1984 Airstream 345 owner (Newbie) need advice!

[Keyair]

Its been vacation time...
But I am back and despite having a bunch of stuff to do about the house, I fixed some stuff... and found more to do!
Pass side rear compartment gas spring was dead, so I took it off and got one that matched off ebay for $22 shipped... It fitted great.. But one the door stayed up I had a chance to look at that whole compartment..
Under the good carpet, all the plywood lining is a mess, and delaminating. I tore most of it out, and will have to treat the surface rust on the floor and walls before I remake/refit it.
I moved on the the vent fan replacement, but due to the fact that the new fan is a fan style rather than a Mousewheel style I will have to mod the brackets to make it sit IN the tube, and thus, work better.. I will post pics later.

[Keyair]

Busy Busy...
So much to do... and moving house is getting in the way!
Mounted the airspring in the rear compartment... while I was up under there I see that there is an compressed air fitting up high at the rear of the compartment!
Is that stock?

I mounted the shower fan, and it works great.
Been busy with the whole engine smog thing too,
Been searching for areplacement fresh water tank, and I think the best I can do is to mount 2 x 40 gal tanks under the queen in an L shape.. fill into one and connect the lower pipes or maybe put a T pipe in the fill tube.
Is the stock tank an L shape cos there is not room under my bed for the huge 80 gallon tank in a straight line...

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by Keyair

Busy Busy...
So much to do... and moving house is getting in the way!
Mounted the airspring in the rear compartment... while I was up under there I see that there is an compressed air fitting up high at the rear of the compartment!
Is that stock?

If you're talking about an airline quick disconnect fitting for attaching an air hose, yes I believe that is stock. Our 84 310 has one just as you've described.

Been searching for areplacement fresh water tank, and I think the best I can do is to mount 2 x 40 gal tanks under the queen in an L shape.. fill into one and connect the lower pipes or maybe put a T pipe in the fill tube.
Is the stock tank an L shape cos there is not room under my bed for the huge 80 gallon tank in a straight line...

PM being sent to you about your water tank.

Brad

[ScrapIrony-2]

We had the 10K hitch installed by Spillar Custom Hitches in Austin...great job, and probably more weight than the 454 can handle in mountains, but the comfort factor of potential capability is...well...comforting...one of those 'if I ever win the lottery and can convert to diesel' kinda thoughts...having lost a toad to a failing brake system, I'm a little more aware of what could have happened, had the tow-brace system also failed...we have the Roadmaster tow system...Falcon-2 towbar...m

[Keyair]

Its been a busy 2 months...
Moved house, had a numerous car issues... had to pull out 2 engines on my boys cars and rebuild a transmission... and my Daughter was visiting from the UK...
This week it will start again!
I am gonna forge ahead with the smog issue, find the parts and get that done, then pull out the genset to fix the oil leak.

I had one question about my floorplan...
Has anyone seen mine before?
Most of the 345's I have seen have a dinnette opposite the kitchen and 2 easychairs fwd of the door on the passenger side... Mine has the dinnette there and opposite the kitchen I have a large closet..

[Keyair]

Well, the moving home saga is a killer, but I have been getting some stuff done.... and finding more to do!!!
Here is my update!
Shower project:
I put the repaired shower unit pipework back in, and was not happy with the fit... so i pulled it out and resoldered it slightly different... fits better now but still cannot get both of the screws in on the adjuster cover...
Also, I hate the way the shower unit comes thru so low... I put a new shower head with a hand spray on.... So I need to drill a hole for the head mounting. So, now I am thinking I might pull it all apart and drill a hole at head height and pipe the water thru it! I will look at it another day...
In a earlier post I said that the fan units in the toilet and shower were dead... I found a pair of motors/fans on Ebay, and finally got to doing the fittings, and I pretty much have it all working now... will post more details later.

We had a week of really heavy rain here in SoCal, so it was a good time to look for leaks/damp spots... I found one in the drivers side back corner under the bed... the wood is soggy... I am not sure if the leak is in the structure or the pipework from the water tank/pump... further investigation needed before I fix it!
I also found that the floor in the pass side wardrobe where the safe is is still wet, and the safe was/is full of water.. I knew that the shower was leaking, hence the pipe repair, but I would have thought it would be dry by now... so I think something else is going on...
I did have a bunch of photos to post, but on returning from my last work session my GF washed my shorts... and my new Digital camera with it!
$350... flushed!

[ScrapIrony-2]

OUCH!!! well, at least YOU weren't in your shorts with the camera...we bought a showerhead in Quartzsite that is not only economical in the water use aspect, but actually makes you feel like you had a real shower...it was easy to install, and while I still do the gallon jug(solar heated), my wife thinks I did something right!!! The brand name is Siroflex(made in Italy), but the showerhead is stamped made in China...go figure...in any event, it is a good handheld...m

[DKB_SATX]

odds are pretty good that the washing didn't damage the memory card in the camera, so you can probably recover the pictures even though the camera is likely to be wrecked.

[Keyair]

Thanks for the input Scrap, the one I put in seems to work ok, but as it was a left-over from my last house, and so FREE, I will give it a try!
I did all the right things with the camera... put it somewhere warm for about a week, but its dead... I think that as not only did it go thru the wash, but she did say "I wondered what that rythmic noise was in the dryer..."
When she handed it to me, it was so hot I could barely hold it...

Ok, so I am starting to kick on the repair and restoration...

How should I handle the posting of my progress?
A/ Start a fresh thread for each project to make it easy to find/search?
B/ Make a "Keyair's 345 restoration thread"?
C/ Just continue on this one?

[Keyair]

So, my garage/workshop is becoming functional... its been a long haul, so to celebrate I bought some "Bits" home to fix!

Project Spare Wheel Cover:



It had a bunch of issues.
1/ Stress cracks on the lower catch corners.
2/ Upper corner ground right thru, I bet it fell off and got dragged along and just held on by one catch or the center lamp wire..
3/ Center lamp is not working/rusty/ugly.
4/ Bad paint.
5/ Scruffy corroded badges.
6/ Missing reflectors.

So here we go!

With the Cover at home on my bench the issues are clearer.



The upper pass side is ground thru!


The cover is made of Vac formed ABS, so MEK is my friend!
A cotton swab, dipped in MEK and applied to the crack, draws the MEK down into the crack... I wiggled the crack up and down to further soften the ABS and "churn" the plastic, enhancing the bond.


I then tape the joint with a couple of layers to hold it where I want.

[Gypsy Jo]

Are you still needing parts for your smog setup? I am taking an engine out of 88 sob mh with a454 and putting it in my 77 Argosy I don't think I will be using any of the smog stuff .
Jo

[Mike Leary]

Does MEK act as a glue, or am I missing something? I've got cracks (Vulture Hit) on my front turn signal housing. Would MEK work for me?

[Keyair]

To repair the ground thru area you need "ABS slurry".
This is pieces of ABS put in a metal tin with MEK... I keep 2 mixes in my stash... Black and White.
Here is the black.


I had not opened it for maybe a year, so it was a bit lumpy, but adding some MEK and let it sit a bit longer.
Wiped the area down with MEK, taped the rear to support the build-up zone and and smoothed on the first layer.




I let this cure overnight and added a new layer this morning.


It will need to fully harden before I sand it to contour.

[Mike Leary]

So, crunching up abs pipe and mixing with mek gives the slurry? I'd been thinking about using fibreglass cloth and resin, but your idea looks better, there is no stress on my signal housing.

[Keyair]

The Center lamp lens is ok, but the housing is rusty.
I stripped all of the wiring out, and wire brushing it to remove the loose paint, you can see its rough, and there is even a small rust hole in the lower lip.


I have had great success with this product on my other projects.


So I used an old cookie tin to make a bath..
And 12 hours later I have a rust free lamp body!



More to come!

[Keyair]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Does MEK act as a glue, or am I missing something? I've got cracks (Vulture Hit) on my front turn signal housing. Would MEK work for me?

It will act as a glue, but in fact it melts the ABS... so its more "welding" than gluing.
If the part is ABS it will work great.
Make sure its ABS you are melting, and it will work great.
I have not done this, but I also hear that you can use glass fiber cloth with the ABS slurry to reinforce areas, and I am planning to do that behind the lower catch area, cos I think it will crack.

Google the MEK/ABS trick and you will learn much more than I can tell you!

[Keyair]

Thanks for the offer Joe!
PM sent to you.

[Mike Leary]

I'm not sure if this is abs or not, thanks for the help!

[Keyair]

That sucks, but I am gonna be needing that panel too... mine is cracked.
I am planning to pull mine off, take a mould and make a fiberglass replacement... a lot of work, and I respect those here that sell them, but being out of work, cash is limited and I have more time than money!

I am pretty sure they are ABS tho, so if the edges can me made to match, and get close, i think you can fix it.

[Keyair]

Not really connected, but part of the recent lack of progress was this...
My new garage floor!



Just the Rustoleum kit with the clearcoat, but I am pleased with the new dust free finish!

Also, I finally found my MIG Welder...
A Snap-On SL140... Only a 110V unit, but should do pretty much everything I want to do myself or at home.



Also I have the Optional Aluminum Spool Gun to Mig Aluminum and a DC TIG Gun for steel, cast iron etc.