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I am going to try to attach a few pictures of my Overlander restoration project. So far it has been going well because I have been reading and taking notes from this forum. I have removed the bumper skin and the aft part of the belly pan by cutting it off because it was in very bad shape. I removed the bumper and took out the hot water heater. I have gutted the bathroom and did all of this on a Saturday and half a sunday. The only serious rot is in the aft part of the trailer starting on the left side of the toilet. it continues all the way out the back on the right side of the trailer. I ripped up the rest of the carpeting and found to small rotten spots about 4 inches in diameter, but everything else looks good. I am going to assess the damage and decide what course of action to take.
I am not going to do the full monte because I am working a full time job teaching and I am back in school working on a higher degree. I plan on reading all these forums and looking at what my options will be. I may even consider hiring somebody to replace the wood in the toilet area and finish the rest by my self. My goal is to have this ready to camp by the end of Christmas vacation.
Anything's possible! I remodeled my 72 Overlander while living in it, on the weekends. First weekend was a dilly--took out the twin beds, cut the tub in half, moved the bedroom wall aft 18", installed a double bed with storage underneath. Improvised a seal between the new shower (on half a tub) and wall which hasn't failed in 5 years.
The rest of the work was slower, but making the tub shorter (and thus moving the bed aft) and rotating the sink 90 degrees opened up a lot of countertop space in the kitchen.
One thing's for sure about camping--if the sink, toilet, fridge, and bed are functional, you can camp. It doesn't have to be pretty (unless you're married, then you only have to promise it will be pretty).
I have pulled the black water tank and assessed the corrosion. It really does not look that bad. Every thing is pretty close to the back. I will rent a sand blaster tomorrow and blast all the metal. I do have some weak spots by the back which will need reinforcement. The floor is only rotten in the back by the back door away from the bathtub and in the right corner.. Everything else looks exceptionally good. I really do not think I am going to take out the whole floor. I am looking at small localized area.
It is perfectly fine to replace just parts of the floor. Even the Airstream manual on my '73 listed techniques for that. Basically what you need to do is cut out the bad part and splice in a new piece. Add a strip of plywood below the joint between the new and old perhaps 4" wide and attach with screws and glue.
keep the momentum up - once some thing stalls you make a note and skip on to next detail; its the minutiae & small hassles that use up the fun quotient...
I am going to try to attach a few pictures of my Overlander restoration project. So far it has been going well because I have been reading and taking notes from this forum. I have removed the bumper skin and the aft part of the belly pan by cutting it off because it was in very bad shape. I removed the bumper and took out the hot water heater. I have gutted the bathroom and did all of this on a Saturday and half a sunday. The only serious rot is in the aft part of the trailer starting on the left side of the toilet. it continues all the way out the back on the right side of the trailer. I ripped up the rest of the carpeting and found to small rotten spots about 4 inches in diameter, but everything else looks good. I am going to assess the damage and decide what course of action to take.
I am not going to do the full monte because I am working a full time job teaching and I am back in school working on a higher degree. I plan on reading all these forums and looking at what my options will be. I may even consider hiring somebody to replace the wood in the toilet area and finish the rest by my self. My goal is to have this ready to camp by the end of Christmas vacation.
Check out the pics and tell me what you think.
SIU Bound
It appears from your one photo of the exterior shell, that your axles may be bad.
If that's the case, at some point you should include that in your budget.
I got the floor out by using a grinder with a cutting disk. I cut all the bolts and took out all those hidden phillip head screws. I set my saw blade 1" on my saw and cut out parts of the floor to save as a template. I started to use a grinder and a wire wheel on the frame. I have to buy metal for the box to hold the black tank and have the 1/8" angle iron installed to hold the tank. I am not a welder so I have not decided how to accomplish this future task. I am going to post some pics for you to look at. I will have to say my trailer looks a bit on the cluttered side.
Looking good, just take 'er step by step and you'll be fine. You can have your local hvac shop make you up a new galvanized pan for the black tank, and just get some angle-iron to hold the pan. No need for any welding, just drill and bolt (or rivet) the angle to the existing rails (if it's like my '72). You might find it easier to just replace the whole rear sheet of plywood, not sure how much you've gutted out. But don't rush it, or cut corners- you'd be sorry later. And Have fun!-tim
I cut out the plywood to the middle of the first stringer. The rest of the plywood is good except one small spot in the front of the trailer. I really do not see a need to take out the partitions when that wood is in good shape. I will use self taping screws and to put the new into the stringer. I will also use cleats for extra reinforcement. Well I was only going to take out a small corner section of plywood then I removed the whole back part. I am taking your advice and going one step at a time. Who knows I may take out the whole section out.
The metal where the brackets that hold the angle iron in place is very thin. I know I am going to have fix that area. I have a welding buddy coming over to look at it.
I have read many threads about plywood size. I used a ruler on the part I cut out and the ruler read 3/4". That is what I am going to buy. I was wondering why some people talk about 5/8" for plywood sizes for their different types of airstream? Is 3/4 inch plywood the standard size used for 73 overlanders?
Is there a store like home depot, lowes, or ace that sell Por stop rust? I want to get it locally.
In our '74, the plywood floors are 3/4" thick all through the trailer. One of the many challenges in replacing the floor is that the original floor is a full 3/4" thick, while most plywood sold today is a little thinner because one face is sanded. The grade stamp on the plywood I bought said 23/32", but it measured more like 11/16".
If you can work it so that the transition from the old to new floor is under a wall or tub or something, that will make putting in a new floor covering easier. Be sure you don't get pressure treated plywood because the new chemical treatments can cause corrosion when in contact with steel. Look for an exterior grade plywood and consider putting a primer on both sides and all edges. The original plywood was untreated, but I would think a little primer is an inexpensive safety measure.
I bought a small POR kit from Vintage Trailer Supply since it is unavailable locally. Good luck with the rest of the project.
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