Millertime's rear bathroom rot '76 Tradewind thread

[J. Morgan]

Judging by the meter on your neighbors house I am saying you don't live on base housing, so I will refrain from ranting about how I remember when a yard neglected that way would not have been tolerated at all,,, ESPECIALLY from a senior officer.

[RM66caravel]

No rv's allowed to be parked at the house on base housing on any base so no he is not on base besides that a LtCol cut his own grass on base!? Not likely.
Cliff


Yes I said that! Or did I?

[J. Morgan]

Yea you are dead right about the lawn service for senior officers quarters.

It seems to me that 25 years ago the only folks that didn't cut their own grass on the base I am familiar with were 07 and above...

Times change!

[millertimeUS]

Day 2 of the surge, finished attaching the floor



Next was attaching the wheel well c channels, the fit was tight on mine so bar of soap rubbed on the edges prior to knocking it in helped a ton



Time to flip her over! We used 2 chain hoists on the back at each side of the rear axle and slowly rotated it over.



On her side and ready for work. Used a pallet to keep the frame edges off the ground and kept some load on the chains for safety. It was much easier to work on the insulation standing upright!



We used Dow blue board 3/4 " and doubled it for 1.5 " of insulation under the floor. Then we attached it with large fender washers and deck screws to the underside of the floor. Tip: use your scraps as the first layer and solid boards for the top layer. Not only looks better but it helps seal in the air gaps in the first layer.

Tomorrow we finish the insulation and move on to tanks, plumbing, brake wiring, and belly skin.

Munch munch munching on that elephant!


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[Swahealy]

Nice going! Looks really great.


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[cwf]

That's some fine work!!!!

[aquinob]

Looks great. One thought. If your water tank goes where mine went, you may not have enough room between it and the insulation. I ended up pulling one layer out and it was a very tight fit with the original 1" plywood panel going back in.

You will also need to cut an access opening for the plumbing and for the tank sensor wires. On mine, the hole was not over that section of the tank, so I connected the wires before I slid the lower plywood panel back in. If you dont want such a large hole, then you can probably run some leads off the tank sensors and then connect them up when the shell goes back on.

[dbj216]

Most excellent! You are munching away. It's a big elephant.

David

[millertimeUS]

Gray and fresh tanks in! The new steel pan fit and looks great! Drilling into that 1/4 inch main rail tube is quite a task though. Highly recommend a corded 1/2 drill and lots of bits

Front belly pan in up to tank just too dark for photos. Need to finish up the belly pan tomorrow then it's time to flip her back over and get that C channel in place!




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[millertimeUS]

Whew these long days in the fl heat are taking a toll, I am beat!



Bellyskin almost complete, my dad here cutting some angle iron.



Coming back down!



Installed all the straight sections of
C channel. Added in a few extra 1/4 in bolts in lieu of all the sheet metal screws that AS originally used. I went with 1/4-20 1.5 in hot dipped bolts with a flat washer on the bolt side and a lock washer on the nut side. Like original, I put the bolt going upwards with the threads and nut in the c channel.



Wheel wells were pretty easy to reinstall. I laid down a nice bed of trempro and then set the wells in place. I used Treks self tapping hex head screws which worked great going through the channel underneath and into the wood.


Gantries are in place on the frame and we start early tomorrow to lift the shell and get her dropped in place. Prayers for a smooth and safe operation tomorrow requested! All the c channel went in and fit really nicely so by all accounts the new frame is a very accurate reproduction




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76 'Airstream Tradewind

[RM66caravel]

Looks great and yes I like the natural look of YOUR yard! Lol shell back on takes a lot of patients so take your time! You have done great so far I am still not sure about the particle board floor! Good luck.
Cliff


Yes I said that! Or did I?

[dbj216]

Millertime it's Millertime. You deserve a break. You have completed a lot so far. Keep us posted on the "wedding" of your new frame and subfloor to the old body. Hopefully it will come together with fewer cuss words than normal.

Then you can practice your buck riveting skills.

David

[millertimeUS]

Frame and shell are reunited



Back in place! It took some patience and a couple of fittings to find the tight spots.



This little sliver of wood made the front skin really tight fit, which in turn pulled everything behind it forward enough that our original rivet holes wouldn't line up. Given the new frame and floor I did not have the original holes in the frame to align the c channels on the frame. Perhaps expecting my rivet holes to line up again is too optimistic. In any case once we got it in position we first secured the rear with 1/4 in galvanized bolts every 4 inches throughout the curved section and rear. Then with the help of a 3 in strap we pulled down the rear sides and riveted one small section behind the wheel well. The buck rivets went in nicely and I was able to use the original rivet holes. I had to move my c channel about 1/16 of an inch to get them to align perfectly.

Still need to get the front secured with bolts then complete the riveting. Seems like each section needs little adjustments. I suspect after I secure a few more sections that the shell will be much more resistant to manipulation and I will have to abandon using all the original rivet holes. Time will tell.

It's a great feeling to get the shell back on. The idea of working on the trailer and not emerging covered in grime is nice We purchased our 1976 Tradewind about 5 months ago, the first few weeks after we realized what we had gotten ourselves into was pretty stressful. Now that it is towable a lot of pressure is off and we can slow down, actually BUDGET for future improvements, and enjoy the process. The goal is still for a complete aluminum tent prior to January. That means all the electrical, insulation, interior skins, painting, lighting, vents, and exterior trim need to be complete. Plenty to accomplish by then.

Thanks to all for their support, encouragement, and know-how. Couldn't have done it without Airforums.




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[J. Morgan]

Well done!!! Way to set a goal and stay with it is spite of the Florida heat!

I am impressed.

[perryg114]

Great job. I don't think I have seen a shell off go this fast especially since you had a complete new frame build.

Perry

[dbj216]

Yea! Clap, clap, clap! Very well done. You have earned a very nice Airstream merit badge. Not many of us have done what you have just done.

David

[mimiandrews]

Congratulations!

[Cncampers]

I am looking forward to getting that completed on ours. Congratulations!

Nancy


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[pbearsailor]

Really impressive, Matt! Such a very long way you've come in a short time.

cheers,
steve

[Swahealy]

You're my hero! Very nice work.