Back to Ohio

[hampstead38]

And, no, not the Pretenders song (though they weren't bad in concert). It looks like the Overlander will be ready for an inspection Columbus Day weekend. Things haven't gone quite as quickly as we hoped, but the boys at P&S have been great about staying in touch. We're running out to talk about a few odds and ends. Hopefully, we'll be back a few weeks later to hitch up and bring the old girl home on new axles, a refurbished frame, new floor and "non leaking" shell. Time to get my parking pad whipped into shape.

I'm looking forward to getting the Airstream parts out of my microshop. Project One after the Overlander returns... fabricating the bed and sneaking her out for a late autumn camping trip.

[DEITZ645]

Hampstead,
I am gald to hear there is progress being made at P&S. Aistreamhobo was at Penn Wood over the long Labor Day weekend and he had stopped at P&S on his way. He showed me pictures he had taken there and he had one of an Airstream shell strung up in a barn by two yellow tow straps. And I said "hey I know the guy that owns that trailer"

You're going to have a lot of irons in the fire getting your Airstream and Dodge ready to roll...and I am sure there are other projects that we don't even know about.

Well good luck and safe travels to and from Helena, OH.

[CanoeStream]

You've taken the long road 'round. I'm sure you're gratified by finding a quality, customer-oriented shop!

Your website-to-be-named-later would get mega-hits if you could have stayed at P&S' terraport with a digital camera handy.

[hampstead38]

Every project takes twice as long and costs three times as much as first predicted.

Yeah, we've owned the Overlander and it doesn't feel like we've made much headway. Of course, we wasted six months at TrailerWorks, but that's water under the bridge. Once the Overlander is back home, it's just a matter of finding the time on the weekends and money my daughters haven't spent yet.

The Dodge is my own personal cross to bear. I could have just decided to run the Overlander behind the Titan or picked up an older utility body rig with all of the bells and whistles... but where's the fun in that?

When the Overlander is back, I'll have the web site up and will make sure I post pictures regularly. We'll see how much damage I can do then.

[hampstead38]

We're leaving for Helena on Friday afternoon. Sweet Mary Mother of Pearl... this is taking a long time. We'll see if "Helen" is in better shape than when we left her. I hope Steve can put on the gas, get the floor in and everything buttoned up so we can plan a quick return trip. I'm already plotting on how to work on the interior during the pleasant Maryland winter.

[DEITZ645]

Hampstead,
Helen is looking pretty good. Much better than the last bunch of pictures with a bare frame and a shell hanging from the rafters of a barn by some tow straps. Have a safe trip up and back and keep us posted on your remodel.

[hampstead38]

Carl "aka Moose Slayer,"

It looks like the schedule for pickup has slipped. We wanted to make a Thanksgiving pilgrimage and bring the Overlander home... but she's not quite ready. All I want for Christmas is an Airstream back next to the "home shop." Once I get the girl tucked in, I'll start a single renovation thread to track my follies on the interior. My wife has flatly stated that camping will begin in the spring... so I'm going to have to rally and at least get the bedroom area done. Now... if I could only figure out a way to have less expensive children.

[hampstead38]

Barring weather issues, we're scheduled to pick up the Overlander during the MLK weekend. I'll bring the digital camera and try to document the condition of the coach, but what we should have is an entirely empty trailer with a new floor and a "fortified" and POR-15'd frame. Once the old girl is settled back home, I can begin work on the interior... hopefully, with a little heat running.

[hampstead38]

So... from Columbus Day to MLK... past President's Day and almost to St. Paddy's, the Overlander is finally sitting in the driveway. By the way, if you want to test your coach for leaks, I recommend driving 10 hours in a driving rainstorm down the Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes with wind gusts of up to 40 or 50 mph. The good news, Helen didn't leak anywhere along the roof lines. The bad news... we have some work to do on the windows and access panels.

So, other than extreme rain, wind and crappy conditions for towing, everything went reasonably well. I'm not a fan of the OEM doorknob, but I suspect it's just old. Anyone recommend a replacement? The trailer tracks very well. The Prodigy worked like a champ. The new axles definitely improve ground clearance. I think a rock guard is a good idea for the front window... and that might help the water situation. I'm going to have to move some electrical stuff to make my bed design work. The Fantastic fans are slick.

After the weather dries out, I'll post some interior pics. Good to have Helen back at the house.

[Mikethefixit]

Glad ya made it Safe Hamp.

[DEITZ645]

Hampstead,
Glad to hear the turnpike leak test worked out and I am sure the roads here in Pennsylvania gave the runnng gear a thorough shake down as well. I am looking forward to seing the pictures. You'll be camping in no time.

[hampstead38]

Thanks, gents. And, Deitz, you would think with the jingle they charge a guy to run the PA turnpike, they could afford to finish a couple of highway jobs in your Great Commonwealth. There's nothing quite like high winds, big trucks and a wall of jersey barriers about 12" from 40+ year aluminum to keep a guy on his toes. I have a propane sunflower taking the damp out of the inside today. And tomorrow, it's back to work so I can pay for more stuff.