'74 Argosy 20' Motorhome restoration/rebuild

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Tony, I know you've replaced your floor before. What did you do to dig all of the wood out from inside the C-channel section of the wall?? I dug at it for a while but gave up and moved on to something more important.
Attachment 281689


Brad

I took a 1/2" brad point drill bit and drilled through a 2x4 edge ways to make a stop block; I then carefully bandsawed around the hole leaving the hole inside a 1" diameter round block. Insert drill bit fully into your drill and insert the rest into the hole in the block. Cut the block so that the drill bit is sticking out 1-11/16" and drill holes every foot or so to start in the C channel. This will leave a 1/6"th or less bit of wood to break; use an old 1/2" chisel inserted in the hole you drilled to see if you can pry out the piece in the channel.

It is a complete beatch if the wood is wet and swollen against the channel as mine was; it just falls apart and has to be picked out one piece at a time with a hooked pick. When I got to dry good wood I was able to pull out 6"-1 foot sections at a time.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece...set-66836.html

A set of Happy Knees is a must and a blanket underneath you will keep out the cold and hardness of the floor framework.

As far as air filter element mounting goes, just remember you will have grillwork and bodywork in your way, so mount it where access and ease of removal/assembly is desirable. How about a WS6 filter ram air intake off a early 2000's Trans Am?

Goodluck
Tony

[bkahler]

Thanks Tony, I figured you would have a method of getting the wood out of the channels!

The only question I have is from the following quote:

"I then carefully bandsawed around the hole leaving the hole inside a 1" diameter round block."

Did you make the block round to make it easier to hold or was their some other reason. What I'm picturing is you basically made a 1" round dowel with a 1/2" hole through the center.

I like that WS6 intake! Figuring out where to put it is a whole different matter. Providing a good path for air flow is definitely one of the challenges that I'm having, that and the fact that my whole front grille assembly is off makes it difficult to know what access would be like once it's in place.

Thanks!

Brad

[Isuzusweet]

I made it round as a very large portion of the drill bit will be in the wood block rotating at the same speed as the drill. Now I did find that sometimes the bit would hit say a knot in one of the layers in the plywood and begin to wander, so grabbing a smooth piece of wood rotating at 2500 rpm to steady the bit is one thing; grabbing one with four corners rotating at 2500 rpm is another. I'll leave it up to you.
If you have a piece of 1" dowel, like off an old shovel handle or broomstick, have at it; just tougher to drill through initially.

I was wondering if you were keeping in mind your future bodywork and re and re of the filter. I still remember having great arguments with John over filter placement and how it was so easy for him to move everything to the front of the rad. We all found out he had a completely different style of everything forward of the firewall to the rest of us.

Cheers
Tony

[bkahler]

Your point is well taken about round versus rectangular!

I still find it surprising, although maybe I shouldn't, that your's and John's coaches are so different up front. I can't imagine how the assembly line workers were able to get anything built when things changed for every coach.

I'm thinking about test fitting the front grille assembly this weekend, it would be the first time the grille has been on the front since 2007. Even if it's only for a few hours it would be nice to see what it looks like

Thanks!

Brad

[Gregsch]

Brad,
When I removed all the old plywood from the aluminum channel I found that I could use a 3/8 drill bit and drill holes a few inches apart and them ream them out as much as possible. After I got the bulk of the material out I chucked up a 1/2" carbide tipped router bit in a battery drill and worked it down the channel kinda like you would with a die grinder. It's really pretty easy. I used a Bostich cats paw pry bar to pry out the pieces in between the screws. I have a few pics of the process on post #21 of "Coundown to kickoff".

[bkahler]

Greg, it looks like you and Tony used similar methods to get the wood out of the channel. I'm sure I'll end up doing something similar depending on what tools I have available. I've found projects like this usually evolve around the tools that are on hand

I like the tool you made to straighten the channel. I'm going to have to do something similar because my channel is definitely collapsed around the screws.

My best guess is the wood floor replacement is going to be this coming winters project. I'm hoping by fall to be able to drive mine around the neighborhood. We'll see

Thanks for the info!

Brad

[bkahler]

Getting closer to having the gas tank installed. Previously I had posted pictures showing how the tank could be tilted down for maintenance. This time I'm taking care of all the little details needed to finish the installation.

Moving the tank into position.


The tank is in position and I've connected the pivot brackets. When the tank is in the raised position there are 4 bolts per saddle that attach it to the frame.


The saddles have been bolted to the frame.


To lower the tank a jack is used to support the outside edge of the tank and then the 4 bolts per saddle are removed. By lowering the jack the tank will tilt down for easy access to the tubing, hoses and wiring. I opted to use steel tubing with inverted flare fittings for better reliability.


And the opening in the floor.


With luck in the next few weeks I'll have the tank installation completed and can move on to fuel pumps and the associated hoses and tubing.

[bkahler]

This past week I removed the cockpit sliders and fuzzy schlegel so I could get my head wrapped around what needs to be done to replace all the seals. I figured I would practice on my Argosy since it's indoors and once I got a feel for how it's done then Ernie and I could tackle Peanut's cockpit windows. I think it would be nice to be proficient at it since Peanut is parked outside and we're now in the rainy spring season!

After I removed both sliders and fuzzy schlegel seals from my Argosy I noticed a difference in the two frames. Back on post #221 in this thread I talked about how the drainage issues are different for a 75-77 Argosy compared to the later coaches. I found another difference on my drivers side cockpit window frame.

If you look at the picture below the red arrows point to a series of holes I found under the fuzzy schlegel. The purpose of the holes is apparently the same purpose as the holes I added (green arrow). The other thing to remember about my drivers side window is it did not come from the factory with outside weep holes. Apparently the weep holes were under the seal instead of to the outside of the seal.

However the passenger side window had weep holes on the side but no drain holes under the fuzzy schegel!



I find it interesting how different one coach can be from side to side!

Brad

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bkahler

....... Apparently the weep holes were under the seal instead of to the outside of the seal.

Brad

And where did they drain to?
Sounds to me like a bad design, considering how fast they could clog up. The nice thing about the AS1268 is the rubber. It lets you cut nice square openings for side drainage and does not stay wet forever.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

And where did they drain to?
Sounds to me like a bad design, considering how fast they could clog up. The nice thing about the AS1268 is the rubber. It lets you cut nice square openings for side drainage and does not stay wet forever.

Down into the wheel wells. The early Argosies did not have the wood floor ran all the way to the outer skin. The water is/was expected to drain out of the bottom of the fuzzy schlegel and down onto the ground.

One thing I've noticed about my Argosy compared to all the other Argosies and Classic's that I've seen is mine has no floor rot on the cockpit floors and I'm 99.9% certain that it's the original wood floor and one of the first ones out the door at the factory. This might be a case of they got it right the first time and proceeded to screw it up in the intervening years

[bkahler]

During the past week or so I've been plugging away at getting the fuel feed system finished and installing the headers.

I'm not overly thrilled with having the fuel filter and low pressure suction pump sticking out like they are but there's not much I can do about that other than the probable addition of a metal guard plate once I have everything working to design. I looked all over for a decent place to mount the surge tank and there just aren't a lot of open spaces on these small 20' motorhomes. I may have to relocate the surge tank 4 or 5 inches farther back depending on how the right side exhaust pipe gets routed. I think the most irritating thing about the low pressure suction filter is the discharge end is pointing to the rear of the coach! Again it's one of those things I didn't have any control over so I just lived with it.



Installing the headers turned out to be a somewhat of a pain. I should have removed the front wheels but I still have the rear wheels off and I don't like having the whole coach sitting on jack stands so I just squeezed between the wheel and the fender opening. I think I was more of a contortionist at this point than a mechanic!



I was a little concerned about the transmission shift rod possibly interfering with the header because I had to lengthen and then tweak the shift rod. Fortunately it worked out with plenty of clearance.




I'm hoping to have the Argosy move under it's own power by Memorial day. It's going to be tough to meet that goal but if I don't have a goal it'll never happen

Brad

[mayco]

At the moment you start that beautiful motor and shift her into gear to move under her own power.....I think we should all be online, tuned into your thread here, and drink a collective toast to you and the Argosy!!! She's getting closer and closer, you gotta be feeling good Brad. I know you have a ways to go but the attention to detail you've put into her will pay off big time. So impressive, and your patience is beyond admirable!

Mike

[martin300662]

I agree Mike.....come Memorial Day we need a Skype link and a beer in hand to celebrate!!!!!!!

[Isuzusweet]

Originally Posted by mayco

At the moment you start that beautiful motor and shift her into gear to move under her own power.....I think we should all be online, tuned into your thread here, and drink a collective toast to you and the Argosy!!! She's getting closer and closer, you gotta be feeling good Brad. I know you have a ways to go but the attention to detail you've put into her will pay off big time. So impressive, and your patience is beyond admirable!

Mike

Oh, you guys are playing with Airstream Gods, fire, brimstone and mechanical disaster. Look at what happened to poor Mark attempting to resurrect one of these sentient beings back to life. or ASTailgate whose brand new restoration and beautifully polished moho went up in flames on his first trip!

You have to just do it slowly without telling anyone, allowing the universal paradigm and Feng shui to balance so that the Gods don't notice the disturbance in the force.

I'm pulling just as hard as anyone for you Brad but I'm going to wait until you have a few miles under your belt and we all get together, and then hoist a few in congratulatory celebration.

Cheers
Tony

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by mayco

At the moment you start that beautiful motor and shift her into gear to move under her own power.....I think we should all be online, tuned into your thread here, and drink a collective toast to you and the Argosy!!! She's getting closer and closer, you gotta be feeling good Brad. I know you have a ways to go but the attention to detail you've put into her will pay off big time. So impressive, and your patience is beyond admirable!

Mike

Thanks Mike

Being able to shift it into gear reminds me I better put the last brake pipe in place and bleed the brakes first

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Oh, you guys are playing with Airstream Gods, fire, brimstone and mechanical disaster. Look at what happened to poor Mark attempting to resurrect one of these sentient beings back to life. or ASTailgate whose brand new restoration and beautifully polished moho went up in flames on his first trip!

You have to just do it slowly without telling anyone, allowing the universal paradigm and Feng shui to balance so that the Gods don't notice the disturbance in the force.

I'm pulling just as hard as anyone for you Brad but I'm going to wait until you have a few miles under your belt and we all get together, and then hoist a few in congratulatory celebration.

Cheers
Tony

Tony, I do believe you're one of the more supersticous members of the forum

However, I hate to say this but I tend to agree with you

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by martin300662

I agree Mike.....come Memorial Day we need a Skype link and a beer in hand to celebrate!!!!!!!

As Tony suggested, that's a sure path to failure

Besides, I don't have the bandwidth to handle a Skype connection.....

[mayco]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Oh, you guys are playing with Airstream Gods, fire, brimstone and mechanical disaster. Look at what happened to poor Mark attempting to resurrect one of these sentient beings back to life. or ASTailgate whose brand new restoration and beautifully polished moho went up in flames on his first trip!

You have to just do it slowly without telling anyone, allowing the universal paradigm and Feng shui to balance so that the Gods don't notice the disturbance in the force.

I'm pulling just as hard as anyone for you Brad but I'm going to wait until you have a few miles under your belt and we all get together, and then hoist a few in congratulatory celebration.

Cheers
Tony

HUGE brain fart! Dog gone it, sorry Brad, I take it back...I take it back...please o please o please....I TAKE IT ALL BAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaacccccckkkk!

[mayco]

too late

[bkahler]

Now all I have to do is figure out a way to prove you all wrong