Where do I start with my '73 Ambassador

[J. Morgan]

Both tanks will come out of the bottom.

Look for frame rust through near the black tank before getting too far along.

I replaced 4 feet of frame on the back of my trailer, it turns out that doody water is pretty corrosive.

It must have been leaking for decades.

[J. Morgan]

I replaced my black tank and adder a grey tank to my trailer.

[santina]

Small area in the subfloor that appears decayed. Want to replace it.

[J. Morgan]

That is typical, mine looked even worse under the front windows where some sheet metal and ugly shag carpet was covering some holes I could put my fist through, and some I could put my foot through.

[santina]

I've decided to do a shell off subfloor replacement. Do I start removing the rivets from the outside?

[RM66caravel]

Have you made a template of the floor? Yes you would have to add the width of the channel but best to do before removing the shell. Then yes remove the rub rail and then the 9 bazillion buck rivets. Bracing the inside is not difficult and highly recommended then lots of pictures both of the shell and the pile of beer cans made during the frustration brakes. Watch for those hidden rivets by the door. Cliff

[santina]

Cliff what's the best way to lift the shell? I'm in the process of removing the rivets outside

[RM66caravel]

There are many different methods and it depends on what you have on hand, I braced the inside using 2X6's at the hold down points (where ribs were held to the floor with angle brace) tied those together with 2X6's down both sides. After drilling the rivets all the way around I used a floor jack and a scissor jack to raise the shell enough to run a 2X4 under the cross braces length wise on both sides these are not screwed or bolted as they are a spacer for the 4x4's that hold the shell up to get the shell high enough to clear the wheel wells rest the 4x4's on cinder blocks and once the frame is out from under the shell lower the shell for stability.

Now if you have the space and budget and no HOA then there are plans for a gantry you can build and raise the shell through the vents but I am not there! Bracing the interior of the shell is highly recommended because the shell and frame work together to create the rigid body and the shell does flex without the brace. There are a few I found 4 hidden rivets so take your time and an old wood chisel and you will do fine. I had tied the shell down because of high winds that we have on the coast but it was not necessary.

Many on this forum have far more expertise then I and will hopefully chime in with additional advise. I had read several of the threads covering the shell removal and conferred with overlander62 before I did mine and he recommended the template and I am glad that he did because the floor that looked like I could get a template from fell apart once the shell was off.
Cliff

[santina]

Hello everyone. I project today was to take out all the wiring which he did all the insulation is out to their shell. But I also was able to remove the belly pan it seem like a really poor patchwork job I'm not sure what it was last renovated as you know this trailer is 40 years old. The subfloor is rotting you can see the subfloor from the underbelly of the trailer. So I'm not sure why it's rotted and the areas close to the bathroom. I remove the water heater. Everything is been taken out to the she||. . So my next step is to replace the subfloor. It looks like the outriggers are corroded towards the back. Do they need to be replaced? If so do I have to hire a welder?

[RM66caravel]

No you can weld them yourself and yes the riggers will have to be replaced if they are in real bad shape! Can you take some pictures?
Cliff

[santina]

Okay I will shoot those over tomorrow thanks for your help

[santina]

Is welding An easy do-it-yourself project?

[RM66caravel]

Welding is okay or sometimes a road to frustration but with patients and a lot of practice it becomes a moment of pride and as I discovered by spending 400.00 and then ending up cutting that out and redoing it yourself a cost savings. I hired an experienced and recommended welder and although he made me an awesome flipping rig I was not happy with the outrigger or the crossmember repair.
Cliff

[santina]

Here are the outriggers that look most corroded. Should I buy new ones and weld them in place?The outrigger that hold the steps look perfect. I would like to start removing the wood from the inside while the shell is still attached. I cant seem to find a good thread that talks about the best way to remove the shell.

[RM66caravel]

Those look to be standard outriggers and not the step pieces you need. There are many sources for the step and mounting outriggers text Andy at inland or out of doors mart.
Cliff

[perryg114]

I don't see anything but surface rust and your floor looks pretty good to me. The outriggers don't look bad to me.

Perry

[santina]

Just needs polishing?

[aquinob]

Originally Posted by santina

Is welding An easy do-it-yourself project?

Hi. I've been following this thread, but I don't have a sense of how much experience you have doing this type of repair work. Is welding easy, diy? For an experience welder it is, but for the rest of us, maybe not so much. I picked up a nice lincoln mig welder a couple of years ago, and I can get two pieces of metal to stick together, but it probably wont be that pretty, though hopefully strong enough. And then there is the cost of the machine and the supplies and the protective gear so you don't get burned. So I would say no, probably not.

Originally Posted by santina

Just needs polishing?

No, not polishing. Remove the loose surface rust with either a wire brush or some other method, prime and paint. Basic metal preservation