'73 Sov - Can of Worms!

[TxBxSx]

I just so happen to have one of those for a huge inflatable water slide we got my daughters b-day. I might give that a shot once I get the floors back in....

[TxBxSx]

Well I found the leak, it was some fasteners just above the rear street side window that hadnt been sealed on the back side, so water was just coming right through there. Also spotted some others on the roof, most all seams up there have been covered in a black brittle tar of some sort.

Some picture updates.

Wheel wells installed with new floor sections...forgive the dirty walls, its a bit of a work zone in there.





Overall shot of the floors, sealed all around with west system epoxy.



The C-channel around the rear is pretty chewed up due to some steel fasteners as was the Rear hold down plate and the channel on the frame. I cut out and replaced the frame channel along with many other frame mods I did, and am using these 3/16 aluminum washers I made to re fasten the channel back there.





My audiance/work site tornado crew....



New tank mounts and some under side shots with plumbing and insulation.











Today I'm bringing in the lady to help finish insulating the walls that I have pulled while I re-install the water heater.

[TxBxSx]

One question, I noticed that the caulk originally used in the trailer is a good bit different than the tempro 635 I have been using from vintage trailer supply.

Are there any products on the market today that are more similar to the original caulk used? That stuff seems to adhere way better, and is just amazing that the stuff is still pliable 40 years later!

[Wabbiteer]

A butyl rubber self-leveling gutter caulk may be a close match to the original - something that requires solvent air drying to harden versus a moisture catalyst reaction. Since the regulation of Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for 'cleaner air' occurred the exact old formulas are no longer retailed in the consumer channels, they still exist but are OEM bulk or in-house production materials.

[TxBxSx]

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

A butyl rubber self-leveling gutter caulk may be a close match to the original - something that requires solvent air drying to harden versus a moisture catalyst reaction. Since the regulation of Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for 'cleaner air' occurred the exact old formulas are no longer retailed in the consumer channels, they still exist but are OEM bulk or in-house production materials.

What mean you "self-leveling"? haha.

I came across this stuff, any input? I saw on vintage trailer that they carried an aluminum gutter sealant, so I thought this might do the job.

Red Devil Butyl - Gray

Or is there maybe something else you fellas might recommend?

[Alumaholic]

Any modern butyl-rubber caulk will be as good or better (unless the EPA has made them eliminate the most important active ingredient as the FDA did with Preparation-H, but that's a different story). As near as I can tell, it was gray, butyl-rubber caulk then, and it should still work now. Red Devil is as good a brand as any, and hasn't seemed to change since I worked in a glass shop in the '60s.

[TxBxSx]

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

Any modern butyl-rubber caulk will be as good or better (unless the EPA has made them eliminate the most important active ingredient as the FDA did with Preparation-H, but that's a different story). As near as I can tell, it was gray, butyl-rubber caulk then, and it should still work now. Red Devil is as good a brand as any, and hasn't seemed to change since I worked in a glass shop in the '60s.

Thats what I wanted to hear, I'll get a few tubes on order.

[airpatton]

Where did you get your holding tanks from?

[TxBxSx]

Rvsurplus.net. They have a mass of sizes and are priced decent, but they are made to order and take a while to to get and shipping was kinda high. Time will tell how they hold up.

This is my first go around in the trailer building world so I don't really have any base for comparison.

[Wabbiteer]

Self-leveling - hold some film on vertical surfaces, but pools evenly across a horizontal plane. Those trends go out the window once used in a sheet metal overlap sandwich, but the quality of conforming evenly in voids between layers and having 'flow-ability' to not lift a layer/section/area proud above others is closer to what the factory used.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by airpatton

Where did you get your holding tanks from?

Fiberglass holding tanks are available for many of the older Airstreams, that are an exact duplicate of the original.

Andy

[TxBxSx]

Couple quick pics of some parts I built.

U-shaped plate I made to make go around the battery box and create a solid seal around it to the floor with no gaps. The box is going to be for where the shower pan drain's p-trap goes down below the floor level, and the tray is basically a safety for when/if the water heat starts leaking it will drain out off the edge of the floor(the old floor was completely gone around it), but I filled it and fired it up to make sure the water heater was in good working order before going the trouble of installing it again.





Another question. I figured rather than trying to completely fight the water, I'd join it and try and give it a place to go when it does get into certain spots. I thought it would be a good idea to put in some drain holes in the channels around the shell perimeter, and have a part in mind but dont know if such a thing exists. Basically a sleeve with a flange around the top so that I could drill a hole, and drop this guy in so that the water goes down past the plywood and drains out the bottom.

[Alumaholic]

You can use a lavatory drain and tailpiece can't you?

[Alumaholic]

I found some nice options in marine hardware including this bait-well drain:

[TxBxSx]

I was thinking something more along the lines of like a 3/8 or 1/2" hole

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by TxBxSx

I was thinking something more along the lines of like a 3/8 or 1/2" hole

Marine drains come in a variety of sizes. The one in the picture is 3/4 inch. There are smaller diameters in brass.

[TxBxSx]

Alumoholic, looks like my phone is running a bit slower than your computer. I'll deff look into me marine hardware.

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by TxBxSx

Another question. I figured rather than trying to completely fight the water, I'd join it and try and give it a place to go when it does get into certain spots. I thought it would be a good idea to put in some drain holes in the channels around the shell perimeter, and have a part in mind but dont know if such a thing exists. Basically a sleeve with a flange around the top so that I could drill a hole, and drop this guy in so that the water goes down past the plywood and drains out the bottom.

You have the right idea. One can never completely prevent water from getting into hidden spaces, eg, condensation. However, if you take a look at your C channel I think you'll recognize that it's almost self-draining. There are lots of penetrations from the side from rivets in the lower belt trim and the banana wrap. A C channel might be able to retain 1/4" or so, but the lip on your drain device will probably be 1/8" or more. If you put a 3/4" or even 1/2" drain in multiple places, you'll be inviting insects to build their nests.

I try to be satisfied by not doing things that will trap water, insofar as I have the ability to see the problem ahead of time.

Z

[airpatton]

Thanks Andy, but I would like to put the black tank and gray tank under the trailer. My trailer had a Z pattern above. I would like to remanufacture 2 newer one's. I no there are different sites, but I'm wondering is there DIY materials out there?

[airpatton]

TxBxSx--LOVING the work you're doing. I was thinking along the same lines with the tray you manufactured. Heck, if it's good enough for my water heater inside my home, it's good enough for my trailer. Keep up the pics and posts. I've got my own baby in the backyard I'm working on a bit at a time. Great Job!