Well, seeing how this is my first airstream, I thought I'd share my experiences with the people who can help me out if i need any, and I'm sure I will sooner than later. I will share my pics as well, because we all know how we love them pics! Ok, well I can tell you from the start she is a 25 footer, twin bed model, I have no idea what was in front, a couch, or as I think the airstream community calles them a goucho? or was it a dinette? I just dont know, there was nothing there when i got it. Towed it home from New Hampture to Connecticut and was sure footed on the road, no death wobbles or shaking or anything like that. I iknow that the floor needs to be replaced in ereas, but most likely in sections all the way back to the rear bath. I have read that body off is the way to go, but I dont think I'm going that route, more likely I will be doing it in sections, probibly 2 sheets at a time, or maybe even one at a time. looks like the first 2 sheets starting from the front are 2 footers, than it looks like 4 footers after that. I removed the street side sink, cabinetry, water heater, and furnace, to reveal what I thought would be there , a big hole, lol! This is my question for the day, if I were to remove the bellypan from under the AS, would there be plywood on the underside of the complete structure as well as the floor you walk on in the trailer? does that make any sense? As you see in my pics i will post there seems to be plywood under the furnace hole, rotted out of course. Does anybody have pictures of the underside of thier AS with the bellypan off? Or is the plywood on the underneith just on the outriger ends and center is no plywood?
The Airstream company website has some information which will be useful to you, such a diagrams showing the original layout (yes, your would have had a goucho, with fold away dining table at the front):
When you remove the belly pan, you will expose what's left of the fibreglass insulation and the frame. The plywood subfloor is attached to the top of the steel frame. Best of luck!
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Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
Wow.. That looks like the "extended effort" package of Airstream kit... You may wish to search out and contact Ingrid in Calif ( "Pink Flamingoes" ) or "Big Ed" as they are each restoring similar Tradewinds from equally rough "kits".. SHOuld be one layer of plywood on top of frame mostly, and replacing in sections OK unless you actually have to repair frame outriggers, replace tanks, etc, in which case access section by section is more challenging..
There are some other threads of majore restorations, like "Full Monty" and Uwe Salwander's thread of his '63 restoration.. (search under "63 for me").
Good luck!
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Condoluminum
In Theory, there's no difference between Theory and Practice, but in Practice, there is usually a difference...
I'm working on a 73 Overlander, replacing the last 4 feet of flooring in the bath. Looks like you have quite a bit more floor damage from what I can see in the photos. You can see my progress here http://www.airforums.com/forums/f46/...up-100164.html and by clicking on the blog link below. This should answer your questions on how everything is put together.
it might be a project, but for what I paid for it there is lots of wiggle room. I'm no stranger to projects, I have tackeled a many in my 38 years. The tow vehicle is another project that is in motion also, a 1957 ponyiac chieftain 4 dr hardtop. I dont plan on having it finished in a few months, more like a 2 year project. goals are to redo the floor, repair, clean and paint any framework, take down bellypans and put foam insulation up, that is phase 1. Phase 2 consist of stripping walls and interior insulation, find all leaks and repair, rewiring, and phase 3 is the interior, and 4 is the exterior. Has anybody thought about brushing interior rivets with seamsealer and spraying complete interior with lizzard skin to make it waterproof ? I used lizzard skin on my 50 chevy floor and interior roof under the headliner, worked great and deadens noise. any thoughts on that?
just putting it out there if anybody needs stove parts let me know, the top burner assembly seems to be ok, knobs are there, and three of the four cast iron pan holders are there. I might put those on ebay , giving first dibs here. Kitchen sink is up for grabs, as is the faucet and the cabinetry, it was disassembled one screw and rivit at a time. maybe someone just needs a piece?
ok, I cut out a 2" x 2" piece of unrotted dry plywood from floor of AS. it measures 25/32" exactly. called local reputable lumberyard near me, Lyon And Billards to be exact. they said that nobody makes 25/32" plywood, biggest is 3/4", which measures 23/32". looks like I will be buying 3/4 plywood, covering it with epoxy paint, and use either aluminum or plastic strips to make up the difference on the ends under the channel, and on top of plywood. best case is that i loose a hundred pounds of weight to pull.
I bought marine fir plywood it measured a full 3/4" cost about $70. You could also shim under plywood with "tar paper" 15 or 30" felt paper as it is also called
Not exactly it refers more to the quality of the plys. Less voids. It will marginally be stronger. I believe the glue is the same which is an exterior glue. I am going to epoxy my edges that are to the outside of the trailer. Under the galley and some of the bath I will epoxy.
Home Depot is clueless as usual, trying to tell me that green pressure treated was marine plywood? HELLO! Probibly going to mom and pop hardware, because when I asked them a question they actually has an answer.They told me 3/4 AC was a better grade exterior plywood, which is what i'm going to use along with epoxy paint. I will find a tractor supply store and find the floor screws, by ThursdayIi will have my first piece in, I hope!
found the screws on mcmaster-carr for the floor, if you have never used McMaster-Carr, I highly recommend them, they have everything! Made the template for the front out of foam board, will transfer onto plywood tomorrow. Now i just need to find sufficent paint for the plywood.
I think McMaster-Carr probably have one of the finest, most useful web sites ever. It's pretty impressive.
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Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
I've never ordered anything from them. I just like visiting their web site and exploring. It's better organized than many hardware stores I've been to. What I really love though, is that when I'm doing Architectural details and don't know the size of a fastener, or some other thing, I can go to their site and find it easily.
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Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
This is what i have accomplished this morning, made my template last night, transrered it to plywood, rough cut with circular saw, and fine tune with sawsall/ jigsaw. I am trying to look back in forum for types of epoxy paint? I thought about using leftover rustolium garage floor epoxy paint? don't know if it will stick on wood? Sherwin Williams tried to sell me a $450.00 marine epoxy paint, that was only 2 gallons . Part A was $225.00 and part B was another $225.00. I asked the girl if it came with 2 painters to paint it on, she just gave me this blank stare. I'm sure it was an excellent product, but I told her I'm on a budget. if anybody has an epoxy paint that they used, and it worked, let me know!
Painted the plywood with ppg epoxy paint. Self priming, equal parts A and B, with 10% thinner for first coat. Second coat is just equal parts A and B , with no thinner. Cost me $148.00, with gallon thinner. Works very nice
I think that's a small price to pay to help prevent water from doing a number on the new wood subfloor.
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Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
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