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Aerowood · 03-25-2007, 05:22 PM

The size of the rivet is determined by the diameter of the shank. The stock rivets in your Airstream was a 1/8" diameter with a larger brazier style head. These rivets are no longer available, but a 5/32" dia. universal head is very close. If there is a dimple in the head, that is a rivet with the aluminum alloy of 2117-T4. If there is no dimple then it is 1100 aluminum and very soft. the P/N for the 2117 is MS20470AD5-X and the P/N for the 1100 is MS20470A5-X. X equals the length if the rivets in 16ths with half sizes available. The length of the rivets is determined by the combined total thickness of the pieces being shot together and the diameter of the rivet installed. D always means Diameter. So to find the length needed add the materials thicknesses together such as in airstream skin .032 + .032 = .064 which is almost dead on 1/16 and then add 1.5D for the bucktail. Add it all up .032+.032+.156+.078=.298. .298 divided by .062 equals 4.806 so the rivet length will be a -5

The rivet part number MS20470AD5-X brakes down as follows
MS20- Rivet
470- Rivet head style, Universal protruding head
AD- Rivet alloy, 2117-T4
5-Diameter in 1/32's, 5/32
-X length in 16's with 1/2size longer being .5

Genuine Aircraft Hardware Co.
This is a good source for rivets

Kip

markdoane · 03-25-2007, 05:57 PM

I hope you don't mind if I jump in with an alternate supplier. I bought all my stuff at Aircraft Tool Supply.

Some of their prices are better, some aren't.

JimGolden · 03-25-2007, 07:32 PM

Kip, Don,

Do you guys think I could roll or hammer/dolley this dent out? It stretched the metal. Step ladder blew over and hit it.

Any guidance you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. This grieved me greatly. Body is nearly perfect other than this.

Thanks!

markdoane · 03-25-2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markdoane

I hope you don't mind if I jump in with an alternate supplier. I bought all my stuff at Aircraft Tool Supply.

Some of their prices are better, some aren't.

Sorry, the link to the rivet page expired. Try Aircraft Tool and drill down to the rivet pages.

Aerowood · 03-25-2007, 08:32 PM

I'm hesitant to bring up this procedure due to the beating I'll probably get by some members stating it's not possible, but here it goes anyway. Most people think that the end caps are made of 2024-T3. I've been working aircraft sheet metal for so long that I can identify alloys and heat treatment just by how the metal works. When I first started working on the skin replacement on my Globetrotter I noticed that the end cap aluminum was quite abit softer then the flat sheets. They are 2024 but I know they are not T3. The skins are most likely stretch formed 2024-0 and any hardening was by cold working as the sheet formed over the die, so the temper is most likely some where in the neighborhood of T1. Knowing this I fabricated the tool below to try and roll out some gouges and dents. On the larger ones I (here comes the naysayers) I heated up the area to semi anneal the aluminum. I then rolled out the dents and gouges with my "new" tool with some areas backed up with a lead shot bag. The aluminum was stretched in some areas and I proceded to shrink the aluminum back using heat and cold water. It worked better then I expected. The End

Kip

Aerowood · 03-27-2007, 03:58 PM

I got the right rear corner skin drilled up today. Banana wrap is next

Wabbiteer · 03-28-2007, 08:08 AM

Bananna wrap: I just finished pulling the wood putty and 25 sheetmetal screws some joe had repaired curbside front corner with - will be interested to see how painlessly your battle goes! Seeing the clecos in like that makes my interior rehab minor in comparison, thanks

Fyrzowt · 03-28-2007, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerowood

I'm hesitant to bring up this procedure due to the beating I'll probably get by some members stating it's not possible, but here it goes anyway. Most people think that the end caps are made of 2024-T3. I've been working aircraft sheet metal for so long that I can identify alloys and heat treatment just by how the metal works. When I first started working on the skin replacement on my Globetrotter I noticed that the end cap aluminum was quite abit softer then the flat sheets. They are 2024 but I know they are not T3. The skins are most likely stretch formed 2024-0 and any hardening was by cold working as the sheet formed over the die, so the temper is most likely some where in the neighborhood of T1. Knowing this I fabricated the tool below to try and roll out some gouges and dents. On the larger ones I (here comes the naysayers) I heated up the area to semi anneal the aluminum. I then rolled out the dents and gouges with my "new" tool with some areas backed up with a lead shot bag. The aluminum was stretched in some areas and I proceded to shrink the aluminum back using heat and cold water. It worked better then I expected. The End

Kip

This was the technique that came to my mind after seeing one of these custom Harley shows. They were forming a new fuel tank using aluminum after annealing it with a rosebud torch. The technique he used was to use acyteline only, no oxygen in the flame. I found that a cool idea (no pun intended) after some bad experiences as a young man with aluminum puddles while trying to heat some aluminum. I'm still "goosey" about heating aluminum after all these years...
Did you use this or some other tecnique?
Dave

Aerowood · 03-28-2007, 10:09 AM

I just used a propane torch, It gets hot enough to soften it up, but I didn't linger with the torch. I experminated with one of the lower removed skins before I commited to the upper skins. The big gouge I worked out is not perfect but you will have to look for it to find where was.

Aerowood · 04-16-2007, 06:50 AM

I straightened the corner bannana wraps and have made repaires on both. I am installing them under the side skins. I drilled them all up, and I am now ready to prime all the new skins and misc. parts. I would like to have everything ready to shoot by this weekend weather permitting. I may have to wait due to my bucker may have to go to Japan this weekend.

Aerowood · 04-21-2007, 03:58 PM

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, On this day I hereby decree that Zeppelinum is a certified BUCKER. After minimal instruction, Zep bucked all the rivets on the three new aft skins for me. Many thanks Zep, I am now in your debt.

Aerowood · 04-21-2007, 04:07 PM

Before

Aerowood · 05-05-2007, 05:20 PM

I removed the potable water tank and all the rest of the fiberglass insulation today. The tank was a real challenge to remove by myself but I finally won. The plywood holding the tank up is a full 1.250 thick and weighed a considerable amount. I am going to replace it with a built up aluminum structure that will weigh a lot less. I got all but five of the elevator bolts removed to replace the flooring. These five bolts are located beneath the forward C channel, so I plan on cutting a large chunk of the floorboard out in order to get a saws-all in between the fwd cross member and floorboard to cut the bolts and the 1/4" pop rivets that go through the complete stack up. Whoever the person is at Airstream that came up with this assembly sequence needs to be cut deep and bled out some. The tank does not look like a 46 gal. tank as I was lead to believe, and I found some numbers on it that make me think it's only a 33 gal. tank. I will have to measure it to find out for sure as this has a bearing on the design of the aluminum structure I plan on replacing the plywood with. I had to stop early today as the weather came in and it started to rain hard and then the hail started. I was relieved that the hail turned out to be nothing but large balls of slush.

Zeppelinium · 05-05-2007, 10:40 PM

I'm betting the tank is in the 30-35 gallon range. I think that's what all the 18-19' models were equipped with.

Yes, the weather did turn Colorado today. I think we had at least three different [small diameter] hail storms today, and the thunder was very odd--low rumbling and reverberated a long time.

Zep

Aerowood · 05-12-2007, 06:16 PM

I removed all of the forward floorboards today. All came out without to much fuss. I had to cut a fairly large hole in the most forward in order to make space for the saws-all to cut all the hidden bolts and rivets. It was a real mess.

Derek D · 05-15-2007, 07:36 AM

Aerowood -

In the picture above, what is supporting your shell once the floor is removed. I am nearly to this point on my 72 Overlander, and am trying to plan my next steps.

Aerowood · 05-15-2007, 11:39 AM

There is a vertical steel plate that is welded to the fwd crossmember and is riveted to the lower "C" channel and skin. Be advised that I had 5 elevator bolts underneath the C channel holding the floor to the frame and then it had 5ea 1/4 steel pop rivets that went thru the whole assembly. I had to cut a large hole in the floorboard in order to get a saws-all in to cut the elevater bolts off between the floorboard and crossmember and then cut the rivets again between the C channel and floorboard. Good Luck

Kip

Aerowood · 06-01-2007, 03:37 PM

I got the fwd half of the frame all cleaned up and applied POR 15. Removed the fwd "C" channel cleaned and epoxy primed. I had to insulate the floor that covers the spare tire well before I put the fwd floorboard down. I used one inch ridged foam insulation and .025 2024-T3 aluminum to cover the foam in the spare tire well. I primed the aluminum with epoxy and then used water based contact adhesive to bond the aluminum and foam together. Sealant is used to adhere the assembly to the frame and seal off the spare tire cavity. I then installed the fwd floorboard with the foam/aluminum panel captured between the A frame and floorboard.

Aerowood · 06-08-2007, 05:44 PM

Removed the step for repair, installed ..025 aluminum over the step well. Cross member over potable water tank had broken welds and bolted it back in place. Installed last two floorboards and new C channel along both sides. Went out to a travel trailer scrap yard this morning and scored a Suburban hot water heater model# SW6DE. I had to remove it from the wreck but I got it for 35.00. It looks brand new, the burner tube is not even scorched.

Zeppelinium · 06-09-2007, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerowood

...Went out to a travel trailer scrap yard this morning and scored a Suburban hot water heater model# SW6DE. I had to remove it from the wreck but I got it for 35.00. It looks brand new, the burner tube is not even scorched.

Kip,

Nice work. I gutted the front end of the Safari yesterday and discovered rotten flooring along the shell forward of the door--strange place for a leak, since the floor around the door itself is fine. Guess I'll tackle this problem using your excellent photos.

What scrap yard? Not Cherokee? They are great but I would think they'd know the value of the water heater a little better. I need one, too, did you see other water heaters or space heaters?

Zep