Shell off transmogrification

[nmbosa]

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

Norm, a few reasons really.
1 - The weather is crazy so I wouldn't want exposed flooring until it's sealed up.
2 - I'm undecided on the flooring material. (cork or recycled leather, I'm not sure)
3 - I would like to be able to switch out the flooring material if I feel like it in a few years and running it under cabinets etc makes this harder.
4 - Extra material under the C channel would worry me if it was squishy like cork.
5 - I'm cheap and didn't want to spend the $$$'s yet.
6 - There's some messy work still to come, especially fabricating the bathroom.

I do like the idea of installing a nice big sheet of vinyl or marmoleum it looks so clean and finished and it would certainly be easier that what I have in mind but maybe next time.

I'm driving down to Seattle next month and I hope the weather stays fine. When I drove through the Cascades last year in April I hit a snow storm and could only get up to 25 mph, I drove just over 1000 miles that day in total, it was not something to repeat.

Those all make good sense. We are also undecided on our flooring still, but we have plenty of time to figure that out before the shell even comes off the trailer. July in Seattle is usually pretty nice by the 5th or 6th. In the ten plus years I've been here, it has rained on most 4th of July holidays. Drop me a PM when you are heading to Seattle, if you have time, I'd love to give you a tour of our trailer and get your thoughts on our restoration plan.
Norm

[truckasaurus]

Will do I'd love to see what you have in mind. There's not many Airstreams around here.

[truckasaurus]

Just a trio of snaps showing this afternoons progress. I got two pieces of the belly skin on. It is kind of tricky and I could do with some more little clamps but I think it worked out alright. It's just dry fitted up but with some butyl tape on the outrigger curves and at step/ wheel well points.

When all the pieces are up like this I'll drill again to the correct rivet size and finish up. (I'm waiting on the correct size rivets anyhow).

Question, should I Vulkum between the C channel and belly pan, I assume it couldn't hurt and is probably necessary to prevent water ingress into the coach?

[utee94]

Sure, vulkem is a good idea. I used butyl tape there, it already had some from the factory I'm assuming.

[nmbosa]

Truck, what's with the 2011 Maiden Voyage estimate? Are you planning to use 18th Century hand tools to build your cabinets? At the pace your going, you'll be camping in 2009 (unless of course you follow Ryan down a 6 week polishing detour).

Norm

[truckasaurus]

It's a loose goal. Although I bought the '61 in April '08 I didn't get started until this year; then I just added 2 years on...

My current plan is to get the outside skin replaced and seal her up before the end of summer. If that works out I'll insulate and replace the fiberglass end caps too.

I may need to move her, gently!, in the fall to a new location. If possible I'll get the inner skins stripped or replacements made ready to go in when the wiring is complete.

My small tool shop/ barn isn't insulated or heated so there's no way I can perform detail work in 40 below but I may have a back up alternative in the works.

Ironically I do have a lot of oldy worldly hand tools, Lie Nielsen products are my favorite. I enjoy working with hand tools and cherish my chisels and plane collection but of late I'm leaning towards a rehab with less and less wood. Although my work has been in custom hardwood flooring installations my business was originally set up for fine furniture, see Page 1 That's not an advert as I don't do it anymore but just to illustrate the type and style of design that I like.

I want this trailer to be as modern- atomic - stylish inside as it is outside and so I may try using something like 80/20 inc's product to "frame" out the cabinets. There will probably be some veneered panels but some kevlar or carbon fiber too This is all going to take time as at the moment I don't know much about the composites at all. Plus this whole project burns through $'s fast.


I would really like to tow her out in the spring next year for a trial run though.

[nmbosa]

Well I can't wait to see what you come up with. I remember earlier in this thread your plans to replace some exterior skins. From the looks of the trailer in your pics, they appear to be in pretty good shape though. How many do you need to replace?

[truckasaurus]

I need to replace the curb side lower (.040) and 2nd skin up (.032) as they're dented from a door opening mishap sometime in the trailers past.

I want to replace the street side lower as it has multiple hatches and patches that I won't need but I may just patch it better as I'd have to use .032 due to the length. I'm thinking of replacing the lower sheets on the ends (.040) as they have the usual corrosion etc and it's now or never. And lastly I may switch out the roof sheet (.032) as it has all the old vent and astrodome holes, but I may patch it.

It's a slippery slope but each sheet is going to cost around $300 and most would be .040" so I'd get a really nice smooth curve or flatness where it matters. I now have all the tools I need and it looks like riveting aluminum may be part of my future career so it's all good training.

[Zeppelinium]

Get your aluminum here Airparts Inc. Homepage

They can ship it UPS because they roll it up into a package small enough. Great service, and quick.

You'll be happier if you use 0.040 on the sides, too. It will feel better.

Zep

[nmbosa]

That's an awful lot of new aluminum. I have a couple panels in the rear that have some rough scratches and could stand to be replaced, but I'm going to work on them this summer and see whether I can avoid wholesale replacement. I don't know if you have room to carry sheets of aluminum back from your trip down here (I think you said you were driving), but if you do, check out Alaskan Copper here in Seattle for aluminum. I think this is where Ryan got all his for the Flying Cloud and the prices (at least a couple months ago) were way less than what you are looking at.
On another note, I'm also a fan of the Atomic look. Our first house was a late 40's Atomic Ranch style home. With the clean slate you are working with, you can probably create a very cool trailer.

[r&kweber]

Originally Posted by nmbosa

That's an awful lot of new aluminum. I have a couple panels in the rear that have some rough scratches and could stand to be replaced, but I'm going to work on them this summer and see whether I can avoid wholesale replacement. I don't know if you have room to carry sheets of aluminum back from your trip down here (I think you said you were driving), but if you do, check out Alaskan Copper here in Seattle for aluminum. I think this is where Ryan got all his for the Flying Cloud and the prices (at least a couple months ago) were way less than what you are looking at.
On another note, I'm also a fan of the Atomic look. Our first house was a late 40's Atomic Ranch style home. With the clean slate you are working with, you can probably create a very cool trailer.

Alaskan Copper & brass was just for the belly skin. They only sell Allclad in full coils. Airparts is where I bought my allclad. I highly recommend both places.

The polishing detour feels more like 4 months than 6 weeks.

[truckasaurus]

I'm seriously thinking of scaling down some of the skin replacement, nobody has .040" in 16 lengths for the outside and it's making it both tricky and expensive. On the upside the belly pan is going OK, I can only imagine how fiddly it would be with the shell on.

[r&kweber]

I used .032 on my front curbside panel and under the front window. I think it is fine, probably would feel a bit more stout if it was .040. Besides, I think dings and scratches add character. I know I have a few...

GREAT JOB on the belly pan. Those photos look great! I don't think our corners turned out that clean.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

I'm seriously thinking of scaling down some of the skin replacement, nobody has .040" in 16 lengths for the outside and it's making it both tricky and expensive. On the upside the belly pan is going OK, I can only imagine how fiddly it would be with the shell on.

Airstream has .040, in lengths up to 307 inches.

Not cheap, but they have it.

Andy

[Frank's Trailer Works]

the original skin is .032. Why not go with the original thickness? Airparts inc sell that as long as you want.

[truckasaurus]

As soon as I (fingers crossed) get the shell back down and it all fits I'll place an order for sheet. Maybe you'll are right on the money; I do read that 040 would work well but getting 16s would be one less headache.

I got the all aluminum large flange rivets in today so the belly pan can't take me much longer. I picked up nice large flange pop rivets a few weeks ago but the mandrel is steel so I'd rather not use them (yet).

I do have a bit of an apology to make though, I incorrectly used 1/2 a tube of PL200 and should have used PL300. PL200 does not work well with sheet insulation! Hope no-one is following along because it makes a mess..

[2333]

I had to subscribe like everyone else. I need to inspiration to get back onto completing mine. Nice to see all of us frame-off folks going thru the same stuff though.
Great work Truck!

[truckasaurus]

My bad, I can get 040" but only a full coil, now I just need 827 shell off buddies to set up a group buy.

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

My bad, I can get 040" but only a full coil, now I just need 827 shell off buddies to set up a group buy.

Are you ordering skin wider than 48"? If not, you can get any length you want from Airparts, 0.032 or 0.040 or almost anything thin enough to roll, just as Frank says.

Zep

[truckasaurus]

Maybe I'm going crazy, I thought 12' was the longest in 040". I'll be calling them in the morning. Thanks guys.