Millertime's rear bathroom rot '76 Tradewind thread

[Piggy Bank]

Mixter, the stock table that they use in the 22 sport both slides about 8 inches to and fro, and spins. And will lock in "standard" position. Suggest you look to it for inspiration.

Did you know that you can download a full parts list for every AS make on their website? So you could get the stock parts if you can't find elsewhere.

To see the table in the 22 sport in action, look on the Colonial Airstream website. There is a video about 30 minutes long with Patrick going through the entire unit. He shows the table and how it spins and raises and lowers.

[Mixter]

Interesting. .. I did not know that was stock pedestal - thanks for the tip!

[millertimeUS]

Ok this Saturday's update:

I painted the exterior of the rear lower bed/seating area, installed has struts, added additional 90 degree metal brackets to the upper and lower bedding, and installed two of the walls for the shower area, including cutting and attaching fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) to the walls.



My gas struts don't have enough punch or are not positioned correctly for such a large lid, had to just use a 2x2 to hold it open for painting till I get around to adjusting them.



Next I used a piece of luan to establish the wall curve. Took quite some time in and out of the trailer using a scribe to mark the tight spots. Highly recommend the luan prior to cutting your actual wall, it is light and easy to cut. Once you get a good fit just trace it to your plywood! I used pocket hole joinery for the bottom and sides on 1/2" birch plywood. Surprisingly, and pleasantly, the interior skins will flex slightly and pull into the wall with the pocket joinery making the final fit very tight. Just go easy and slow. I used fine threaded self tapping screws for homes with metal studs. For 1/2 plywood avoid kregs standard pan head screws they tend to split the end grain due to how thin it is, use standard construction screws and just go slow and easy till they seat.



Back wall of the bathroom is in, it provides a little cubby area in each bed that someone thought was just great



Before I put the wall in I traced the form into the FRP for a nice fit.



Photo of the shower wall with FRP attached. Leaning against it is the smaller interior divider between the shower and the vanity area ( will make sense later). I attached the FRP with 1/8 x 5/8 rivets and put a shot of sealant into each hole before setting the rivet. Since I will be putting in a custom pan of my own invention I left the bottom 2 ft unattached so that I can trim it to fit the flange of the shower pan.



Building days are always fun around here


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[dbj216]

Wow, you must have been on a sugar high to get all that work done. Those two little helpers you have must have been a BIG help too.

I used FRP for my shower walls too. I used a special FRP surface adhesive to attach it to the plywood. So far, so good. I used a standard shower pan, but I had to elevate it about 3" so I could get a drain pipe under it and over to the gray tank. There is a hole in the subfloor for the P-trap. My shower would fit your sons better than it would fit you. It's pretty small.

Mixer: We saw the table pedestal at the RV show in an Airstream. It does spin 360 when unclamped. My son wanted a marine like folding table so he could have a "coffee table" in the mid position with the leaves of the table folded up and the table rotated about 90 degrees. It will suit his guests when they come over for tea. Ha!

We purchased the table pedestal from WalMart of all places. It is a Springfield Marine pedestal. And it is sturdy and well made in my view. Springfield makes a lot of fishing boat seat pedestals.

David

[millertimeUS]

Hey David thanks for the comments! We have definitely been working hard the last few Saturdays to make some progress.

Update: this last Saturday I finished getting all of the interior walls up for the bathroom and competed about half of the front dinette.

Not much new in terms of lessons learned here. I re-leveled the trailer before setting all of the walls so that I didn't have to 'interpret' my carpenters level based on an unlevel floor. Pocket holes continue to be the name of the game for joinery and seem to be working quite well. Joining 1/2" plywood requires a 1" or less screw and you just need to let it set, any more and you risk the fastener breaking through.



The left bulkhead is just a piece of luan used for making my templates. I put it up to see if I wanted to put the wall right in front of the rear bed or not. You can see the shower enclosure and bathroom vanity/toilet area on the right. Looking a little more finished every day!



The front dinette will also have lift up underwear storage under all the seating. On the right I plan on installing a central vacuum unit with a vacuum port at the base so you can just sweep the floor and press a button and whoosh it just sucks up the dirt.



This unit has a 25 ft hose that should reach all corners quite well.

As many others are doing I am going to install the table on a marine pedestal base that can lower down to make a bed in the front. The rear cushions will provide the mattress for the table area. It should be a nice roomy bed at nearly 55 inches wide and 88 inches long minus the corner radius.

The remaining tops need to be cut, hinges and struts installed, then onto the table base and a temporary table top to carry us through a couple of upcoming trips.



Even the little ones are helping out


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[rugjenkins]

It's looking great! I like the central vac idea.

[J. Morgan]

I have enjoyed watching you get a lot done in a little time.

By sticking to the program you have gotten a lot done even though you work full time and have lived life with its sometimes big interruptions, (like a cross country move)....

I admire your work ethic, skill, and your tackling a steep learning curve all at the same time.

Good job. (For whatever my opinion is worth anyway)


Talis gentium ceciderunt.

[Mixter]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

I have enjoyed watching you get a lot done in a little time.

By sticking to the program you have gotten a lot done even though you work full time and have lived life with its sometimes big interruptions, (like a cross country move)....

I admire your work ethic, skill, and your tackling a steep learning curve all at the same time.

Good job. (For whatever my opinion is worth anyway)


Talis gentium ceciderunt.

+1 here. I have the work and 3 kid thing, but I didnt have to pack up and haul everything across the country. And I'm way behind you at 3.5 years in, and at least 2 more foreseeable.

Kudos, my man. Kudos.

[millertimeUS]

Thanks all! This upcoming weekend will be the last work Saturday for a few as I have a few underway periods coming up then several family camping trips. Hoping to complete the front dinette, install a temporary tabletop, install the toilet, and handle the other misc things that will need to happen to have her ready for the spring camping season.

Oh, and I picked up a brand new scratch and dent Dometic RM3762 for $815 with free shipping, not a bad deal!



Still pondering if I should go for a tankless water heater like the OD-50 or just get a modern Atwood with electric /gas option with auto-ignition.....


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[Mixter]

Sweet- Where did you find a S&D Dometic fridge??

I just installed the OD-50 and bench tested it. It performed very well from just a trickle to fully open from my home hose bib, which is considerably higher gpm flow rate than what the RV will be. It is the same as the Precision Temp, which has great reviews. I think it will be perfect having unlimited water.... In fact, it has more hot water than my house. Not only that, but I just didnt like the idea of having to keep an 80lb tank of 160 degree water.

[millertimeUS]

I found it via a Google search that showed one at RV Parts Country. It is on the way now. They have to deliver it to a commercial address so they are going to deliver it to me at the local Walmart parking lot and I will just load it on the truck.

It's good to hear the positive report on the OD-50, I too read they paid to use the same technology as the Precision Temp.

That project is on the horizon, but I still have to install all new propane lines from the regulator back. Never a bad time to learn a new skill and pick up some new tools

Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[aquinob]

Looking good Matt.

[millertimeUS]

Another great Saturday with progress!

Attachment 258743

All of the bench seating now have tops and air-struts . The pedestal I chose for the table has both positive and negative aspects.



Positives: Very solid, rated to 200 pounds in the locked position. Cast aluminum matches the trailer interior skins very nicely. Lowest cost for an adjustable pedestal I could find.

negatives: since it is only two tubes, in order to have the capability to both go low enough to be a bed and go high enough to be a table requires that the inner tube penetrate the floor at the lower positions. Fully down the pedestal extends 6" below the floor. Given my floor is 3/4" and my frame is 5" plus a little sag in the belly skin meant that it fit perfectly even fully down. I had to drill a 3" hole in the floor, then a 2.5" hole through my underbody foam panel insulation (made the tube fit like a glove, no bugs sneaking in). I attached the pedestal to the floor with wood screws and the temporary tabletop with elevator bolts similar to what I used on the floors. The edges were routed to protect little heads from injury



Finally I built the shower pan. Since pans are not made in 24x30 I needed to either make my own or pay for a custom pan. A quick price check eliminated having one custom made, ouch! I built the base out of 3/4 plywood with 1x6 poplar sides. Pocket holes were installed in all hidden locations and then I routed a 1/2" chamfer into the top making a 1/4 x 1/2 flange around the top for the FRP panels to sit in. I am going to cost the pan with 2-3 coats of fiberglass resin on all sides then sand and paint with a 2-part white epoxy paint for refinishing bathtubs. I have heard of people mixing some sugar into the topcoat to add texture for grip, is this legit?

Taking a couple of weeks off, then taking the trailer out for a camping trip. Next up will be finishing the shower pan, shower FRP panels, and the bathroom vanity (sink, cabinets, etc).


Thanks to all for their support and encouragement. If anyone has any questions about what I have done feel free to ask either here or via PM and I will be glad to share what I have learned.




Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[dbj216]

Way to go on that shower pan. I purchased a 24x24 fiberglass one, but it is pretty small. I used one of those shower rods that articulate out giving another 4" or so of elbow room. I found it challenging to make a shower in that rear bath. Too many spherical shaped walls and ceilings. The original Airstream design with the tub was better. But it all works well, especially for small people.

We looked seriously at the two stage pedestal you ended up with. But we would have had to build a 1" riser to clear the 6" of the post that goes below deck. But mainly the son wanted the three position so he could have a "coffee table" height. Well, okay.

Have a safe journey out to sea.

David

[millertimeUS]

Put the new rims and tires on the trailer this Saturday.





Also sealed the inner wells with Sikaflex and installed the centramatic balancers.

Also, a nice surprise, my Dill Trailer TPMS system worked perfectly without need of the extended antenna run.

I got the scratch and dent refrigerator last week and got it into the trailer and hooked up the 12V and 110V. The lights come on and it seems to be cooling. The downside.... It wasn't so much a scratch and dent but USED. It still had the bottle rings from the Previous contents on the shelves. The tag says 2013. It has a few dings but all the parts are there. I emailed the company to see what they had to say about advertising a used fridge as 'scratch and dent'.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[millertimeUS]

Thanks David and aquinob for the encouragement, I always appreciate the comments and if anyone has helpful advice bring it my way!

Update: made some progress this weekend! First, the shower pan was coated in polyester resin and then painted with a 1-part white epoxy for refinishing bathtubs.



I fit it in place in the shower enclosure and am in the midst of installing the FRP panels. This has definitely been one of those jobs where at the end you have 10 ways you could have saved time, effort, and material from the lessons learned. I attached the FRP to the walls with 1/8 rivets and sealed every one prior to shooting the rivet with a shot of silicone. Yes silicone makes acetic acid when it cures so it may react slightly with the rivet, but I don't foresee any real issues here. Pro tip, install your FRP on all areas where the walls continue past the shower THEN install the other walls and you will not have to custom fit those sections just trim the excess that proceeds past the wall on the other side.

Also, got word on my fridge. Dometic is not sure how I was sent a used fridge, but they are sending me a new one as a replacement. Although it did take a few weeks to get it figured out with customer service I am pleased with the result.

Lastly, the final tabletop for the front dinette is in! We ended up getting a great deal on some butcher block acacia island tops from lumber liquidators. The kitchen countertops will match the table once the cabinetry is in. It is a tad heavy, but at this point in the build I could use the tongue weight I imagine.







Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[rugjenkins]

I love that table- great score!

[dbj216]

Nice to hear Dometic resolved the used fridge issue. I'm sure it was a hassle. And the pedestal table looks great too.

I too had trouble cutting and installing the FRP shower walls. I purchased a contact adhesive designed for FRP to plywood. But getting the bulkhead curves right was hard for me. FRP isn't the cheapest material on the rack at $45 a sheet. So far it has worked okay.

David

[millertimeUS]

I hear your David! Working with the FRP can be a real hassle with the curved bulkheads, etc.

Update: Made some progress last weekend and this one. First, I plumbed the inlet and vent connections going into my 2 gray tanks. Originally I planned on the area where the bathroom is to be a closet, and thus I had to figure out what to do with the plumbing coming up in the middle of the bathroom floor. I devised a plan of the pipes going up and into the bathroom vanity. My wife suggested a false floor to hide them, BRILLIANT!



It raised the floor level 3.5" which makes the head clearance for my 6 plus feet a little tight, but it works and is much more aesthetically pleasing.

Next I build the frame for the vanity, then the face frame for the sliding panels. I used 1/4 birch Plywood for the panels and a 3/8 dado cut on all sides of the 1x3 poplar frame.

The countertop came from some 3/4 walnut that I had acquired. The photos show it temporarily installed, it still needs a few more coats of hand rubbed polyurethane.







My wife found this ceramic vessel sink on Amazon for $49, fits great and will look outstanding with a nickel finish vessel sink faucet.




Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

76 'Airstream Tradewind

[dbj216]

Great minds think alike! Our bathroom renovation layouts are similar. I also used sliding vanity doors. But my vanity storage is limited as the space under the counter is shared with the rear outside storage compartment and battery location. It was the way the trailer was built.

Your Trade Wind is going to be a winner!

David