Well I have not got much done since the last update. Took a week off to get some stuff done around here and on the coach. That got a little goofed up along the way. My Brother-in-law was stationed in Germany for a Year then A year in Iraq.
When he got sent to Iraq my Sister (his wife) came back and bought a house in Charlotte NC. Now god for bid the Army send their junk back. Their furniture and one vehicle sat In Germany for a year. Well he's out now and their possessions are slowly making it back to the states.
His Jeep wrangler that was in Germany made it to Atlanta (they would not send it to Charlotte) Thursday and it had SERIOUS problems. It lost a water pump while in Germany and since that time it was undrivable due to over heating. He managed to get it here and after 2 days of solid work we finally figured out that the German mechanics put a reverse rotation water pump on it. So I lost a couple days helping them out but thats OK. It was good to spend time with them even over a busted Jeep in my Driveway.
Spent a little time doing some work in the house that got some stuff that ended up being stored in the coach installed and out of my way. Few other project that needed wrapping up as well.
I have been doing is prep for the next wall to go in. Seems when the original Reefer was accidentally executed a second access panel was added to the side for the new reefer. Side was chewed up around the opening pretty good. The new panel was not installed very well and the wall was wavy from lack of bracing or bracing that slipped during installation and was left that way. So a few ours of making the hole the correct size and cleaning up that mes I was able to install a new brace and install the access panel square and flush to the body.
So depending on what we do for the 4th I may actually get two walls into the coach. Once this wall is in I can put the wardrobe and reefer in the coach and clear some space in the garage.
__________________
1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
Life does happen while we are rebuilding these trialers - oh well (sigh) - I have to stop working on mine too because we are moving...... really want to get it done - but things do get in the way.......
All right I got some time to work on it....Sure was nice with the 97 degree heat index! Breaks often and I must have drank 2 gallons of water.
I did make head way today none the less. Curbside lower wall is in the coach with Cleco's! Again I don't want to rivet till I make sure my wiring checks out.
Played with ways to finish the Aluminum. I actually sanded it today in one direction to get a good grain and make it all look consistent. Hid scratches from stripping as well as scratches I found once I got it to bare metal. Really warming to the CCD look. Once I get the wires wrapped up I plan to load the cabinets in it temporarily and then Chili and I will take a good hard look at it and decide if we want to paint or not.
__________________
1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
Went back over your frame restoration and am impressed with your work. Thanks for posting your progress. Your skills as a craftsman are appreciated.
The idea of a sanded interior finish sounds good, Are you thinking of a coating to make it easy to clean and prevent oxidation? Matt as opposed to glossy?
I have to admit that the part about you jacking the frame to fasten the walls to the c channel on your other thread makes me think about experienced help to restore my frame and floor.
Went back over your frame restoration and am impressed with your work. Thanks for posting your progress. Your skills as a craftsman are appreciated.
The idea of a sanded interior finish sounds good, Are you thinking of a coating to make it easy to clean and prevent oxidation? Matt as opposed to glossy?
I have to admit that the part about you jacking the frame to fasten the walls to the c channel on your other thread makes me think about experienced help to restore my frame and floor.
No problem. The point of the post was to help others that find themselves having to do similar repairs.
On the jacking:
Its a monocoque structure. No single component section bears the weight alone. The frame has a noticeable droop when its away from the body. The body is a major portion of support for the frame and contents.
Jacking sounds harsh I could have probably lifted the bumper by hand and got the flex I needed.
We are still experimenting with the interior and its final finish. The thought of a clear coat has crossed my mind but my concern is the long haul. The aluminum I can always clean with a Scotch bright and mineral spirits if it gets dull of even a scratch. Clear coat would prevent that. So bare has its pros as well as cons.
__________________
1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
So that's why my taillights have the extra bulb holder and wiring....
I have wondered about this for quite a while now. I will have to get my lights going this week for the pull to Pismo Beach, and your description will surely help getting this figured out.
i still have to ORDER my lights! i'm going to try to rig up something prety slick with the airstream dreams Barman trim rings and 4 inch lenses. there's NO WAY i'm sticking the crap back on my trailer that i pulled off.
when it rained the other day i found out to my DISMAY that the end caps are leaking pretty bad. have you had any problems with your end caps leaking, 59? i found practically NO trace of sealer on mine when i replaced the lower corners... so when i start replacing the side panels next weekend, i'm probably going to have to drill out all the rivets on those panels and reseal them with vulkem, unless there is an easier way of doing this that you know? i'm planning on a wooden interior, and DO NOT want leaks in the future!
when it rained the other day i found out to my DISMAY that the end caps are leaking pretty bad. have you had any problems with your end caps leaking, 59? i found practically NO trace of sealer on mine when i replaced the lower corners... so when i start replacing the side panels next weekend, i'm probably going to have to drill out all the rivets on those panels and reseal them with vulkem, unless there is an easier way of doing this that you know? i'm planning on a wooden interior, and DO NOT want leaks in the future!
jordan
Yeah I have leaks. I actually have a tarp over the rear because it leaks so bad. Front is not so bad. I think when the floor rots out it beats the hell out of the end caps and loosens up the rivets and it looses its seal.
I never removed my inner cap so I cant see exactly where its leaking. I am trying to figure out if its where the cap meets the body or if its the window frame. My rear window was ripped out and I am hoping its where the leak is but after you saying that then I may need to look at the crown of the cap. I had reseal the center panels and slowed the leaks down but not stopped. Think I will order Acryl-R from Airstream and see how it goes. Hell I may just drive over to the local Dealer if they have it in stock.
__________________
1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
when it rained the other day i found out to my DISMAY that the end caps are leaking pretty bad. have you had any problems with your end caps leaking, 59? i found practically NO trace of sealer on mine when i replaced the lower corners... so when i start replacing the side panels next weekend, i'm probably going to have to drill out all the rivets on those panels and reseal them with vulkem, unless there is an easier way of doing this that you know? i'm planning on a wooden interior, and DO NOT want leaks in the future!
jordan
Jordan,
I used a few quarts of a product by Wόrth, called Sabesto flexible seam sealer. It is made for sealing metal to metal seams in auto body and aircraft applications, or whereever the sealer needs to stick to aluminum or other sheet metal.
It stays flexible after it dries, and applies with a brush, or a drywall knife.
I thoroughly applied it to all the interior seams in the roof's outer skin, from the inside, before I installed the new insulation.
uwe, where did you purchase Wόrth, called Sabesto flexible seam sealer. Do they have a web page? I just took off the bottom skins on the inside of our Bambi. Did you take off all interior skins before of after you lifted off the shell. I think what you have done would be a good thing for me to follow. Resealing all joints is probably better done now than latter.
Don
So that's why my taillights have the extra bulb holder and wiring....
I have wondered about this for quite a while now. I will have to get my lights going this week for the pull to Pismo Beach, and your description will surely help getting this figured out.
The wiring color if it still has its original umbilical is:
Black= "Stop" Wire those with the marker lights.
Red is Left/Stop Turn in todays standard Stop.
Yellow is Right Turn/Stop
Green is parking lights
Blue is the brakes
White is ground
The new umbilical is different colors. I Think they are current standard. If you need them let me know. My notes on that are in the garage.
__________________
1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
Quick Links
Hybrid Mode
