Currently, I have the floor removed from the front of the wheels to the back of the trailer and have full access to all of the exposed frame. When I complete stripping and painting the frame I will be replacing the floor up to the rear of the wheels. Then I will repeat the process for the front of the trailer. The floor between the wheel wells does not extend below the shell perimeter so it can be installed as I slide in the front floor.
I am not disagreeing with you or Andy... just pointing out that a quality job can be accomplished with the shell on.
I will definitely check out your blog. And, I agree with you, it can be done. It's not an argument, just exchanging experiences....
Thanks for all the great replies...
To answer Ganglin's question I have a 28 ft. 1968 ambassador.
I have it on my property under an RV carport. The dry rot was terrible on the back end of my AS. Some of the flooring on the front end will also need to be replaced. I am not doing anything to the middle flooring since it is in good condition. So basically, the floor replacement is concentrated only to both ends of the AS.
Uwe and byamcaravanner, you brought my hopes up when you wrote that both ends can be done w/o the shell off method and this is what I would prefer to do. I understand that the shell off is preferable but I really do feel too intimidated to do that (thanks Andy for the advice).
Someone mentioned that the floor can be slid in by the side? How? I will definitely check out the pics and if you don't mind ( I hope you don't) I will come back with more questions.
Thanks!
I tend to agree with Uwe and Andy. If you're a newbie like me, you'll learn a whole lot about trailer making just by taking the thing apart (down to the chiseled bolts) and restoring the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
What good does it do to spend a small fortune on POR 15 to coat the chassis when the edges are left in a rusty condition? I'm doing this re-build ''in situ'' with the shell tied down to the sawhorses. I lifted the trailer off the ground when it was still a connected shell about 15", built the wood frame structure for support, de-riveted the skin, and lifted the shell. I could then get to the hidden rivets that hold the belly pan to the u-channel (you could probably find the hidden rivets from the inside and cut them off, but I approached this process in the reverse order they did it at the factory). The only thing I caution for those who want to do this is to make sure the shell is sitting on a solid platform...oh, and watch out for skinned shins as you walk through the chassis...and don't raise up too fast under that wood frame, it's not gonna give an inch and leaves a nasty lump on your noggin.
Someone mentioned that the floor can be slid in by the side? How? I will definitely check out the pics and if you don't mind ( I hope you don't) I will come back with more questions.
Thanks!
Maria
Maria,
Check out these threads from PizzaChop. I used his experiences to devise the method that I used for doing my floor removal. You can also check out My Blog for further information on how I am getting it done.
Read as much as you can on these forums and devise a plan that works for you. You'll find many great folks with clever ideas. That's how I learned and am still learning.
I did a complete floor replacement with the shell on and had zero problems. I did it rear half then front half. I also had zero problems cleaning up the frame and painting. I did it on this thread 71 Globetrotter Full Monte
Are these compound curves at the lower corners of my 1960 safari the same as "banana wraps"? Does anybody sell these? Maybe I should buy one of those cheap english wheels I saw at Harbor Freight.
Currently, I have the floor removed from the front of the wheels to the back of the trailer and have full access to all of the exposed frame. When I complete stripping and painting the frame I will be replacing the floor up to the rear of the wheels. Then I will repeat the process for the front of the trailer. The floor between the wheel wells does not extend below the shell perimeter so it can be installed as I slide in the front floor.
I am not disagreeing with you or Andy... just pointing out that a quality job can be accomplished with the shell on.
I too am going about this the exact same way as Steve. There is more than one way if all the ways work.
While there are obviously differing opinions here, I would not remove the entire shell just to replace the front and rear sections of the floor. While I've never replaced the front section, I've replaced the rear section twice, first in a '72 Overlander (rear bath) and then in a '73 Sovereign (center bath). The 70s are slightly different than yours, but not a whole lot.
While there are certainly a lot of situations that require a shell off repair, in this case, unless you're really excited about it, it seems a bit like overkill to me.
What Pizzachop and Aerowood said. I did a full floor replacement without lifting the shell. It can be done (tho not so easily on my part because it was a full floor replacement). Stefrobrts replaced the front portion of her floor and did a great write-up. Check out threads started by Stef. Also, read Pizzachop's posting closely.
Are these compound curves at the lower corners of my 1960 safari the same as "banana wraps"? Does anybody sell these? Maybe I should buy one of those cheap english wheels I saw at Harbor Freight.
No, they are not quite the same, as yours has a sharper radius where the belly pan attaches at the corners. A English wheel will not make these bends. If I was doing it I would make the corners seperate from the rest of the belly pan as UWE mentioned. I would make plywood forming blocks and use annealed or soft aluminum and form the edges around the plywood. I can get more in depth on this if you want to do this.
Please go into more detail on the bellypan bending method.
Ok, here it goes. First you need to use dead soft, or annealed, or "0" heat treat aluminum. Make two 3/4" plywood forms with the exact radius of the "C" channel cut on both sheets. The side of the sheet that the aluminum will "form" around my have to have that edge thickness increased to equal the height of the flange. Using a router with a round over cutter, with the correct radius for the bend radius of the aluminum, radius the edge of the plywood form. Paint this edge with epoxy or supper glue to harden it up. The non radiused or clamping form will need the "C" channel radius reduced to meet the forming ply sheet at the bend radius tangent that was cut with the router. Next, sandwich the aluminum between the two pieces of plywood, and then bolt this all together. If you use 10/32 bolts the holes can be easily plug riveted with "A" rivets. Keep the bolts about one inch from the edge of the ply and spaced to keep the forms from separating while forming the aluminum. Clamping it together instead of bolting, does not work well as the pieces will tend to slip. Cut the aluminum to the height of the flange and then file this edge smooth as it will keep the edges from cracking. Now using wooden blocks and a flat (body hammer) face hammer roll the aluminum around the ply form. Don't try to go the distance right off the bat, but roll the aluminum around the edge in increments. Once the flange is fromed around the edge planish it flat with a flat faced hammer. Remove the forms, plug the tooling holes, trim to fit and install. For the first time I would try it on a small piece before jumping in with both feet. I'm not trying to confuse anyone here so I may need to clarify a point or two.
I purchased my 1988 34' Limited back in November. It appeared to be in good shape, just needed sprucing up. It has a twin bed setup, that my wife and I decided to replace with a queen. I removed the twin on the left side (as you look from the galley) once it was out I found serious water damage to the carpet and floor.
I pulled up the carpet and found rotten particle board around the curves under both beds. As it turns out the center window looks like it has been leaking for quite a while. the water hass been seeping behind the inner skin. I removed the skin and the insulation was soaked and had mold in it.
My question is can I just cut out the rotten area, and replace with marine plywood? I noticed the belly pan has some holes under that area, but the members are solid. should I replace that section of the belly pan or just patch it?
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