor really gonna give that much more benefit over just vulkem?? Thanks
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Anne I have used Produx closed cell foam and foil insulation. It does not retain water. I have gone a different approach to the belly and wraps. I have sealed everything up tight. The floor is totally waterproof with special paint used to make aquariums. The c channel is sealed to the floor top and bottom, all bolts and screws through the floor are sealed with the same rubber paint. The skins were sealed with vulkem between the c channel. The belly is sealed with vulkem at every seam and rivet. The side wraps and rivets are sealed with vulkem. The lower beltline and rivets are sealed with vulkem and then the top edges of all seams and trim is sealed with Parbond. All exterior openings are triple and sometimes quadruple sealed. Roof vents etc have butyl tape between component and shell then sealed with vulkem and then covered with Dicor lap sealant. Then I moved inside and sealed every seam, rivet and opening with vulkem. So far I have used about 15 tubes of vulkem and 6 tubes of Dicor and several rolls of Butyl and 4 small tubes of Parbond. It has taken a long time but I am sure that this trailer will not leak. Amazingly enough I found that the seam between the roof shell skin and the side wall skins were corroded and leaking even though the roof overlaps the sides water seemed to flow uphill and leak inside.
Spray foam while covering well is very time consuming to remove if repairs are needed and it will trap water from exiting. The old fiberglass insulation was excellent at keeping water in the belly. It acts like a sponge and absorbs the water and keeps it there to wick up into the floor and against the frame.
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Old 03-07-2011, 05:44 AM   #414
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Filterman Welcome to the forums by the way. Excellent choice on a trailer or should I say Excellaent choice. Is yours a rear or center bath?
Sure I can explain my different choices of sealants.
Vulkem is a good sealer for behind the scenes. It is thick and coarse in nature, fills large openings well and is great for sealing interior seams and openings like rivet holes. The problem is that it is not really toolable. That is you can't smooth it out in a nice clean line and if used for exterior seams it picks up any loose debris, dirt and dust during the curing process and gets "furry".
Butyl tape is used for roof vent, windows, and compartment doors. It applies easily off the roll on to the back of the flange of the component to be attached. It can be trimmed to fit the proper width. It has tremendous adhesive properties and stays pliable for a long time. It does compress during installation to fill all the gap of the opening. It works much better than the original two sided foam tape used in 1973. I found most of the original was dried right out and had turned mostly to powder.
Parbond is used to seal small openings. It has excellent elasticity and is toolable. Once applied it produces a nice clean line that blends in nicely with the aluminium skin.Parbond is silver and Vulkem is dark grey so the Parbond looks better. I haven't used it but I hear that Alcoa Gutter Sealer works as well.
The Dicor Lap Sealant I used for the roof vents is self levelling and much easier to apply than Vulkem. It's used to build up a bed of sealant over a component flange. Once you apply it with the caulking gun in a bead it will "self level" and produce a nice even surface to cover the area you want to seal. It has excellent pliability and stays flexable even in very cold temperatures. It doesn't dry out or crack and will stretch with the changing temperatures keeping a good seal. It is only good for horizontal applications like the roof and won't work for the sides of the trailer. It is white regardless of what is says on the packaging. Dove grey is not very grey at all.
I hope this is enough information for you and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
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Old 03-07-2011, 08:41 PM   #415
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Thumbs up HOw mcuh to come down and do mine. he he

Thanks wasagachris darn try to type that five times quick I got a cramp. Mine is the center bath as I was tolld to avoid the rear fbath cause of flex problems and water damage besides I dont need a tub and can put a queen bed in the center bath mode. Is butyl tape like mastic for sealing metal roofs? Thankyou for the info on the sealants. ohhh Good job. Man if every worker worked as well and diligently we wouldnt be in a recession. he he Now I have to figure out rivets and how to do it one person if possible. What aluminum screws lock washers and nuts instead of rivets??? Then just fill the heads in with jb weld and polish??

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Kay Thanks so much for the offer. If I ever get this polishing finished I can move forward on the restoration. Maybe just maybe it will be finished by next fall.
Rex yes H is in your area and thank you as well for the invite. I may want to find a campground and spend some time there as the weather will be much better.

I spent some more time this weekend polishing and managed to get the curbside rear end cap and all the way forward curbside to the bathroom window. I worked from down to up as that's the way the polisher works best, starting at the belly and ending about 1 ft into the roof line. I stopped there because that's as far as I can reach from a ladder. The rest of the roof will have to be done from scaffolding later.Ther will be a 40" wide strip on the roof to do from the scaffolding. The rear will have to be done last once I can get the trailer back out of the shop. right now it's backed against the wall and I can't get to it.
Here are the results of about 20 hrs. work. I will continue moving forward curbside and sould get to the entry door next weekend which will have the first and second pass done for all the curbside. It is starting to look good as long as you don't look at the roadside.
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Old 03-07-2011, 09:18 PM   #416
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Car ports for airstreams

Call coast to coast car ports and ask for nikki sanders 1-866-267-0187 tell them that shane carr from washington referred you, they service id,wa,wy, montanna and utah. Best prices and strongest ports. I have two 24' by 24 rated to 60lb snow load load tube galvanized steel. They can make any size and I mean up to like a 60' clear span.
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Lew If you are removing the awning the cover comes off with it. I read somewhere here that the zip dee cover doesn't polish up. I'm not sure why it wouldn't.
I am guessing that I have 100 hrs. into it now and have managed to get about half the curbside done. Using that as a benchmark the compounding may take 400 to 500 hrs to do all the trailer. I am guessing that the two passes with the cyclo will take maybe half that time. So 600 to 750 hrs to get the flawless mirror shine I want.
I'd love to be able to get it done at 8 hrs per lineal foot. It looks like I will spend 20 to 25 hrs per foot.
I'm now looking for some kind of shelter to keep the trailer under so as to keep up the finish. I looked at E-bay and they want close to $5000 for those temporary garages big enough to put the trailer into. For that price I can build a permanent one. Today I contacted a company in PA that makes log homes and asked them for a price to build one the right size. The homes are kits kind of like Lincoln Logs but much bigger.I have been talking to them about some buildings for the camp.
Here is the link. I'll let you know what the tell me for a price.
Conestoga Log Cabins/Homes-custom kits: individuals, resorts, camps
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Old 03-07-2011, 09:53 PM   #417
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Chris,
Don't put that Stormy Kromer away yet, another snow storm coming.
Tim
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Old 03-07-2011, 10:05 PM   #418
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Filterman Shane I'm assuming, Butyl tape comes in rolls and is sticky both sides. It is wrapped in a waxy paper between the roll so it will come apart. It's kind of like a very stretchy rubber that is very sticky and does compress. Once you apply it to a surface that's where it stays, there is no possible way to lift it again to adjust the position. I don't know what mastic for sealing metal roofs looks like. Maybe you will know if it's the same by my description.
Thanks for the tip on the carports. I'll call them but I suspect shipping will be astronomical to get it here to Canada. I am interested in the log style building as it will match all the rest of the buildings I have in mind for here.

Beaker63 O.K. you got me. What is a Stormy Kromer? My trailer is in my workshop now but I can't keep it here forever. I actually had to cut a hole in the back wall to fit it in and even then I had to notch the door to get it shut.
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Old 03-08-2011, 12:17 AM   #419
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Stop by

Washington so I can see your rig Just cleaned and sealed another vista window, got a bulge in the roadside bottom half of the rig just before the onan generator right after the axel (worried), some rivets poped loose but I cant get the holes to lign up so I can rerivet it???Generator missing! I think I am going to sheet over the hole and forget about the gene and go with a solar panel. My body sits just below the rim line hummmm. I have to take off the awning to get at the curb side vistas this will be fun I bet. Found rot in front of door on the floor darn it. I just bought her friday. Frame looks a bit rusty but not that bad so far. I have to finishe sealing her then take the pans off and look. Only one scratch on the body though. Be Positive, be positive I dont count sheep I count the cost of parts when I fall asleep. he he Heres the cheapest place I know to get a log home kit-and again shipping is expensive but I think worth it. they are about half price. http://www.eloghomes.com I think mastic is the same as butyl tape. does this stuff run (get runny) in high heat?
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Lew and ND I may change the direction of the route and head west first all the way to CA, then south to TX and then back north. I have some time to think about it and plan some more. I would be starting out the end of Oct/ early Nov after the park closes and I get it shut down for the winter. I'm thinking it may be better to head west to Wi, Mn, and Nd first before the weather really turns bad. I dunno maybe I'll split the visits up in to two years so I can do it all in better weather. Unfortunately due to the nature of my business I can't camp during the summer.
I'm not feeling that great about it this morning, woke up to another foot of snow this morning and it's pretty cold and windy now. Roads closed and all that mess. Yuck I'm sick of winter.
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Old 03-08-2011, 04:30 PM   #420
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Filterman If I ever get finished and get out on the maiden voyage I'll swing by Washington and drop in.
Iread about your Vv resealing. If you are going to pull the window apart and replace the tint the glass outer pane will have to come out so you will need to remove the sealer you just put on.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if the shell is bulging that's usually an indication of frame failure. It might just be an outrigger rusted out and seperated from the main frame rail but more than likely the main rail is rusted through. My frame was unsaveable and I didn't have any shell buckle. Sorry.
I bought a used Onan genny from another member here and I still have the old one. It needs a flywheel and a carb to get it running. I couldn't find parts and this one came up for sale so I couldn't turn it down. If your interested I can bring the old you when I travel and you can have it.
Your body below the rim line is a good indication that the axles are shot. Several people are using Colin Hyde to get axles but I prefer INLAND RV.
The VV's are usually the source of the leaks and the floor rot and also the rear bumper cover leaks back into the shell and rots the floor.
My frame was rusted out at the steps curbside,fresh water tank roadside and at the rear between the black tank and the rear bumper.
Butyl does not get runny in high heat, it does get softer and more elastic.
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