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Kristof · 04-22-2019, 10:05 PM

A rainy day but a good one for getting work done inside Lucy.

Today I finished the wiring run on the hot side to the 7 pin connector box at the front of the trailer. I also finished the 12 VDC neutral line which uses the shell as a conductor. This was originally a 8 AWG line that I re-used - except I added 5 main bus bars that I have attached to frames on the roof. This line runs the length of the trailer from stem to stern and has 6 connectors on the bars for 12VDC systems. Seemed like a better way than the rats nest of wire that came from the factory. Tracing which neutral wire was which was nearly impossible to troubleshoot using the original wiring

During this process I wanted to test my insulation plan for running the wires on the inside of the first layer of planned insulation and then connecting them to the hot side and the neutral side on the inside layer of insulation. I am also running the 12VDC lines up the inside of the frames and so tested that out today as well. Finally I managed to get all the running lights tested using the finished wiring loom from front to rear.

The first layer of insulation and the last three windows will be the focus of the next week or so. If time permits the belly pan form the fresh water tank needs to be prepped as does the backyard for the arrival of the frame in less than 12 days now. . .

https://youtu.be/rOeRwUq7k3o

dbj216 · 04-23-2019, 06:52 PM

You are right about the rat's nest of external light wiring. My trailer was such a nest. All I did with it was organize and label each wire.

I like your idea of a "loom" and neutral branches for various circuits.

David

Kristof · 04-28-2019, 10:32 PM

Well two full days worth of work - one day with four seasons of weather - including hail - and the other just beautiful and sunny as well as productive. The push is on as the frame is supposed to come home from the welders this Friday. But let's get back to yesterday for a minute.

The first two objectives of yesterday were met - start getting serious about the first layer of Insulation and FINISH the running lights wiring to the 7 pin junction box (as well as installing said 7 pin junction box). The reason for the running light wiring COMPLETION was that it resides inside the first layer of insulation - between the shell and the reflectix. So we cannot finish that without the wiring being done. This included the 12VDC neutral line with bus bars running fore and aft. Took some doing but we finished the wiring with . . . a problem. Both right and left lights came on when one side was energized. I was gob smocked to try to figure out after all that carefulness WTF happened to make that situation real. I racked myself to sleep and woke up this morning with the solution - I had coincidentally wired both of them together at the junction box - and should have done that aft at the lights. Anyways short story is the fix is not an issue and will happen next weekend.

Today I spent some time getting the fresh water and black water tank housings for the frame de-rusted and reborn as functional pieces of equipment. I had this plan to use up all the left over rust paint in the basement as the insides of the tanks will never be seen again. So the Dali black water tank enclosure painting was not intentional - as were the various shades of grey . . .

Note that I am trying my best to re-use most of these structures as they were built. The biggest challenge today was the fresh water enclosure as the metal of the centre flange is so corroded that I had to fiberglass the inside of the flange - and really massage and sand the outside portion. I think with some caulk the outside portion will survive as I coated it with rubberized paint - will use plenty of caulk on it when it gets installed.

I have to order a new black water tank and a new grey water tank this week. This has been a challenge for various reasons not the least of which is the problem of shipping - every time I find a tank I want it will only be shipped to the states. Frustrating. MTF on the tank saga ....

The inverter drama ended this weekend. The GOPOWER HQ is in Victoria - I had a great visit with them when I discovered I had ordered a 12V versus the 24V model. I had this strange thought I could trade it in for the other one - which of course was not possible as the warehouse is on the mainland. I got my money back however and ordered an AIMS inverter - should be here this week. The price was better and quality was equivalent.

my3sonsdad · 04-29-2019, 03:35 AM

When you have a chance, could you provide an overview of your ALDE system design? Way back you mentioned AS offered a package setup. A quick check of the ALDE website would suggest it can only be obtained from one the RV/trailer manufacturers.

dbj216 · 04-29-2019, 07:58 PM

You are making good progress on the "systems" of your trailer, both electrical, installation and plumbing. There is a lot of project when building a Airstream. Just think, the factory does it 50 times a week, or more.

David

Kristof · 04-30-2019, 09:58 PM

Well Not True. But these quick replies mean I cannot attach anything. Look to my later post for the ground truth.

Kristof · 04-30-2019, 10:03 PM

A while back I had promised to provide proof of my visit to ALDE USA and the Airstream design sheets. They are attached below. After speaking to the guys at the HQ (really helpful - I even got an ALDE Moose to take home) I am going to modify this design with a few under window exchange units and some wired in fan units in the bedroom as well as a long strip of floor radiance down the centre of the trailer. Note the Airstream logo on the design specs . . .

my3sonsdad · 04-30-2019, 11:43 PM

Thanks for posting the ALDE design.

Kristof · 05-03-2019, 06:45 PM

The frame came home today! Going to rust remove, grind and sand this weekend so pictures to follow with some commentary on what we did and the things we learned. Really happy with the work and it looks promising to get the shell back on by the end of May. Oh Yah, I ordered the grey and black tanks as well so we should have them in a couple of weeks or less. Need to put the tanks in and rough in some plumbing before we put the deck over them - also some insulation and belly pan installation needs to happen.

my3sonsdad · 05-03-2019, 07:14 PM

I was impressed by your 45 gal fresh water tank. I didn’t see a similar shape tank in the INCA catalog.

Kristof · 05-04-2019, 09:18 PM

Man I wish I had done some before and after photos but had to work today and after a quick lunch did some grinding then the priming. Wanted to talk about this special juice I got - expensive and rare but worth it - for the rusty parts of the frame. It is called Corroseal -it is a water based rust converter combined with an unpigmented high quality copolymer latex metal primer. The advantages of using Corroseal include reduced labor costs by not having to mechanically or chemically remove existing rust. The environmentally friendly properties of the product makes delivery, storage, use, cleanup and disposal relatively convenient when compared to other metal primers and rust removal methods. So here are a few shots of the after effect - again wish I had taken a few before hand. Oh and tomorrow we are painting the frame and starting on the insulation. One final note - the product turns the rust black when it is done - so you can see where it has done that. Love it - worked really well.

Kristof · 05-05-2019, 10:39 PM

We are really enjoying having the frame here at home - with all the tools at hand, electricity, beer . . . A very, very productive and sunny wonderful Victoria day today.

Let's start with the reworked Grey and Black water sewer line out of the frame. A few folks commented a couple months back when I posted the photo of this hole in the frame. The discussion revolves around whether or not it was a factory made hole and the issues with the strength of the frame. I had written at the time that I assumed it was factory - as it had looked like no one had been in there before. I may have been mistaken - not sure but maybe.

The welder called me last week about the hole - as he was replacing the entire aft part of the frame and main spars. He said that someone had torched out the hole and that it looked like the back section had been been lengthened. It was his assessment that there was potential it had been a modification. Since the belly pan seemed original I am still not confident I know one way or the other. What really matters is what we did to ensure the hole and the frame maintained the stress integrity - pictures below. I really like the enforcement he did and the frame really looks strong in comparison to what it looked like before. Happy.

The $27 CAD Princess Auto Spray Paint Gun has really got a work out in the past few days. Much easier to paint with it and cheaper on paint as you can buy it in cans and thin it out for easier application. In case anyone was wondering the paint is just a TREMCLAD rust paint. I had read somewhere that expensive paint does not really make that much of a difference - and the frame is mostly not exposed anyways. Happy with the results.

One thing Max and I have always hated is that not one of the RV's we have owned had insulated floors. So we are putting in 2 inch closed cell foam and sealing it up with a small 1 inch air barrier between the decking and the insulation. I plan to wrap the belly with aluminum as the original had and leave another air barrier there. I am also adding holes to allow the water to drain out. One thing the old belly had was a lot of water and really moldy yuck. If the belly pans could have drained that may have been different. One the outriggers we are going to put in 1 inch foam right under the decking as there is not much to adhere it to and hold it in place.

The final piece of work today was preparing the water tank for re-installation. I am using a base layer of relectix as I have some clearance issues and want to make sure the tank fits back in. Once I run the water lines prior to sealing the deck on I am going to use some spray foam around the tank and the plumbing. That is the plan with the other two tanks as well. Someone had asked for the tank details - you can see the picture with the INCA specs.

Has anyone noted the axles being out of alignment and the bolts being lose? looks like mine are and I am going to loosen the bolts, re-align the tops on the frame and refasten. If someone knows something I do not about this process please advise.

Been a long weekend. Looking forward to making progress this week. Need to procure some aluminum sheet for the belly, some bolts to put the tank pans back in and marine grade plywood. This after I just sold my pickup and waiting for the new one to get built and shipped up here. C'est la vie.

dbj216 · 05-06-2019, 05:44 AM

My 75 Overlander is a rear bath layout. The 3" drain hole through the rear of the frame was torched out from the factory. It certainly weakens the frame, but the last 6" of frame rail doesn't have much load on it at all. So maybe Airstream torched out the hole in the frame rail for a mid bath layout?

That new frame looks great. I agree with the painting you did. I did the POR thing once, and it is very good paint at a very good price. E coat, or powder coat process would even be better. But I think your frame will last 50 years no problem.

David

Jeremy9107 · 05-07-2019, 12:47 AM

Great looking frame. It’s a shame no one will ever see it again. I was one of those who questioned the hole in the frame. David’s is on the rear, but that one is smack dab heavy part of trailer. Looks solid though. And didn’t seem to show loss of integrity from all the prior years of use. Also like your insulation plan. Much easier to cut and lay that it from the top rather than putting on from under trailer. If I had a do over, I would do it that way

Kristof · 05-10-2019, 11:30 PM

Hey folks no pictures but a heads up for tomorrow. Both Grey and Black tanks arrived this week, more decking has been painted and installed, the weather has been wonderful and much insulation has been laid in and glued and sealed. Add to this some plumbing on the fresh tank and we are ready for the weekend to try and get the frame ready for the shell. The big push is on!

Kristof · 05-11-2019, 11:12 PM

Amazing Day - MacIver was here! So lucky we have all the things we need to get so much done. So happy to be on the build side of things - and so content we prepared and planned so well! Not everything is working out but so much so we are very grateful. Pictures say a 100 words - so here are the last two days.

Kristof · 05-11-2019, 11:15 PM

More Pictures

Kristof · 05-11-2019, 11:18 PM

More Pictures (2)

Joyflea · 05-12-2019, 07:03 AM

Very nice work .

Kristof · 05-12-2019, 10:07 PM

Last day of the big push - very tired - Whew!

Trialed the technique and material we are going to use on the bottom of the pan in areas where there are no tank pans. So I was thinking aluminum and buying in bulk - but it is just so hard to find a retail place that will sell you quantities for your project - not for your business. What I did find was aluminum flashing for roofs - which as pain on both sides - a dark brown and white. The paint is like a coating that is flexible and with the paint the sheeting is guaranteed for 25 years for your roof so why not on the pan? Like who is going to look down there and see brown and go WTF? LOL!

You can see where the middle area between the fresh tank and grey tank are sealed up now - this is also on the pan as well. I riveted the sheet to the inside of the frame in this case - because it was easier to work on. Then I sealed the edges with polyurethane underneath.With the weight of the foam on top it is a fairly sturdy construction - I am hoping it will last.

You can also see where I married the foam with the grey tank and installed the grey tank ready for the decking. I am going to start the decking this week - it will be the most difficult pieces - over the wheels and cutting out the wheel well pieces will be a challenge to get it right.

Last is the black water tank which is not working out so well. I may have to lower the tank because I am suddenly missing two inches of space I thought I had. Going through a bit of a redesign which is effecting the work load coming into the long May 24 weekend. Sometime in the next week I hope to have a thought this through . . .