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Erik Olson · 09-28-2011, 08:17 PM

Backgrounder on OHANA 74 here...

reinergirl · 09-28-2011, 08:29 PM

Is it just me ....cause I'm not seeing any links?

Erik Olson · 09-28-2011, 08:34 PM

Hi, Shelly! Just getting a hold of the top spots with a few placeholder posts. That way, as I update the thread, you can always just look at the top for the best stuff! Thanks for dropping in.

Aage · 09-28-2011, 10:22 PM

Interesting. How do you plan on editing them?

Erik Olson · 09-29-2011, 07:28 AM

Yeah, just noticed this forum doesn't support that. Too bad. Being a moderator myself, I know it can be done in this platform. Makes for a thinner forum and better housekeeping, generally speaking. Editing also allows members to self-regulate on those occassions when they catch themselves stepping over the line. Self-modulation diminishes the need for mods to police every little thing. IMO, anyway.

Distantdrummer · 09-29-2011, 10:30 AM

Welcome Eric,
Yep best laid plans around here often go astray.

Hope you will still keep us photo'd up with all your fixes and improvements.
Some folks use a separate blog or web page set-up for their "journals" and only use this forum to point to it and to back & forth as an adjunct.
I suppose the private web page thing (hopefully in the Airstream Web Ring) is the more serious way and hopefully more stable as for longevity, (never know when this place will implode or just disappear).
Since it is privately owned, it's fate can change with the whim of that owner at any time for many reasons.
As cluttered as it has become with the innane and redundant, it is still an amazing and by far the most significant depository of info available re: Airstream trailers.
Whichever format you choose to document your efforts, I look forward to following.
You sound like you have the savvy to do it up right.

'70s era ('69 thru '80) is my interest and I try to mark and peruse regularly anything I find regarding that era.

Erik Olson · 09-29-2011, 12:04 PM

Thanks all for the guidance for the Airstream and the forum in general! I was at Lowes today to secure the 70s era Moen mixing cartridge. The Moen brand replacement (which I skipped for an aftermarket Danco brand Model 80993 M0-1 at 1/3 less the price) is the 1200 One Handle Replacement Cartridge Brass

Erik Olson · 10-03-2011, 09:02 AM

Gauchos... let's discuss them.

No! Not that kind. The kind I have over the hitch in the Ambassador. When extended, it somewhat resembles a double bed - a smallish double bed with shelving encroaching over two sides. One that my wife and I can scarcely fit on.

When extended, the seat, seat back and small bolster become the mattress, but we're wanting for another foot or so. We sleep across the width of the trailer, heads closest to the door. It seems that there is plenty of room to extend further into the cabin without interfering with the door and safe entry and exit - perhaps 18" or two feet.

Has anyone extended their gaucho to make for a more comfortable night's sleep?

Erik Olson · 04-02-2012, 07:03 AM

Spring started in December this year, and there has been much work happening on the Ambassador. Lots of detail work to make her more road-worthy and a little better to look at.

New tires - went with Discount Tire installed Carlisle radials where there were circa 1996 Monarch bias plys. The boys at DT must've fitted one of the original Blue Compass wheel covers badly, because we lost one the day after the installation somewhere between Charlotte and Hunting Island. Ah well, I needed to buy a couple spares anyway, right? Two more on their way from a forum member. If anyone spots the missing one, I'd pay to get it back!
Removed brown accordion door between galley and mid-twins. If anyone wants this original bit of 70's decor, please let me know.
Repaired porch light with fresh ground wire.
New stop / turn and back-up lenses fitted.
New rub-rail being installed.
Beltline rail being installed.
Major overhaul of Carefree awning underway. The fabric was new as of a few years ago, but the floor level and stabilizer brackets were loose and misaligned. All new 5/16" stainless lags, nylon spacers, rubber washers where the rusted, smaller lags once were. Re-seated roof channel piping and new stops at either end to keep it from sliding too far in one direction or another.
Paint is going into the red, white and blue International placards, Ambassador placards and beltline end caps. Used Rustoleum Sail Blue for the blue. Would love to know how I can leave the raised AIRSTREAM letters from the front and rear on, yet get them painted... hmm, think, think!
Riveted in smoke and monoxide detectors between galley overhead light and mid-twin area. Actually, the monoxide one is wall mounted at the top of the divider over the fridge cabinets. Needed a little piece of mind, and those will go some way toward that.
After stepping over wet towels the kids left laying around all last week, decided to rivet in a few chrome single hooks throughout the mid-twin area and in the bathroom. Love rivets, love them!
New yankee style light cover on its way from Out-of-Doors. Plan to treat this with some UV stable laquer... ideas for what is best to keep the rust from coming?
Sweated copper pipe that had become separated during our trip last week. Only took three attempts to get it to stop leaking. At the end of the day, I realized I really am not built for plumbing. I do have a nice MAP torch now - among other various and sundry copper mending supplies.

Onward and upward. I will rest when I get to St. Augustine.

Aage · 04-02-2012, 11:44 AM

Hey, Erik! Glad to see you are moving ahead with your Ambassador!

But how about some photos for us? "Before" and "During", or whatever you have?

ps: did your porch light (the one over the door, right?) already have a ground? Most of the lights in my '74 use the metal body for ground.

Or are you referring to the "scare light", the one ahead of the door, a large round one?

Erik Olson · 04-02-2012, 01:15 PM

Thanks! I have photos (and some incriminating video) of the work and will have to upload them. Also tackled the first bit of metal window and door screen last night with black fiberglass material. Looks much, much better than the old whitened metal!

You're right - it is the scare light and not the overhead porch that was updated. The porch light will be getting a good bead of aluminum Parabond around it, but otherwise is functioning nicely. I'm thinking of going to an LED for the scare light as the BA9 bulbs get really hot and likely melted the previous lens.

Eagle & Bear · 07-20-2012, 08:09 PM

Hi Erik,

We have a 1976 29' Ambassador w/ rear bath and have worked through or are working through many of the issues you have posted above. There is a lot of information on airforums.com - it just takes a lot of time to locate stuff. Keep us posted.

Michael

Erik Olson · 04-16-2013, 07:53 PM

Thanks again! I've started a new thread on getting our white tank system up and running again.

Erik Olson · 04-26-2013, 01:09 PM

Added pictures of custom Hollaender / SpeedRail bunks in Mid-Twin 74 Ambassador.

ehodg66 · 04-26-2013, 02:35 PM

Hey ERik

I saw your pics of the bunk. Could you tell me the exact model of the IKEA mattress you installed?

thanks ERic

Erik Olson · 04-26-2013, 03:03 PM

Eric,

SULTAN FLORVÅG Foam mattress - Twin - IKEA is the Sultan Florvag.

e

Erik Olson · 02-16-2014, 10:06 AM

My original two-way (110V/LP) Dometic RM-77 packed it in at the end of last season - mmm... ammonia! - and I'm going to try and install the new unit myself.

My current unit is an RM-77, left-hinged set-up, tucked very neatly into the original 1974 Ambassador mid-twin model (single pantry layout) cabinetry.

Dometic recommends: RM2820 (and others).

http://www.dometic.com/c17faeab-a5a2...17a7cff0.fodoc

Has anyone upfitted their refrigerator in this model? If so, any landmine warnings I should know about? Thanks!

duckdave · 04-17-2014, 07:38 PM

Eric,
I am facing the same job, replacing my original RM100 with the RM2820. Wondering if you had to do many mods for the cabinetry? Did you have to build out, or cut back? I looks like I could go either way, but not sure which is best.
-dave

Erik Olson · 04-18-2014, 07:05 AM

Duckdave,

I'd have to see a photo of your cabinets to be certain, but in our case, there was no modification necessary. I do have the service manual for 1974 models, which was incredibly helpful, especially for the uninstallation procedure on the RM77.

The RM2820 is much lighter than the RM77 unit, which is fantastic.

From a dimension standpoint, the RM2820 cabinet is very close in height to the RM77, however, there is a 2"H x 24"W electronic control panel bolted proud to the top of the refrigerator. You'll end up completely removing the living room bulkhead (not a big deal, just a few wood screws hold it in place) and then the long top shelf over the fridge will be loose. We went the extra step to completely remove the top shelf, so gain access to all sides of the refrigerator and to clean the wall panels that you otherwise cannot get to.

The RM2820 fits perfectly into the original factory space. The RM77 was held into place with many more screws than you'll find required for the new unit. Two toe-kick screws go into the floor at a very shallow angle from the front, two 5/16" x 1.5" stainless lag bolts into the floor from the back of the unit (through the service port).

The electronic panel, in our installation, nested inside the quarter-round coping/reinforcement extrusion that runs the full length of that top shelf. It will capture the electronic panel to within 1/16" - 1/8" of the buttons.

From a wiring standpoint, we took 12V (for sparking the gas operation) from the closest living room cigarette lighter, which was idle in our unit. You may have 12V already at the fridge, but we couldn't find it.

The one mystery of the installation, which I will eventually resolve, is the seemingly unused blue wire that is on the RM2820. It is dangling near the 12V +/- terminal block and I'm not sure of its purpose. If anyone has an idea what it does, let me know! Otherwise, I'll call Dometic to see if they have an answer.

Aage · 04-18-2014, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erik Olson

From a wiring standpoint, we took 12V (for sparking the gas operation) from the closest living room cigarette lighter, which was idle in our unit. You may have 12V already at the fridge, but we couldn't find it.

One of those 12V sockets has the antenna amplifier inside it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erik Olson

The one mystery of the installation, which I will eventually resolve, is the seemingly unused blue wire that is on the RM2820. It is dangling near the 12V +/- terminal block and I'm not sure of its purpose. If anyone has an idea what it does, let me know! Otherwise, I'll call Dometic to see if they have an answer.

Another place where a blue wire is used is in the umbilical from your TV. Could the refer's blue wire be for connection to that wire so that you can have 12V to operate the refer while travelling?

It should be fairly obvious, since there aren't too many wires at the back of the unit, are there?