Airstream 310 Renovation Part 2 - Bringing back the dead!

[Isuzusweet]

I'd suggest you PM Mayco as he just went through having an alternator rebuilt....at least for part numbers.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[mayco]

Most of us have had good luck with Hamilton Engines out of Portland OR. http://www.hamiltonengine.com

[mayco]

And yes, I just had one rebuilt. Lucky enough to have a new spare on hand that I bought a couple years ago. It was a take-off from another vehicle. The stock alternator is 85amp.

[Keyair]

What does "Bamaforlife" Mean?

[rmkrum]

If he’s in Alabama, you can bet his fave college football team is Alabama, home of the “Crimson Tide”, and anyone that beats Auburn (Tigers).

(Son and daughter-in-law graduated from Auburn Veterinary School, and I don’t follow football, so don’t give me “Roll Tide” noises, please!). Locals thought I was either totally a heretic or a Da$$ed Yankee that just didn’t know better.

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by Bamaforlife

Thank you for the clarification - i have been stating the engine incorrectly for a while now. The engine i purchased came out of an Airstream 310 in Wyoming - interesting story that i will share when i have all the details. The replacement is a 6BD1-A with a Turbo kit

Good Catch - Airstream owners are the best!

Simply because you mention Jerry and Nelson of Rocky Mountain Medium Truck Parts, I assume the engine came from the 310 that they parted out on eBay. Many of the folks on here got parts (my complete set of spare pano windows came from the same unit). If you search the forum you will find a trail of parts many folks bought.

[Bamaforlife]

you are correct, the new engine came from that vehicle, it runs great, i drove it last week in Memphis before we discovered the issue with the alternators. hopefully we have a solution from the folks in Washington state

[Bamaforlife]

Bamaforlife - grew up in Tuscaloosa, I am an Alabama fan, my in-laws are huge Auburn fans and i work with many Auburn grads who are good folks. The rivalry is toxic, but i can tell you my experience with the giving from the Auburn community after the tornado's in 2011 was amazing, water, tarps and supplies were provided and we were so grateful. Currently building in Fosters, Alabama and my daughter lives in Tuscaloosa we and had our first grandchild 3 days ago - having lived in NC for the past 30 years, it is great being back in Alabama!

[rmkrum]

The Rivalry may be toxic during the season, but the folks on both sides are still "just folks", and know when rivalry must be put aside. I'm not surprised at the response in a post-tornado situation. Been there, done that, as Huntsville is at the tail end of Tornado Alley. Learned a lot about emergency communications via Ham Radio as well...

Lived in Huntsville for 14+ years, and was always gratified by the politeness and support, even though I often heard, "Y'all ain't from around here, are yuh?" in a very friendly way. Raised three boys, all Eagle Scouts, two of them made Eagle in Alabama. Still have a lot of friends there.

Believe me, Southerner politeness and manners are much better than what I run into out here in California...

Still have family there that we visit in the Huntsville area--with full hookups in their driveway (grin).

[bwoodtx]

Originally Posted by Bamaforlife

Thanks for the inquiries about the engine on the 310 -here are the specifics

The engine is original - an Isuzu 6 BD1T In-line 6 Turbo Diesel from 1982
i bought the vehicle in 2012 with 79,200 miles on the engine, my mechanic has disputed the mileage but i have no indication of any tampering before i owned it.

During the 2013 renovation a number of issues were identified with the engine and repaired including

- New Dynamic Stabilizer on the front of the engine
- New Alternator
- New Water Pump
- New Radiator and hoses
- Repair to the right bottom engine mount and part of the block that with a small crack in the metal
- Re-coated the inside of the fuel tank and new fuel lines were installed

The engine when it seized had 87,450 miles and the primary cause was deterioration of the crankshaft and scarring on the bearing caps that led to the engine seizing. When we dropped the oil pan we found metal shavings indicating a number of possible problems. I plan on pulling the old engine and sending it off to be repaired as 6BD1T engines seem in demand in the US. I have attached pictures of the oil pan and the bearings so you can see the scarring. When i met with Clarke Power Equipment, they showed me the deterioration on the Crankshaft and the bearings. Let me give a shout out to Clarke Power Equipment in Memphis who allowed me to store the vehicle on their gravel yard the past 2 years, my hope was they could take on the project and benefit from their involvement, the current Manager is Michael Notgrass - solid guy who cared enough about the vehicle to steer me to another shop that had experience and mechanics that could spend the time necessary and wanted the challenge associated with a vintage vehicle. Clarke Power is in good hands!

I will post more information as we proceed - thanks for the interest

Scott B

Could we have prevented the problems with the engine - not sure, we were careful to change the oil filter and fluids on schedule and we tried to only use Diesel from known fuel stations, but i am not sure we always did especially in rural parts of the south. Not being the original owner i don't know the extremes and the history of the vehicle and the original engine. We repaired everything we could on the outside of the engine but not the internal workings which did us in.

Looks like oil pump failure.....

[Bamaforlife]

Love the comments, Alabama is no other place in the country - amazing people, landscape and lifestyle!

[Isuzusweet]

So, you guys still have a thing for Neil Young.....or has that been patched up?

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[stream3]

Hi Scott,
My wife and I are doing a total renovation on our '88 345LE. We like Meredith's design esthetic. Very cool. Wondering where you got the swivel chairs with the wood base. Those are really nice! Are they bolted down on the legs? Looking forward to seeing your next upgrade. Our Rosie has been in the shop since January, and I would estimate at least another 7-8 months to go.
Thanks!
Jerry

[Bamaforlife]

Stream 3 - apologize for the late response to your post - thanks for the comments regarding Meredith's interior design, she use Annie sloan Chalk Paint for the cabinets and interior walls, we used local upholstery companies for the bedding, couch and pillows and she purchased the fabrics from a local overstock store. The look she was trying to achieve was French Country, she is also a furniture collector and buys antiques from many sources. The swivel chairs were the originals from the 310, they do bolt into the floor but we modified with rubber pads on the feet so they would not slide while driving - plan on re-covering with new leather this year.

[Bamaforlife]

Quick Update on the 310, just completed the alternator repairs and picked up the vehicle on Wednesday in Memphis. Shout-Out to Summit Truck in Memphis for changing out the engine for me and finding a source to rebuild the alternator. Dave Lund and his team did a great job getting her back to life. Also thanks to Servicemaster of Memphis for deep cleaning the exterior and difficult parts of the interior after sitting for 4 years, they are good people and did a thorough job.
Just completed the first trip from Memphis to Decatur, Alabama and she drove well, still have an issue with a stretched accelerator cable so she maxed out at 60 Mph. Overall i was pleased with the repair and after hooking up to shore power and water identified many things that need repair. The hard part starts now as we bring her back to previous glory. I will post pics from the 2nd trial run this weekend

[Bamaforlife]

Here are pics from Servicemaster in Memphis - Thanks again for all the help

[Bamaforlife]

Favorite New Pic

[stream3]

Thanks BFL - appreciate it. We are nearing completion of the interior (14 months and counting...), and will be sharing the entire project at some point after Rosie is back. Good luck with your continuing modifications.