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03-23-2014, 03:49 PM
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#1
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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1978 23' Frame....How bad is it?
I recently purchased a 78 23 foot Safari International Airstream with the intentions of restoring the interior (the exterior is almost perfect). However, when I decided to remove part of the sub-floor I discovered this....
I need some input for some seasoned Airstream vets.
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03-23-2014, 03:51 PM
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#2
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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hrmmm
my pictures seem to be refusing to post.
by George I think I got it!
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03-23-2014, 04:18 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1981 31' Excella II
New Market
, Alabama
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 6,145
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Well from what I see it don't look good. I would pull the corner, side, and bottom skins to get a better look at what you are dealing with. My gut feeling is that you are looking at a shell off to do it right. Part or all of the frame may need to be replaced.
Perry
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03-23-2014, 04:53 PM
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#4
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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I was afraid you might say that. Unfortunately I do not have the space or time to do a proper shell-off restore. Looks like I might have to sell her off to somebody that has the means to get her back on the road again.
Chris
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03-23-2014, 05:04 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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Maybe I am not seeing the pictures right on my phone, but I don't see anything bad. I see surface rust with maybe a little crusting in the seams.
Am I missing some holes, rust through and /or heavy pitting in those pictures?
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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03-23-2014, 05:07 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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Picture one and two look fine to me, and picture three looks pretty good but would require a closer examination to be sure.
My knee jerk response is that it is a little ugly but sound.
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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03-23-2014, 05:08 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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1978 23' Frame....How bad is it?
Ok, I see the bottom of the frame on zoom , yea it is rusted out.
Is that back where the dookie tank was ?
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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03-23-2014, 05:50 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
1973 27' Overlander
Portsmouth
, Virginia
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 776
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You really need to pull off all the lower wraps and the belly pan to see what you've got. On the bright side, I don't think you need a shell off to fix it but I would take it to some place that does that type of welding. They may need to cut out the rusted sections and patch in some new steel to fix it, but I doubt that would break the bank. The thing with these trailers is they can look pretty on the outside and harbor some nasty surprises where the sun doesn't shine. I've been doing just this kind of work on my '73 Overlander and while mine wasn't that bad, I don't see where any frame repair would have to have the shell off. On my rig, I worked the back half last year and am working the forward half this year.
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03-23-2014, 06:29 PM
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#9
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Morgan
Ok, I see the bottom of the frame on zoom , yea it is rusted out.
Is that back where the dookie tank was ?
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That is on the left side of the door. Here is some clearer pics i just took.
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03-23-2014, 06:41 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
1981 31' Excella II
New Market
, Alabama
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 6,145
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Where on the trailer is this? can you take a photo from inside so we have a frame of reference?
From the looks of it would would have to cut the bottom half of the channels off and weld in a new piece that had the exact same contour as the piece you cut out. You would be better off selling it to someone who can fix it right than trying to patch it. You start welding to that egg shell of a frame you don't know what will happen. If it were a few isolated holes I would say ok. But the whole bottom of the frame is gone on both sides of the beam. There is not much to weld to .
Perry
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03-23-2014, 06:43 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
1977 31' Sovereign
Black Diamond
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 61
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It looks fine to be. Just use a wire brush to clean off the rust, then paint some rust cap on top. You should be fine.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Airstream Forums mobile app
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03-23-2014, 07:04 PM
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#12
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by perryg114
Where on the trailer is this? can you take a photo from inside so we have a frame of reference?
From the looks of it would would have to cut the bottom half of the channels off and weld in a new piece that had the exact same contour as the piece you cut out. You would be better off selling it to someone who can fix it right than trying to patch it. You start welding to that egg shell of a frame you don't know what will happen. If it were a few isolated holes I would say ok. But the whole bottom of the frame is gone on both sides of the beam. There is not much to weld to .
Perry
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here's the interior shots.
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03-23-2014, 07:34 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1973 27' Overlander
Portsmouth
, Virginia
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 776
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mariusg78
It looks fine to be. Just use a wire brush to clean off the rust, then paint some rust cap on top. You should be fine.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Airstream Forums mobile app
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Hopefully this guy is joking, but after seeing the amount of rust and whats left, I'm starting to agree with Perry, it may be more serious than it initially seemed. To me the question is, how much else of the frame is damaged. Find a local shop that does welding and or trailer repairs and see what they think.
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03-23-2014, 07:46 PM
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#14
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Rivet Master
1976 27' Overlander
Tampa
, Florida
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 796
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aquinob
Hopefully this guy is joking, but after seeing the amount of rust and whats left, I'm starting to agree with Perry, it may be more serious than it initially seemed. To me the question is, how much else of the frame is damaged. Find a local shop that does welding and or trailer repairs and see what they think.
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+1 on this view point. That aint good. BUT if that's the only place, and is accessible, then should be a fairly easy fix. That said, I'd put my wager that its not the only place....
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03-23-2014, 07:55 PM
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#15
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1 Rivet Member
1978 23' Safari
Redmond
, Oregon
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mixter
+1 on this view point. That aint good. BUT if that's the only place, and is accessible, then should be a fairly easy fix. That said, I'd put my wager that its not the only place....
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I have a strong feeling that there is more that is just as bad. I haven't even checked under the bathroom which is notorious for having issues. I'm going to just cut my losses and sell her off as a project (aka fixer upper) trailer.
Thank you all for your input....except for that one guy and his wire brush idea.
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03-23-2014, 08:05 PM
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#16
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Rivet Master
1981 31' Excella II
New Market
, Alabama
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 6,145
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The back end is usually the worst and your pics are from the front?
Perry
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03-23-2014, 08:50 PM
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#17
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2 Rivet Member
1977 31' Sovereign
Black Diamond
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 61
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Yes I was joking. Didn't you know a wire brush fixes all
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Airstream Forums mobile app
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03-24-2014, 02:15 AM
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#18
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1957 30' Sovereign of the Road
1959 28' Ambassador
1949 24' Limited
Peru
, New York
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 745
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
That is on the left side of the door. Here is some clearer pics i just took.
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The bottom of your main rail is rusted away & the "boxing" plate is cracked at one of the holes. This repair work could be done with the body on, however based on what I see, & my experience with the typical frame problems of this era, you're likely to have more issues. Take the complete bellypan off & assess the whole frame before coming to a conclusion.
Colin
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