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I purchased a 1969 27’ Overlander Land yacht this past summer. I thought It was in good shape but with every piece I remove I find three more things wrong. After pulling up three layers of carpet I found the rotting floor, then the deteriorating Black tank holder then… then…… I have gone from a good cleaning to close to a 1/2 monty. To make matters worse recently a wind storm blew down a 6’ diameter branch over my rear bath room so three panels got smashed. Here are a few questions any advice or opinions are appreciated.
Having read this forum site for a while I will articulate my parameters as follows…I purchased the Land Yacht because I like the classic exterior look of the a/s, but I am aiming for functionality and dependability everywhere else. Having said that and being of modest means and of a frivolous nature, I will attempt to use any original part if it serves my purpose and is as good or better than a newer appliance/part. I plan on taking this to the mountains on forest service roads and eventually a tour of the west, nea, maybe even Alaska with my 4 yo son, (wife is holding off on any travel commitment until final product is seen) .
Here are my questions Opine away if you like.
I took of the belly pan. Looks like I have some significant rust on the frame. Any tips for where I can weld in some re-enforcement?? Any concerns here??
Belly pan was a mess.. What is the proper replacement material for this? I only pulled off rear third so I don’t want a complete new one.
Where can I buy replacement boxes (with foam insulation ) for my black water tank? Same with my utility box. Why did these rust out?? Are they Galvanized??
Water heater is a rusted mess…is this worth savings or are modern ones better??
Same question with the furnace…
Same question on Univolt and the wwII looking fresh water pump.
Where can I get some generic aluminum trim??
Are Airstream replacement exterior skin panels worth the cost or can a metal /airplane shop produce a quality replica??
What type of insulation should I use between the fiberglass interior shell and the aluminum external shell.
I can see in some places drilling new holes into skin and braces makes for tighter fir on exterior replacements but this is not possible where two panels overlap and one is still in good shape is this correct?
I tore up the inside shell rivets pretty good, same concern here or does the fiberglass adapt to the larger rivet hole.
I have copper piping ans it is currently almost all exposed. NOW is the time to fix or replace this. There must be 4-5 places where re-enforced (threaded) rubber tubing is spliced in- between copper using screw driver clamps. Was this by original design or is it a repair due to frozen pipe damage. I like soldering but is plastic better??
As far as your copper plumbing issue. You are most likely seeing is the repair of split pipes from frozen water. Most people who replace the copper go with Pex. It is a flexable pipe that offers more protection from freeze then copper. It is very easy to work with. My trailer was converted to Pex by the PO and I am very happy with it. If you search the forum for Pex you will get tons of information on the subject.
Water heater is a rusted mess…is this worth savings or are modern ones better??
Same question with the furnace…
Same question on Univolt and the wwII looking fresh water pump.
Where can I get some generic aluminum trim??
Looks like you have your work cut out for you!
I have a 75 that we ahve been restoring, trying to keep the original look but upgrading whre possible.
Water heaters are pretty easy to swap out. I just pulled the one out of our 76 and installed an ATWOOD, Fit in with no modifications.
Univolt, unless you like the constan HUMmmmmmmmm I'd replace it with an Inteli-Power Converter, done that to 2 out of the 3 so far. Vinatage Trailer Supply has them at a good price
Furnace? Is it rusted out? Our 73 the entire bottom was gone due to corrosion. Little more tricky but easy to come by, Suburban Furnaces, Camper World has them. Good luck!
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'74 Overlander (T-O-Bee)
'46 Spartan Manor (Rosie)
'77 20' Argosy MH (Peanut)
2007 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Duramax
2006 GMC Sierra 5.3 V8
WBCCI 1754 - AIR # 6281
Member of VAC www.balrgn.com www.balrgn.com/Airstream.htm
deano- yep, you're way beyond the just-clean-it-up-a-little stage, but sorry about the tree branch- you surely did not need that. Regards the old parts, in my opinion they are not worth saving. Check Ebay or on-line RV parts places for a new sur-flo water pump, new atwood water heater, new intellipower converter/charger, and unless you're planning on lots of cold weather camping or living I'd skip the furnace with it's ductwork and instead go with the electric ceramic heaters. This would not work for boondocking though, and I've read of some concern with the CO2 emissions from catalytic heaters- so hope other members can fill us both in on what is a safe heat with no 110 volt hookup. Search the forums for other info on belly pan material, exterior skins, rivets, etc. I had a replacement galvanized black-tank box made for me by my local hvac shop, then just used some rigid foam insulation like what was in there.While you're in there, you may want to inspect/rehab the dump valve. I just re-did my plumbing with pex, seems to be the way to go. But if you search this forum, you'll find everything you need to know and then some. Have fun and get your credit card out! -tim
Same thing happened to me almost two years ago when I purchased a '72 Overlander. The bright side is that once you've gone through it and fixed it, you know what you've got. It's a great opportunity to update the decor in the bath as well.
It's a long, slow process, but worth it in the end (I think).
I feel your pain. I couldn't understand why anyone would gut their AS. What started out as a cosmetic renovation has gone full blown. The 3:1 ratio of newly discovered problems for each known problem you investigate seems about right. I would highly recommend RV discount parts outlet for any new part that you need. I plan on removing my forced air furnace and installing a catalytic heater made by a British company called Esse. They a make a firewall that looks like a framed picture with a fire burning in the center. It has an ODS and is fluelss and puts out 22,000 BTU. For the most part I also will be using ceramic heat. I also would like to install a tankless water heater as this seems much more efficient on the propane particularly after watching my current water heater in operation. Has anyone had experience with converting to a tankless heater? Good luck with your project. I totally understand.
Aluminum Trim is available from home centers (some better than others), local metal shops have many stock items like flat, round, tube (square, round) etc. but for some really nice edge profiles, molding as well as stock stuff you can order it from Ohio. Check these sites out.
Look at an Atwood GC6A-8 Gas & 110V Water Heater on their website.
Look at a Suburban NT-SP Series Ducted Furnace NT-30SP Furnace 30,000 BTU - 5.5 amps on their web site.
Also, the fear or frustration or angst that you are experiencing when finding all the problems, I think, is not so rare and there are lots of people as members of this group who know well those feelings. What's the saying, what won't kill you just makes you stronger. My dad used to say... mild trauma builds character. One project at a time.
Oh by the way, the copper plumbing combined with the hose clamps is a quick repair the Previous Owner (PO). The original plumbing was copper. I just finished a complete copper re- install on mine. I just put it back to original with a few upgrades it did not have before.
I wish you all the best. Your in good company !
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"It takes a village to raise a silver twinkie."
Thanks for all the links and the welcomes. Seems like there are a lot of vendors at reasonable prices. Still would like an opinion on replacing exterior panels. Go to airstream or go to the airport shop???
Thanks again.. the more I take apart the more I learn! I bet your second airstream goes better than your first.
I plan to get my replacement aluminum at one of the local metal vendors. I have not replaced any of the skins yet, but need to patch the top skin where I removed the antena......as I am all about cable. I also have to replace the belly skin as it was torn by one of the BAL stabilizer jacks.
Sorry, I can't help you on the issue of the ceramic heater. I know they draw alot of power and I only intend to power mine with RV park power and use the catalytic heater when in the boonies.
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