Abby gets some separation H

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Did you use a hole saw to cut around the c channel bolts? What size if I may ask (only 'cause I think I've got to do the same...)
Looking forward to your work again!
Marc

I found a FAST way to work around that task. A circular saw set to a cut depth the same as the wood thickness. Plunge cut a small square around each bolt, probably 10 seconds of work per bolt! Lift off the wood, then the strong bolts can be knocked off with an angle grinder.

Minimum effort for maximum distruction...and the wood is still good for a pattern.

[ND10CentCan]

Originally Posted by Top

Well, after a few hours this morning I managed to get some work done.
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I even had a lucky spider watching me.
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That spider looks deadly serious....puts the ants I found in our window gasket to shame. You just never know what you will find in an old Airstream and keep the Raid and camera handy just in case.
Sandy

[reinergirl]

Originally Posted by ND10CentCan

That spider looks deadly serious....puts the ants I found in our window gasket to shame. You just never know what you will find in an old Airstream and keep the Raid and camera handy just in case.
Sandy

That's actually a very nice wolf spider specimen! I used to keep them as pets when I was a kid. They build really cool trap doors in the ground. Not aggressive.... I'm not fond of spiders in general but wolf spiders are neat!

[Della]

Originally Posted by Top

A full day working on Abby yesterday. I got the bath removed.
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I was happy to see a PO installed an Inteli-Power PD 9160A!
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Some reptile hatched a brood under the toilet flange!
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Hey TOP;
I am about to install my "ONE" sheet of sub-flooring under the rear bath - well no bath there anymore ;-) and I'm wondering about the need to use something between the plywood and the frame??? closed cell foam tape???

Any suggestions or recommendations based on your multi-sub-flooring replacement??

Thanks so much and yes a long, long, process ;-)
Richard & Della
'73 Overlander - 27'

[Lance M]

Hello Richard and Della,
There are a bunch of ways to skin this cat. I'm not sure anything is needed, but if you want to keep the squeaks and creaks to a minimum, I would put something.
Airstream currently uses a Reflectix type bubble foil insulation between the sub-floor and the frame. I have seen this puddle water between the sub-floor and insulation. That isn't good.
You can also paint a thin layer of polyurethane sealant between the sub-floor and frame. Something like 3M 5200, 3M 540, Sonolastic NP-1, Trempro 635
The 3M foam tape might work, however I'd think it may retain water. I don't know for sure.
I believe Wabbiteer used a type of 3M silicone insulation tape.

Good luck

[Lance M]

Today we took a trip to Austin to select and order the Marmoleum sheet flooring. We chose African Desert. It reminds me of a certain desert in East Africa I had the pleasure of flying around in back in 1994. It exactly matches the color of the floor in the rear half of Abby. Hopefully I'll have the sub-floor prepped and ready to install the Marmoleum when it arrives next week.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by Top

Today we took a trip to Austin to select and order the Marmoleum sheet flooring. We chose African Desert. It reminds me of a certain desert in East Africa I had the pleasure of flying around in back in 1994. It exactly matches the color of the floor in the rear half of Abby. Hopefully I'll have the sub-floor prepped and ready to install the Marmoleum when it arrives next week.
Attachment 159121

Very nice... that's just a little darker than the linoleum we put in our kitchen in the house. 5 years on, I wish we'd chosen your color instead!

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Lance, I was going to use sheet type in a project and was told 1/4" luan needed to go down first. I thought the guy was trying to fluff the job. Then the next two guys said the same thing. Are you doing this in Abby?

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

Lance, I was going to use sheet type in a project and was told 1/4" luan needed to go down first. I thought the guy was trying to fluff the job. Then the next two guys said the same thing. Are you doing this in Abby?

Frank,
Yes, this will be installed in Abby. I installed sheet Marmo in a 1966 Safari a few months ago. Before I did, I talked with Paul Mayeux and called Forbo Tech support about how to prep the sub-floor. There is mention of using 1/4" underlayment in the instructions, but that is for very un uniform sub-floor. What Paul does is seal the sub-floor with epoxy, then level with epoxy thickened with micro light fairing filler, let cure, hit the high spots with a belt sander. This gives a uniform porosity throughout so the glue will cure uniformly. It has been working for Paul, so that's how I've been doing it with good results so far.
Here are some pics of the process.
Here is the leveling

Then sealed with epoxy

Sanded smooth

Sheet installed

[perryg114]

I guess the epoxie has the added benefit of sealing the floor where the luan would provide another layer for water to get trapped in. I would think the laun would take a lot less time to do. Both methods achieve the same end result. The laun would add a few more lbs of weight as well. The laun might end up with a smoother appearing floor depending on how OCD you were with the filling and sanding with the epoxie method.

Perry

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

Lance, I was going to use sheet type in a project and was told 1/4" luan needed to go down first. I thought the guy was trying to fluff the job. Then the next two guys said the same thing. Are you doing this in Abby?

Frank & Lance,
I have had sheet Marmoleum installed in many of my clients trailers over the years. The contractor I use has been to "Forbo school" & he suggested that "Ardex" leveling compound be used over the sub floor. This apparently has a slight bit of "give" in it & will allow the floor covering to move slightly when it's going through it's dramatic temperature & humidity shifts normally found in trailers in this part of the country. Although marmoleum is normally "butt" fitted together in home applications (relatively constant temps), they suggested welding the joint together, which is the way they do it in commercial installations. This will also seal the floor joints from water intrusion.
We typically use bondo in all of the subfloor joints & elevator bolt holes, then belt sand it smooth before the Ardex is applied. A variety of adhesives have been used over the years, however due gov't regs, latex adhesive is now used. Several years ago I contracted to have Marmoleum installed in a 2000 19'er that had OSB subfloor. My contractor wouldn't install the product directly over OSB because the latex adhesive, being water based, would cause the OSB to start to break down. We had to install 1/4" plywood over the subfloor (not luan) before they would take on the job.
I have heard of cracking issues on marmoleum jobs in trailers showing up on the sub floor joints, that I believe were caused by either not using Ardex or possibly a more aggresive adhesive. Although this is a wonderful, vintage trailer friendly product (from the asthetic point of view), great care should be taken in it's installation.
Good luck with your installations,
Colin

[marzboy]

Hey Lance heard you on the VAP nice one!

[Lance M]

My Mom and Dad came down to visit for a few days, so I haven't been getting much done on Abby. Yesterday I removed all of the the old pink insulation from under Abby. I hate that stuff.
Today I applied a coat of ESP 155 epoxy from Progressive Epoxy as a sealer/primer to the interior floor. I removed all of the old "weld screws" holding the floor to the frame and drilled new holes and counter bored with a forester bit for new zinc coated elevator bolts. I then brushed and rolled on the epoxy. It is very watery as it is a solvent thinned epoxy. It soaks in very well. When the epoxy was no longer tacky, I installed the new elevator bolts.

I'll sand it down smooth with some 180 and coat it with West System 105/206 epoxy, then fair the gaps and valleys with West epoxy thickened with low density fairing filler to a peanut butter consistency. This is not the cheap or fast way to fair a sub-floor. It is slow and expensive. It is, in my opinion, the best way to prep the sub-floor for sheet flooring. There are many ways to prep a sub-floor for sheet goods. This is the method I use. This is the method that Paul Mayeux, from A&P Vintage Trailer Works turned me on to. He has been using this method for over seven years now and has not had any problems with the Marmoleum cracking, breaking or coming unglued.

[Lance M]

I took the refer wall off yesterday just to get access to more of the sub floor and get it out of the way from having to cut the Marmo around it. No wonder my refer wasn't cooling too well when it got hotter than 80 degrees outside.

Those fins aren't going to get much cooling air across them with all that fuzz covering them up. I'm surprised it was cooling at all, actually.
I did a little cleaning. I bet she'll work much better now.

[Bauxter]

Lance, I have a couple questions:
In an effort to save $$, would a butterfly bit be an acceptable substitute for a forester (I would need to by a forester), I will be using elevator bolts on 3/4 exterior plywood?
Once expoxied, how long would you think I could leave the installed plywood exposed to the elements, if at all? I could tilt the frame for run-off. It will be a month or so before I can get the frame under the shell.

[Lance M]

Hey Baux,
It is actually a forstner bit. I guess my auto correct thinks you can drill with a forester?! They are only about $15-$20. If you don't want to buy one, I can mail you one of mine to use. I'm not sure about using a regular wood bit. I'd think it would bore out the center too much for the 1/4" 20 e-bolts to fit snugly.
If you epoxy the plywood with three coats and use the barrier coat additive and a UV inhibitor, then three coats of polyurethane floor finish, you should be OK with leaving it exposed for a while. I would keep it covered with some heavy plastic sheet.

Originally Posted by Bauxter

Lance, I have a couple questions:
In an effort to save $$, would a butterfly bit be an acceptable substitute for a forester (I would need to by a forester), I will be using elevator bolts on 3/4 exterior plywood?
Once expoxied, how long would you think I could leave the installed plywood exposed to the elements, if at all? I could tilt the frame for run-off. It will be a month or so before I can get the frame under the shell.

[desertair27]

Just listened to you on the Vap, Good job Man!

[Lance M]

Happy Memorial day to everyone. I did my weekend BBQ yesterday, so I spent the day at the shop working on Abby.
I applied the Eastwood rust converter on Saturday so today was 48 hours later. I applied two coats of Eastwood rust encapsulator to the frame. The first coat was black and I brushed it on. I then used silver for the second coat. The second coat was sprayed on. Here are a few pics of the critical area of the front of an Airstream. The front hold down plate, crossmember and U channel.

I cut the corroded flashing off. I taped the edge after I sliced my thumb and bled all over the place. So, like Frank writes about, my blood has been shed on this girl. The rest will all just fall into place.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Lucky spider? Whatcha drinking buddy cause spidey's aren't lucky

I heard you on the VAP (EVERYONE listen to the latest episode!) Awesome, just awesome! I was like OH MY GOODNESS .... IT's TOP.... and my family was like "Top who?" Geesh.... losers


Congrats buddy and best of luck in the business!

Originally Posted by marzboy

Hey Lance heard you on the VAP nice one!

Originally Posted by desertair27

Just listened to you on the Vap, Good job Man!

Thank you for the kind words. I am very happy and honored to have been a guest on the VAP. It was a lot of fun for sure! Hopefully I'll be a guest on a few more shows in the future. I have learned an awful lot from the show. Tim, Colin, Rob and Frank are an awesome bunch of guys that really know a lot about vintage Airstreams. I love to share knowledge, and The VAP is a great resource.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by hondasub

looks like a nice project you have there and your floor is actualy better than mine at teh moment i am looking for someone to glean me they're knowledge. The bolts that hold the frame to the wall sill through the floor have some sort of square head on them and i dont know what they have underneath the frame. Can anyone tell me what tools i will need to get these off i ask partly due to the fact it doesnt feel like a hex head at teh bottom. could be wrong its happened before

Hondasub,
Sorry that I missed replying to your question earlier.
My method for removing the original weld screws is in post #380. I use vise grip pliers on the square nut. Rock it back and forth until it snaps. Good luck with your project!