I Love Lucy

[DDickey]

Make sure when you do this you have some pieces of spare aluminum to put between the shell and the floor to help guide it on. This was especially helpful since I was by myself. When I got to the back I couldn't get the shell to go all the way down onto the frame. No matter what I did, it was about an inch away from being right. I wrapped a strap around the trailer, and clenched it tight, I got on top and bounced around, I got inside and jumped up and down, but nothing. It was an inch off. Then I remembered how much these frames flex, and I tried jacking the back up, and viola, it magically popped into place. Well, almost. The rivets for the trunk interfered, so I had to drill them out, and when the last rivet was out the shell just settled right down where it was supposed to be. I got busy riveting

[DDickey]

I trimmed the aluminum around the wheel wells, put the trunk back on, smoked a cigar, and put her under the carport. I can't wait to insulate and wire the girl.

[rugjenkins]

Whoop whoop! Shell to frame reconnection was the most rewarding part of the build so far! It looks great. You may surpass me if you keep up this pace😄👍

[DDickey]

Originally Posted by rugjenkins

Whoop whoop! Shell to frame reconnection was the most rewarding part of the build so far! It looks great. You may surpass me if you keep up this pace😄👍

Hey Matt,

Do you have a link to your build, I'd love to follow it.

My goal was to get the shell back on by the end of the year, so I'm ahead of schedule. Would it be too ambitious to set a goal to have the whole thing done by the end of 2017? That feels reasonable, to a bit ambitious, because i'd say a this point I'm about 40% done. When I started, my estimate on time was 10% tear down, 30% bottom end, 30% rough-in, 30% finish out. I suppose it depends on the weather this winter and how much tolerance my wife has for letting me neglect chores around the house

[rugjenkins]

Not sure how to link the rebuild, but it's titled "Argosy Redo".
As for you finishing by the end of 2017: I think you'll make it! Shell lift off and floor replacement are the most difficult part of the rebuild. You are now over the hump! Electrical, plumbing and insulation go alot quicker. Your doing great! For me the hard part has been the planning stage. I totally rearranged my whole camper. Nothing is original. New tanks, frame engineering and fab, new plumbing and electrical layout, spray foam and such. For me the easy part will be the wood building aspect- cabinets, dinette, interior walls, beds. I love taking the old and making it new! Your rebuild has helped me keep pressing. My goal is finish before you😁😜

[rugjenkins]

Let me also say, your moving at a very quick pace! I've been steadily working on mine for 2 years. Most rebuilds take 3! So rock on my friend!

[DDickey]

I found your build and subscribed to the thread. You're doing a great job! Haha, I'd say let's race, but I don't want to tempt either one of us to cut corners to win

[DDickey]

I haven't posted in awhile but that doesn't mean I've been neglecting Lucy. For the past month or so I've been working on details on the exterior, especially trying to make the shell watertight before I insulate. I'm using a one-part urethane gutter sealant on every single rivet and seam. Along the way I've decided to replace panel 11 on the front end cap (see post #10 in this thread). I ordered the segment from Airstream Supply and the salesman said shipping and handling would be about $50, but they charged $225, which is a complete ripoff. I'm working to get it resolved, but beware. I'll take pics as I replace it and let you know how it goes. In the meantime, here's a pic of the old Bowen cover retrofitted to my new Atwood 6 gallon water heater - came out pretty good.

[DDickey]

...and I run across this description on rvpartscountry.com. It's too good not to share:

Large in energy and reduced in profile, the Penguin collection of local weather control products is a trustworthy and awesome performer. Dometic's Penguin II is just under 10 inches profile and is a single of the least expensive obtainable, giving you more clearance for driving under reduced bridges or by means of tollbooths. Penguin makes use of electronic or analog relays in the ceiling ducted technique or air distribution box to conveniently awesome your coach.

Now for a real question - will 13.5k BTU conveniently awesome my coach? Is it enough for a well insulated 22' vintage Airstream? I am in Texas, and it does get a bit toasty here in August.

[DDickey]

I was a little intimidated to drill the rivets out of panel 11 thinking this could be a complicated job and I might not be able to finish before the winter storm hits tomorrow. I went ahead and took the plunge and it wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. That's pretty much been how my whole restoration has been - me not knowing what I don't know, so I imagine all these things that can go wrong, and they don't. Murphy's Law hasn't been too much of a factor.

Anyway, I originally decided that the dent in panel 11 was a beauty mark and i was going to keep it (pic 1). As the old gal has come together though, I started seeing the dent as a flaw, so I decided to replace it. The only difficulty was four blind rivets that I didn't know were there. I damn near ripped the panel trying to get it off before I figured out they were there. Once I drilled them out from the back the panel pulled right off.

The panel from Airstream Supply doesn't come trimmed to the exact size, so I used the old panel as a pattern to trim it and drill the holes. Lots of Trempro, clecos and olympic rivets later and the panel is in. It's amazing how flimsy the front of the trailer is with a panel missing, and how it magically takes its shape when it's put back together.

I finished after dark so I'll take a pic of the completed job and post it today

What I learned:

1. If in doubt, replace it. This would have been a lot easier when the shell was off and the windows were out.

2. Don't bother buying the panels from Airstream Supply, it's not that complicated, and AS charges two arms and three legs for shipping. Next time I'll pull the panel and take it to my local sheet metal shop to use as a pattern. The only special thing about it is the rolled edge which a shop can easily replicate, and the panel from AS has to be trimmed to fit anyway. I probably would have saved $300 doing it this way. Live and learn.

[jjmtb]

Nice job on the panel replacement. Hopefully the new panel doesn't look so much better that you want to replace the rest.

[DDickey]

Originally Posted by jjmtb

Nice job on the panel replacement. Hopefully the new panel doesn't look so much better that you want to replace the rest.

I'm a little afraid of that, but the guy I'm going to have polish the trailer says you won't be able to tell unless you're right upon it. *crossing fingers*

[DDickey]

But the holidays did slow progress a bit. I've been working on waterproofing Lucy and I'm pretty close. I may regret this some day, but I've essentially glued Lucy together from the inside: I've hit every single seam and rivet with Trempro 635. It rained here this morning and my last remaining leak is around the water heater. Other than that I've started to install the Reflectix and then it's on to wire and insulation. Maybe I'll be camping by the fall of 2017

[BambiTex]

Originally Posted by DDickey

I'm a little afraid of that, but the guy I'm going to have polish the trailer says you won't be able to tell unless you're right upon it. *crossing fingers*

Who is doing the polishing for you?

[DDickey]

Originally Posted by BambiTex

Who is doing the polishing for you?

I found a guy on Craigslist here in Austin that does a great job for a reasonable price - John Teachey 512-939-7795

[DDickey]

Reflectix in, wiring almost done, about ready to insulate. I'm debating whether or not to use the old inner skins or to completely reskin the interior. Stripping Zolatone is a crazy amount of work, and I may bite the bullet and just go new

[HiHoAgRV]

I went with new skins since a local company has 4x10 sheets for $45. Almost the same cost as stripper, not including the massive time-suck.

[DDickey]

I decided to replace 90% of the interior skins with new .032 Alclad. The only old skins I'm keeping are the ones behind the cabinetry. I've decided to cut a new rear end cap, and I'm going to cut an all new front cap rather than go back with the nasty old fiberglass one. I know naked skins aren't as pleasant to the touch, but I love the look of shiny aluminum, and that's what she's going to have. Handling and cutting the .032 hasn't been a problem so far, but I'm a little concerned about how I'm going to install them without damaging them.

[jjmtb]

Originally Posted by DDickey

I decided to replace 90% of the interior skins with new .032 Alclad. The only old skins I'm keeping are the ones behind the cabinetry. I've decided to cut a new rear end cap, and I'm going to cut an all new front cap rather than go back with the nasty old fiberglass one. I know naked skins aren't as pleasant to the touch, but I love the look of shiny aluminum, and that's what she's going to have. Handling and cutting the .032 hasn't been a problem so far, but I'm a little concerned about how I'm going to install them without damaging them.

Wow. That's a big job. Are you using the old skins as templates or fitting from scratch? Are you drilling new holes or picking up the existing ones? Do you still think it was the right idea to replace them?

[DDickey]

Originally Posted by jjmtb

Wow. That's a big job. Are you using the old skins as templates or fitting from scratch? Are you drilling new holes or picking up the existing ones? Do you still think it was the right idea to replace them?

I think it's going to turn out well, but the front end cap is killing me. I decided not to replace the rear end cap, but clean the old one instead. I'm re-riveting it today and hope to get it up this week. The front, however, has been a bear. I originally cut the old fiberglass end cap into 13 segments and used it for a pattern. That didn't work out and I ruined a sheet of Alclad. My next strategy is to use the rear endcap segments as a pattern and transfer it to the front. The two end caps have slightly different shapes, but I think it will work *crossing fingers*

I used the old panels as patterns and have the new pieces cut. I think everything else is going to go in just fine, my biggest concern is to not crease the ceiling panel. The reason I decided to replace most of the panels is because the trailer had been remodeled and there were a ton of rivet holes in all the wrong places.

Either way you go it's so. much. work.