Avoiding the full monte (we hope); Overlander redo/repair

blackboat · 06-26-2006, 09:13 PM

Getting it home Sunday before last was a milestone. Lest we quake in fear of the silver slug, we jumped into it and began disemboweling our hands-on Airstream education environment.

So far the initial plan of get tires on it, get it home, and gut the interior and inspect for damage is holding. If the inspection pans out, it'll be off to the axle shop to put some bounce back in the new baby.

This is what greets me every day as I leave for work, a not so subtle reminder of "Hey idiot, you've got yet another project".

blackboat · 06-26-2006, 09:24 PM

Gaucho was too far gone to fool with (I saved the RH armrest bin, 3 lower bins, and doors if anyone needs them), so out it goes. Some headscratching and searching for hidden screws got the rest of the saloon cleared the first evening.

Found some bad wood under the gaucho CS corner; not a great shock as there is a questionable spot by the door.

And BTW, if you look close at the first post, you can see the Rubbermaid vent cover just forward of the AC unit. Probably not a factory part

. Missed that one on inspection. Oh well.

First night was about 2 hours; lot of it getting tools, broom, shovel (yes, I said shovel) hunted up. AS does make a darn nice toolbox; close the door and you're done for the day, not like working on the house exterior and having to bring everything back inside. My photographer is still learning how to document; at age 10 she's getting better. Also danged helpful for fetching stuff so Daddy doesn't have to drag his fat, sad carcase off the floor and try to stand up.

Digging in to the critter:

blackboat · 06-26-2006, 09:26 PM

But it's progress. And whew, the trailer didn't collapse underneath us or the worl come to an end. Maybe there's hope yet...

blackboat · 06-26-2006, 09:39 PM

On the second day, tools all handily, well, at hand, the galley made it's trip out of the trailer and into the living room. Had to move the hammock in the living room around (we decorate a bit different), but it's a handy place to store the woodwork.

In about 1 1/2 hours, the galley was gone, although the sink cabinet ws left in the trailer pending seperation of the countertop. Under the sink rim and stovetop there's quite a nice layer of slime. Probably smelled like something good for the cats to eat, so it's staying outside for now.

And that's it for now; other weekly appointments clashed, and this weekend there was a subtle hint that I quit playing with the AS and work on the fence for my english setter. Team AS (daughter and I) thought the resident maternal figure was botching priorities again, but since the "suggestion" implied some alarming things about my lineage, and the possible short life span of english setters who need more exercise, we sagely rented a a ground auger and attempted topound holes in the parched earth. 30" down and we're still bringing up dust; could really use some rain.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to play hookey some more and view another member's project, and then the stateroom will follow.

All in all, stripping the interior so far hasn't been a big deal; starting to see how it was built and that makes it easier.

Start of the galley demo:

pattyo · 06-26-2006, 09:59 PM

Wow, you crack me up! We just got a little Minuet and I feel so much further along

.

Is this your first rig? You show enthusiamism! Our Minuet is our first.

peo

scottanlily · 06-27-2006, 12:14 AM

Hello Blackboat,

Your doin it ,gettin in there and seeing what you have to work with .I like
the size of your stream ,it will be cooler than it is now ,not to worry .Like most of us ,take a section at a time ,the floor of course is first and go from there ,if you feel discouraged just get on the forums here as we all are all
doing ,sharing info and getting support ,get ideas and hopefully the questions
answered ,good start though .

Scott of scottanlily

bhayden · 06-27-2006, 12:55 AM

Wow, I'm glad my social coordinator keeps me on a shorter leash than your Engish Setter or I'd have gotten into a project that would never be completed. Sounds like you've got good help though! What a great dad/daughter project.

Speaking of projects, one of the trailers I saw in our hunt was a '74 Safari that someone had already "gutted" and preped the floor with POR-?? Turns out someone near by ended up with that project and I'll be going over to see it and the "parts for sale" this weekend. As I see it an empty AS just means more room for bikes. Toss in a propane grill, air matress, ice box and you're done! Hmmm, wife seems to think the stove, oven, AC, fridge, built in beds, hanging closets, storage, lights... it goes on... are important. Well, OK it is nice having our Hilton on wheels

The really great thing about all the AS reconstruction threads is how this justifies the high resale value of the old trailers. You can invest money in your "project" without it being a black hole. That's in part due to the enthusiasm perpetuated by groups like this forum but also a testament to the contruction and design of the trailers to begin with.

-Bernie

blackboat · 07-10-2006, 07:44 PM

After more days than I can count now, the English setter is enclosed. Canine is confined. Pooch has a playground. Dog can play in the dirt. Furry friend is behind her fence.

Lord, driving posts during a drought is not fun. 400' of fence doesn't look like much on paper, but roll it out through the weeds, add a cloud of mosquitos and a bucket of ticks, and oh boy, we're having fun now!

Anyway, finally finished a project, and it needed doing. The fence is that tall so we can help foster hunting dogs. The setter in the picture is ours; she was a rescue. Great animal if you need a lapdog that can go about 90 miles an hour.

As you can see, we're anxiously anticipating the return to the AS; putting the finishing touches on the treehouse (another neglected project) and sneaking out to the trailer and loosening a few bits when no one is watching.

Hope to be back in full demo mode later in the week,

Rob, & Mercy,

clancy_boy · 07-10-2006, 08:20 PM

Nice job on the fence, and the AS looks great too..... Diversions get the best of us, looks like you have plenty of drive. 400 feet of fencing is ALOT, the AS should hardly be a chore for you. Good Luck, your other half will enjoy the finished project when your done.

blackboat · 07-18-2006, 07:39 PM

...And we have this. Galley gone and the stateroom is ready to move out. Stuck moving a new desk into the home office, which is preventing me from moving the AS parts to the triage area.

Guess I'll have to get on with the office for a couple of days, and the silly kid wants me to install the steps to her treehouse. Geez, I get the house part finished and she wants to climb up there; go figure.

Thanks everyone for the support and kind comments so far; I haven't found any more floor damage moving back, so maybe we'll be able to follow the plan and fix the bad spots and put her back together. Oddly enough, I'm liking the look of it empty. Keep thinking things like "If I put a bigger window in the head, I could load the canoes in it and..." Gotta do something to entertain myself while I find all the screws.

Walnut interior: Been meaning to mention this. While the cabinet doors and bulkheads are walnut veneer, the face frames and some other parts are not walnut. Have noticed some red gum, mostly birch, with icky brown stain. Oh well, that's how it is. I do tend to pay attention to wood; take a look here and you'll see what I do to buy food and Airstreams:

A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Co.

Most of the pretty stuff on the site I've had something to do with, anything from design to building.

And lest I forget, here's the most recent progress pic, demonstrating how organization yields superior results

.

Time to go a start making space to store all this lovely floppy plywood, and then we can remove the head and start pondering the floor back there.

Rob