Boy Oh Boy! my new '56 Flying Cloud!

[Aerowood]

I,ve got 4 cases of 2 buck sitting in the GV in Long Beach as we speak

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Thanks, UWE, I agree.

One major problem with your "happy hour." It's possible to be happy without 2BuckChuck, but not likely (in my case). I don't see any in the photo...

Zep

Well, a precision crafted dry Martini gets pretty close...

[urbanfood]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

Here are my question: 22 gallon blank tank. Is that somewhat large? I think 22 gallons of "black" would take a long time to fill. Does one need that much? Are your pipes and tanks going to run below the belly pan? If they did, wouldn't that make heating the tanks and pipes a waste of hot air?

22 gallons is on the larger side for my needs but the tank configuration fits. if i went smaller, i'd still be using the same amount of space between the rails.
i'm not sure about heating the tanks yet, but they would be heated from above. yes, the tanks will hang below the belly pan but be insulated. i agree, i think it's a waste of hot air too. however i could have the duct run and have it closed and only open it on the freezing nights (with a wife and baby that means never) when i want to keep the tanks from freezing.

Originally Posted by uwe

Unless I am spacing out, I see no tall storage ( or much other storage) in your design, as for hanging clothes or for a pantry etc. The space between the bath and the bed would be ideal for that. Then you can run a vent pipe through it and to the roof as well.

i knew you were going to call me on that uwe. that's the first thing that popped into my mind when i went with the desk idea, that uwe's gonna chime in asking where the tall storage is... that would be a good pantry location...i just like the idea of having a little desk that i can sit at quietly in the morning, maybe on the next trailer.

Originally Posted by uwe

Also, raising the shower floor 4" might limit your headroom considerably, and make for an awkward step-in arrangement. Have you considered mounting the pan on the floor ( or just slightly above it) and feeding the grey water under the floor to the side of the tank? It will fill, so long that there is a vent line connected to the very top. As a matter off act, you cen connect the shower and sink drain to the side bottom, if you need to. I did that to the grey tank on my 71 TradeWind, and never once had a problem with it. You can use a compact p-trap for the shower drain, perhaps with a bigger hose than the one shown in the link. RV PARTS OUTLET

i thought about draining into the side of the tank but then i thought about grey water coming back up through the shower. you have the shower drain connected at the bottom of the grey tank? huh, that works?

i'd prefer to not have to mount the shower so high. i'll look into the more compact p trap.

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

This design discussion prompts me to ask question that's been on my mind for some time--other than regulations, is there a practical reason for having a black and gray tank?

i thought about that too, or more specifially, why can't i just drain the shower into the black tank, it would be so much easier. BUT i think you answered the question further along in your post.

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Urbanfood, I do have one question on your design. You have party seating for 7-8 people and dining seating for 5, but only sleeping for 2 (OK, more if you're friendly, I admit). What's the design objective here?

i plan on hosting some cabaret style lounge parties at the rallies. need to find an act

the sleeping will work fine for our needs, my wife and i will sleep in the bed in the rear, and two kids can sleep up at the dinnette (table will fold down) and one more kid can sleep on the gaucho (we only have one right now)

Originally Posted by uwe

Well, a precision crafted dry Martini gets pretty close...

maybe uwe will have the honors when this flying cloud makes its rally debut

[uwe]

Originally Posted by urbanfood

22 gallons is on the larger side for my needs but the tank configuration fits. if i went smaller, i'd still be using the same amount of space between the rails.
i'm not sure about heating the tanks yet, but they would be heated from above. yes, the tanks will hang below the belly pan but be insulated. i agree, i think it's a waste of hot air too. however i could have the duct run and have it closed and only open it on the freezing nights (with a wife and baby that means never) when i want to keep the tanks from freezing.

You can also install electric tank heaters. It's a 12V or 120V mat that installs right under the tank. Or, at least provide wiring for that. Not so good for boondocking in subzero temps, but then why on earth would anyone do that anyways.

Originally Posted by urbanfood

i knew you were going to call me on that uwe. that's the first thing that popped into my mind when i went with the desk idea, that uwe's gonna chime in asking where the tall storage is... that would be a good pantry location...i just like the idea of having a little desk that i can sit at quietly in the morning, maybe on the next trailer.

Well, someone needs to look after you, right? You won't be sitting quietly with kids in the trailer....been there. Any movement at all, and they will want to be a part of it.

Originally Posted by urbanfood

i thought about draining into the side of the tank but then i thought about grey water coming back up through the shower. you have the shower drain connected at the bottom of the grey tank? huh, that works? i'd prefer to not have to mount the shower so high. i'll look into the more compact p trap.

It actually does work. Inone instance, I connected it to the dump side, just before the grey valve, and it filled just fine. It is iportant, however, that the top of the tank is vented properly. As long as the shower is above the tank, the water will run into it, top or bottom matters only when volume filling is of importance.

Originally Posted by urbanfood

i plan on hosting some cabaret style lounge parties at the rallies. need to find an act

I suggest the guys in the picture below.

Originally Posted by urbanfood

maybe uwe will have the honors when this flying cloud makes its rally debut

My number: 1-800-cocktails

[urbanfood]

i've been working on stripping the end caps. i found a system that works great but the shell is required to be removed because of all the water that is generated. i used kleen strip and scraped 95% of it off. then i pressure washed the whole end cap to get the remaining crud off around the rivets which it did with ease. probably not the best thing for the grass, but it's already dead underneath the airstream. i have the rear one completed and will get the front one done this weekend. i also received the dewalt polisher, nuvite F7 and several polishing pads this week.

on the trailer frame front, i decided to sign up for a welding class at los angeles trade technical school. it's a month long class beginning january 2 for 4 hours a day, three days a week. the price is ridiculous...$29. that's a 48 hour welding class for .60 an hour

it's all about stick welding so i'm excited for that. even though it's going to be a small delay on the trailer frame, i'm excited to finally learn how to weld and apply it to the airstream.

and finally, this is my 500th post . not sure why that is so exciting, but it is

[safari57]

First - congrats on hitting the big Five zero zero. I too wondered if it meant I was hitting a good milestone or perhaps spending way too much time on the Forum instead of working on the 'Cloud. I realized that the Forums and working on the 'Cloud were tied together, each providing more motivation to do the other. So it's all good news on that count.

Good news on the polishing supplies, and that price for the welding course is almost embarrassing. By the end of that you'll be raring to tackle that frame. With all this happening, and the great weather you folks enjoy 99% of the year, you should be out testing that trailer by summer . Oh sure, it may not be completely done, but it is fun even when it's part way done to check out how it works so far.

Merry Christmas, and don't hurt yourself polishing end caps over the holidays.

Barry

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by urbanfood

i've been working on stripping the end caps. i found a system that works great but the shell is required to be removed because of all the water that is generated. i used kleen strip and scraped 95% of it off. then i pressure washed the whole end cap to get the remaining crud off around the rivets which it did with ease. ...

on the trailer frame front, i decided to sign up for a welding class at los angeles trade technical school. it's a month long class beginning january 2 for 4 hours a day, three days a week. the price is ridiculous...$29. that's a 48 hour welding class for .60 an hour ...

Can I come park in your driveway and take the welding course with you? Wow!

I don't understand the "...shell is required to be removed..." comment. Washing the outside of the shell ought to keep all the water outside, I'd think.

Congrats on your 500th post! I know you are walking around with a new sense of confidence and accomplishment. The only things that matter are:

1. Progress on all Airstream Projects and
2. Active participation and sharing on the Forums.

Zep

[urbanfood]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

I don't understand the "...shell is required to be removed..." comment. Washing the outside of the shell ought to keep all the water outside, I'd think.

it's on the interior of the endcaps

i'll post a pix later of the progress.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by urbanfood

i've been working on stripping the end caps. i found a system that works great but the shell is required to be removed because of all the water that is generated. i used kleen strip and scraped 95% of it off. then i pressure washed the whole end cap to get the remaining crud off around the rivets which it did with ease.

Sounds like what we did...but the shell was on. The wood floor was gone so no worries about getting things wet.

Shari

[urbanfood]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Sounds like what we did...but the shell was on. The wood floor was gone so no worries about getting things wet.

Shari

i stand corrected, it can be done with the shell on.

shari, how did you get that link to work and just show the single post. there was no thread attached and i couldn't scroll up or down, it was just your post. i kind of like that, do tell.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by urbanfood

shari, how did you get that link to work and just show the single post. there was no thread attached and i couldn't scroll up or down, it was just your post. i kind of like that, do tell.

See the underlined post number in the blue bar on the top right of every post? Click that and it'll take you to just that post. Then copy the path from your browser and paste it into the link reference (instead of the whole thread path).

If you want to go to look at the whole thread when viewing a single post, click on the thread name which will appear in the top right above where the number is. Make sense?

Shari

[airdrmr]

Originally Posted by urbanfood

finally progress again...
i also had greg install a spare tire carrier which is what is on the newer airstreams.

Hi David,

We are getting ready to mount our spare tire on our '67 Safari and I was wondering if you could tell me - does the belly pan have to be modified with this type of spare tire mount? Or, does it just fit flush to the underside [front] of the trailer?

Thanks, and keep up the great work!

[NorCal Bambi]

Howdy David, Great information! I haven't looked at your thread for some time. You've got a lot done. Our 55 FC has finally moved back up on the list of todo's. I've downloaded several of your graphics and will be studing them. It's sure is nice to have someone else do the work first. I'd like to pick your mind and ideas as get going again, If you don't mind. I've found that it's hard to stay on track when you have one Airstream that is siting there waiting to go camping. Camping, work, Camping, work. Thanks again for your great thread.
Don

[Creampuff]

Originally Posted by airdrmr

Hi David,

We are getting ready to mount our spare tire on our '67 Safari and I was wondering if you could tell me - does the belly pan have to be modified with this type of spare tire mount? Or, does it just fit flush to the underside [front] of the trailer?

Thanks, and keep up the great work!

Meredith:
You will have to cut out your bellypan between the frame rails in a triangular/ trapezoidal configuration. The tire lies flat to the underside of the floor.

[airdrmr]

Hi Murray,

Thanks for the information. That's what I thought, but I needed affirmation from the experts.

Hope you and that beauty of a trailer are doing well. Happy New Year!

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by Creampuff

Meredith:
You will have to cut out your bellypan between the frame rails in a triangular/ trapezoidal configuration. The tire lies flat to the underside of the floor.

Maybe. My observation of my Caravel (which doesn't have the tire holder installed--see posts #5 and #7 in this thread) http://www.airforums.com/forums/f476...air-24690.html
and my Sovereign (which does have it installed) tells me that there was a thin layer of solid foam insulation below the floor and above the tire. I also noticed that the insulation was protected with sheet aluminum, pretty thin, like .025". I haven't measured it, but I think it's wise to have as much insulation as the tire width and support arms allow--maybe only 1/2", but I would hope more. Some members have reported that their spare tire had space above it, which was bad, since the tire could bounce up and down and create very big stress on the support arms. Collective member wisdom says the tire ought to be snug up against the floor/insulation, so add as much insulation thickness as necessary to make this happen.

Zep

[SilverPal2]

David
Any ideas on how to find a pre 57 FC/
Jim

[safari57]

Originally Posted by japolk

David
Any ideas on how to find a pre 57 FC/
Jim

Jim,

One thought is to go on Google and type flying cloud. I happened to be doing that yesterday and several came up. Some were for sale but I did not check to see how old the ads were or if they were still available. We've found our last two on Craig's list. You have to go in and check each city. I know there's an ad from a guy called Airsstreamguy or something like that who has a very early 1950 flying cloud for sale. There's also one in the Spokane Craig's list, I think a 1951, that will need a total restoration.

The other thing to consider is to put a wanted ad in the classifieds here and RV trader.com

We also post to the thread here titled "Interesting Craig's list finds" anything we happen to see in the various Craig's lists when trolling them so keep an eye on that thread. Matter of fact, you might want to post to that thread letting folks know that you are looking as well. You'll want to put some clarity to what it is you are actually looking for such as a project, an original untouched, or a restored unit.

Good luck,
Barry

[airdrmr]

Hi Jim,

I noticed this one on craigslist yesterday. It's a '62 and it's in pretty awful shape, but I thought I mention it since it's pretty close to you.

24 ' 1962 Flying Cloud Airstream

Cheers,

[SilverPal]

Hi Meredith:

Yes, Jim and I have pondered this one. We agree, it's in sad shape....