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Old 10-02-2017, 08:34 PM   #1
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1967 30' Sovereign
Bradenton , Florida
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What is rear end rot?

Hi Friends,
I have a 1967 AS Sovereign and the bathroom floor is kind of slopping down in back How do I know if its the rear end rot and what exactly is rear end rot and is it something I can live with or is the whole floor going to give way someday?
Thanks,
John
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Old 10-02-2017, 08:45 PM   #2
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1991 34' Excella
Princeton , New Jersey
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Rot is just that Rot. There are several possible causes, but water has gotten to the floor and it has gone. You have to address it at some point or you may poke through.

To check the extent of damage use an ice pick and poke around. Anything other than a solid stop to the pick is a soft spot.

I don't know your trailer year but one common cause on later years is the metal covering the rear hatch is extended in and under the ply floor. If thta seal leaks water will flow in t the bottom of the ply and over time cause the rot. If you have a rear bath any leaking there will cause the problem
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Old 10-02-2017, 08:52 PM   #3
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Sounds more like droop.
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Old 10-03-2017, 12:17 AM   #4
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1967 22' Safari
MILAN , Illinois
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Slanting Rear Floor

johnganis, You may have a more serious problem than just floor rot in your Sovereign. The longer trailers (of your age range) can suffer from frame failure to the rear of the axles. The frame may be bending or broken and has been known to cause the rear end of the trailer to droop causing the issue you are seeing in your rear section. It needs to be addressed properly or it WILL most certainly fail at some point and could cause major damage to your trailer. If it has been caused by water intrusion floor rot could be an issue on its own but you need to do a more serious inspection of your frame. Start at the axle mounts and work toward the rear bumper. Also be sure to check the outriggers as they can more easily rot out or bend/break from stress on them when floor rot is present. Biggest cause of frame failure is bad axles. Once the axles have lost the "spring" in them the hard ride affects the frame and can do serious damage to the skins as well. You may also notice popped or missing/broken rivets due to this issue. Hope this helps, Ed
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Old 10-03-2017, 05:36 AM   #5
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There is a whole lot of contradictory/confusing information out there on this subject. Our 1969 had the same issue--the bathroom had a slight slope downward. I'm no expert as I'm still in the middle of the repair process, but here's my take. From what I understand the frame and the shell are meant to support each other. The shell holds up the frame as much as the frame holds up the shell. Rotting of the subfloor between the two weakens their marriage and a ripple effect starts. The frame gets pushed down while the shell starts to buckle and come down as well. Here are the indicators I noticed (after purchasing, not before...):

* The slope in the bathroom
* The shell starts to pop out and separate from the ribs between the inner/outer skins. Look behind the wheels inside the wheel well.
* Rotten/disintegrated subfloor at the rear. Remove the trim piece under the compartment door and inspect the wood.

Based largely on Andy from Inland RV's advice, the repairs involve removing/replacing the rotten wood, lifting everything back in-line, adding extra reinforcements, and then riveting it all back together so that the frame/shell are now back in a mutually supportive arrangement.

Attached are my research notes. Feel free to reach out for more info. I have a thread started to document the repair process, but need to get it updated with the newest updates/pictures.

-Matt
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File Type: pdf Airstream Rear End Sag.pdf (62.5 KB, 186 views)
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Old 10-03-2017, 09:40 AM   #6
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1973 21' Globetrotter
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In an effort to reduce the confusion, below is something of a glossary of conventionally used terms:

Rear end rot: Very general term to describe the (almost inevitable) intrusion of water into the rear-most sheet of plywood or water exposure due to leaking plumbing that results in rotten plywood and/or deterioration of the frame.

Rear-End separation: Similar to the above, but in this case, the plywood that is sandwiched between the shell and the frame is completely rotted away, allowing the frame and shell to move independently of one another. In advanced cases, the bolts, rear-most cross member, and the rear hold-down plate will have rusted away almost entirely, allowing free movement of the frame relative to the shell. This is usually readily observable in advanced cases, or detected by stepping onto the bumper and observing the frame-rail to bumper junction/gap.

Rear-end Droop/Sag: This happens when the frame begins to fail entirely behind the rear-most axle. It could be caused by extensive rust on the frame, and aggravated by rear-end separation. Downward sloping floor in the rear of the trailer and deformation/buckling in the shell are obvious symptoms.

good luck!
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Old 10-03-2017, 10:28 AM   #7
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What you have is a 47 year old trailer and unless it has been meticulously maintained by every owner (which rarely happens) you might just have a large pile of aluminum. Can it be restored? Sure it can. Will it be expensive to restore? Depends on your bank account but for what I have read I think 40,000 or more would be a close estimate to get started. Can you restore it yourself? Yes, if you have the skills, tools, time, patience and desire.
It sorta like an antique car, I would love to have a 69, or actually 59 corvette, Astin Martin, or Austin Healy, but I don't have a clue on how to fix it when it needs work and can't afford to pay someone else to do it.
Taking a guess that since you haven't heard of rear end rot before you may not have the skills, tools, knowledge, etc either. I hurt for you. I am not criticizing nor am I trying to make you feel bad but ROT is a pretty basic thing to know about with any trailer and especially Airstream. You have much to learn young Grasshopper. I hope you didn't pay too much. Hopefully you recently inherited the Airstream and even better if you also inherited a large amount of cash to go with it.
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Old 10-03-2017, 12:35 PM   #8
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Having reread the initial post, I would further offer, that this is NOT something you can live with. If you intend to use the trailer, then you are going to have to fix it.

I have a '73 Globetrotter I bought in the vicinity of Destin, FL. I bought it (in ignorance) thinking I would spruce it up and go camping. Since then, I have almost completely rebuilt it. When I removed the shell in order to replace the floor, I then disovered the extensive frame deterioration. I would classify the condition the trailer was in as Rear-End Separation, from the definitions above, but when I towed the frame to the welder, I ended up replacing about 2ft. of the rear-most frame, two cross members, and some portions of the front of the frame as well. Practically every outrigger had to be repaired or replaced. In retrospect, I think I was lucky to get the thing all the way back to Houston without incident.

good luck!
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Old 10-03-2017, 12:57 PM   #9
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Loganville , Georgia
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I had the same problem on my 73 Overlander. I gutted the bathroom and cut the floor out from the door way to the rear end. I bought Nyloboard (Used to
becheap not anymore) for replacement. It has the same specs and hardness as marine plywood. It will never rot. I welded a piece of steel with holes in it so the nyloboard could sit on it and be bolted in. . I welded it next to a piece where the original floor was installed. It gave me extra support. I have had the trailer for 10 years and I don't have any rot. The other thing I did was weld dog ears to stabilize the rear end from flexing. It was worth it and one of the best decisions I made on a renovation

My 1973 overlander restoration is on the trailer forms. Just look it up

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...ion-38204.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...n-38204-5.html
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Old 10-03-2017, 01:28 PM   #10
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Lothlorian, I DO know where Loganville is. LoL. : )
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Old 10-03-2017, 02:53 PM   #11
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I think everybody knows where Loganville is these days. The town is growing in leaps and bounds. Everybody and their brother is moving here. Growth is exploding ! Can't build the schools fast enough. they build a new school and the next couple years they are adding new trailer classrooms to meet the needs for all the new students
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Old 10-03-2017, 03:15 PM   #12
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There's always the jump-on-the-bumper test. If the bumper moves independently of the body, you've got separation problems.

BTW: I know where Lothlorien is, does that count?
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