Hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew? 1969 Caravel full remodel

[bucketlisttx]

Proud new owner of a 1969 18’ AS Caravel.First time RV/Trailer owner so I know VERY LITTLE about the in’s and out’s of what it takes to refurbish and maintain a trailer. I’ve done a lot of reading on the forum lately and there is some really good information on here for sure that has helped thus far and given me some ideas as well. I’d like to do a full interior remodel of the rig b/c I would love to keep this trailer in my family for the next 40 years. The trailer is in pretty good shape for being 45 yrs old. It lived the majority of it’s life in the dry desert. The previous owners had painted it silver probably 20 years ago b/c they got tired of polishing it and currently it is peeling very badly so I’m definitely going to strip and polish the whole thing. I think I have a good handle on what it will take for me to complete that process. The PO’s started to do some demo on the interior as well but decided to give up for whatever reason so I didn’t purchase a fully intact 69 Caravel.

I want to document my remodel b/c I really couldn't find any other 69 Caravel remodel on the forum and also so that I can ask a question or two from time to time to get some great advice if I can’t readily find my answer on the forum. Attached you’ll see some pics of the original AS when I bought it and my progress thus far. Right now I’m to the point of trying to figure out how to rewire and replumb and wondering if I can repair a weak spot in my floor myself without lifting up the shell (see pic)???

The rig was originally laid out w/ a gaucho couch in front w/ the freshwater tank underneath and a table that folded out from beside the couch. All those components have been discarded (except for the fresh water tank) prior to my purchase of the trailer so I’d be starting from scratch if I try to recreate that. The curb side had a fridge just adjacent to the door and it was also discarded prior to my purchase and after the fridge was an L shaped couch that butted up to the bathroom which you can see is in the picture attached. The closet and kitchen (oven/cooktop and sink) then make up the remaining portion of the street side of the trailer.

My vision thus far for my remodel: I have a wife and two young kids (6 and 2) and I think I think I’m going to go w/ the original layout in my remodel. Partly b/c I can’t come up w/ a better layout and partly b/c that’s just the way this rig was intended originally so why mess with it?! But I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any. So unless I change my mind I’m going to have some kind of bed up front and then I’m going to try to create a bunk bed on the curb side beside the fridge so that both my kids have a spot to sleep. Up front I’m considering moving the fresh water tank somewhere else if possible b/c I really like the pics I’ve seen of the booth like dining set up that converts to a bed. Where else could I put a fresh water tank?

In regards with where I am right now in the remodel w/ the plumbing and electric I have to do some research and make some decisions b/c I don’t have a clear path in mind just yet about some critical things which will factor in on how I plumb and rewire I suppose. Lots of learning in my future for sure!!!
All in one Dometic AC&Heat unit v/s Dometic AC and separate gas furnace for heat?
Of these what should I plan on installing??? Gas Range , Oven, Microwave Oven
Best way to set up the electric?3 battery system w/ inverter? Solar panels?

Thanks in advance fellow AS’ers for any feedback.Happy New Year.

[DryFly]

Lots of potential. Pretty sure you'll need a new axle. Use Pex for all your plumbing. Before you go too far drop the belly pan and look at the frame, I think that will inform you if you need to do a full monte.

[thesignlady]

Welcome to the 69 club :-)

I am pretty certain you could still have the U shaped dinette you crave keeping your water tank in its original location.

Have a look at some of my past posts from working on my '69 Safari. We replaced our subfloor and did frame repairs shell on and for the record Krylon fusion spray paint, Mr. Clean magic Erasers and and bleachy bathroom sprays are now your new best friends.

And definetly go with pex if you are redoing your plumbing

Feel free to Private Message me if you ever have any questions

[bucketlisttx]

So almost ready to take the shell off. I've got a couple of issues to get past first though.
1) my roof will only have one opening where current fan/vent is so i'll have to create another one (hopefully where future a/c will go) so that I can get the second gantry chain down through the roof. shouldn't be difficult at all I just hope if pick the right section where the a/c will go.
2)The banana pieces came off pretty easily.
3)almost all of the screws that were holding the c-channel to the subfloor came up easy but some I stripped out and had to just pry away from the subfloor. And those pesky bolts that they install that are flat on top w/ a nut screwed on and then bend at the factory are almost undone. Some unscrewed, some broke off when I tried to straighten them, and some I had to break off w/ large flathead screwdriver (used as a chisel)and a hammer.
4)now I just need to figure out how to get the front end of the shell separated from that flat metal piece that appears to be attached to the frame somehow. looks like there some kind of rivet that comes up from underneath. I'm guessing i'll need to remove enough of the belly pan in that area to see what's going on under there.

Then I should be ready to build some gantries and prepare for liftoff!

[TennTex]

Hi Bucketlisttx,

Nice trailer! Thanks for posting your redo process; fun to follow and helps the next redo'er.

The AC hole placement is a good question that some of the folks who have done before will need to chime in on. Weight placement of the AC unit is a main consideration. And make a note to install a drain line before walls and insulation are done.

That flat metal piece is the L-shaped hold down plate. It is an integral part of the body-to-frame structure, and there is also a rear one below the back access door. It sits on the frame crossmember and the subfloor is on top of it. The fasteners, then, go through c-channel, subfloor, hold down plate, then crossmember. To lift off the shell, you will need to drill out the rows of rivets holding the vertical part of the "L" to the exterior skin.

I know it seems every step brings 5 new steps, but just have fun with it. It will all be worth it to do and do well.

Alan

[bucketlisttx]

Shell is off and subfloor removed this weekend.
Note to self (or any other future first timer who might stumble across this): The weight of the door and door frame and the fact that I was on ground that wasn't completely level to begin with caused my whole shell to sway right into a gantry when the shell lifted away from the trailer. I didn't really damage the shell but it sure cause some anxiety when it initially happened. I ended up just tying the door side of the shell to the that gantry post on that side so that hung more in the middle of the gantry.

[thesignlady]

Originally Posted by bucketlisttx

Note to self (or any other future first timer who might stumble across this): The weight of the door and door frame and the fact that I was on ground that wasn't completely level to begin with caused my whole shell to sway right into a gantry when the shell lifted away from the trailer. I didn't really damage the shell but it sure cause some anxiety when it initially happened. I ended up just tying the door side of the shell to the that gantry post on that side so that hung more in the middle of the gantry.

Oh my goodness I am sure watching your shell swing towards the posts must have caused near heart failure, definitely thank you for sharing that info :-)

[SonOfAnder]

Nice! Glad to see you popped the shell. It was a lot of fun lifting mine. I think it is going to just make everything easier in the long run. Plus, can you imagine putting on all that insulation and belly pan from underneath on your back? I'm young, but I am to old for that! Flip that frame and rebuild the easy way... Good luck! Will keep following you to see how it goes!

[sgschwend]

Good show, and good job.
As you said there was a gaucho before. I would recommend you add some cross members to keep the spans more realistic. I like 16" OC, but in my 25' I put in two members to obtain a span under 16", ended up at 13' OC.

[bucketlisttx]

Humpty has completely fallen off the wall and now it's time to build him back up again.
Been prepping the trailer frame for another 50 yrs of service hopefully.
1st and 2nd coats of POR have been applied over the last few weeks. Now I guess I can look to source some new wheel wells and the new subfloor.

[dbj216]

Well, I definitely do not think you bit more than you can chew. You're in the midst of a "full monte" renovation. Lifting the shell to gain full access to the frame is the best way to rebuild the trailer.

Keep us posted on your progress like you have been doing. I hope you have a good plan developed for your trailer. I would recommend a gray water tank under the subfloor. You will likely replumb your trailer and maybe rewire it too. We looked at the new Airstream 16' at the RV show and was impressed with the big bed in back and the dinette in front. Take a look at some of the floor layouts in the new small trailer from Airstream since you are building from the ground up. It may give you some ideas.

David

[bucketlisttx]

Funny you mention RV Show b/c I plan on doing just what you said next weekend when Dallas has their convention. Hoping to get some ideas for sure.

[dbj216]

Well, don't get the idea to buy a new one. The new ones are very nice indeed. Hard to resist.

But do take a close look at the Sport or the smallest Airstream on display. I liked the big bed in back, although forget about walking around it. It's a bed for unrolling your bedroll and crashing. And it is a first in, last out double bed. The front dinette that makes into a bed was good too. It had a small galley, and a "water closet" for a bathroom. The whole rig was a very functional weekender.

We didn't see anything that compared to the design and quality of the Airstream trailers. But there's the price.

David

[bucketlisttx]

It's been slow going the past couple months but I'm ready to make some progress this summer while is a comfortable 150 degrees here in TX!
I've managed to wire in a new trailer harness and run the wires all the way down the length of the frame as you'll see in the first two pics. I hope I did it correctly.
I've also put down the new floor with the new wheel wells. I went w/ the Advantech subfloor material b/c it was a good price point for my budget and I saw that a few post'rs had mentioned they used it w/ no issues. I went ahead and sealed it w/ a few coats of basic Thompson's water seal and also a coat of Spar Varnish on the outside edges of the floor.

Unfortunately I can't flip my trailer over b/c of a space and muscle issue so it's a lot of horrible work on my back for a while.

I'm working on putting some insulation underneath the subfloor first. Going with some rigid foam insulation from Home Depot down there and I hope it works out. I think the R value might be a bit overkill when you add up 5" of this material but I'm thinking it'll add a nice semi-hard surface for the belly pan to butt up against where it's not riveted to the frame. (I'll show some pics of that on my next post when it's all installed) I'm also going to put in a fresh water tank at the front of the trailer and a grey water tank in the rear. Both of them on the underneath side of my subfloor just to free up as much space on the inside of this trailer as I can b/c she's a small little lady. Waiting on those to come in from VintageTrailerSupply. Any suggestions on how to secure the water tanks to the frame and or subfloor???

[dbj216]

You will have to develop a strong tank mounting system once you get the tanks and trial fit them. I have seen posts showing how other folks have mounted their tanks.

I think stout metal straps attached to the frame members is what you will want. Water is 8 pounds a gallon, so you know the weight of a full tank.

I ordered tanks with shoulders on them so I could hang them between angle irons. I also ordered grommets so I could attach my drain and vent lines to the tanks. But I had a different design than your building. My tanks hang 4" below the frame rails so I could plumb an easy dump valve arrangement. I rather copied the design Airstream has used since the mid 80s.

I used rigid foam for under floor insulation also. It is very moisture resistant. And rodents don't like it as well as fiberglass batting.

You are right about working on your back under the trailer. I had to use this approach also. It's doable, just not the greatest time I have ever had.

David

[bucketlisttx]

Got all the insulation in and I'm just waiting for the final pieces of the underneath puzzle.
Awaiting some metal straps to the secure the grey water tank in place (Thanks DBJ216) and I'm still awaiting for the fresh water tank to come from VintageTrailerSupply. Once it's in place then I'm ready to learn how to rivet and put on a new belly pan then put on the new axel and flip this girl back on her feet.
Any suggestions on the best material to use for the new belly pan from anyone out there?

[dbj216]

Hi bucket,

I didn't remember you have your frame flipped over. Lots of work to do that, good job.

A lot of people use 5052 H32 aluminum sheet .025 thick. It is lower cost, easy to work with, and adequate for the job it has to do. The belly pan is a simple cover, and carries very little load. This material typically comes to you in 48" width rolled up to the length you need. I ordered mine on line from Air Parts in Kansas City. Good people to deal with.

http://www.airpartsinc.com/77_AIRSTR..._Camper_RV.htm

Riveting the belly pan on is straight forward. I decided to run the 48" dimension side to side since many of the cross members are on 24" centers. I provided about 1" overlap at the seams. Some seams were on cross members, and some seams were nothing more than a "stitch line" of rivets holding the two sheets together. I cut the 48" wide aluminum to the length I needed, usually in the 80" range, although narrower at the axles. All of the belly pan was riveted to the cross members and frame rails and outriggers.

I used mostly large flange 5/32 "pop" rivets cinched with my air riveter. If you want to strengthen your hand grip, you can squeeze them tight with a hand riveter. There are lots of 5/32 diameter holes you will need to drill. Most of my rivets are on 9" spacing. DO NOT worry about making your belly pan water tight. You want the rain water and road splash water to drain out. No water sealing needed. You don't want any holes bigger than 1/4 of an inch in an effort to keep mice out, especially propane line penetrations and the like.

I did the son's 69 Globetrotter belly pan this last winter. It is a much harder job on your back under the trailer. It will be much easier for you.

Gotta get your tanks, drain plumbing, any wiring, and floor insulation done before attaching the belly pan aluminum. I put my axles on after the belly pan was up.

Hope this helps...

David