I posted my list of improvements previously, not in order and have started on a few. I will continue to add the accomplished ones here. This one is for a wifi operated (not bluetooth) tiny backup camera. I'll rated this as 3 rivets for difficulty if done from scratch, BUT I already have much of the interior removed for other items so then it becomes simple.
Installation took about an hour working carefully. I began by pulling the plate bracket off the rear. There is a very small rubber grommet behind it with ground and hot wires. I was careful not to pull the grommet loose from
the aluminum shell but inserted the wire to the camera through the grommet nested with the other two wires. I bolted (not screwed) the tiny camera bracket to the top of the plastic LED light that illuminates the license plate. I had previously drilled a 3/4" hole in the interior aluminum skin to be able to fish the camera wire through under the lavatory sink. I mounted the wireless antenna in the lavatory cabinet just under the countertop with 3m VHB tape. I grounded the unit to the shell and tied in to the parking lights to power it (12v). That way I can monitor rear traffic as I drive, since I always tow day or night with my lights on. The wireless sends the signal to my phone which can set on top of the steering console as I back up. The camera has a 170 degree field of view, with or without gridlines. I walked up to 200' feet away from the trailer and still had a clear picture on my phone. Absolutely no glitches setting up with the Android app and no problems with aluminum interference. The app will also record movies and sound as well but is limited to one's phone storage. I did not want another monitor cluttering the dash and am very pleased with it so far for the reasonable cost. PM me if you have questions.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
There is no way I am putting the cheesy magazine rack back beside the toilet. Look at all that space! This will be a cabinet with door and open shelves beside the toilet. The laminate is readily available from my suppliers, but anyone can order it from a big box store. It is a WilsonArt White Cypress. PM me for the number or just Google it.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
Do you know what a learning experience is? A learning experience is one of those things that says "You know that thing that you just did? Don't do that."
My install of back up lights differs slightly from the (well written) version posted by Boxite who added two new lights in addition to the stock LED taillights. I did not care for the look of four lights and didn’t want to cut extra holes in the exterior skin, so I replaced the OEM unit with an Optronics Glo Light with a clear center back up light. I also did not like the plastic chrome visor bezel with its additional three (already rusting zinc plated) screws, so I fabricated an aluminum visor with a rolled edge for the vintage look.
I have two strong objections with Airstream on the factory wiring and tail light fasteners: as Boxite pointed out, the wire from the junction box under the bed on the street side to the rear of the trailer is absent from the factory harness; and the rusting self tapping screws used to fasten the taillights to the skin have basically a one shot use before stripping. Indeed, one screw was stripped already from the factory, probably overtightened. And IMO, all of the 12 screws are going to fail eventually from vibration on every unit they manufacture, allowing water to enter around the taillights. You cannot rely on a self tapping zinc screw to stay tight through a 3/64” thick aluminum wall, in a bouncing trailer!!! It only takes three automotive clip nuts per side at a RETAIL cost of about one dollar to remedy this. (Ridiculous and unacceptable details, from Airstream engineering…) But (sigh), I digress once again, from my own thread….
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
I purchased a duplicate backup camera from Tesla for my Model X, as well as wiring harnesses. I plan to do what you did with the license plate light and mount the Tesla camera back there. I will run cables to the front of the AS and hope to make a connector that allows me to disconnect my Tesla rear-view camera and connect this one instead. That way it'll show up on the 17" screen in my car, which is also available when driving. The camera and display are HD, so hopefully it'll solve all visibility issues.
I purchased a duplicate backup camera from Tesla for my Model X, as well as wiring harnesses. I plan to do what you did with the license plate light and mount the Tesla camera back there. I will run cables to the front of the AS and hope to make a connector that allows me to disconnect my Tesla rear-view camera and connect this one instead. That way it'll show up on the 17" screen in my car, which is also available when driving. The camera and display are HD, so hopefully it'll solve all visibility issues.
Keep updating us about your... well, updates!
Thanks. I'm having fun doing it. I guess.[emoji53] Just to let you know, the hole I drilled in the interior skin directly behind the license plate light was easily accomplished by removing the lav sink trap and using a regular drill aiming straight on through the vanity cabinet. Didn't need to remove the cab door either.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
Also, the fussiest part of the camera install was fixing it to the plastic cover on the plate light. There's a tiny metal support under the plastic that had to be dealt with to allow the tiny 10/24 bolts and nuts to clear. And it was a royal PITA to get it back together and snapped into the rubber mounting bracket. Ugh... It always the end of the day and you're in a hurry to finish the project and see if the camera works and.....
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
Installed a Dexter #11 3" lift as well as a Reese Flex light duty (4-600 lb. tongue wt.) WD hitch, today. Also painted the entire (rusty from factory) undercarriage black while it was up. Will also have to move a 1/2" LP line tomorrow, as I noticed it was severely kinked from the factory and will also rub now on the bolt heads of the lift kit where it threads over the axle on the street side. The Dexter kit is PNI (pretty near impossible) to install without specialty tools, like an open end offset 15/16" wrench and a 1/2" pneumatic impact gun. God help someone who attempts it withour air tools, two floor jacks and 4 jack stands on concrete. I used a hydraulic floor lift and still found the 150 lb. bolt torque challenging. It is possible to get a wrench in to hold the heads while torquing but installing the frame bolts first is mandatory. I did this job alone.
The Reese wasn't entirely necessary if towing speeds were kept between 55-60. But the sway increases exponentially approaching 65 and the porpoising was annoying over major dips and bumps. The Reese eliminated both and allows relative carefree driving at 65. It's kind of a PITA to connect and disconnect but now I can take a nap without worrying, while the wife drives. 😁
Painting. Well what can I say. Painting just sucks.😕
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
We decided to enlarge the twin/queen to a california queen, that is from 54 x 78 to 60 x 84. While I was at it, I also decided to increase the thickness to 9". I ordered the mattress from AB Lifestyles and set about making a new platform. What I quickly realized was AS's complete lack of craftsmanship in the support for the platform was a limiting factor to say the least. The platform undercarriage wasn't fastened to the wall or floor anywhere and was barely held together by sheetmetal screws, split and warped wood. Definitely not flat OR sturdy; two minimal requirements for a bed IMO. So, as usual per this trailer, I rebuilt the entire platform assembly from scratch, with future planning for two battery locations on either side. Replaced the flimsy factory piano hinge with HD stainless steel and banded the edge with walnut with enough height to add a mattress vent pad in the future. Anywhere a wood panel touched metal I banded the edge with HD foam strip. First trip out we slept very, very comfortably.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
Added a Toto to the bathroom and a handheld pullout low profile to the kitchen with a pump undercounter dish soap dispenser. When I pulled the sinks, there was no caulking in the lavatory sink and a large 1/8" gap between the sink rim and countertop where it appears to have been dropped before installation. The kitchen sink caulk peeled off with no effort at all. So, thoroughly glued down and rim straightened, neither sink should leak. Speaking of leaks, I checked for leaks at the hot and cold supplies BEFORE reinstalling the sinks; otherwise I'd never have known once the sinks were in. (The kitchen hot and cold supply would leak directly into the top of the furnace vent.) The third hole was covered with a chrome cap and will go away when I remake the countertops, which are far down the list. Next up is the new dinette and hulking bathroom door replacement. I am very excited to pull up the existing dinette and throw it in a dumpster! Wait- maybe I'll use a sledgehammer first and take a little of my AS frustrations out on it!
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
That sink upgrade is awesome. Do you have the make/model of the sink/faucet/soap pump?
Do you have an overlay to put over it while you travel?
The double sink is standard on the 2017 Sport. A rare, intelligent decision by AS! It does come with covers/cutting boards if that is what you mean by overlay. I am sorry but I don't have the model numbers for the faucets or soap dispenser, as they were left over from jobs where customers had changed their minds and I ended up owning someone's discard. I can look through my piles of other faucet boxes and see if any match.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
The original table was so unfunctional that we never used or sat at it. Indeed, the clearances and sturdiness were so poor that I considered it useless. The video is of the table at sitting height, locked down on the base, tightened and pins latched on the top and AS considers this usable? Who could eat a meal at a table that rocks over an inch side to side?! The table when pushed down, in the photo, as intended for a sleeping base, is 7/8" higher than the seat bases around it. Who could possibly sleep on a platform with a 7/8" raised hump in the middle of their bed?!! When I first saw this ill-designed contraption in the trailer at the dealer, I said out loud to the salesman; "You've got to be kidding! Is this a joke?!!!" Well apparently not, since they're [I]sold[I] this way.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
I am starting to repeat myself by stating that in order to install a new dinette, I had to rebuild the entire seating area structure before starting on the bracket install and table assembly. The pitiful assembly from AS was not going to hold together very long, and certainly not support the new table bracket. The only thing really supporting one's backside from crashing to the floor was one screw and a handful of very short staples attaching a few meager 3/4" x 3/4" ledgers. The outlet wire was rubbing on the sharp skin edge and the outlet was in direct line of an ankle smash under the table; terrible location. The center "support" was flopping around unattached except for one little sheetmetal screw through the 3/64" thick aluminum. Great design AS.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
On the other hand....every once in a while, (sadly not really very often anymore), one may discover a truly remarkable, stellar, brilliantly and intelligently designed piece of equipment or hardware. This describes the Lagun table bracket. It is made of heavy anodized aluminum, engineered and fabricated to tight tolerances and top quality fit and finish. The clamping handles are fully adjustable to tighten in any position. The height is easily adjustable in seconds, as well as swivel and pivoting of the tabletop. This bracket in my opinion, is just fantastic.I wish i owned stock in this company. It came with SS hardware and instructions. I relocated the outlet to the top of the base, right behind where one's knee would be while sitting, for the most clearance at the plug end of a laptop charger.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
I'll bet I spent more time arranging the grain patterns of the walnut today than AS did on the design of the original dinette! I laid out over 300 bd ft of 5/4 walnut to find the best crotch and stump grain swirls that matched. Tomorrow I'll glue up and run it through the widebelt sander to flatten it. May have it done by end of the week. This is the fun part.
__________________
"If you don’t know what else to do, drink beer."-Wally Byam
This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.
Wait- maybe I'll use a sledgehammer first and take a little of my AS frustrations out on it!
OEM Dinette Table
New Bracket Base Install
Linear Mode
