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Old 08-29-2013, 02:39 AM   #261
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1956 26' Cruiser/Overlander
1961 28' Ambassador
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Wow. Your job is coming along nicely!

I've finally got my axels replaced and have also decided to take a step back and focus on 1 project.

Do you have any thoughts to share while I am about to lay down a new floor and reattach my shell?

Holding tanks are holding me up at the moment.
Where did you order yours from?
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Old 08-29-2013, 02:44 AM   #262
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1961 28' Ambassador
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Tim,

Also, my cousin is driving from Salt Lake area to Austin to come help me on an indie film in a couple of weeks.

Do you have any tools (rivet, cleco etc.) that you'd like to sell? I could have him pick them up from you.

Rowdy
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Old 08-29-2013, 02:50 AM   #263
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1956 26' Cruiser/Overlander
1961 28' Ambassador
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mutcth View Post
Tim, that's a good looking Caravelle! I spent a while looking for one before I bought my Argosy Minuet. My Minuet 6.0Metre is very similar in design to the Caravelle 20' - both have a narrow body and a lightweight frame.

Here's what I had done to my trailer - like yours, it was a "survivor" in pretty good shape that was used and kept up, but with a more original interior:

- Frame repairs: These trailers only have a cross-member every 4 feet (other AS have one every two). Two of my cross-members had broken lose from weld failures. I had that fixed, two more members put in, and the whole thing painted with rust enscapulator.
- Axle: They all need axles.
- Leaks: They all leak. Lots of sealant pumped into cracks to fix the leaks. (My Argosy has a unique aluminium-composite floor that happily doesn't rot, so I escaped that issue. It brings other ones, but...)
- The belly pan needed to be partly reattached. Had all of the insulation under the floor replaced. It gets really gross with water and living stuff over the years.
- My plumbing was all surprisingly good, but I had it replaced with PEX.
- Had the fuse box updated to modern blade fuses instead of glass.
- My trailer came with a modern battery charger/converter. They're better than the original stuff.
- My various water and waste tanks are all original and work fine. Same with the appliances.
- Had two Fantastic Vents put in the roof.
- Had a slick deadbolt installed; the door latch/lock mechanisms are nearly unobtainium in this era so I don't rely on the lock and latch to hold the door shut when traveling.
- Lots of cosmetics - flooring, cushions.

Enjoy the trailer. They're really easy to tow and all of the windows are great - provide lots of light.

Tom
Tom, what type of vents to you put on the roof?
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Old 08-29-2013, 02:55 AM   #264
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1961 28' Ambassador
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin H View Post

Hi Tim,
Yes the axle can be installed by any mechanically inclined person. I have dropshipped numerous custom built Axis axles all over North America to DIY people & they have been installed without issues.
You're going to want to carefully check the perimeter of the trailer for structural floor rot & the chassis for rust before going too far with the restoration. Many people gloss over this step & end up with serious problems down the road.
I'm including a few exterior photos.......................just to perk your interest
Colin
Colin, your trailer is inspiring! I've just replaced my axels and overwhelmed at what to do next....
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Old 08-29-2013, 06:39 PM   #265
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1980 20' Caravelle
Ogden , Utah
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rowdyATX View Post
Tim,

Also, my cousin is driving from Salt Lake area to Austin to come help me on an indie film in a couple of weeks.

Do you have any tools (rivet, cleco etc.) that you'd like to sell? I could have him pick them up from you.

Rowdy
Sorry Rowdy, but I rarely get rid of tools once I learn how to use them.
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Old 08-29-2013, 06:47 PM   #266
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1980 20' Caravelle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rowdyATX View Post
Wow. Your job is coming along nicely!

I've finally got my axels replaced and have also decided to take a step back and focus on 1 project.

Do you have any thoughts to share while I am about to lay down a new floor and reattach my shell?

Holding tanks are holding me up at the moment.
Where did you order yours from?
Got my tank at RVsurplus. 40 gallons!
The main thing is to plan everything out as much as you can. Think about as much as you can in advance.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:12 AM   #267
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1980 20' Caravelle
Ogden , Utah
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I finally got back to work on my Caravelle this weekend with some nice weather. My dad came out and helped me figure out how to bend Al angle with a shrinker from Harbor FreightClick image for larger version

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It took about 30 minutes to bend a piece of angle to the curve of the lower bunk bed. Click image for larger version

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We used 1" x 1/16" angle. I don't think it would go any thicker.
We also started work on the side wraps to complete the belly pan. The only original pieces are the 4 corner banana wraps which involve a compound curve. We were able to use the original piece as a good template and then copy it for the other side. I removed the built in step so that reduces the complexity of that piece. I'll take some more pics later. I'm not as good a taking pictures when working with my dad since we get a lot done and have a good time.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:46 AM   #268
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I am using 0.025" 6061-T6 for the side wraps. I was able to rivet it on the bottom horizontal surface and then bend it up to the sides by pushing it up with a 2x4 and then drilling and installing clecos one at a time pushing hard each time to get the bend right.
I've heard of other people prebending their side wraps but I don't see how that would work. If you release the clecos, it springs back to flat instantly. Maybe a different grade of aluminum would do it or a thicker material, but not with this stuff. I put a big bead of Vulkem along the top edge. My vision of how this works is to minimize water intrusion from above, but if it gets into the belly pan, I want it to drain out. I insulated this area with 2" closed cell styrofoam sheets directly under the floor and then glued 1" strips to the undesired of that. When the side wrap went on, it all made a nice pressure fit. I am hoping that the strips at the bottom will allow water to drain if it gets under the bellypan. It is raining and snowing now so I'll add some pictures soon.
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Old 03-12-2014, 09:13 AM   #269
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1980 20' Caravelle
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banana wrap and side wraps

Here are some pics of the installed side wrap and banana wrap on the left side.
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The right side was a bit more interesting as it involved an interface with the door sill and the former refrigerator vent door. I waited to attach the bottom of the replacement panel for the fridge vent so that I could slide the side wrap underneath it.
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I temporarily positioned the side wrap piece at the bottom and then used a 2x3 and clamps to bend up the sides so that I could mark out the cutouts for the door sill.
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I then attached the side first and then bent up the bottom piece with a 2x4.
This is not a great picture but it kind of shows how the side wrap comes up underneath and behind the outer door frame. This should keep most runoff from going inside the bellypan
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I am in the process of securing the front right banana wrap.
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Old 03-13-2014, 09:48 PM   #270
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1980 20' Caravelle
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Finished the rest of the side wrap and banana wraps today.

This is the right rear. I attached the bottom piece first with clecos.
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Then I flatten out the edge with a 2x3 and bend it up and attach with clecos.
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On the left rear, it was complicated by the water heater. When I installed the water heater, I installed a piece of 3/4" aluminum angle beneath the floor right at the outer edge. For the side wrap, I pushed it up behind and underneath the angle and underneath the outer skin. I wish I had been able to this all around, but it would not work.
This is what it looks like:
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I attached the banana wrap as before and buttoned it up. I am done working on my back for a while.
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Anybody know how to paint the water heater door to make it look like aluminum?
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Old 03-14-2014, 06:57 AM   #271
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1964 17' Bambi II
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Looking great! That's very tedious work, but worth it in the end!
__________________
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1964 Bambi II
1988 Avion 32S
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Old 03-14-2014, 07:15 AM   #272
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1957 30' Sovereign of the Road
1959 28' Ambassador
1949 24' Limited
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timzog View Post
Finished the rest of the side wrap and banana wraps today.

This is the right rear. I attached the bottom piece first with clecos.
Attachment 207388
Then I flatten out the edge with a 2x3 and bend it up and attach with clecos.
Attachment 207389

On the left rear, it was complicated by the water heater. When I installed the water heater, I installed a piece of 3/4" aluminum angle beneath the floor right at the outer edge. For the side wrap, I pushed it up behind and underneath the angle and underneath the outer skin. I wish I had been able to this all around, but it would not work.
This is what it looks like:
Attachment 207392
Attachment 207393
I attached the banana wrap as before and buttoned it up. I am done working on my back for a while.
Attachment 207394
Attachment 207395
Attachment 207396

Anybody know how to paint the water heater door to make it look like aluminum?
We skin them with a piece of alclad, with cut outs for the chimney & flame window.
Colin
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Old 03-14-2014, 10:06 PM   #273
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1980 20' Caravelle
Ogden , Utah
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Thanks Colin. I'd love to see a picture of that.

I started work on the inside. How nice it is not to be on my back looking up at the bottom of the Airstream.
I am building bunk beds in the rear street side corner. There will be an aluminum wall that separates the bathroom from the bunk beds and also helps support them. My dad helped me bend the 1/16" x1" angle for the curved side of the bed frames. They installed pretty easily with some clecos and lots of checks with the level to keep them "straight". I carefully leveled the trailer at the floor before starting so that level actually meant something. They are attached with about 12 1/8" pop rivets to the interior skin and a 3/16" pop rivet at each rib. I am following that philosophy that many modest attachments spread out over the whole distance results in a strong system.
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Next I cut and pressure fit a 1/16" x 1" square aluminum tube which will define the corner of the bathroom. It ends up being about 4' away from the rear window. The wall will be right next to the window with the minimum amount of clearance to allow operation of the window.
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The kids feet will tuck back into the smallish part of the corner. They are not going to be big beds, on the order of 28" wide at the middle with about 30" of height available for each one. The bottom bunk/bench will be permanent, but the top one will have a removable piece about 30" long that hangs from the wall and ceiling to make a 6'+ long bed when needed and also to allow the lower bench to be seating when the top bunk extension is removed. I am still working out how that mechanism would work. Any ideas would be appreciated. Options include some kind of a slide or a completely detachable piece. I put in extra reinforcement in the roof in order to allow for hanging hardware.
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Old 03-15-2014, 01:46 PM   #274
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Hey timzog how come you took out the fridge and had to patch?

Perry



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Old 03-16-2014, 01:23 PM   #275
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Quote:
Originally Posted by perryg114 View Post
Hey timzog how come you took out the fridge and had to patch?

Perry




Hi Perry,
I decided to use an electric 12V fridge. The Danfoss compressors allow for a limited amp draw which should work with a modest solar system and 1 or 2 batteries.
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Old 03-16-2014, 08:39 PM   #276
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1980 Caravelle Shell Off Renovation

I've been working on the wall that separates the bathroom from the bunk beds. The wall will serve as half the support for the beds and will also need to be waterproof since it will be the shower stall. Any rivets facing the bath will be buck rivets.
First I made a template out of 1/8" hardboard glued together with hot melt glue. Short pieces are much easier to fit than one big piece.
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I used the template as a guide to shrink a 1/16" x3/4" angle to fit the curve of the back wall and roof and also as a guide for marking the aluminum sheet to fit the wall.
Here is a fuzzy pic of the angle clecod in place. Click image for larger version

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Old 03-16-2014, 08:50 PM   #277
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1980 Caravelle Shell Off Renovation

I added a piece of 1" angle to attach the sheet aluminum wall to the floor and secured it to the floor with 3/16" clecos. I put the sheet metal in place and clamped it to the vertical 1" square tube that defines the corner of the bath. I then attached it to the angle pieces with 1/8" clecos and attached it to the vertical tube with 1/8" pop rivets since they face the bunk bed side of the wall.
I added 1 1/2" angle to provide support for the upper bunk. This angle stops at the edge of the wall. The support for the lower bunk is a 1" angle that continues toward the front of the trailer and defines the top edge of the bench. It will run up as far as the front edge of the wheel well.
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The lower bunk support was measured and removed so that I could bend a 4" radius curve with the metal shrinker.
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There will be a matching radius on the floor.
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Old 03-18-2014, 09:01 AM   #278
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No pics yet, but I buck riveted all the parts of the bath/bunk wall the other day and reinstalled it back in the trailer with pop rivets. The wall is very strong, but the big flat piece of aluminum makes a sound like a drum when you bump into it- possibly not too good for sleeping. I am considering attaching closed cell foam to the bunk side of that wall to quiet things down. For the interior of a bunk, I wonder if heavy fabric would be enough of an interior wall covering over closed cell foam or would something rigid be required?
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Old 03-18-2014, 07:54 PM   #279
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Here is the completed wall. I kept the protective film on the bath side for now.
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Old 03-23-2014, 07:41 PM   #280
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Started working on the front wall to the bathroom. First had to make a template out of 1/8" hardboard scraps with hot melt glue.
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Then used the template to shrink a piece of 1/16x 3/4" angle to the curve of the wall and ceiling. I attached this to the wall with clecos
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I used the template to cut a piece of 0.025" sheet to fit. It took some trimming to get it to fit, but I finally got it in.
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To counter the drum effect of having a big flat sheet of metal, I'm shirking some angle pieces to give them a slight curve and then using those as horizontal braces. It will make cutting shelves a little tricky, but it will at least minimize the really loud noises when you bump into the wall.
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