Floor Replacement ????'s

daveinbama · 07-16-2004, 11:09 AM

Ok Here I Go......this Is My Second Post And Probably My Hardest One.
I Have Recently Purchased A 71 Safari Fully Aware That The Rear Bath Had Floor Rot Under Shower Pan And Toilet. Have Removed And Refurbished Toilet And Cut New Peice Of Plywood To Go On Top Of Black Water Tank. Also Have Removed Shower Pan And Sink/counter Assy. Now On To The Hard Part. What Next? Cant Seem To Figure Out How The Aft Partition That Hold Sliding Door And Battery Compartment/ Closet Are Removed And What To Do After I Remove Them. It May Become More Apperant After I Remove These Items But As Of Date I Cant Quite Picture What Im Up Against. Any And All Help Will Greatly Be Appreciated. Has Anyone Else Undertaken This Project On This Model And If So Do They Have Any Photos Of The Process? I Am Recording My Project With Pics And Will Post At The End But Not Much Has Changed In The Last Week. Help!!!! I'm Stuck!!!! I Also Am In Need Of A Fix For My Plastic Sink That Has Several Cracks In The Bowl Potion Itself. It Has Become Very Brittle Over The Years. Also Have A Small Crack In The Shower Pan That I Hope To Be Able To Patch Maybe From The Underside. Thanks Again For All Responses

59toaster · 07-16-2004, 11:43 AM

Hehehe Now the fun. Hit the www.airstreamphotos.com and there are several floor repairs documented.

Since your problem is at the rear you actually have it easy. Pull up the bath and everything till you get back to good wood. Remove the inner pannels in the same area so you can get to the U-channel bolts. On the outside drill out all the rivets where the cap goes to the main body all the way around. There is goign to be a few hidden rivets that hold the belly pan/bananna wrap to the U-Channel. You can usually shear them off with a sharp putty knife from the inside. Once you can drop the pan rmove al lthe lag bolts of the U-Channel and all the elevator bolts in the floor.

You can put a little weight on the bumper now and cause the frame to drop a couple inches from the body and slide the damaged section out. This is often reffered to as Clam shell repair. once you get the bad peice out if you can keep it reasonably whole you can use it as a templet to cut the new wood. Slide it back in and fasten it all back together.

DO NOT USE PRESURE TREATED LUMBER even though it's tempting. A few of us including me are doing body off floor replacements. We are using epoxy and sealing like you would with a boat to try to prevent future repairs. Thay would be your best bet if you want to try to seal it up.

The Forum Archive has a bunch of good info on this sort of repair but it will take some digging. Get you a cup of Joe and read away.

Welcome to the insanity!

daveinbama · 07-16-2004, 12:01 PM

Thanks For The Info 59. Why Not Use Pressure Treated?

59toaster · 07-16-2004, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveinbama

Thanks For The Info 59. Why Not Use Pressure Treated?

Out gassing formaldahyde into a enclosed space where your breathing.

daveinbama · 07-16-2004, 12:28 PM

Oic Makes Alot Of Sense Now That I Think About It. Regular Exterior Grade Plywood Sealed With Varnish Or Polyurethane Will Do?

Morning Dew · 07-16-2004, 01:04 PM

removing the rear bath is such a pain in the butt. my floor was rotted and i had a leaking pipe which rotted much of the frame in the rear. now i'm sitting back there with a mig welder trying to fix the damage. one thing after another.

nordic nomad · 08-07-2004, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 59toaster

Hehehe Now the fun. Hit the www.airstreamphotos.com and there are several floor repairs documented.

Since your problem is at the rear you actually have it easy. Pull up the bath and everything till you get back to good wood. Remove the inner pannels in the same area so you can get to the U-channel bolts. On the outside drill out all the rivets where the cap goes to the main body all the way around. There is goign to be a few hidden rivets that hold the belly pan/bananna wrap to the U-Channel. You can usually shear them off with a sharp putty knife from the inside. Once you can drop the pan rmove al lthe lag bolts of the U-Channel and all the elevator bolts in the floor.

You can put a little weight on the bumper now and cause the frame to drop a couple inches from the body and slide the damaged section out. This is often reffered to as Clam shell repair. once you get the bad peice out if you can keep it reasonably whole you can use it as a templet to cut the new wood. Slide it back in and fasten it all back together.

DO NOT USE PRESURE TREATED LUMBER even though it's tempting. A few of us including me are doing body off floor replacements. We are using epoxy and sealing like you would with a boat to try to prevent future repairs. Thay would be your best bet if you want to try to seal it up.

The Forum Archive has a bunch of good info on this sort of repair but it will take some digging. Get you a cup of Joe and read away.

Welcome to the insanity! :D

Any suggestions before I try to remove the entire shell from the frame?
Also, I have built many a wooden boat off the coast of Maine and am very familiar with cold-cure epoxies and marine grade ply. With today's chemical technologies, you can make any high grade ply totally impervious to the elements for many many years.... so I will be replacing all the flooring with marine grade ply double coated with epoxy sealer from Formulators of Canada, Inc.
I just need some advise from someone experienced in the procedure of actually seperating the shell fom the frame.
Thanks, Nordic Nomad

malconium · 08-07-2004, 11:07 AM

Nordic Nomad,

There has been quite a bit of discussion in these forums about floor replacement. I suggest that you can get a lot of information from the two following threads:

"Body and banana wrap on floor replacement technique."
"Shell Off vs Shell On Summary"

If your model is similar to mine (1973 31' Sovereign) then you will have to deal with the type of u-channel/c-channel along the sides of the trailer. This type of extrusion makes it virtually impossible to just lift off the body, replace the plywood and set the body back on. I detailed some steps (in the second thread mentioned above I think) about how I left the body sitting on the frame, supported it, took out the plywood and put the new back in. The technique worked fine for me and used a minimum of extra materials for supporting the body.

Please let me know if you have trouble finding the information that I am talking about in the above threads or if you have any other questions that I might be able to help with.

Malcolm

nordic nomad · 08-07-2004, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malconium

Nordic Nomad,

There has been quite a bit of discussion in these forums about floor replacement. I suggest that you can get a lot of information from the two following threads:

"Body and banana wrap on floor replacement technique."
"Shell Off vs Shell On Summary"

If your model is similar to mine (1973 31' Sovereign) then you will have to deal with the type of u-channel/c-channel along the sides of the trailer. This type of extrusion makes it virtually impossible to just lift off the body, replace the plywood and set the body back on. I detailed some steps (in the second thread mentioned above I think) about how I left the body sitting on the frame, supported it, took out the plywood and put the new back in. The technique worked fine for me and used a minimum of extra materials for supporting the body.

Please let me know if you have trouble finding the information that I am talking about in the above threads or if you have any other questions that I might be able to help with.

Malcolm

Just about all of the floor panels need replacing, but I do not want to have to take off the entire shell if I can help it. I'll let you know what I find out from the links you provided me... thanks again...I know that I do not have to re-invent this wheel, it's been done before. I just need to connect to the right resource.
NN