It has begun!

[MJMarkhams70]

the Lift-Off did work really well and the reduction on the elbow and arm strain was reduced drastically... It's a great product(suggested by a member, InsideOut) and is wont kill you using it...

[MJMarkhams70]

I am working in the garage reworking windows as the weather for the last few days has been not so good. last weekend there was sub-freezing temperatures, so the killed that. But this afternoon we made a big move towards getting on the road. We got a tow vehicle. we take delivery tomorrow of...



our new to us, tow vehicle...

[mrsdinapoli]

I'm looking forward to see how you approach the flooring :-)

[mrsdinapoli]

Originally Posted by MJMarkhams70

I contacted a local plastics supplier and have purchase the sheets of 1/4" polyethylene so that I can fabricate the holding tanks to my specification. After doing the research, I feel like it shouldn't be that big of a deal to do it. In the end I should be at about 1/3 the cost of stock new tanks with shipping (and not have to compromise the design). I will post up pics of what I come up with. I am kind of excited about doing something new.

I'd love to know where you found info on building your own tanks, if you can recall any links.

Awsome work!!!

[Aage]

Originally Posted by MJMarkhams70

We got a tow vehicle. we take delivery tomorrow of... our new to us, tow vehicle...

Whoa...! It looks so big the rear-most seat must be in a different area code!

Is that the one with the V-10 engine? Power to burn......!

[mrsdinapoli]

"the axles are definetly going to need replacing. They are really bad. That will be the first "big ticket" item that we order in the very near future. We are deep into it now..."

Do you mind giving me an idea of what the axel replacement ran/runs? I think we're in the market now as well...

[mrsdinapoli]

Originally Posted by DavidsonOverlander

Looks like you're making great progress, certainly moving faster than I am! It looks like your frame was in better shape than the one for our '74 Sovereign which I am currently working on. I'm doing mine without removing the shell as space would have been an issue.
There is great satisfaction in standing back and looking at a repaired and painted frame.

Grant

How bad is the frame Davidson? I'm trying to gauge if we pull of the top for the floor repair or not. My husband is discouraged by the amount of rust on the frame and I'm not sure he's up to the task of pulling off the skin....

[Bo&Susan]

Originally Posted by MJMarkhams70

it was a great weekend for the AS... The shell is separated from the frame. Now the cleaning, cutting and welding of the frame is now the next step in the process.

The wife found a great combination of two Bio-Friendly products that are doing a fantastic job at removing the paint that a PO put on the interior panels...

It's HOT these days, temps hitting 100, so I get to sweat my gut off while getting work done...





let the stuff in the jug sit for 10 minutes, then spray it down with the spray bottle and it lifts right off. Arms still get tired doing a whole panel buy it's not bad if your trying to save the original stuff...

Found this in Wally World, works great.The stuff in the jug even takes off the finish on the exterior so we can polish. Much better and cleaner to use than aircraft stripper. Thanks! susan.

[MJMarkhams70]

it's funny how short sighted we can be at times. It didn't even occur to me to try to use the Lift Off on the clear coat... Thanks Susan for that bit of information. We are in process of waterproofing the shell. It should start to look a lot better from the outside very soon...

[MJMarkhams70]

We took advantage of the beautiful Texas weather this weekend and made some progress on the AS... In the quest to get the shell dried in, We mounted the awnings on the curb and street sides of the trailer. It took longer that I expected, but when we, were done, we were satisfied that it was a good weekend for the resto/customization of the Overlander. My theory at least is that IF we can mount anything and everything to the outside skin that will be there in the end, then we can make sure those points are not leaking before we build out the interior.

We didn't get pictures, but we stripped the clear coat in places where we mounted brackets for the awning, and I got out the buffer and discovered that there is a shiny trailer hiding under there.

The fabric will be replaced, but we figure that it will make for a little shade while we are working.

[JFerguson]

Thanks for the lift off tip! I will definitely try it on mine. After you get it polished to a high shine again are you planning to spray another clear coat on it?

[Dumpster]

This may or may not be your thing, but I still have the awning fabric from mine. It is half blue/white stripe, and half blue tarp. You know. Those super high quality blue tarps that are like 4 bucks? I guess my PO had more sewing skills than common sense.

All ribbing aside, the Zip Dee's really do look great. Those, coupled with the very obvious lack of dents on your Lander make me very jealous.

Keep it up!

-Dumpster

[MJMarkhams70]

JFerg.- Probably not going to spray anything on it after the polish, as it is my understanding that anything you put on there must be removed again prior to subsequent polishing...

Dumpster- Ill pass on the blue tarp awning cover. Although that might be an improvement over what's there now...

Hopefully, in the next few days we will have some of the external badges and such back from the chrome shop. I did some website work for a guy that has a chrome plating shop and we are doing a trade... The parts should look awesome. I will share pics when they come back...

[JIMandPJ]

Have you finished fabricating your tanks? How did they turn out? I'm going to need fresh, gray and black tanks so if you have had good results, I'd like to try making my own.

I miss Texas. Used to live in Conroe.

[MJMarkhams70]

Originally Posted by JIMandPJ

Have you finished fabricating your tanks? How did they turn out? I'm going to need fresh, gray and black tanks so if you have had good results, I'd like to try making my own.

I miss Texas. Used to live in Conroe.

I made an initial attempt at making the tank, and learned quite a bit. I am going to give it some more time practicing before I attempt the final tanks. One of the largest hurdles that I think I was having was the temp was hovering around 40 degrees when I was trying to work the plastic, and the cold was wicking off my heat too quickly to "pool up" the plastic to get a solid weld... and the shop has no heat or AC

I grew up in the Conroe area... I like it up there...

[MJMarkhams70]

I know it's not "Airstream" related but I had a great morning and wanted to share...

[Dumpster]

'57?

And let me guess, an S90 with twin Solex carbs under the bonnet?

[MJMarkhams70]

there are twin solex carbs under there... and a little 1835cc

We did make some progress this last weekend on the airstream. the wife almost has the complete trailer stripped, and ready to start the initial cut in the polishing process... the plan is to get it all cut and then finish the exterior. We will attach any and all items to the skin and then we can move to the inside. I am hoping to get updated on photos soon so that you guys can see what we've been up to. (I am really excited about a few things)

Oh, and we already have a resident in the trailer. A Wren decided that our rear bath area was a good, dry place for a nest and has three eggs in there. I hope that we can let her do here thing and it not interrupt too much...

[87MH]

Originally Posted by MJMarkhams70

.... I am hoping to get updated on photos soon so that you guys can see what we've been up to. (I am really excited about a few things)...

We remain giddy with anticipation....

[MJMarkhams70]

ok, i guess we'll have to give you guys a sneak peek at something. although we can pull back the curtain all the way just yet...