1967 Project, THE Big Fix!

[dbj216]

You do great work in such lousy heat. That backsplash will be so dramatic in your Overlander.

David

[Joyflea]

Been complaining about the heat in the Airstream, but after some jury rigging the electrical to the AC it’s nice . First temp is outside on the skin . Second is in the upper cabinets away from the AC . Might need long underwear. Loving it .
Blue , with no excuses.

[dbj216]

We have "dry heat" (think baking oven) here in Colorado. Yesterday the air temp was 83 here, but the sun is so intense. The boards on my south facing deck were 160 degrees by noon, and the entry door was 140 degrees. The sun heats the house and it gets darn warm in here. I'm no fan of intense heat. Like clouds.

Glad you got some relieve with the ac going with ac.

David

[Joyflea]

Took two weeks off and went camping in our class c down on the boarder . Nobody at the camp sites cause everyone was scared off because it was so hot the first part of August . On Labor Day we were the only one in the pool and only 4 rigs camping .

So I started building my dining area . Don’t mind the dirty condition and the rigged wiring . The bottom supports get covered and the big holes are for ventilation. Cover will have lovers and art work . Nothing I’d square so a lot of fitting . My knees are killing me . More to follow . That work light is from HF and is on sale for $20 .Blue

[dbj216]

You are correct, there is nothing square in an Airstream. You have to custom fit every piece almost. I like the storage cabinet below the front window. A great way to make a backrest support.

The area you are building is where you will spend the majority of time in the trailer. The kitchen table is the center of most homes.

David

[Slats]

Thanks for posting the pics, Joyflea. I just have the bottom section of my dining/sleeping area roughed in while I wait for my new fresh water tank. I like your upper sections. I also noted evidence of your Kreg jig, or whatever version you used for anchoring screws. I, too, have used one of those hanging lights throughout my project.

[Minno]

Airstream renovations are good for learning how to mark and cut compound curves in cabinetry and countertops! That's how I learned...

Kay

[Joyflea]

Originally Posted by Minno

Air
stream renovations are good for learning how to mark and cut compound curves in cabinetry and countertops! That's how I learned...

Kay

True , so true ! Everyday is a school day.

[Joyflea]

Started building the covers for my couch area . Cut , laid out my patern , punched in my dimples but had to stop while I had my dimple die in and do two door panels for my hot rod . One done and other will be done tomorrow. Then I will put my louvre die in and punch holes for colling everything under the dinette. Three of the phots are a little off topic but you can see what can be done . Blue

[Minno]

Wow, I'm impressed!

Kay

[Dwwalker18]

Likewise! Well done!

[chrisetmike]

You will have an amazing Airstream when you are done.

[Joyflea]

Slow progress this week . Got the seats all braced and hinged. Did get my louvre dies put back in my press and put in my kick panels. I did them from the front so your feet and legs won’t hit them . I will rub them down with scotch bright to give them a not so bright look . Mainly because I don’t want to polish them after the table is in . Blue

[dbj216]

Certainly adds a nice vintage Airstream look to the front room. I made mine out of plywood 'cause I ain't got a louver die and press. Even if I did, they would all be crooked.

You are quite the craftsman.

David

[Joyflea]

Been busy with the hot rod stuff , but got to do some work today . Started my final wireing under the dinette. First I built some battery cables out 1/0 . Crimped and leaded then covered with some heat shrink covering . Cutting that big cable is hard on an old mans hands . Got batteries and inverter/ converter wired in . All works great . Put a 200 amp fuse in line on the big cables and 50 on small feed . I made the Al. Panels removable to get in where I need to and has the holes for vents behind the louvers.
Now I need to clean up some of the small stuff and plumb in my water pump .
Blue

[dbj216]

Electrical and plumbing. I find these jobs enjoyable. You made "store bought" cables for your trailer. I made "homemade" cables for mine. Crimped and taped. Not as good as yours.

I have a question for the automotive electrical expert. I elected to leave my converter in it's nearly original Airstream location. Behind the bathtub! Handy huh. I did so because the four 12v circuits that power all the appliances, lights, fans, pumps, et.al. in the trailer radiate from this location. I did not want to splice and extend that big wiring harness.

The battery used to be in the rear of the trailer in a special swing down compartment below the beltline. I did not want a 60 pound battery bouncing up and down as I crossed rough bridge abutments or wavy concrete roads and the like. In 1976 Airstream saw the errors of their ways and moved the battery up front over the frame rails. So I followed suit on my 75.

But the converter is still in the back. So I have 25' of ought sized stranded copper wire from the battery to the converter running under the subfloor. The chart says I will lose about 0.2 volts over this distance with this sized wire. I think I'm okay as I don't boondock much, but it is still a loss of power.

Think I'm in trouble?

David

[Joyflea]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Electrical and plumbing. I find these jobs enjoyable. You made "store bought" cables for your trailer. I made "homemade" cables for mine. Crimped and taped. Not as good as yours.

I have a question for the automotive electrical expert. I elected to leave my converter in it's nearly original Airstream location. Behind the bathtub! Handy huh. I did so because the four 12v circuits that power all the appliances, lights, fans, pumps, et.al. in the trailer radiate from this location. I did not want to splice and extend that big wiring harness.

The battery used to be in the rear of the trailer in a special swing down compartment below the beltline. I did not want a 60 pound battery bouncing up and down as I crossed rough bridge abutments or wavy concrete roads and the like. In 1976 Airstream saw the errors of their ways and moved the battery up front over the frame rails. So I followed suit on my 75.

But the converter is still in the back. So I have 25' of ought sized stranded copper wire from the battery to the converter running under the subfloor. The chart says I will lose about 0.2 volts over this distance with this sized wire. I think I'm okay as I don't boondock much, but it is still a loss of power.

Think I'm in trouble?

David

No , I don’ Think you have a problem . I moved mine because I did not like it being under a wet area plus weight . Since I took off the skin and rewired the whole trailer , I planed on the new location . Also put an extra cross member up front under the batteries and welded a large ground plate that I drilled and taped holes in under the floor .

[dbj216]

Thanks for your view on this long, long battery cable. My battery is sitting on a piece of 3/4 oak on top of the 3/4" plywood subfloor on top of the A frame member. It is sitting in a plastic battery box. I don't believe it will fall through to the ground. It is a AGM battery that I did not vent to the outside world.

David

[Joyflea]

Haven’t done much this last week . Did get my front overhead cabinet painted and installed, waiting for radio to come in to finish . So while I wait I started to figure how I was going to finish off the end of the seating .

[steinVT]

Looking good, I can't wait to see it when she is done. You will have a very unique beautiful trailer with all of that aluminum.

If you don't mind, a couple of questions:

What type of aluminum are you using?

Did you use a shrink-er die set for the bench edging? Will the stretcher die set have enough movement to do the inner corner? I haven't worked with those tools but have been intrigued and just don't know their limitations.

What are you using to cut out the aluminum pieces? Your edges are very nice.

Thanks, Mark