Since my last post, I've repaired and painted the frame, installed the plywood floor and installed the channel that the outer and inner skin attaches to. During the replacement of the plywood, I also had to replace a section behind each wheel well and under the refrigerator. In doing so, it lifted the outside of the trailer since the old plywood was rotten about a 1/4 inch. When I installed the last 4 feet of floor in the rear of the trailer where the bathroom is, it pulled the outer skin tight and the wrinkles on the side of the trailer behind the wheel wells disappeared. The only problem is, the outer skin does not come down far enough on the plywood to completely cover it. AT the very rear of the trailer, the outer skin just touches the 5/8 inch plywood, while on the sides of the rear of the trailer, this gap gradually diminishes until the plywood is completely covered about 2 feet from the rear. I've looked at the frame behind the wheel wells and there is no sign of buckling; so this is baffeling me. When the old plywood was in place, it was so rotten that the PO had put large screws through the outer skin to attach it to the plywood as the aluminum channel was damaged. The outer skin touched the frame that holds the rear bumper. Now the skin is about 5/8 inch above the frame in the same spot, but everything else looks great. Has this happened to anyone else and does anyone have any suggestions on how to repair this?
Well, it's been awhile since I posted our progress. After getting some advice from Andy at Inland Empire, I jacked up the frame in the rear which caused the outer skin to cover the plywood. I also installed additional outriggers between the factory installed ones and the rear of the trailer as suggested by Andy. I made these out of 3 inch 1/8th inch steel angle iron. I then put on the floor covering in the rear bathroom, re-installed the holding tank, outer box to the holding tank, buttoned up the belly pan and banana wraps and rivited the outer skin, banana wraps and frame together. What a difference! I then installed a new Atwood 10 gallon water heater and made a nifty cowling to cover the hole made by the old water heater to fill in around the new one. Now, before re-installing the interior aluminum walls, I tested the trailer lights and found the right tail light wouldn't work. It turned out to be a bad ground; so I made a ground wire, attached it to the tail light and the frame, and it works great. The front marker lights didn't work; so I went underneath the trailer and opened the access panel and found the green wire to the front marker lights was broken. After several tries to make the lights work, I fished a new wire from the front of the trailer in the wall below the front window and connected it to the existing wire within the wall, I then connected the other end to the source below the trailer and voila it worked. Now I have all my running lights working! Of course since this isn't HGTV, I couldn't do all this work in a half hour. It took me several weekends, some in the rain to accomplish these tasks. Now I've got to run the plumbing and gas lines and install the cork floor before putting the bulkheads back in place. I'll keep you posted. Oh yeah, my computer crashed and I had to reinstall my software. As soon as I get the photo software installed, I'll post some pictures.
Tany's gonna give me a bad time for this, but since I am still working until my replacement arrives and I want to use my trailer this season, I decided to have it professionally polished. I know, I know, if you want it done right do it yourself. Anyway, the nice folks at R.V. Restorations in Gold Hill, Oregon had some time open and I took my Overlander up to them. First off, this was my first time pulling the trailer a long distance. Since I replaced my axles (they came with new brakes and everything) and shocks and fixed all the wiring so the lights worked, the trailer pulled perfectly. If you know the roads I had to go on, you could appreciate how much this meant. I first left Eureka, CA and went north to Crescent city on Highway 101. Then I took 199 to Grants Pass, Oregon. From there it was I-5 to Gold Hill. For the most part, Highways 101 and 199 are very narrow and windey in spots; so tracking was a concern to me. I have a Reese Straight Line hitch that came with the trailer which made the journey that much more pleasant. So, I decided, while the trailer was getting all gussied up on the outside, to get ahead of the game and order the cork flooring so it will be here when the trailer gets back. I ordered it on Monday and it arrived yesterday. Auggh, now I want my trailer back, 'cuz I wanna get started installing the floor. The cork is beautiful! I think this is where the fun stuff begins; re-installing the interior and helping my wife decorate the interior in the theme we've chosen. Meanwhile, a buddy of mine, who is a professional painter, and I have fixed the cracks in the plastic bathroom fixtures and we're going to refinish the fixtures this week so they'll be ready to install as soon as the trailer returns. Things are really moving now.
Here are some pictures of the damage at the rear of the Overlander. As you can see, I removed the back portion of the plywood and painted the frame with a rust preventative. The last photo is of me and my wife as we dropped off the trailer at the polishers. If you look carefully you can just see the door of the new water heater I installed. I'll post "after pictures" when I pick up the trailer.
Thanks for the photos, it really helps. Your floor looks great compared to mine (I almost wish I hadn't looked at mine). I know I should replace the floor, but will probably put it off so that we can use the trailer/bathroom this coming season at the lake - where our '68 Overlander is parked. I am inspired that I may yet feel comfortable tackling the floor replacement. Looking forward to your next posting of photos.
Last year, I gathered up my courage and tackled dropping the leaking black tank and now have had it repaired (plastic welded). It took a surprising amount of time and effort to get everthing apart as none of the sheet metal screws were prepared to co-operate - wouldn't turn and my drill bits wouldn't bite to drill out the screws*. I had a new galvanized box bent up and cut new angle iron supports (the old box and supports were very badly rusted). Got replacement parts for the original toilet and valves. Saw how bad the floor really is.
Didn't get anything put back together before winter started and we had to pack up for the season. It's really not practical to work on the trailer during the winter (usually gets snow, and is definitely cold and wet). C'mon Spring!
Thanks, Jim. What you don't see is the PO tried to repair the problem with bondo and large lag bolts. This didn't help the problem of tail sag and the integrity of the structure was compromised. Remember, as mentioned in other threads, Airstreams get their strength through a combination of frame, floor, and the sides which are all tied together. If they are all in good shape, you don't have problems, but if any one of the three elements is in bad shape, it affects the whole structure. Be sure that your repair takes this into consideration. That's why I decided to replace the affected part of the floor.
These new pictures show the after of my repairs. The rear floor with the new floor covering installed, the new water heater with the "collar" I made to fill in the hole around it, and the polishing in progress.
Thanks for the photo update. My, that new floor sure is pretty (it will make a tremendous difference I'm sure - I have read many of the posts about floors and structural integrity). Deep cell battery, too! I haven't quite figured out exactly where and how it was originally mounted back there.
Looks like you still have the original pump (P&R?). I managed to freeze ours and it cracked - forcing the issue of replacing the pump. The new one is definitely much more quiet and smooth.
The double configuration is nice - it's what I'd prefer. A P.O. had hacked into the curb side twin on ours, so one of my projects is to make the remaining twin into a "double" (really a 3/4, I think).
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