Visit our Popular Forums

Silverflames · 09-20-2012, 06:43 AM

The section I cut through is the 1/8 inch thick drop down that was welded to the bottom of the main 1/4 inch thick frame rail. 1/4 inch is a overkill but i would rather over do it.

The drop down really serves to cover the holding tanks, and provides secondary structural support. It takes the from frame 5" tall to 8" tall so the 27 gallon holding tanks fit without handing below the belly. The strap is really to just keep the discharge pipe in place. The AS came with this drop down for the first few feet back, I pretty much added it all the to the back axles. Now I have a 27 gal black 27 gal grey and a 30 gal fresh water tanks. The key will be to make sure we dump all the tanks before hitting the road.

Please keep the feedback coming, many hands make a light load.

ewaegeman · 09-20-2012, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Patching is still a patch, no matter what way you do it.

The rear end separation, can be fixed, without taking anything out of the bathroom, except maybe something that's damaged.

You must remove the bottom portion of each rear quarter panel.

How? Easy.

Remove the bottom belt line molding. Cut the panel in half in the center of where the molding was located. You will also need to remove the rub rail, and all the rivets in the center rear panel, that includes the access door, up to but not including the bottom of the window.

Then you can remove the rivets from the rear end of each of the quarter panels.

Next, remove the rivets on the front side of those quarter panels, but only from the bottom to where you cut the panel.

Then VERY CAREFULLY, have someone hold the panel away from the trailer, just enough where you can get at the back side of the panels, and shear off the blind rivets that hold the front edge of the quarter panels to the last main bow, with a putty knife.

You will then see the issue.

Locate on this Forums, the previous method that I posted that's the next step.

When your ready to put the quarter panels back, attach a small strip of metal to the bottom of the quarter panel section that remained on the trailer. Use some Vulkem and 1/8 pop rivets.

Then you attach the top edge of the quarter panel, that you previously cut, to that same strip. Again use plenty of Vulkem and 1/8 inch pop rivets.

To reinstall the front end of the quarter panels, use Vulkem and Olympic rivets. On the rear end of those quarter panel,use a few 1/8 pop rivets.

lower the rear center panel, add some Vulkem and use Olympic rivets to refasten itand at the same time the rear portion of the quarter panels.

Use plenty of 3/16 inch pop rivets to fasten the interior quarter panels to the floor channel, and do the same at the bottom of the quarter panels as well as the rear panel.

You will probably find the rear floor channel broken in 2 places. It the must be completely removed and welded back together.

There are some small steps I have left out, but the above will get you started.

Anything short of doing the job as described above, is a patch job, that will fail in short order. That's from 46 years of Airstream rebuilding experience.

Andy

Hi Andy,
I know probably not easy to answer, but not being experienced with these sort of big jobs, how much would this quick patch take?
Thanks.
Erik

riv-nut · 09-20-2012, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithgrowe

The section I cut through is the 1/8 inch thick drop down that was welded to the bottom of the main 1/4 inch thick frame rail. 1/4 inch is a overkill but i would rather over do it.

The drop down really serves to cover the holding tanks, and provides secondary structural support. It takes the from frame 5" tall to 8" tall so the 27 gallon holding tanks fit without handing below the belly. The strap is really to just keep the discharge pipe in place. The AS came with this drop down for the first few feet back, I pretty much added it all the to the back axles. Now I have a 27 gal black 27 gal grey and a 30 gal fresh water tanks. The key will be to make sure we dump all the tanks before hitting the road.

Please keep the feedback coming, many hands make a light load.

Oh...okay. That's not the main frame....got it. Keep up the good work! Yes I agree, if all your tanks were full, you might have stability problems going down the road :-)

Inland RV Center, In · 09-21-2012, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewaegeman

Hi Andy,
I know probably not easy to answer, but not being experienced with these sort of big jobs, how much would this quick patch take?
Thanks.
Erik

A correct and long lasting rear end separation job, can take considerable time, depending on the extent of the damages.

A short, "who cares", repair, however short lived can be done in an hour, or so.

A proper job, can take 20 to 25 hours, and sometimes even more when the frame is also damaged, to repair.

Andy

Silverflames · 09-22-2012, 12:13 PM

That's what I found when I started the job. Parts of the frame were so badly rusted I was able bed the back with one had.

Silverflames · 10-16-2012, 06:02 PM

Well things are still moving along slow but sure. I got the electric 12 hooked back up, pumped wired and tested, See II tank monitor wired up and tested. Yesterday I received the new Garid tankless hot water heater, and I'm looking forward to installing it.

Silverflames · 10-16-2012, 06:09 PM

Last week I was able to get the side belly pans on. I used the old belly pan, and cut out the side "wings.". The main belly section is still open and will be added later. It's really nice to be closer to being done on the structural side. My wife comes out after days of work scratches her head and has no idea if I got anything done.. It will be nice to work on things that you can see and feel the progress.

Silverflames · 10-16-2012, 06:21 PM

Just to compare and contrast...

Skatiero · 10-16-2012, 06:30 PM

Looking good!

reinergirl · 10-16-2012, 07:04 PM

Wow! Great job, that sure is a big improvement, especially for a fast fix!

Silverflames · 10-31-2012, 02:31 PM

I just wanted to add a photo of how I bolted down the rear end. I used SS .5" bolts with locking washers. I torqued them down with a breaker bar, so the should have a few hundreds of pounds of torque on each one. I used six bolts total.

Silverflames · 01-03-2013, 07:24 PM

Hit the por 15 with star bright. I'm hoping to get more time this weekend. We stared to work on the inside, so I'm hoping we will be priming and painting this month..

Silverflames · 01-13-2013, 09:08 AM

I got a few days in this week, cleaning and replacing busted interior rivets. It looks like I have replaced close to 50% of the do far. I'm not sure if they all busted loose for year bouncing around on bad axels, or the shifts of the frame/body while I was replacing the rear frame and floor.

I rewired the scare light to also include a light under the steps. Also a switch to turn on all of the running lights. While I had the front panels down I was able to fix some leeks and popped some dents out. They look better but the front end will never be show quality. And that's ok, the goal is a functional camper. Mabey later in life when the kids are bigger I will look for a donor front end.

For insulation I used radiant barrier covered with half thickness pieces of R13 fiberglass home insulation. Hopefully that should work well. The kids had a blast playing in the radiant barrier. It keep them busy for hours! Well worth buying extra.

I'm hoping to start painting the inside next weekend!!

Silverflames · 02-04-2013, 10:14 AM

So we are moving forward at a pretty good pace. We have started painting the inside, and hope to be able to go camping next month! My wife stripped off the old flooring tiles, sealing the floor will be on the short list.

Another before and after set..

Silverflames · 03-12-2013, 05:31 PM

Full speed ahead!! The goal is to have the old girl camp ready by 03/23. We are planning a trip to Hart Springs Fl. I got the battery in, breakaway switch installed, window rivets repaired, exhaust fans fixed and reinstalled, inside painted, and just put the first coat paint on the floor. All is going well so far.

I have not towed it since repairing the rear end separation. I'm thinking that might be a good idea before I load it up take it camping. I guess a short dry trip to stress test the welds and frame work would be a good idea?

Primed floor then painted.

bilby05 · 03-13-2013, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverflames

Full speed ahead!! The goal is to have the old girl camp ready by 03/23. We are planning a trip to Hart Springs Fl. I got the battery in, breakaway switch installed, window rivets repaired, exhaust fans fixed and reinstalled, inside painted, and just put the first coat paint on the floor. All is going well so far.

I have not towed it since repairing the rear end separation. I'm thinking that might be a good idea before I load it up take it camping. I guess a short dry trip to stress test the welds and frame work would be a good idea?

Primed floor then painted.

That floor looks great! I have been planning on tile when I get that far. After repairing rot etc. I think I will have to cover it all up with tile but I sure like the look of your floor.
Cheers bill b.

Mixter · 03-14-2013, 08:07 PM

Looking good!

Silverflames · 03-25-2013, 06:28 AM

We took the old girl out on the first camping trip after all of the repairs. No problems towing, and everything seem to work well. I checked all my welds, and everything seem to hold tighter well. The only problem i had was when the new puppy chewed through the wires for the holding tank panel.

We went to Hart Springs, real nice camp ground. It has full hook up, open sites, and a nice pool. The spring was full of flood water, so we could not do any swimming or diving it it. The camp sites are a bit un level so if you go bring plenty of leveling stuff..

Silverflames · 08-28-2013, 05:52 PM

So I got the trunk cap done, but the cam locks are to short to go through the 1/4" new frame rails. What do other folks use to latch their trunk? Just looking for ideas..